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autumn edition

The art of conversation

What makes you happy?

Opaper2PRINT:Layout 1 07/10/2011 10:33 Page 1

Editor’s noteWelcome to the second edition of Four magazine,produced by the team at OPR – The North EastPR Agency of the Year (Drum Magazine).

The feedback on our first issue has been great,with many people saying how refreshing it is toread more about what we do on a daily basis, in our role as the storytellers behind many ofthe region’s biggest news stories, companies and events.

This issue is jam-packed with business news,entrepreneurial journeys, insightful comment and features – and it is centered around thetopic of Happiness.

That’s because OPR is a sponsor of this year’sDesign Event Festival, and Happiness is thetheme of the festival this year.

We are delighted to support the arts, and proudto help Design Event bring cutting edge designin all its forms onto the map. There are manyevents happening across Tyne and Wear from14th-18th October, so check some of themout in this issue and get along to take a look.

I hope this issue makes you smile, thanks to allour contributors for making it happen. If youhave stories you’d like to share in the next issuedo get in touch on [email protected]

Kari OwersChief Executive

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NORTHERN ENERGY FIRM GIVES BLUE LAMP UNINTERRUPTED POWER

FISH SPA UK TAKES A BITE OF MANOR WALKS6

NORTH EAST TO UNCOVERTHE SCIENCE OF SUCCESS

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QUORUM PLUGS INTO GREEN TRAVEL WEEKGREEN travel initiatives were accelerated on Quorum Business Park in European Mobility Week, 16 to 22 September, in a bid to adopt more environmentally friendly ways of commuting to work.

The week – which aims to raise awareness aboutthe importance of public transport, cycling,walking and the need to invest in the necessary infrastructure - saw Quorum Business Parkhighlight a range of its transport initiatives promoting green travel.

Working with Benfield Motor Group, the awarenessweek saw the arrival of two Nissan Leaf cars atQuorum Business Park, allowing workers atQuorum to have a free 15 minute “green testdrive” in an electric vehicle.

The Nissan Leaf marks the start of a new chapterin personal mobility and is the first affordable,purpose-designed zero emission electric vehicle from a major manufacturer to be massmarketed globally.

Quorum Business Park commuter centre managerLaura Kerry said: “This is the third year we havetaken part in European Mobility Week, and eachyear it gets bigger and better.

“Taking part in initiatives which promote a sustainable approach to travel is a priority forQuorum Business Park.

“Through the week we highlighted to all tenantsthe benefits of sustainable travel, the performanceand benefits of electric vehicles and the first-class public transport infrastructure routesavailable to the park.

“Tenants at Quorum Business Park were alsoable to get involved in a raft of other activities,including a group bike ride along the Tyne and a

free Dr Bike clinic, as part of the park’s drive toencourage environmentally friendly travel. “We also organised a local pub crawl using publictransport in a quirky bid to encourage them toadopt green ways of commuting to work.”Colin Pybus, General Manager, Benfield Nissan,Newcastle, said “We are delighted to supportEuropean Mobility Week by supplying two Nissan Leaf’s for these exclusive ‘Green TestDrives’ at Quorum. “We are sure customers will be pleasantly surprisedby the drive quality and smoothness of the cars.Benfield Motor Group is delighted to be at theforefront of the electric car revolution and demandfor the LEAF is already very high.

“With zero emissions, road tax benefits and reduced running costs these cars are set to revolutionise driving in the UK and Benfield Nissan is honoured to have been chosen as oneof Nissan’s first ever electric vehicle specialists.”

Up to 29 bus services now travel to QuorumBusiness Park on Benton Lane, Newcastle, everyhour which means that in the peak hours thereis one bus is on site every two and a half minutes.

The park also has its own dedicated CommuterCentre. This is a central hub where employeescan go and learn about different sustainablemodes of transport, get helpful advice and information including bus timetables and walkingand cycling maps.

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CHARITY DRIVE FOR LOCAL CAUSES The latest social media campaign created by PR agency OPR is harnessing people power to help local charities to win a share of £10,000.

Benfield Motor Group has pledged the pot of money, which will be sharedbetween three worthy causes as voted by its Facebook fans.

In just eight weeks thousands of nominations for charities Benfield mightnever have heard of previously have started to roll in, and the word hasspread on Twitter via the #benfieldcharitydrive hashtag. Charities and theirsupporters are spreading the word across social networks to get more support.

From the nominations made on Drive Benfield Facebook page during Augustand September The Benfield Charitable Trust has selected 10 finalists whohave now gone into a final public vote.

The three charities with the most votes will go on to share the £10,000with a first prize of a massive £7,000 and runners up receiving £2,000 and £1,000 – just in time for Christmas.

Mark Squires, from the Trust, said : “We already donate five percent of our profitsworthy causes every year, but we have always selected the recipients in house.

“We wanted to engage with our customers and local charities on an openplatform like Facebook to ask them which charities they support and why.

“We also realise how hard it is for people to make donations in these difficulteconomic times, and this is a way people can pledge their support with justthe click of a button and raise awareness for their chosen charities.”

Get involved – get onto http://www.facebook.com/drivebenfield to vote fora charity by 31st October.


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The Young Enterprise Company Programme will nowrun in Benfield High School in the East End of townthanks to funding and volunteers from Watson Burton.

Young Enterprise is a not-for-profit organisation thatprovides enterprise education programmes to schools.The Company Programme will enable enterprisingstudents at Benfield School to experience settingup their own business from scratch, with productsto sell and real saleable shares and compete againstother student businesses from across the region.

They will also have the support of business mentorKevin Anderson, an associate at Watson Burton,who has volunteered to help guide the studentsthrough the highs and lows of running a business.

The funding comes at an important time after a recent report from the Confederation of BusinessIndustry (CBI), highlighted the increasing demandfor students to have core business and leadershipskills before leaving education.

Results indicated that 69 percent of employers believed school leavers have inadequate businessand customer awareness skills and 71 percent expected to increase the number of jobs requiringleadership and management skills in the future.

Young Enterprise director Catherine Marchant said:“As part of the Government’s Big Society, it hasnever been more important that we continue toform partnerships with businesses in the privatesector to help drive the business leaders of tomorrow.We are becoming more and more reliant on localbusinesses to step in and support this.

“We are encouraging all businesses to support theirlocal schools so once students leave they are wellequipped with leadership and strong business skillsand are more work-ready.”

Watson Burton associate Kevin Anderson added: “Alot of vocational skills necessary to succeed in theworkplace are learnt through the personal experienceof setting up and growing a business.

“After attending the Young Enterprise awards dinnerlast year we were inspired to support a local schoolin our area that had not previously delivered theprogramme. We feel that by investing in the deliveryof the Young Enterprise Company Programme atBenfield School not only are we encouraging economic growth by nurturing budding entrepreneursbut also but also fostering students who could wellcome to work for our company in the future.”

The Young Enterprise program runs alongside traditional subjects in the school’s curriculum, such as Maths and English, with children attendingthe enterprising classes in the evenings and sellingproducts during lunchtimes.

LAW FIRM INVESTS IN FUTUREBUSINESS STARSLEADING commercial law firm Watson Burton has stepped in to enable a Newcastle school to run an inspiring year-long enterprise education programme to its budding student entrepreneurs.


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SLATERS Electricals Ltd, part of theSlaters Group of companies, has completed a project to install an 11kilovolt (kV) electricity power network atLancashire Constabulary Headquarters,to create an ‘always on’ power supply.

The power and maintenance contract tookjust four months to complete, seeingSlaters Electricals connect a new 11kVpower supply, install a standby generatoralong with a 415 volt distribution systemand associated uninterrupted powersupply (UPS) to the police HQ.

The contract means that the police HQhas a renovated power system, whichwill provide the site with a constantpower supply, even in the occasion of apower failure from the national grid.

A UPS is a key part to the power supplychain if there is a failure from the mains– the UPS bridges the downtime from themains failure to the standby generator’spower taking over.

The project forms part of LancashireConstabulary’s HQ refurbishment andupgrade scheme which was carried outby construction company Allenbuild.

Slaters Electricals Project Manager MartinMcGuirk said, “The work we have donewith Lancashire Constabulary shows thespeed, efficiency and high quality ofenergy management Slaters Electricalsis known for.

“After being awarded the contract lastDecember and with a projected completiondate at the end of April, the team had towork very quickly due to the delivery timeof transformer, generator, and LV switchgeartaking from eight to 12 weeks.

“So our 65 years of engineering experiencereally came into play from the word go asno time could be lost.

“Working with Lancashire Constabularywe have ensured that the site will alwayshave a secure power supply; in otherswords we have given the electrical network its belt and braces.”

Slaters Electricals has an annual turnoverof £7.5 million, and specialises in reconditioned and new transformers, LV(low voltage) and MV (medium voltage)switchgear and support services.

NORTH EAST PEOPLE ENTITLEDTO UNCLAIMED MILLIONSHUNDREDS of millions of pounds are lying left unclaimed by people of the North East, accordingto a local financial expert.

Stuart Bell, founder of Real Time Claims (RTC)in Newcastle, believes that the mis-selling ofPayment Protection Insurance (PPI) policiesover the years by financial institutions meansthat people in this region could be owed over£430m in redress. Banks have admitted that the majority of PPIpolicies were mis-sold, however a recent announcement that the banks have set aside a £10billion fund to settle mis-sold PPI compensation claims has been given an air ofcaution by consumer rights advocate Mr Bell.He explained: “The reason that so many banks areencouraging customers to send their complaintsdirect to them is largely because their use offinancial terminology and complicated processesin response can make people believe that theydo not have a case, or result in customers settling for far less than their full entitlement.“In many cases people who think they mightbe owed their premiums back don’t know whoto speak to or what to do first, resulting in alow success rate. Most bank customers who go it alone give up because of red tape.”With a business career in financial services andthe international business arena, Mr Bell set up Real Time Claims in 2007 to be a moreconsumer-friendly claims management company,working locally, on a ”no win- no fee” basis. Thiscomes as good news for the average borrowerwho may not even know they have been mis-solda PPI policy.He continued: “It is great to be able to act forclients against the banks or other lenders toclaim back the premiums they have made onmis-sold PPI policies. This is the first time I amaware of such an opportunity for a power shift. “We have a specialist team of people who knowthe compensation claims process back to front,ensuring that we can help our clients using a

fair and just approach. Over the past four yearswe have seen a 90% success rate in client’scompensation claims and since the banks announced that they have set aside £10billion,our new claims submissions have increasedten-fold.“However, most people still do not know theycould have a PPI compensation claim. Anyonewho has taken out a bank loan, credit card,mortgage, car finance agreement where theyhave paid out for payment protection insurancewill most likely be owed their premiums backplus interest and compensation.”The first of its kind, Real Time Claims has nowlaunched a new user-friendly online claimsprocessing system where clients can completeand track their compensation claim online. Thesystem is managed by RTC’s established teamof experts. Working on a no win, no fee basisthe process takes approximately eight weeks andis regulated by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).He added: “Real Time Claims provides a servicespecifically for people who have been treatedunfairly by their lenders. It stands to help thousands of people in the region get theirmoney back; they simply have to take that firststep and contact us either online or by phone.And with the average compensation payoutapproaching £2,000, it’s worth giving us a call. “We understand how important it is for clientsto feel that they can put their money issues intrustworthy hands and in a company with aproven track record for successful claims. Wefollow the Ministry of Justice guidelines and workclosely with lenders to be able to obtain themaximum redress possible on our clients’ behalf. “It is not about compensation; it is about reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.”www.realtimeclaims.co.uk @RealTimeClaims

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NORTHERN ENERGY FIRM GIVES BLUE LAMP UNINTERRUPTED POWER


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WUNDERBAR FESTIVAL’SWONDERFUL RETURN

INNOVATIVE arts festival Wunderbar returns for its second year next month bringing an office chair rollerama and a pop up school to our city streets.

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Kicking off from 31st October, the 2011 Wunderbar Festival will see a week-long seriesof over 20 different free exhibitions, performancesand events spanning the Newcastle andGateshead area.

Following on from the success of the first biennialfestival in 2009, the dynamic Newcastle basedteam at Wunderbar led by creative director IlanaMitchell and administrative director Tom Higham,work with artists to create installations and organise unexpected happenings designed tosurprise and delight.

Ilana Mitchell explains: “Wunderbar Festival is aimedat nurturing a culture of curiosity. We are delightedto be able to bring it back to the North Eastagain and this year’s festival will showcase evenmore home-grown talent from across the UKand the rest of the world as well as encouragingmore public participation into the events.

“Designed to open people’s eyes to a sense ofwonder, Wunderbar Festival will provide themost unusual of spectacles in everyday placesas well as more traditional venues.”

Made in the North East specifically for the peopleof the North East the Wunderbar Festival is unlike

traditional representations of art, extending aninvitation for audience participation - creating a feeling of ownership.

This year’s highlights include a school, a library, aradio station, an office and a cafe being purposebuilt for the Festival run.

A school which is a ‘daily curriculum of enjoyment’includes a series of events, classes and workshopsthat visitors can choose to learn from or participatein, developed by artist Harriet Plewis and a groupof Year 9’s from Burnside College in Wallsend.

Bringing together the worlds of art, work andexercise in fun and unexpected ways artists EllieHarrison and Adele Prince introduce the ‘DeskChair Disco’ - giving participants a chance toplayfully redress the work/life balance by takingtheir office chairs out on the town. A free-wheelingparade to the Disco will lead guests into thetransformed empty office unit for a night of liverock and roll. As artist in residence, Ellie's exhibitionwill open with a special guest performance byEdinburgh Comedy award nominee Josie Long, in her first Newcastle appearance.

In association with BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinkingat The Sage, Gateshead and Newcastle City

Library, a ‘Human Library’ will travel across anumber of destinations throughout the regioncreating a library with a difference - wherebooks are people and instead of reading, peopleare invited into conversations. These ‘books’ featurelife experiences that have been misunderstoodeither by stigmatisation, the media or culture,and aim to confront discrimination in all formsthrough small discussions.

Ms Mitchell added: “Rather than simply viewinga piece of art or watching a performance, peoplehave the chance to make things with the artistsand be artists themselves. The audience is theheart of Wunderbar Festival - it is a place foractivity, spontaneity, society, interaction, dialogueand play - a festival with festivity at its heart.”

Wunderbar Festival is funded by Arts CouncilEngland, Newcastle City Council and the BigLottery Fund. The programme includes a mix ofticketed and non-ticketed events and membersof the public interested in participating in any ofthe open-call projects can register atwww.wunderbarfestival.co.uk from the beginningof October.


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GREEN FINGERED FAMILYWIN REGIONAL PRIZEA FAMILY from Newton Aycliffe in County Durham have been awarded first prize in a gardeningcompetition by house builder Miller Homes that aimed to find the best garden across its 10developments region-wide.

Kevin and Jill Chatt along with their two childrenLauren aged nine and Amy, eight, beat offstiff competition to win with their woodlandthemed garden, which boasts a fruit andvegetable patch, animal feeders, a waterfeature and rock garden.

Judged by BBC Newcastle gardening showpresenter Marian Foster and Newcastle-basedCowell’s Garden Centre manager Martin Cowell,the family have won £100 worth of plantvouchers and a 4ft acacia garden bench bydesigner Alexander Rose for their efforts.

Mrs Chatt, who along with her husband Kevin,run their own home improvement businessDurham Design said: “We are so thrilled tohave won the competition - the children areespecially excited as they helped put thevegetable boxes together. The accolade ofowning the best garden across all of MillerHomes’ North East developments is somethingwe are very proud of.

“The children have really enjoyed watching thegarden grow from an un-turfed piece of landto a beautiful and colourful place they canplay and grow their own fruit and vegetablesfor their packed lunch boxes.

“We take immense pride in our garden, utilisingour space by growing a range of wonderfulplants, vegetables and fruit full of foliage,with different textures, shapes, and colours.”

Miller Homes launched the competition lastmonth to encourage residents on its developments to roll up their sleeves andmake the most of their new gardens. Thecompetition presented an ideal opportunityfor home owners to get creative with theirgarden and see them evolve from a blankcanvas to a self-created leisure space.

BBC Newcastle’s Marian Foster said: “Wechose Kevin and Jill’s garden because of itsbeautiful and thoughtful design with goodshapes and areas of interest. It has a goodchoice of plants and an attractive rock garden.Every space is visually interesting.”

Cowell’s Garden Centre manager MartinCowell said: “All the entries were of a veryhigh standard and I was thrilled to see somany people making the most of their gardens.I hope the bench and vouchers will createeven more enjoyment for the family in theirbeautiful garden.”

Three finalists were chosen from the competition. The second prize of £50 voucherswent to a family who live on Miller Homes’Heather Lea Green development in Crookand third prize of £20 vouchers was given toa family at The Meadows development inFramwellgate Moor, Durham.

FISH SPA UKTAKES A BITE OFMANOR WALKS SHOPPING centre Manor Walks’ newest tenantto take a bite of the action in Cramlington isthe growing fish pedicure phenomenon FishSpa UK.

New general manager Bruno Coppola was oneof the first to try out the new Garra Rufa fishpedicure, which has already become a popularhotspot for customers wanting to submergetheir weary feet after a hard day’s shopping.

Fish Spa UK, which will be based at ManorWalks Shopping Centre until Christmas, is a fishfoot spa centre that uses original Garra Rufafish, also known as doctor fish, nibble fish or little dermatologists.

Customers simply immerse their feet into thewarm water and the fish gently nibble off anydead hard skin, leaving people’s feet feelingpampered and glowing.

Manor Walks Shopping Centre general managerBruno Coppola said: “We have dipped our toeinto something completely different here atManor Walks with the Garra Rufa fish pedicure – we’ve never had anything like it in the pastand it is already proving to be extremely popularwith customers who are taking advantage ofthis totally organic pedicure – an affordable luxury.

“Fish Spa UK is a walk-in service with no appointment necessary so please pop in and let the little fish work their magic. It’s a greattreat just for yourself, but even better to enjoywith a friend.”

Fish Spa UK can be found on the POD oppositeHome Bargain.


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DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU SMILEDESIGN Event – the region’s biggest design festival returns for its seventh consecutive year this month, spreading “Happiness” throughout the North of England from 14 – 18 October 2011.

OPR is one of this year’s proud sponsors, and all of the O team are lookingforward to attending some of the exciting and interactive design exhibitions.Having worked to promote the festival for the last four years OPR hasseen a variety of festival themes, but this year’s theme of ‘Happiness’ isexpected to be a stand-out experience for all.

The 2011 Design Event festival will see over 20 different exhibitions,talks and events over a five day period across the region. Kicking offwith the Design Event MART launch night on 13 October at the BALTICCentre for Contemporary Art, the OPR team will be out in full force tocheck out the new design products for sale.

Members of the public can view and buy products from Northern designersfrom Friday 14 – Sunday 16 October at the MART; this is also whereyou may have picked up your copy of fOur! If not and you can’t makeit to the BALTIC, don’t fret because Design Event has launched its first e-commerce website, www.britishbydesign.org so you can browse theproducts and make a purchase online instead.


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Shown above: ‘Power to the People’ Cut It Out print by Noma Bar, ‘I Love Byker’ mugs by Polly Westergaard and this year’s sponsors.

Another exhibition that will form part of theMART at the BALTIC is Design Event Presents.

Design Event has commissioned eight designersbased in the North to develop a new product or range of products that explore new materialsor processes for the Presents exhibition. The participating designers include Ayme Fitzgerald,Neil Conley, Nous Vous, Claire Baker, WonderstuffStudio, David Irwin, Reluctant Hero and TheCloud Commission. This will include lighting,jewellery, soft furnishings and print and will beavailable to purchase at the Design Event MARTduring the festival and on the British by Designwebsite afterwards.

Further features to be held at the BALTIC Centrefor Contemporary Art include the First Hand exhibition, in which the Royal College of Art will display the first collection of commercialproducts from its internationally renowned Design Products course. This will be the firsttime the products will be shown in the UK outside of London. Here people can expect tosee everything from traditional craft-focussedfurniture to digital programming.

Another coup for the Design Event festival thisyear is the Noma Bar Cut it Out exhibition.

Award winning London based graphic artist NomaBar will bring an enticing element of interactionto the BALTIC whereby visitors can use hisunique dog shaped sculpture, which acts as alarge scale punching machine to create theirown Noma Bar prints.

This year is also the start of the Design Eventfestival becoming a biennial event in the region.In the years when the festival will not take placeDesign Event will take a group of Northern designers to exhibit at 100% Design as part ofthe London Design Festival which takes placeannually in September. Design Event took eightdesigners to exhibit at 100% Design last yearand feedback to date indicates that current levelof sales and commissions stands at £55,000and growing from contacts and discussions from100% Design 2010.

“There will be a variety of events, exhibitions andworkshops that will take place in venues acrossNewcastleGateshead presenting everything

from furniture, lighting, and jewellery to interiorproducts,” noted Kala.

Deadgood return this year to showcase a newcollection of furniture and lighting that illustratestheir unmistakeably British sense of fun and eccentricity and attention to quality.

Leeds based, Nous Vous collective, will be exhibiting a range of new prints around the themeof happiness at Newcastle Arts Centre and the y i designs pop up shop at Lime Street Studiowill stock products created by local designers.The aim is to make the public more aware ofthe opportunities to buy locally and that thehigh street is not the only place to shop.

This year’s festival is supported by a range ofNorth East businesses including, PR services byOPR, photography by Sarah Deane Photographic,design work by WonderStuffStudio, print byPotts Print (UK), accommodation by Jurys Innand media partner Living North.

For further information please visit: www.design-event.co.uk

Hope to see you at some of the events!

“This year the theme of Happiness is being used to inject some cheer into the region and that’s theaim of this year’s festival.

“Happiness is something we all strive for, and design is a great medium to channel joy through,whether it be from the contentment of making, picking up a product that makes you think and invokes curiosity or looking at a print that makes you smile.” Design Event acting director Kala Preston.


The Science of Success event series will providea vital business resource for the region’s entrepreneurs and innovators, and is set to buildcrucial momentum behind the establishment ofthe first Business and IP Centre (BIPC) outsideof London. This would create a North East landmark in entrepreneurial advice, support and a physical community hub.

Newcastle is leading the way in what will be thefirst in a proposed network of regional centres.

The British Library BIPC in London provides thebusiness community with workshops and eventsabout how to start, grow and develop a business,giving individuals the skills for success. From acompany that creates collapsible water bottlesto a firm that has produced reusable gift wrapthe success stories behind the BIPC prove it is anucleus of innovation, and would be an accoladefor the region to establish.

Newcastle Science City head of business support,Simon Green said, “Plans to develop a future BritishLibrary Business & IP Centre in Newcastle provide

an exciting opportunity for the entrepreneurialcommunity of Newcastle to be at the forefrontof this initiative. Our partnership with the CityCouncil through the City Library has been set upto create a valuable support mechanism for thelocal business community, from someone withan early product idea to an existing businesskeen to enter new markets for growth.

“We are starting the journey towards the newCentre right now by inviting North East businessminds to come together to network and takepart in our Science of Success events at theCity Library, which aim to provide support forentrepreneurs, inventors and small businesses atany stage in their business life. There’s somethingfor everyone in whatever size or stage of business with some excellent speakers and networking opportunities.”

Local entrepreneurs and innovators from across the region are now celebrating the Science ofSuccess six month event series of workshopsand networking opportunities to entrepreneurs

in residence, as a huge boost to the business support network of the North East and key tofulfilling the regional enterprise agenda.

Chris Quickfall, the young entrepreneur behindInvate, who is now launching a new venture e-Quality Learning, is one of the success storiesthat will be getting involved with the Science ofSuccess events, which will be held at NewcastleCity Library.

e-Quality Learning managing director ChrisQuickfall said, “I am lucky enough to have had asupport network when I set up e-Quality Learningand I know what you face being a start up ortrying to grow a business.

“Partnering with Northumbria University we havejust completed a collaborative research projectwhich has developed a ground-breaking productfor students with specific learning difficulties. Itmarks the start of a great business success storyfor the firm, and I would never have imaginedafter studying mechanical engineering at university,I would be sitting where I am today.

LAST month saw the launch of a new event series to be held at Newcastle City Library, aimed to support the North East’s entrepreneurialand business talent.

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“From my own background I can see why theScience of Success is the start of somethinggreat for the region. The wide selection of topics is a very important part of the series, aseveryone sets up a company with a differentset of skills, and therefore has different gaps ofknowledge to plug. I launched my first companyimmediately after university so needed a lot ofsupport, with e-Quality Learning I’ll take advantageof the workshop flexibility to improve specificskills related to this new business model.

“The Science of Success series will provide individuals across the region with bitesizechunks of education to fill business knowledgegaps. It will also give business people the opportunity to meet like minded people, as I always found I learnt as much from the actualpeople who attended the sessions as the businesses coaches themselves.

“The Science of Success series is exceptionallyimportant, you can’t learn everything from abook or apply your business model to mere theory, the workshops and far reaching eventswill give the business community the right support.I would not be in the position I am today without

the advice and guidance I received from others andthe Science of Success series will give the areaan essential lifeline of business support to retainand intensify the region’s entrepreneurial spirit.”

Brought together through a collaboration between Newcastle Science City and NewcastleCity Council and in partnership with the city’suniversities, the Science of Success event serieswill include showcase events, workshops,coaching sessions, entrepreneurs in residenceand networking opportunities in all areas ofbusiness from accessing funding to protectingyour copyright, business planning to marketing.

Former Dragons’ Den success story Solvej Biddleheadlined at the launch event and shared herexpert advice and formula for international business success. Her experience is based onthe creation of Content & Calm – a successfulfirm that designs products to make travellingwith children a happier and easier experience,which has even seen products endorsed byBritish Airways.

The Science of Success series has been createdto help regional businesses take flight out of therecession and give them the tools to achieve a

higher level of success. Other events in theforthcoming series will see the former head of PR at Easyjet talk about the ‘Science ofCommunication’ on 24 October 2011.

To register, or find out more about the eventseries go to www.thescienceof.co.uk.

The Science of Success event series has beenbrought to the region through a partnership between Newcastle Science City and NewcastleCity Council.


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Design that makes me happy... Rob Charlton CEO _space

“A technological design that makes me smile is anything made by Apple Inc. I can spendhours in the Apple Store with my daughter investigating what the latest design is that is setto revolutionise the way we work and play. I have the iPhone 4 and replaced my iPad foran iPad 2 recently, confirming I am part of the i-revolution, simply because the designsmake me happy and improve on my past experiences.

“I think that one of my favourite structural designs is the Millennium Bridge. It is such aclever piece of design, which re-launched the Newcastle Quayside back onto the country’smap. One of the best pieces of engineering design is my Toyota IQ, which reconsideredeverything about car design and has some very high green credentials.

“From my love of Italy where they seem to consider everything and have no place for poordesign, to my belief that the Missoni Hotel in Edinburgh is the ultimate hotel, all things Iconsider good designs definitely made me happy. It is just that what makes me happy maynot make you happy; you may be unmoved or reject it.”


WITH the construction industry currently in the doldrums after a tightening of the Government’s purse strings andthe economic downturn, the only thing going up into the air isn’t cranes, it’s the meaning of architecture and how it can continue to practise the art of design.With the lack of buildings growing out of the ground, _space group has emerged as a leaner and greener business. It is no longer an architecture company, but all about the business of design. With a licence to organise space, _space group’s chief executive Rob Charlton, shares his thought-leading ideas onthe business of design and ask whether design makes people happy.

Does design make you happy?

Rob said: “After working within the architecture sector fornearly twenty years I have a keen eye for the detail ofdesign. Design is omnipresent in your everyday life; objectsyou take for granted have been painstakingly designed foryour comfort, ease and enjoyment. As a trained architect mybread and butter is the science behind a successful design,and throughout my career I have been trying to discoverthe correlations between design approval and rejection.

“Some of the key principles that architecture is foundedupon shed light onto the theory of sound product designand innovation.

“If a building design is to be accepted and considered apleasure to behold it needs to meet the following requirements; it needs to be fit for purpose and have acultural fit – both of these factors should implicate theaesthetics of the design. The design also needs to createan improved result for the future and foster innovation.

“Looking back to some of the earliest written work on architecture, it said that any building needed to satisfythree key principles: durability (it needs to be robust), utility (it needs to function well) and beauty (it needs to make people happy).

“However modern concepts for architecture are focussedon the function with the form following. It is a complextask to design any sort of building, I need to take intoconsideration an array of factors to create a likeable designcombining strategic planning and creative vision.

“However, pleasing a client by meeting the outlined criteriaabove, to making the general public happy, are two verydifferent entities.

“A great example of this is the London landmark at 30 StMary Axe, otherwise known as the Gherkin. This is LordFoster’s tapered circular glass building that is now instantlyrecognisable on the London sky line. However, opinion isstill divided on this structure; some people love it, andothers hate it. It all comes down to your personal preference.

“I have designed hundreds of buildings from schools tobespoke homes, I believe that whether a design makesyou smile or frown comes down to one simple factor –what sort of person you are.

“Each project I have worked on throughout my career hasseen different aspects of building designs changed to satisfya brief - so really I have been trying to make peoplehappy for two decades!

“I recently posed the question on Twitter as to what gooddesign is, and it opened a can of worms. It clearly is avery personal thing. I decided that good design for mewas the invention of simplicity.

“My career is dedicated to the art of design – the abilityto design is not something that you inherit, you have towork hard at it, thinking differently to create new productsand new ways to look at something’s purpose.

“But ultimately designs are like marmite. Love them orhate them, it’s up to you.”

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Behindthe Lens

Telling a wide range of stories to the mediaevery day, OPR gets to work with someamazing people. Take a look behind thelens of OPR’s press photographers’ pick

of the season for one campaign...

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Miller Homes Photography and Best Kept Garden Competitions.

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Going UpSimply Bowed Over

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fOur gets the lowdown on a business going up – in this issuewe hear from the North East’s modern-day Fairy Godmother.

Thousands of brides have Sarah Pittendrigh and her team tothank for transforming some of the UK’s top hotels into thewedding of their dreams. Providing specialist event linen for the wedding and corporate market, in just two and a half years Simply Bows and Chair Covers has spread nationally as a successful franchise with eleven branches and more plannedto open throughout 2012.

“Wedding day themes or ideas can come in many shapes andforms and mean many different things to different people. AtSimply Bows and Chair Covers, one of our most important rolesis to act as interpreters and transform the dream into a reality.

“I want brides to be able to dream big, and work with us so thatwe can create something truly magical for them. The look on their faces along with their guests is truly priceless.

“On a daily basis we design bespoke packages for our brides to tiein to their wedding theme and we have had some wonderfulthemes including secret gardens, vintage romance and the Royalwedding. Any idea can be created on demand to personalisethe room setting.

“Helping to create someone’s happiest day is so rewarding and theletters we receive from clients saying that we really completedthe day for them, fills us with pride and gives us all a real senseof job satisfaction.”

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“In everything we do, we want to help make plan a beautifuland memorable marriage celebration.”

The fast growing reputation of the brand has meant that SimplyBows and Chair Covers has quickly expanded across the UK as a successful franchise business.

Its success, Sarah believes, is down to having a bespoke serviceand an unrivalled reputation for delivering high quality.

“All of the team and franchise owners are as passionate aboutthe business as I am. For every event we do, we all put 100%dedication into the fine detail ensuring that everything is perfectfor the client. Our guaranteed quality is why we are the preferredsuppliers to many four and five star hotels across the UK andwhy much of our business is generated through word of mouth.”

Success didn’t come easy for Sarah as her previous corporate eventscompany took a major nose dive at the beginning of the recession.

“Because the business community and corporate events dried up,the business that I was in closed, and I was made redundant. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to get a job so I decided to use thisas the push I needed to set up my own business.

“One of the things that I had always identified working in corporate events was the lack of quality of the linen we weresupplied and the lack of good customer service from the suppliers to me as a client. I felt that if I went out there and delivered something different – giving clients quality and creativity – there would be a market for it.”

Building on increasing the UK franchises over the next coupleof years, Sarah’s long term goal is to branch out into Europe.

“We have so many enquiries coming in from some of the mostprestigious venues across the UK and the franchisee interest is coming in thick and fast. Enquiries have also started to comein from Europe and India providing an insight into the exportpotential internationally.”

Simply Bows and Chair Covers’ ever increasing popularity has beenmatched with recognition having become finalists or winners ofa number of prestigious national awards.

Most recently the company was runner-up to MacDonalds inthe website category of the Franchise Marketing Awards.


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“App-iness – how mobile apps are giving power to the marketeer”

Whether it is finding the cheapest flight for aweekend away, flinging pygmies off an islandfor fun, reading your favourite magazine or justbuying stuff online, somebody, somewhere hascome up with a clever app that lets you do thetask from your mobile phone.

Everyone’s trying to figure out how to benefitfrom the ever-expanding app phenomenon,and marketers are at the front of the queue.

Apple currently has over 571,745 approvedapps in the iTunes App Store and whilst themajority of those most popular are games, bothbig and little brands are getting in on the act.

Now that web access is available in our pockets, itcreates a whole new way of communicating withour audiences in real-time, wherever they are.

Examples of apps that are successfully acting as amarketing tool include the recent app developedfor Dickinson Dees law firm, which not onlyprovides good HR legal advice, it keeps businessowners up to date with the latest HR news.

Or look at the Voucher Cloud app, a great promotions tool for brands to get sales promotions and offers out to a wider marketplace.

Applications rarely cost more than a fewpounds to download. Many are free.

So how do you go about creating your ownapp and what does it cost? There are a rangeof DIY app programmes available, but hiring a

software house or programmer to do it for youis the best option.

The North East is not short of leaders in thisfield. One such company is Hedgehog Lab in Hoults Yard, a leading mobile agency, creating apps for the educational, business and consumer markets.

An app recently developed by the Hedgehog Labteam is the London College of Communicationdigital prospectus for the iPhone and iPad. Theapp is an interactive experience that engagesprospective students using multi media andsocial media features. It has been hugely successful in attracting an international audiencefor the College and has been downloaded in37 countries.

Hedgehog Lab co-founder Sarat Pediredlawaxes lyrical about apps saying, “It doesn’tmatter whether you are a big brand or a smallbusiness on a budget.

“Apps, if used rightly and wielded by agencieswith deep mobile experience, can set yourbrand apart from the competition while engaging customers on devices that they carry24/7/365.”

And all this when the app industry is only about4 years old. The question is, if we can do thisin its infancy just how can your brand be partof the app revolution in the next few years?

The Pitch DoctorOPR’s resident consultant on all things PR and media


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North East PR Agency of the Year t: 0191 232 5690 e: [email protected] w: www.opr.co.uk twitter: @oprtweets

The art of conversationPR can put your message across in international, national and regional press, social media campaigns, video, flash mobs and events, podcasts, stakeholder and community relations - the list is growing!

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