Morrows Voted Best in Class in UK

It's always great to have your hard work rewarded and recognised, especially when it comes from your peers. Morrows was recognised as Best Agency Conference Organiser in the UK at the inaugural Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) Excellence Awards held in London last week. The award capped a great week for the company as we were also highly commended in the Marketing Agency of the Year category in the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Ireland Marketing Excellence Awards 2014.

In London's landmark OXO Building, we were voted the best agency PCO by our industry peers for the design, delivery and marketing of the International Business Women’s Conference (IBWC) 2014 hosted by our client Women in Business NI in Belfast in May.

A particular emphasis of the ABPCO awards was the broadening of the PCO’s role to include the promotion and wider communication around such events and IBWC2014 was the perfect platform to showcase all of our skills to deliver a very successful conference for Women in Business NI.

Anyone involved in the industry will appreciate the huge amount of work and effort that goes into a conference of the scale and ambition of IBWC 2014. The fact that this recognition was awarded following a vote from industry peers makes it all the more rewarding and is further evidence that we in Northern Ireland can compete with the best.

 We received a number of ringing endorsements too from our client as well as Visit Belfast. Safe to say we couldn't be more pleased !

 Roseann Kelly, CEO of Women in Business Northern Ireland said;

“IBWC 2014 was a first for Northern Ireland, a first for Women in Business NI and a first for Morrow Communications. High levels of energy , passion and vision were required and Morrows shared this journey with us. Morrows input was a key element to the great success of IBWC and their success at the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers Excellence Awards is no surprise and very well deserved.”

 Rachael McGuickin, Director of Business Tourism, Visit Belfast, which supported the IBWC2014 conference commented;  

“Belfast is now competing with the best cities in the world to host major international conferences and events. To be successful in this market, it’s not only about first class event delivery, it’s also about coming up with innovative solutions and that’s exactly what Morrow Communications delivered for the IBWC14 in Belfast. I am thrilled that the vision, dedication and hard work of the Morrow Communications team has been recognised at the highest level in the UK. To have secured the endorsement of APBCO is an important achievement and Visit Belfast looks forward to working with Jane and her team to build on this latest success as we continue to strengthen Belfast reputation as a world-class conference destination.”

7 Things We Learned at the Digital DNA Conference

Titanic Belfast, where the Digital DNA Business Conference took place

Lots of entrepreneurs and social media lovers gathered at the Digital DNA Business Conference 6 Nov 2014 at Titanic Belfast. The conference featured speakers from global companies like Twitter and Google, but also included speakers from local businesses. In case you couldn’t make it to Digital DNA, here are seven digital tips we picked up at the conference.

1. So your brand doesn’t tweet? That doesn’t mean you’re not on Twitter.
Dennis Bree, Twitter’s UKI Sales Manager, said there is no way to stay away from the social media conversation. All brands are being talked about online, whether or not a brand has a Twitter or Facebook account. For instance, Dennis noted that 31% of Twitter users tweet about recent purchases. It’s best for brands to embrace social media and use it to their advantage.

2. If you’re confused about Google AdWords, call an expert.
The world of Google AdWords can be intimidating for a lot of marketers, including CDE Global Head of Marketing Peter Craven. He said he finds Google AdWords terrifying. If you’re confused about how to use AdWords or social media, contact an expert to help you make the most of your digital efforts. And of course, with our AdWords qualified consultant here at Morrows we’re happy to help!

3. Good social is planned but great social is agile.

There are fantastic tools to plan, schedule and manage your social media presence and a strategic approach to the social web is essential to reap the benefits. However, the best content is often those spur of the moment pics, videos or tweets that riff on something which has just happened on TV. 60% of Twitter users tweet while watching TV and this presents a great opportunity for brands to engage with those audiences.

4. It’s impossible to predict the future.
Shane Nolan, Google’s Director UK & Ireland SME, said brands shouldn’t try to predict the future because it’s impossible to know what gadget, platform or trend is going to be the next big thing. Instead of trying to guess what will be popular in the future, Shane said brands should look at trends within their customer base to better understand their customers.

5. “If you’re going to fail, fail fast.”
Shane from Google also said it’s important for companies to try new things and take risks. Employees at Google are encouraged to try new ideas, even if the plan doesn’t work out. If you try something new and it fails, get over it quickly and move on to the next idea.

6. Design your website for humans.
With the ever changing world of web design and search engine algorithms, knowing the best course of action when designing your website can be difficult. Peter from CDE Global talked about how he now believes in the simple principle of designing a website for humans. He said his website is the best lead generator for the company, so it’s crucial to make sure it is user-friendly. He no longer puts all of his emphasis on search engine optimisation.

7. Buy your sand from a quarry, not a store.
For the most random tip of the day, Peter from CDE Global shared a secret he learned from his business dealing with quarry equipment: buying sand from a quarry is cheaper than going to a big box retailer! Not a digital tip, but still a useful one.

One major learning from Digital DNA was how vast the area of digital marketing is and how important it has become in business. If you’re thinking of dipping your toe into the world of digital marketing, give us a call and our qualified and experienced consultants will be happy to talk through the options and a properly integrated approach.

What did you think of Digital DNA and who was your favourite speaker? Tweet us @morrowcomms or leave a comment below.