Abu Dhabi launch event secures tenant interest.
In April, M&N were appointed by leading Middle Eastern asset management company, SinoGulf, to launch International Tower and brand new marketing suite. Located in the Capital Centre, the new business hub of Abu Dhabi, it is the first Grade A office space to open on the scheme and one of the few on Abu Dhabi island itself.
During a 6 week period we implemented a fast track strategic communications and event management programme in the build up to a key launch event for stakeholders and potential investors. The sizeable list of VIP attendees included senior level management of businesses across many sectors including law, engineering, government agencies, financial services, oil and gas.
Through carefully managed media relations the launch of International Tower received significant media coverage in Gulf News, Al Ittihad, Al Khaleej and other principal regional publications.
M&N on the fast track!
Earlier this year M&N, as part of a collaborative venture with TIZA Creative and Place PR, were approached by a leading engineering and construction joint venture, Team BFK. We were appointed to help coordinate and support a crucial launch event to mark the beginning of tunnelling for London’s Crossrail project.
As part of the successful management of the event, the team undertook a carefully structured programme of Public Affairs, Media Relations, stakeholder management, corporate branding, brochure design and production, as well as a full redesign and management of a new corporate website. A remarkable accomplishment, considering all of this was achieved in the very short period of 5 weeks, from concept to completion.
M&N delivers respect…..
Things are hotting up at M&N, with the recent appointment to provide marketing and communications support to the UAE’s first crematorium. Hindus and Christians alike can now take advantage of the dignity deserved at the passing of their loved ones.
Our client, Al Foah Funeral Services, is located in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi and the only provider of a complete funeral directors service in the UAE, operating the first crematorium in the country that complies with the highest international standards. As a multi-faith facility, Al Foah services all communities in the Emirates, regardless of financial circumstance and religious background.
M&N Communications provided support during the launch of the facility and operator, as well as continuous on going media support. We have already helped generate significant international media coverage, including this article and video short on the BBC.
New UAE crematorium caters for expat funeral needs - BBC News, 25.04.2012
M&N team expands
M&N welcomes new Account Executive Charlie Pelter to its London office, having risen through M&N’s internship programme and benefitted from extensive PRCA training. Charlie has marketing, communications and event management experience in delivering integrated marketing campaigns across a variety of high profile corporate and retail brands. We would also like to introduce Radwa Allabban as Associate Director of our Abu Dhabi office. With over 12 years industry experience, Radwa has a solid international client side and top-agency experience gained in the UK, MENA and Far East markets, combined with an extensive property clients portfolio, which includes Mubadala Real Estate and Hospitality, Dubai Properties, Harrods Estates and DTZ. She is fluent in both English and Arabic.
Are you the bright spark we are looking for?
Overview: M&N Communications, is one the leading property PR agencies and we are looking for a recent graduate to support our team as an intern for up to three months. Working out of our London office in Kings Cross, you will support our friendly team on pre-planning consultation, corporate PR and project accounts, whilst gaining valuable experience and knowledge of property public affairs, corporate and project communications.
Applicant Requirements: Strong writing and research skills and a proven interest in the communications industry are essential; as are drive, enthusiasm, a sense of humour and the ability to adapt to a variety of different situations.
Closing Date: 25 February 2012
Interview/Start Dates: Interviews are available from our London or Guildford offices. We are looking for a intern to start with us at the beginning of February. The length of the internship can be negotiated with the right candidate.
Job Contact: Please send your CV and cover letter to Charlie Pooley at c.pooley@mncommunications.co.uk. If you require any furhter information please call 020 7760 7529.
Unfortunately we will not be able to respond to all applicants. If you have not heard from us by the end of January, your application has not been successful.
Abbey Wood win
Berkshire Investment Capital and Development Securities has recently appointed M&N to carry out a pre-planning consultation programme on a site in Abbey Wood, Greenwich. The consultation process will begin in the coming weeks. This project expands on M&N’s extensive experience in Greenwich, where we have worked on four phases of Berkeley’s Kidbrooke Regeneration since 2007.
Core Blimey!
Leading property company Core has appointed M&N to manage its corporate communications and assist with strategic marketing activity. The team will be working with Core to promote its extensive central London portfolio of high profile buildings and its development, refurbishment and asset management activities.
One to Watch – Dovehouse Interiors
M&N has recently been appointed to manage corporate communications for Dovehouse Interiors. Dovehouse is a specialist fit-out contractor in London and the South of England. Established in 2002, the practice carries out property refurbishments, renovations and fit-outs across all sectors: residential, office, education, healthcare and commercial. M&N will be providing communications expertise across media relations, digital and B2B marketing platforms. A key component of our strategy will be to put the spotlight on the practice’s expertise, and profile some of its key projects, such as the bespoke NHS health centres and Primary Care Trusts across London, and the retro style library refurbishment at the University of Sussex, Brighton. Dovehouse is also the practice responsible for the interior fit-out of Almacanter’s HQ in Quebec Mews, London.
M&N APPOINTED FOR THE ARCADE SITE IN WALTHAMSTOW
Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association (ISHA), has appointed M&N to manage a public consultation programme for a mixed use scheme on the Arcade Site in Walthamstow.
ISHA was selected as preferred developer by Waltham Forest Council and formed a partnership with Hill Residential to develop the site, with Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects (PTEa) appointed to design the scheme.
M&N will be undertaking an extensive public consultation programme in the coming months. A dedicated website has already been set up www.arcadesitewalthamstow.co.uk where all information, including images of the proposed development and dates and times of the public exhibitions, will be displayed.
M&N appointed on Capital Mall, Abu Dhabi
M&N has been appointed as part of a professional team led by DTZ, to provide marketing and communications support to leading Abu Dhabi developer Manazel on their Capital Mall project. Just 5 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport and with easy access to Dubai, Al Ain and Mussaffah highways, Capital Mall is perfectly positioned to provide customers with a relaxed shopping experience – with over 250 retailers, spread across 60,000sqm GLA and 3,000 undercover parking spaces. Currently under construction Capital Mall is expected to open in Q1 2012.
Are we planting the right seeds for growth?
We recently wrote about the growing concern over the health of the UK’s construction industry apprenticeship programme, but what about our own industry? Internships and apprenticeships can give a big boost to those starting at the base of the career ladder in public relations, but how good are we at passing on highly sought-after industry knowledge?
The jury is still out...
Even if students have watched ‘The Thick Of It' or 'Thank You For Smoking', unless they have familial ties to the industry, they are unlikely to know what working in PR is actually like and what would be expected of them.
The Taylor Bennett Foundation offers training and work placements for university and school students to address these issues. Sarah Stimson, course director, says: "We provide our students with a network of people they wouldn't normally have access to. We send them out to lots of different places so they can build PR contacts and team them up with mentors to teach the essentials.”
Despite Stimson’s positivity, there is a much darker side to this coin.
Robert Minton-Taylor, former director at Burson-Marsteller, recently sent a strongly worded missive to PRWeek following a story exposing top fashion PR agency Modus Publicity for employing up to 20 long-term, unpaid interns.
Minton-Taylor, now a Leeds Business School lecturer, said he was ‘ashamed’ of his industry peers. Whilst we all accept that in starting a new career sacrifices will have to be made, there should always be light at the end of the tunnel.
I myself worked for M&N Communications for a number of months in the Abu Dhabi Office before being offered a permanent move and transfer back to London.
M&N continues to provide opportunities that will offer a three month boost up the career ladder both in the UK and Abu Dhabi. A recent intern in our Abu Dhabi office, Josh Clout, stated “I have had a great time with the M&N team, gaining valuable experience working on real projects, designing apps and researching.”
A temporary structure provides a temporary solution…
Christchurch, the earthquake-ravaged New Zealand city, has received considerable publicity in the past week over the rebuilding of the recently demolished Christchurch Cathedral. The city is no stranger to temporary structures, recently opening a temporary sports stadium and shopping mall made from shipping containers, and the construction of a Cathedral made predominantly from cardboard is set to follow this trend.
Those of us who share fond childhood memories of constructing dens and play areas from empty cardboard boxes will be well acquainted with the pitfalls of cardboard structures (rain, general flimsiness and god forbid if you managed to come in contact with a match!). But fear not, architect Shigeru Ban, famed for building emergency paper buildings, assures us that the Cathedral is not only water and fire-proof (phew!) but also, and most importantly for Christchurch residents, earthquake resistant.
History is littered with the construction of impermanent buildings. The Great Exhibitions of the 19th Century used temporary structures to showcase the marvels of the Industrial Revolution and recent sporting events have followed suit, the Beijing Olympics used multiple temporary venues and London 2012 will repeat this tactic.
While many rejoice that the Eiffel Tower has long-surpassed it’s initial 20 year tenure; the Cardboard Cathedral has been specifically designed to last 20 years and provide a temporary place of worship while the once magnificent Christchurch Cathedral is replaced with a structure worthy of it’s magnificent predecessor.
The initial decision to demolish Christchurch’s quake-damaged Cathedral sparked anger and opposition from local heritage groups. It will be interesting to see how the public sentiment changes now a temporary replacement has provided a temporary solution. Watch this space…
Written by Jake Wilczynski
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Despite teething problems, Kings Cross is a runaway success
Planning officers at Islington Borough Council will soon be able to breathe a sigh of relief. As the first stage of the new Kings Cross station opens today, they are one step closer to waving goodbye to the annual renewal of the ‘temporary’ planning permission for the Euston Road concourse which has been in place since the early 1970s.
The new concourse brings Kings Cross into the 21st Century, and in line with its next door neighbour which has set new standards and expectations for rail travellers. Having said that, although we can all board our train with our hungers satisfied and entertainment for our impending journey, getting a ticket might be more difficult (all the ticket machines were out of order on opening day) and making our way to the platform could be tricky (due to escalator problems).
Despite these initial problems in getting started however, there can be no denying that the new concourse is magnificent. The space, ambience, facilities and amenities all make this a very pleasant place from which to depart London, not to mention the neck craning look at the fantastic roof structure. The only shame is that, as a departures only concourse, tourists will for about another year be welcomed by a ‘temporary’ green bunker.
Grow Your Own Staff! Why Apprenticeships should be the way forward
There has been a lot of talk of late surrounding the UK’s apprenticeship programmes. Much debate has stemmed from the recent National Apprentice Week and David Cameron’s call for apprenticeships to become a ‘gold standard’ qualification ranking alongside degrees from top universities.
This may sound straightforward when stated as plainly as that, but there is a growing consensus amongst industry experts that Britain currently has a big challenge ahead of itself to rectify its current pitiable performance on mid-level skills compared to world leaders such a Germany.
The numbers speak for themselves. In England, of every 1,000 employed people 11 are apprentices; compared to 40 in Germany. Here, fewer than 10% of employers are training an apprentice, in Germany it is roughly 1/3. Catching up will require a herculean shift in attitudes.
Maybe, we will see a return to the days comically portrayed in the popular 90’s TV show ‘Auf wiedersehen pet’ where ‘brickies’ and ‘chippies’ flocked to the recently opened East Germany taking up freely offered training and apprentice programmes. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!
Cameron and his ‘Gold Standard Apprenticeships’ is right to focus on quality. But he needs to esnure that ambitions on quantity do not take precedence.
Industry leaders are now taking heed and are beginning procedures that ensure the quality of our future workforce. Crossrail and Wates Construction are both working with the National Apprenticeship Service, and are committed to delivering at least 400 apprenticeships or 10% of their workforce respectively throughout their entire supply chains.
Apprenticeships are not just good PR; there is an important business facet in investing in skills. Clients want their contractors to leave a legacy and there is no better way of doing that than training a local workforce.
A well structured apprentice programme creates jobs, leaves a legacy and will help you win work.
Fabulous for the PR industry or not?
There aren’t many PR’s I know that were not tuned into the return of Absolutely Fabulous on BBC One over the holidays. Since then there have been numerous tweets and blogs circulating on whether the hilarious series is detrimental to the PR industry or not.
Well, I have watched the two episodes that have aired so far, and I am still as amused by Eddy and Patsy’s antics as ever, and not at all concerned about the impact it has had on the perception of PR (unlike Mark Borkowski).
One thing I will say is that the industry has moved on dramatically since the first Ab Fab, and although Eddy pays lip service to blogging, ‘twittering’ and everything that is ‘au courant’, she doesn’t seem to have moved past long Bolly fuelled lunches and Lacroix sweety. But that is exactly the point.
It is satire not a documentary on the world of public relations. In the real world and faltering economy, we are busier than ever providing strategic advice and analysing our clients’ campaigns for return on investment than we are taking long lunches with journalists and getting our knickers in a twist about what Ab Fab has done for the reputation of our industry – if anything it has been the best PR we have ever had!
So, I will continue to soak up Ab Fab as the unapologetic entertainment it is intended to be, and anticipate more tweets and blogs about other recently aired satires and their impact on industry reputations – Channel 4’s Hacks anyone?
Are we really social?
It would appear that social media is still having a moment, with no sign of dying down. It’s becoming the norm, and increasingly unusual, not to keep in touch hourly with Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, Foursquare and LinkedIn, to the point that it’s hard to know where one starts and the other begins. Even our politicians are in on the act. The Commons recently voted to allow MPs to tweet inside the Chamber, and David Cameron has joined Linkedin uk.linkedin.com (I'm still waiting for my request to be approved!).
However, I can’t help but ask is this making us more social or actually the reverse? Once started it’s hard to get off of this digital motorway. The hours for socialising with friends are spent reflected in a faint laptop glow or "checking in" at your location on your smart phone, before you manage to say hello to the real people you are meeting.
There’s no question of the commercial value of the digital boom we’re engaged in. This needs to be embraced with open fingers, but when associates, colleagues and friends are in danger of becoming thumbnails or numbers, you can’t beat lunch with a client or a drink on a Friday night to really get the social juices, with all the commercial benefits, flowing.
BCSC looms….
Whilst my colleagues at M&N are old hats at the BCSC game, 2011 will be my first conference experience and the stories I have heard give me the impression of a varied, hectic, and ultimately enjoyable couple of days.
Parties, dinners, lunches, coffees and drinks seem to be very much the order of the day(s) so I’m left wondering when the work comes into all of this (but don’t get me wrong, I like parties as much as the next girl). This impression I have is positive though and I shouldn’t get too much of shock when it all starts. As we all know, being in the communications business is all about relationships – with clients, industry experts, politicians, journalists, I could go on… - and so many of these relationships are made, and kept, at these key industry events. It should be a good sign that we don’t really think of this as work, but as the fundamental foundation of our chosen profession and ultimately one of the reasons all the staff at M&N started in this business.
Perhaps, in my relative ignorance, I’m just too keen at this point and I’ll come crashing back down to earth when my first BCSC is over. But I’m hoping that my impressions are correct and this will be the first of many. I’ll let you know.
Taking life 5 steps at a time
My third week of working in London approaches and I find myself exhausted. The work is not to blame, the capital city, however, is a definite contributing factor. Everybody tells you to take life one step at a time but having watched those with a modern working London lifestyle I find myself realising that they don’t have enough hours in the day to take life one step at a time. To do everything they need and want to do, a minimum of five steps at a time is necessary.
I used to wonder how ‘celebs’ didn’t get recognised more often in day-to-day London life - apparently a lot of famous faces reside in the capital but very few people tell stories of bumping into Harry Potter! The pace of life takes the majority of the blame, and on the very rare occasion you get time to double take on ‘Harry Potter’ it is more than likely to be someone playing dress-up! It is however, apparent that you may happen across ‘Harry Potter’ or one of his friends when around Kings Cross station as the latest tourist attraction to appear is the infamous Platform 9 ¾.
The Harry Potter replica is maybe the latest but not the last thing Kings Cross Central will have to offer for the mass travelling to London. Kings Cross is a hotbed of new development and is there any surprise? With my train journeys either starting or ending in Kings Cross I have witnessed the scale of traffic that flows around and throughout the grand structure and also the hum that comes from the new developing building that will be known as T1 – the new development will be a mixed use, 350,000 sq ft building and one of the first to be constructed as part of the 67 acre regeneration scheme.
The fortunately positioned offices of M&N on York Way are in prime location to witness the spectacular changes currently taking place in and around Kings Cross Central, and the general buzz of excitement will not be dying down anytime soon with more plans being revealed for the 67 acre regeneration. Expect life being taken at more than 5 steps at a time and prepare for hoards of visitors slowing down your travel time!
Hoodies, headlines and hearsay
With dramatic headlines and photos splashed across the front of all English language newspapers in Abu Dhabi today, you’d get the impression that the UK is at war with itself. And sadly that is what most of our Emirati friends now think. Holidays are being cancelled and investments are being reviewed. Because, as we all know, perception is reality. Or is it?
Water cannons, rubber bullets, more police? Perhaps, but I’d also urge a more balanced media reporting of events. The actions of a few mindless young criminals, for that is what they are, has severely damaged the UK’s international reputation. But the media must also bear some responsibility.
Twitter and instant messaging has certainly played its part in creating carnage on the streets, as well as now helping with the cleanup #riotcleanup. But whatever social media and social issues have helped ferment such unrest, this is not happening on every street and in every town or city in the UK. Unfortunately that is the impression being given by some irresponsible news reporting.
The public want facts not hysteria. And hearsay is the most dangerous communications channel of all.
Top of the Shops
Having lived here in Abu Dhabi for the past two years, I can safely say that the range of shops is a little on the sparse side compared to Dubai. However, that is set to change with a whole host of new malls due to open across Abu Dhabi over the next two years. From high-end boutiques and eateries at The Galleria on Sowwah Island, the ‘destination’ Yas Mall on Yas Island and the community sized, middle-market Mushrif Mall and Capital Mall amongst others, Abu Dhabi aims to stem the floods of shoppers on the Sheikh Zayed Highway to Dubai with a heady dose of retail therapy.
Success will be in the tenant mix. Simply opening a mall just isn’t enough anymore, especially now there are plenty to go round in Abu Dhabi. Shoppers don’t want to see the same old shops with their limited choices or to go to malls finding only a handful of shops open... and only the same handful open 12 months later.
Word of mouth here in Abu Dhabi is by far one of the greatest drivers of success. From cafes to hairdressers, a great recommendation can make or break a business here. Historically, the lack of malls, meant there wasn’t much choice but as more and more retail space is added – some 250,000 square metres to be added this year alone – positive word of mouth will become all the more important. Mall operators take heed; there’s a huge expat population out there waiting to spend their hard earned dirhams but you’ve got to give us a good mix... otherwise it’s back on the road to Dubai.
