Managing VIP events for client’s winning tender bid
- Four MPs on eight company visits
- Press attended all eight events
- 2.7 million opportunities to see worth £231,000 AVE
- And our client won the tender
”There is no doubt that the positive coverage and the recognition from high profile politicians raised our profile with the Regional Development Agency at a crucial time. Favourable comments from customers and MPs provided valuable support in the tender process.”
John Day, Chairman of Leicestershire Chamber
To win the bid to operate the East Midlands regional Business Link, the partnership knew it would have to show strong evidence of service delivery. We also knew from previous tender exercises that support from politicians, the media and the business community would be crucial.
But Business Link Leicestershire, whose management led the bidding team, had not always had positive coverage, and research during previous PR exercises found confusion among businesses about the role of the organisation.
So there was a need to demonstrate that the Business Link service was worthwhile, and that winning the bid would be good for Leicestershire businesses.
The campaign centred on a series of visits by MPs to satisfied BLL customers, giving the MPs the opportunity to hear from local companies how they valued Business Link support. Among MPs who took part was Patricia Hewitt, the former Trade Secretary.
A series of case studies showing real companies benefiting from working with BLL was compiled in support of the visits, backed by a compelling report of the organisation’s achievements in facts and figures.
hopwood managed media interest through the bid and tender process, directing media enquiries to approved spokespeople who were briefed to give a clear message on business as usual and the benefits to Leicestershire of winning the bid.
Material from the PR campaign became hard evidence in the bid process. Media coverage was used, both in the tender document and in the presentation to the approving body. So were facts and figures generated for a positioning publication and testimonials from satisfied customers culled from case studies.
Neil Farish, Marketing Manager of BLL, said: "All the feedback was excellent. The positioning project contributed significantly to the profile of the bid supporting the team in their presentation."
The campaign gave a huge boost to the marketing of BLL, which achieved all its targets working with a record number of businesses and start-ups and achieving its highest ever customer satisfaction rating.
