NI Science Park to Expand to Meet Demand

The Northern Ireland Science Park has confirmed plans to expand its facilities by almost a third, providing additional space for up to 500 knowledge workers...a bit of good news amidst the economic gloom and continuing its amazing progress as a key driver of the NI Knowledge Economy.

This latest phase will see the second of three buildings known as ‘The Concourse’, representing a £6Million investment and a unique partnering of NISP, Belfast Harbour and DETI.



Frank Hewitt, Chairman, NISP; Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster and
Roy Adair, CEO, Belfast Harbour with plans of the new building.



NISP, is already home to approximately 100 companies currently employing approximately 1500 people, with average salaries double the NI average. It is also planning to expand its reach to the Northwest of Northern Ireland and is in discussions with Ilex Regeneration re a regional model based in Fort George in Derry.

You can read more here. 

Tribute to Rosi Kirker

Rosi Kirker Millar
1964 – 2011

All consultancies regard their clients as special, but anyone who had the pleasure of working with Rosi Kirker would know that when it came to being ‘special’, she was in a league of her own.

I knew Rosi as a client (RTSL/Novosco), as a colleague (Sales Institute of Ireland), as a teammate (Malone Ladies Hockey Club) but mostly, as a friend. Time with Rosi was time well spent. Her smile, positivity and love of life were her trademarks, her enthusiasm was infectious and her sunny disposition brightened any day.
She was the ultimate ‘networker’, a sales supremo, and a consummate marketing professional.

Throughout her illness she refused to give up or give in, and thanks to her never-ending energy and determination she achieved so much for Bowel Cancer UK and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Who else could organise a fundraising event in March which would set a world record for the greatest number of Santas to cycle from Belfast to Comber? This is just one of Rosi’s many legacies but it highlights how her selfless drive and positive outlook will benefit many in the future.

Martin and her boys have lost an amazing wife and mother and NI’s business community has lost a valued colleague. I, like many others, have lost a great friend but I feel privileged to have known Rosi Kirker and consider myself exceptionally lucky to have shared part of her life.


Claire Bonner

PR Powerbook

Kieran Donnelly, Morrow Communications Director, has been included in PR Week’s 2011 Power Book of the most influential PR people across the UK.

One of only five from Northern Ireland featured, this is the third year that Kieran has been named in the guide, which is known as the definitive ‘who’s who’ in the PR industry.

JCI Belfast – Morrows Insights

Junior Chamber International Belfast is a networking and personal development organisation for young business professionals and is part of a global organisation with over 250,000 members worldwide. Jacinta Parkhill, Senior Communications Consultant at Morrows is president of JCI Belfast and tells us what the organisation has been up to.

“More and more companies are realising the benefits of networking in generating new business and building contacts. JCI Belfast offers young professionals the opportunity to network, to build up contacts across the business sector and to develop new skills through our programme of personal development and training events.”

“So far this year we have hosted monthly members’ evenings with guest speakers presenting on topics from the NI Assembly to crafting a professional business image. Business consultants, Deloitte recently spoke at an event on pension planning. JCI Belfast also has an active social events programme and we support Barnardo’s NI as our charity of the year,” she concluded.

For more information on upcoming events and on joining JCI Belfast, visit http://www.jcibelfast.com/

Out 'n' About

The team at Morrows have been pitting their wits and pushing their fitness to the limits – all in the name of team spirit!

NI Hospice

This spring, Morrows managed to donate a whopping £300 worth of household items and clothing to the NI Hospice as part of its ongoing efforts to support the local charity. Staff brought in mountains of items which have been sold through the Hospice shops to raise money for adults and children around NI who need it most. Last summer, the team also helped out with some gardening at the Childrens’ Hospice in North Belfast.

Born to run!Morrows entered two teams in this year’s Belfast City Marathon. Sarah, Kelly, Nicola, Gareth, Anna, Karen, Kate and Lauren donned their running shoes and, along with additional team support managed to raise vital funds for two very important causes – Macmillan Cancer and Aaron House, a care home based in Belfast.

JCI Quiz Success – “From Holywood to Dollywood” Morrow Communications scooped top prize at the JCI Belfast charity pub quiz recently. The dream team of brainiacs included Lauren, Kieran, Anne, Karen, Kelly and Gareth. In a nail-biting finish Kieran led the team to victory with the closest answer to the tie-breaker question – ‘The Pacific Ocean covers what percentage of the earth’s surface?’ Answers on a postcard..!

Talking the Talk

We have recently been sharing our collective communications wisdom at a few high profile events.

Crisis Communications Seminar – Preparing for the Worst
We played a key role at the Agenda NI Crisis Communications seminar at Belfast’s Grand Opera House recently, which brought together key representatives from a wide range of sectors to examine and explore the importance of crisis management.

As one of the six key speakers at the event, Peter Morrow spoke about the various types of crisis an organisation should plan for and the associated impact, as well as outlining the role of planned, strategic communications in managing reputation and minimising damage.


Digital Futures Event
We also delivered a Workshop on Online Reputation Management at the recent Digital Future 2011 Event organised by Ion.

The event considered digital channel integration strategies and was attended by over 150 people from both the public and private sectors. Director Kieran Donnelly delivered a workshop on the importance of online reputation management and the importance of its integration into overall communication strategies.

The AVEs and the AVE Nots

For the first time PR Week has decided not to accept AVEs (Advertising Value Equivalents) as a method of measurement in its awards. The move reflects the growing industry consensus that AVEs are outdated and insufficient.

Executive director of comms measurement body AMEC Barry Leggetter welcomed the move: “The decision will help educate PR professionals to finally move away from AVEs.”

The Chow Mein Theory!

It won’t be a great shock to many to hear that a recent study proves that Irish consumers are losing faith in advertising. A new study by Carat Ireland and iReach shows that Irish consumers are losing considerable levels of trust in traditional advertising. Strongly established channels experienced double-digit drops in trust in the past year – radio dropped by 15%, newspapers dropped by 15%, magazines by 13% and television advertising by 17%.

In contrast, topping the list of the most trusted forms of communication is ‘recommendation from a trusted person’, further proving the importance of creating influence and advocates. It’s the old ‘Chow Mein Theory’. Most people go to their local Chinese take away and order the same thing every time – “I’ll have the Chow Mein”. It’s safe, you know you like it and what if you order something else and it’s not as nice? But, if you’re with a person you trust and they say, ‘you should really try the Kung Po Chicken, I think you’d like it’, you’re more likely to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. That’s the power of advocates.

The question is how to tap into that power and create brand advocates. In short, it’s a three step process: Likability, Communication and Reward. Establish why your customers like your brand, communicate with them and encourage them to communicate with others and lastly reward them for their loyalty and advocacy.

Getting to know… Kate Finn, Audio Visual Production & Design Manager

What is your career background? I studied BA Hons in Combined Studies in Visual Communications and Lens Based Fine Art at UU Art College in Belfast. Following my graduation I worked as an in house Graphic Designer for Dekko and then South Eastern Regional Colleges. I then worked as a Freelance Graphic Designer and Video Producer before joining Morrow Communications AV production team in January 2011.

What was your first job and how much were you paid? When I was at University I worked as a part-time sales Advisor at local furniture retail store, Dekko and I think I was paid about £4/hr.

Have you ever had a job you hated? I once worked in a call centre for half a day in Australia and it was horrendous, we basically had to work our way through the Yellow Pages and nobody understood my accent. It wasn’t for me and I called it a day. I decided that there was more to Australia than a call centre!

What was your first success? This one is a bit of a head scratcher. I guess success is always relative - I was fortunate to be involved in swimming when I was growing up. I had a number of successes and was lucky enough to compete for Ulster and Ireland, so I guess that would have been my first taste of success and personal achievement.

What business figure(s) do you most admire? Aaron Sorkin – the Godfather of fast moving American drama. Screenwriter, producer and playwright, his works include The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Social Network.

Have you ever made a mistake and if so what did you learn from it? Mistakes are an important part of learning and growing and along the way you get better at dealing with them. I think it’s really important to communicate with all parties at all times and be honest, nobody is perfect so it’s best to own up as soon as you realise your mistake.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you have ever been given? Do one thing every day that scares you.

What one item would you take with you to a desert island and why? A phone (with everlasting battery)… It’s good to talk!

What has been your biggest financial extravagance? Probably getting married and honeymoon. It was well worth it though, I loved every minute!

Do you have a business mantra? Treat everyone equally!

What items do you always carry with you? Asthma Inhaler, Touche Eclat, little tube of Aloe Vera and my iPhone.

When will you retire? I’m far too young to be thinking about that just yet!

Kelly McKee joins CIPR Committee

Morrows Communications Consultant Kelly McKee was elected to the committee of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations for Northern Ireland in January this year.

CIPR NI has around 250 members from every sector of the PR industry – ranging from students and junior professionals to the most senior practitioners – and is the advocate and voice of the public relations profession in Northern Ireland.

Representing Morrow’s on the committee, Kelly is working with the New & Social Media sub-committee as well as assisting in the organisation of key events such as the recent Coca-Cola CIPR NI Media Awards and the much anticipated PRide Awards.

New to Morrow's World

The first half of 2011 has been both busy and successful on the new business front with a number of new client partnerships formed.


Pharmed
We will be working with Dublin based Pharmed to launch the NeoStrata brand of skincare products into the Northern Ireland marketplace.

Redrock
We are proud to be working in partnership with Redrock Machinery Ltd providing PR, marcomms and ‘Video for Web’ to the successful agricultural machinery business. Based in Armagh, Redrock manufacture and supply a wide range of farming machinery to the farming sector on a national and international basis.

Moy Park
Morrow Communications has been appointed as Moy Park’s communications agency for Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, England and Europe. Moy Park, owned by global food company, Marfrig is the leading provider of fresh, locally farmed and locally produced chicken in the UK and is recognised as one of the largest producers of organic, free range and corn fed poultry in Europe.

Northern Ireland Ombudsman
Morrows has been appointed to support the NI Ombudsman Tom Frawley on his communications needs. We will deliver communications advice and support around the varied remit of the Ombudsman as the oversight body for most of Northern Ireland's public sector bodies. As well as acting as the press office for the Ombudsman Office, we are also supproting the Ombudsman's outreach and education programme undertaken to keep its stakeholders informed about new developments.

Parents Advice Centre
We will be working with the Parents Advice Centre to deliver a fully integrated campaign to promote the Parents Helpline. The campaign will include radio, outdoor and press advertising as well as extensive PR and re- branding activity.

Tellus Border project
Morrow Communications has been contracted to deliver communications support for the Tellus Border project – a substantial geophysical and geochemical survey of the Republic of Ireland’s six border counties. Continuing the successful work carried out under the Tellus project, the NI wide mapping project led by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, the Tellus Border project will run until December 2013, delivering an intense geological mapping of the area. Morrow’s role will be to effectively communicate the purpose, logistics, relevance and outcomes of the project, delivering a robust public engagement and media relations campaign.

Queens University Belfast
Following a tender process at the beginning of the year Morrow Communications AV team where delighted to be appointed for the provision of video production for the Marketing and Creative Services Unit at Queens University Belfast. A member of the Russell Group of the UK's 20 leading research-intensive universities, Queen's is recognised as one of the very best universities in the UK and Ireland, a leader in innovation and education, Queen's aims to inspire its students to realise their full potential. The partnership has got off to a great start in the production of a number of films promoting a variety of services including the impact of the cutting edge research carried out at the university and the state-of the art facilities available to the students. With plans for future films in the making we are very excited about the potential for some great productions in the near future.

INCORE (International Conflict Research Institute)Morrow Communications AV team where delighted to be awarded the contract to produce a DVD to document the ‘Journeys Out’ project. The three year project was delivered between February 2009 and July 2011. Two groups of community leaders were selected to undertake a range of activities to support their engagement in issues related to dealing with the past in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties. Journeys Out was delivered by, INCORE (International Conflict Research Institute), based at the University of Ulster, in partnership with the Peace and Reconciliation Group , Derry/Londonderry, Intercomm Ireland based in Belfast, and the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, Co. Wicklow.

NIFDA
Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA), is an organisation committed to helping NI food and beverage companies compete successfully in their marketplace and to represent and promote their interests. This year Morrow Communications were delighted to be awarded the contract to produce a series of short films for their annual awards event as well as co-ordinating audio- visual content on the evening of the event.

Armagh City & District Council
The PEACE III Southern Cluster Partnership celebrated the success of its Small Grants Priority funding programme at a special event held at the Armagh City Hotel with more than 50 community groups and voluntary organisations from Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon and Newry & Mourne District Councils. Morrow Communications events team produced the event on behalf of Armagh City & District Council, managing all elements of the event to create a celebratory atmosphere for all guests.

Sustainable Communities Conference
The Sustainable Communities Conference was hosted by a range of statutory and voluntary agencies including Belfast City council, Belfast Healthy Cities, The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, DHSSPS, The Met Office, The Public Health Agency and University of Ulster. The purpose of the conference was to bring together professionals and experts in the field of climate change and sustainability to explore and analyse the impact of climate change on Northern Ireland as well as raise awareness and increase understanding of the short and long term effects on a regional and local scale. Morrow Communications events team was appointed by Belfast City Council to support the conference working group in event planning, logistics and implementation on the day.

Electrical Training Trust
Morrow Communications events team was recently appointed to produce the Electrical Training Trust’s inaugural conference due to take place in September 2011. This is the first conference to take place in Northern Ireland specifically aimed at the electrical industry, and we are delighted to provide advice and practical support to the Trust to produce a first class conference.

InterTradeIreland Venture Capital Conference 2011 - Building a first class venture backed business

Morrow Communications events team successfully delivered InterTradeIreland’s tenth annual Venture Capital Conference which took place in the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Dublin in April 2011.

Each year, this flagship conference brings together young, start up companies with Business Angels, Venture Capitalists and Private Investors from across the island of Ireland to network, learn from each other and gain experience from those who have “been there, done that”.

With a packed agenda with 30 speakers over the course of the day and a full house capacity of over 270 delegates in attendance, the team considered every detail to ensure a slick production on the day. In the six months leading up to the conference, we co-ordinated and planned the complete event requirements including administration, technical, logistics and hospitality. Due to the complexity of the programme and the nature of the venue it was crucial that we adopted a ‘no stone left unturned’ approach which certainly paid off.

Journey towards Healing Conference

Morrow Communications delivered integrated communications activity for NIAMH (Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health), which included event management, PR and production of a DVD for the international ‘Journey towards Healing’ Conference which took place in Belfast.

The groundbreaking conference, ‘Trauma and Spirituality: An International Dialogue’ brought together health professionals and faith representatives to discuss how a more holistic approach to trauma recovery could be developed. The conference hosted over 200 delegates and speakers from across the world including keynote speakers from the United States and South Africa.

The events team at Morrow Communications managed the five day event, across everything from venue management to conference bookings, staging and delegate relations. Morrow’s also managed all PR around the event including launching the conference, managing media on the day and post conference media relations.

Morrow’s AV team produced a DVD of the conference which included an overview of the event and the two keynote addresses. The DVD was distributed to all delegates and interested parties throughout the world who could not make it to Belfast for the conference.

Morrows puts NI on the Map in Washington

Through our work with the NI Bureau this year, Morrows produced a short film which premiered to an audience of 400 at the Washington Chamber of Commerce on St Patrick’s Day, showcasing some of the outstanding work carried out by NI’s fast emerging digital industry.

Highlighting the breadth of skills and experience inherent within the creative industries sector in Northern Ireland, the film celebrated recent investment successes in film and TV, web applications, animation and music, confirming NI’s global position as a key business location for creative industry projects.

Department for Employment and Learning – Made Not Born

With 10 Roadshows, three Masterclasses and more than 1,500 SME engagements to its name, the Department for Employment and Learning’s (DEL) leadership and management campaign ‘Made Not Born’ has certainly proved itself as a very popular source of inspiration and support in what are extremely tough times.

Morrow Communications has been working with DEL for more than two years now to help promote the benefits of management and leadership development under the campaign banner‘Made Not Born’. Delivered through an integrated communications strategy involving brand development and application, events, online communications, video production, direct marketing and media relations the ‘Made Not Born’ campaign promotes the key message that great leaders and managers are not born, but rather made.

To help illustrate the benefits of Management and Leadership development to the SME sector, Morrows worked with the Department to help identify Europe’s leading management experts, as well as local champions to speak at the various events held throughout Northern Ireland. Each provided real life, real time examples of just how impactful these techniques can be within a business environment.

Mervyn Langtry, Head of the Department for Employment and Learning‘s Management Development Branch, said: “This year’s ‘Made Not Born’ campaign has been a hugely successful one. The overall level of stakeholder engagement has increased, and to date more than 1,500 SMEs have made contact with my team.” This has resulted in more companies engaging in Management and Leadership development and accessing the support programmes available through DELNI.

To see what some of our guest speakers had to say visit the Made Not Born YouTube site at the following link http://www.youtube.com/user/MadeNotBornNI

Two Wheels: Two Weeks

DRD Travelwise NI is once again celebrating another successful ‘Two Wheels: Two Weeks’ initiative which saw cycling enthusiasts from across Northern Ireland ‘saddle up’ for two weeks of cycling celebrations from 18th to 26th June.

The ‘Two Wheels: Two Weeks’ initiative is developed and promoted by DRD Travelwise NI and is celebrated as part of National Bike Week, which takes place across the UK and Ireland. Designed to encourage the public to get on their bikes to enjoy the numerous health, financial and environmental benefits associated with cycling, the initiative also aims to encourage the public to incorporate more sustainable modes of transport into their daily lives whether it’s cycling to work, school, down to the shop or even just to get some exercise.

During the initiative Travelwise NI collaborated with local councils, employers, schools and cycling organisations to promote a wide variety of cycling events including; Schools’ Bike Day, After work Spinathon, Bike to Work Day and Pedal in the Park events in parks throughout Belfast.

Northgate Managed Services secure £5.8m education contract with Kent based Isle of Sheppey Academy

Newtownabbey based Northgate Managed Services (Northgate) continues to grow its presence in the Education sector across the UK with the award of a £5.8m contract to provide a state-of-the-art ICT managed service for the Kent based, Isle of Sheppey Academy.

The five year contract will involve Northgate designing, delivering and managing a tailored ICT solution that is both robust and flexible, and that has the ability to respond to the changing needs of the Academy, as well as being able to keep a pace with technology developments.

Andy Ross, Chief Executive, Northgate Managed Services, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Kent Local Education Partnership 1 and the Academy on these inspiring new learning environments. We are currently providing IT services to every school in Northern Ireland, and we will use this experience to help the Academy to take advantage of the latest computer-based teaching and to create learning rich environments for its students.”

Dale Farm finds the cream of local sporting talent

Dale Farm has once again this year provided a major funding boost for local sporting talent, through the Dale Farm ‘2012 Dreams’ Sports Award in association with the Mary Peters Trust.

Specifically open to local athletes aiming to compete at Olympic and Paralympic Games level, the award represents the biggest individual sporting bursary available in NI – worth £5,000.

Brian Beattie, Head of Marketing with Dale Farm commented:“Over the years, the Dale Farm Sports Award has helped nurture talent such as Ciara Mageean, Jenna McCorkell and Paddy Barnes – all of whom demonstrate the determination and ambition to compete at the top of their game. With the Olympics drawing ever closer, we want to encourage NI’s sporting elite to apply for this award, designed specifically to help them realise their goals.”

Dame Mary Peters DBE, President of the Mary Peters Trust added: “We are proud to once again be working in partnership with Dale Farm on this important award, which year on year provides a much needed financial boost for local sportspeople.”

The Mary Peters Trust will carry out the selection process and the winner will be announced over the summer months.

Foster announces 125 new jobs for Deloitte

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster joined Deloitte recently to announce that it is to create 125 new jobs in Belfast over the next two years.

Deloitte delivers a range of audit, tax, consulting and corporate finance services to clients across the public and private sectors from offices in the UK and Ireland, including Belfast. 100 of the new jobs to be created in Belfast will result from the establishment of a National Solution Centre, which will focus on software development, testing, analytics and application support.

A further 25 jobs will come from the establishment of a complementary unit to research and develop best market practices around tax processes and administration in serving clients. The announcement comes on the back of the creation of 12 new jobs for the Belfast office at the end of last year following the development of a new Pensions Team and a Business Intelligence Centre of Excellence.

Top Young Innovators get stuck into Science

Hundreds of students from schools and colleges across Northern Ireland recently attended the annual Sentinus Young Innovators Exhibition held at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast to display the results of their yearlong science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) projects.

The one-day exhibition is organised by Sentinus – Northern Ireland’s leading organisation promoting STEM subjects in schools, and as the largest regional science fair of its type in Northern Ireland, is designed to provide a platform for students to demonstrate the wealth of creativity and innovation which exists in local schools and colleges.

This year the event was supported by Fujitsu, one of the world’s leading providers of IT systems, services and products, who came on board as major industrial sponsor in a commitment to the development Northern Ireland’s knowledge based economy.

On the day students displayed their innovative project work and took part in STEM workshops including ‘SentinusShooterBot’ which allowed students to program LEGO MindstormsShooterBot to negotiate a course and shoot a number of targets and ‘The Big Dig’ which allowed students to experience the excitement of a big archaeological dig for themselves and took them through the process of excavating, identifying and classifying their own fossil finds.

Students also took advantage of careers advice from over 30 organisations including NI Fire Brigade, NIE, AFBI and MENSA.

Asda Has the Winning Formula for NI’s Young Sporting Talent

Asda’s ‘Sporting Chance’ Athletes, 15 of NI’s brightest sporting hopefuls, gathered at the Sports Institute earlier this summer to participate in a motivational workshop led by former Olympic and Commonwealth fencing star, Johnny Davis.

The workshop was part of Asda’s Sporting Chance initiative - a two pronged programme that offers families across Northern Ireland access to free sports sessions during the school holidays, as well as supporting talented young athletes through the Asda Athletes Programme.

As well as a £500 bursary, the young sports stars received an inspirational speech from Johnny along with hints and tips from top digital media experts on how to use digital media to raise their profile in the sporting world and support their commercial goals.

On Your Marks, Set, Dough!!

Staff from Irwin’s Bakery set the challenge of raising £50,000 for four charities through a mass participation relay between Belfast and Cork this summer.

Setting off from the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, relay teams of around 300 brave bakery staff completed the ‘Best Foot 4-ward Walk’ over the course of a week, which in total stretched around 335 miles.

Irwin’s chose four official charities to support through the fundraiser including Macmillan Cancer Support, Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children’s ‘Helping Hand’ MRI Scanner Appeal, The Children’s Medical and Research Foundation of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and New Beginnings Charitable Trust, a Kilkeel based organisation which helps vulnerable children in Uganda.

Michael Murphy, Commercial Director of Irwin’s Bakery explains: “As a family owned bakery, Irwin’s has always supported local charities. As we’re approaching our centenary year in business, we wanted to organise something major so all our staff could come together, do something active and fun and, most importantly, raise valuable funds for some very important causes.

“Our target was to raise at least £50,000 across the four charities through sponsorship and a special online auction in the run up to the ‘Best Foot 4-ward Walk’. 

We chose our four nominated charities because they are each very different but do extremely valuable work. Our staff are very passionate about the charities we’ve chosen with many of them having very personal reasons for taking part. Everyone was fantastic at getting into the spirit of the event – training and fundraising hard. Whether they walked or ran, each and every one of them had one thing in common – a real drive to raise as much money as possible.