Brand experience agency, Strata Creative Communications, has enhanced their Live division by promoting employees into more senior roles and newly created positions, to accommodate the increased demand for production and event technology services of live and virtual events.
As part of their new strategic structure, following new board appointments in January, the agency has promoted Rayna Jeffrey into the new position of Deputy Head of Production. Whilst Gina Cundy and Isabelle Toussaint have moved into more senior positions of Project Manager and Producer, respectively.
Within the Event Technology department Louise Wetherell assumes the new role of Digital Solutions Manager.
Andrea Bishop, Director of Live comments: “These promotions recognise the hard work all four women have contributed during such a challenging year. They have each demonstrated their ability to take on more responsibility, and their new roles, combined with our longstanding production and event technology capabilities, set the team up for what looks to be a busy summer of both live events and virtual solutions.
In the past year Louise has used her own time to develop her digital skills. Her new role within Event Technology will allow her to focus more on the design and development of a broader range of digital projects, including apps, registration sites and more bespoke solutions as part of our broadening offer in this part of the business.
Rayna has shown a great talent, particularly of virtual over the last few months, and is perfectly placed to help me ensure that the Production department is geared up to respond to all the incoming work.
Both Gina and Izzy have demonstrated a great attitude and each of them work tirelessly to ensure our clients receive service that goes above and beyond the call of duty. As ex-interns I am sure they are inspiring for our recent joiners, and it is fantastic to see them doing so well.”
Pictured from left: Louise Wetherell, Rayna Jeffrey, Isabelle Toussaint and Gina Gundy.
We’ve made the shortlist for the inaugural 2021 Micebook V Awards in not one, but two categories!
Our team have been shortlisted for Best Agency (with more than 40 employees), and our virtual incentive programmes are named in the Best Incentive category.
Getting industry recognition for our work makes it all the more rewarding so we’re really excited to receive these nominations, particularly in these awards which celebrate virtual and digital events.
To learn more about the virtual incentives programme read the full case study.
You can find all the details about the awards, which will be held on the 3rd September 2021 at the Nobu Portman Square Hotel, on the micebook website.
We are delighted to announce that not one, but two of our fantastic Strata employees have been named in the 2021 C&IT 35 under 35 Agency A List, which celebrates outstanding event professionals.
Gina Cundy and Isabelle Toussaint – both of whom work in our live events production team – have been recognised in this year’s esteemed list.
The news follows recent promotions for both Gina and Izzy, in recognition for creating live brand experiences for clients throughout the last twelve months, despite the turbulent situation the industry has been facing.
We are extremely proud of both Gina and Izzy for having the wider industry endorse their hard work and unique talents. To hear more from the ladies head to the C&IT Website to download the Agency A-List brochure.
Congratulations to everyone that made the list.
We are very excited to announce that we have been shortlisted in the 2021 CN Agency Awards in the Best Medium Agency category.
This is the first time we have entered the CN Agency Awards, so it’s fantastic to be shortlisted on our debut entry, especially in this highly sought after category.
After a turbulent year, which was only our second year of trading, we’re thrilled that the hard work and creative solutions our team produce are being recognised across the industry.
Congratulations to everyone that has made the shortlist. We’re looking forward to the 1st July already!
Earlier this year our work with Vauxhall, launching their new Mokka, made the shortlist for the Best Virtual Product Launch at the Digital Event Awards.
Read the full virtual product launch case study here.
Strata Creative Communications, a leading independent brand experience agency, has continued to champion grassroots development by hiring past interns on a permanent basis, filling Project Co-ordinator vacancies.
Sophie Austin and Charlotte Bute are the most recent, in a long line of past interns, to join the agency after completing their studies. In addition the agency welcomes Jessica Winterton, also a graduate with placement experience, into the same position. All three will join the growing production team and report into Andrea Bishop, Director of Live, to support the delivery of upcoming virtual, hybrid, and live experiences for their diverse portfolio of client brands.
Sophie, a 2020 graduate with a first-class honours degree, has already started working at the agency and is supporting the delivery of upcoming virtual events. Charlotte and Jessica will be joining the team later in the Spring once they have completed their studies.
These new hires are the latest to join the growing agency, which is actively recruiting for other vacancies in their creative and live events teams.
Sophie Austin, commented: “I wanted to return to Strata because of the variety the agency offers. Their broad client base and experience in all kinds of campaigns and events means that every single day is different, and I can constantly develop my skills as a result. The team really supported me during my placement and the responsibility I was given is a testament to the mentors I worked with, and how your work ethic is recognised and valued. I’m excited to continue my events career with the Strata team and can’t wait to get stuck in as a permanent member of the team.”
Andrea Bishop, Director of Live, Strata comments: “I’m delighted to welcome back two of our past interns into permanent positions, and of course Jessica who is new to the agency. Both Sophie and Charlotte left an impression on Strata during their placement year which has now paid off! The tenacity and passion shown from all our interns always delight us, and its fantastic to see the development programme we run really does result in confident and capable team members at the end of it.
All three women had great hurdles to overcome in graduating at a time when the pandemic has hit our industry so hard. But the experience they have gained working on virtual events and projects outside of their studies has enhanced their skills and demonstrated to us their drive to create fantastic events and experiences.
We are preparing for the high demand we are seeing already in work since the road map has been announced by the government. And although live events will see undoubtedly have a triumphant return, we know that virtual and hybrid experiences are here to stay.”
In a recent post on virtual event learnings, we outlined how data can be your new secret weapon when it comes to evaluating your events and planning for the future.
But how do you make sure you get the right kind of valuable data that will provide strategic insights for future planning? Here we explain all, with five simple steps to using data from your events.
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web
For any communication or engagement campaign you must always start with why. What are you trying to achieve? And how will you determine success?
Maybe you’re launching a new product and want to drive enquiries, or you’re communicating new business strategies to your employees that they need to adopt. Whatever your objectives are, you need clear KPIs and objectives that you review after the event to show you have achieved what you set out to do.
So, you’ve got your objectives and KPIs – great! Now you decide the best way to track those metrics, and what processes you will put in place to capture the right data. Virtual events have given us the opportunity to track fantastic engagement statistics, but most of the time you need to dig a little deeper than number of logins and viewing time.
Take the example of communicating new business strategies to employees. You could ask everyone what they learnt from the session, or what processes they will adopt moving forward in response to the new strategies.
The key is balancing the right data you need, with what your audience are prepared to provide you with – i.e. don’t give them a lengthy survey to complete. Make sure your data capture mechanisms are effective.
Capture opinions throughout the experience, design a compelling feedback survey, or if you’re lucky, the data you need can be produced at the click of a button with the right data integration systems. Virtual experiences can make this part a lot smoother for the audience, but done the right way a live experience can provide the same level of data too.
Understanding the emotional impact of an event for example, requires pre-planning and usually needs some kind of data capture before and after the experience so you can compare the two. So as live experiences return, ensuring they are digitally enabled will allow for data capture to be a seamless process for your audience.
The key is to not sideline this part when you’re too busy planning the experience itself. Remember, without this data you won’t know if all your hard work has paid off.
You’ve designed a lovely survey and built-in feedback mechanisms, but you need to ensure your audience engage with these and give you their valuable opinions.
Crucially, make sure your data capture is timely. Ask for feedback immediately after, or better yet live as the experience is happening. Doing this ensures the feedback is accurate, but also gives you the best chance of getting the data, as you’re audience are already there in front of you. Providing an incentive to giving feedback always works well, but usually if you engage your audience at the right time you should see results.
Remember though, the true impacts of some experiences are measured over time, so not everything can be done instantly.
So now you have lots of lovely data, well done you! But simply looking at it isn’t enough. You need to put it to work. This is where dashboards and reports come into their own, and help you to understand what your data is telling you.
Review your KPIs and determine if you’ve succeeded with your objectives. Did your messages sink in? Have you had an increase in product sales?
This part is surprising a lot of people at the moment. As clients are seeing that virtual experiences are often achieving the same satisfaction scores as their live counterparts. If this is the case you need to ask yourself, what do your audience actually value, and what kind of experience will provide that best?
If all is well, you have lots of green ticks against your KPIs and everything was success. But if you didn’t quite hit your targets then your data can still provide valuable insights, as looking at what didn’t go so well will allow you to adjust your plans for the future. You might even learn something unexpected.
Either way, your job doesn’t stop there, as true value from your data comes when you use it to shape your future strategies. Should you host the event again? Do you change the format? Perhaps you communicate in a completely different way. Whatever you discover, remember that your data is valuable, and needs to be treated as such, so make sure to extract every last insight you possibly can.
Strata Creative Communications, a leading independent brand experience agency, has strengthened its leadership by appointing three long serving members of the team to the board, as part of its ongoing plans to grow and challenge the larger more established agencies in the industry.
Giles Cattle, Andrea Bishop and Paul Querfurth have all been appointed as board directors. With responsibility for Creative, Strategy and Business Development; Live and Virtual Events; and Public and Consumer Engagement respectively. They join the four founding board members.
Their wealth of knowledge and experience in the events industry brings new expertise to the boardroom, and will lead a more strategic structure within Strata, thus opening opportunities for more staff to progress.
The new structure reflects the changes seen by the agency, where clients are planning a new events portfolio that includes virtual and digital solutions as standalone communication methods, rather than being a temporary solution to the current situation.
Having specialists in event delivery, strategy, and engagement at board level ensures clients receive a cohesive offering from the agency, which ultimately results in business efficiencies for their brand.
Our CEO Simon Hambley, comments: “Pre Covid19, Strata were growing rapidly. Our strategy to offer more of what every client needs through one touchpoint and deliver creative excellence, brand consistency, and business efficiency, was delivering successful results for our clients.
These appointments were always part of our plan to expand our leadership team and devolve control, following the success of our integration. Being appointed to the board at Strata builds on continued active involvement with clients day-to-day, and adds renewed energy and more ideas to the board, to continue to deliver better for clients, and the agency.
While 2020 was a challenging year for all businesses in our sector, our long-term goals have not changed. We have continued to deliver for all our clients, both virtually and physically. The turmoil has accelerated the shift to digital and Strata were well placed to exploit this. We predict that once the vaccine is distributed successfully, we will see a marked return to face-to-face events, alongside hybrid and virtual, and we are armed with new ways to deliver better ROI, better engagement, and better reach. We are preparing now for that future opportunity.”
Photographed, from left to right, Giles Cattle, Andrea Bishop, Paul Querfurth
Ever wondered what being an event manager entails, and what the best and worst parts of the job are? We thought you might like to get to know our team a bit more, learn what makes them tick, and why they love working in this busy, creative, and sometimes crazy industry we call events.
From being a stand-in for the chef, to hosting a party at the bottom of a volcano, our Deputy Head of Event Logistics, Amelia Windsor has done it all!
I lead on larger logistics projects like conferences & incentives, and I work with the senior team to manage resource requirements and career development for our event logistics team, including leading the intern development programme. Day to day I work on client pitches, line manage members of the team, and have responsibility for one of our key client accounts.
Logistics touches every department so I work with everyone! Large projects mean complex plans, so I work closely with all teams across the business such as production, creative studio, finance of course, and the warehouse team. Away from events I also work with the sales & marketing team by supporting on pitches, and attending industry events on behalf of Strata.
Sustainability is at the forefront of the process now, particularly after recent events. Working with my team we make sure we give options to our clients to make their experiences more sustainable, even when being delivered virtually. Hybrid and virtual events have an obvious lower environmental impact, but there is still very much a place for sustainability across the entire planning process. Everything from build materials, to catering and travel has an impact, and our clients are asking for more ways to offset their carbon footprint. Looking at ways to reduce carbon emissions or how you can offset your footprint are now a given in the brief response.
Keep calm.
Things change or can even go wrong very quickly in a live environment, as so much is out of your control. Something that makes someone excel in this industry is the ability to stay calm and work out a solution.
I work better under pressure, otherwise I’m an excellent procrastinator. I love a list, and working to thorough project plans means everyone involved knows the state of play. I’m also realistic with my time pressures, so if I know a project needs additional resource then I work with the senior team to arrange that. There is no weakness in acknowledging when you’re too busy, so ask for help and don’t be afraid to say no.
I fell into events, as back in Australia I originally started my career as a producer on a breakfast radio show. But I had the opportunity to start a new position at the Australian Institute of Sport, looking after Olympic & National sporting teams, and coordinating things like their travel, catering and accommodation. This suited my anal personality perfectly and I was instantly hooked. (I also enjoyed telling people what to do!)
I love working with lots of other creative people. My favourite projects are those that require team work and collaboration.
The lead up to an event is so exciting, knowing all your hard work will culminate into an amazing experience for the audience, that you created, is so rewarding. A lot of our work really is creative and magical, and you get to create once in a lifetime experiences for people.
I even had someone on an incentive ski trip before who have never even seen snow! Seeing people’s pure delight makes all the hard work so worthwhile.
I’m straightforward and trustworthy, so I don’t over promise when I know something isn’t realistic. So when I say I’ll deliver something, my clients know that my word has value.
The Sea Containers in London is stunning. We’ve hosted an annual press event there for a number of years and it’s just so beautifully designed. Plus you get impeccable service and it has a strong ethos behind it.
Costa Rica, as it’s completely different to anywhere else I’ve been before. They say “Pura Vida”, which means “pure life” but it represents so much more in their way of life. The scenery is stunning, with beaches and rainforests making it a fantastic destination for incentives, but as a country it is very sustainable and is in fact one of the world leaders in recycling. So if you’re looking for an innovative and sustainable destination then consider Costa Rica.
My most memorable event was a press launch in Iceland (the country, not the shop). The product being promoted was a camera, so we designed the whole experience to be photo worthy throughout. As well as doing the traditional Icelandic activities, we worked with the local DMC to host a private party at the bottom of a volcano just outside of Reykjavik – something you’d never get to do as a tourist. It was truly stunning and one of those parties that literally went on through the night!
This is followed closely by an incentive in South Africa we hosted a couple of years ago. Some of the winners hadn’t even been outside of the UK before, so taking them on their first trip with a Safari was such a privilege.
I once had to step in at the last minute to run an awards gala dinner. When I got there for the briefing with the caterer it was clear they were ill prepared and unexperienced. As a result, service for the first course took 25 minutes, and despite my best efforts working with the waiting staff, the main service was even worse, resulting in a very unhappy client. However the catering manager was not best pleased with the feedback and walked out along with the head chef before completing dessert service! So I had to don the chef hat, plate up 500 desserts, and coordinate the waiting staff to get the service finished without a glitch. Never again will I shout at a catering manager.
Hands down it’s the travel. Right now it’s on hold of course, but we know it will make a come back soon enough as there is a hunger for everyone to get out and see the world again – myself included!
The medium of virtual events is here to stay, and whether you are reinventing something that is usually an in-person experience, or planning a brand new virtual event, there are a lot of things you need to build into your planning to ensure a successful virtual event for your brand. These 12 tips are not an exhaustive list of course, but make sure you consider them for your next virtual project.
Put your audience at the focus of everything you are doing. Make your content relevant to your brand so your audience can relate to it. The magic formula pleases all your stakeholders, but your target audience are the most important.
No one needs to be trained on how to turn up to a conference room (you’d hope!), but they might need it for a virtual platform they have never used before. Allow for this in your comms and if necessary, host a training session.
Engagement can be trickier in a virtual environment, so you have to plan ways to facilitate this. Have live polls, Q&A, chat rooms, surveys, and breakout sessions to make it easier for your audience to engage. Think seminar, not lecture.
Bring some fun to your virtual event by adding a game or competition. Give your audience a photo challenge or host a quick-fire quiz to test who is listening – prizes bring out the competitor in everyone!
Presenting virtually is completely different to standing in front of a live audience so make sure your speakers are well briefed, and ideally well-rehearsed too. Looking down the camera is powerful.
Timing is everything. Too long and you lose engagement, too short and your message doesn’t land, so prioritise your content & make every minute valuable. We recommend 45mins-1.5hrs max for a live internal update.
Use a variety of content channels to appeal to everyone. Feature key messages in your main broadcast, but supporting content can be delivered through downloadable assets to keep the conversation going.
Pre-recorded film features allow you to add value to your content – for example, seeing a product in situ rather than static in a studio. Use video where you need to so your audience see more than just your speakers living room.
Whether it’s with a celeb guest appearance, a unique online platform that your audience hasn’t seen before, or content that blows them away. Whatever the method – make your virtual event memorable & unique.
You need good content AND a user friendly format to make your message easy to reach & engage your audience. Don’t sacrifice one for the other when it comes to planning.
Your objectives must inform every planning decision you make. For instance, if you want your audience to connect with each other, you need a platform suited for networking rather than a broadcast format. Remember what you’re aiming for and you’ll deliver the best end results.
In such a serious climate at the moment, and with limited time, it can be easy to forget the fun. Plan in ice breakers or have something ‘just for fun’ running, whilst everyone logs on – a recent micebook event had a DJ spooney set to keep us entertained!
If you need more virtual event tips then check out our other blog posts below or contact us for more information.
How to kick start your virtual 2021
Four learnings from delivering virtual events
Protecting your brand at virtual events
Every brand touchpoint is a moment that matters. A chance to strengthen your message with clarity and relevance. To make your audience feel like they're part of something extraordinary, get in touch.
