Matt was nominated by Lisa Cooper:

‘It’s been planning time again and this month has reminded me what a pleasure it is to work with you, Matt.  The planning process for FY11 has gone smoothly and that’s largely down to your professionalism, diplomacy and great understanding of the UK market.  It also really helps that you are so open to new ideas and willing to discuss different approaches to promote the Capital Region.  Thank you.’

'Who us? No, no way...'

Never work with animals or children, or so they say.  Well, what do ‘they’ know?  I’ve just come back from a dream press trip for Travel City Direct, taking four  influential journalists and their well – behaved (or was that the other way around?) children to the beautiful island of Antigua to see just what the best of the Caribbean has to offer to the discerning 10 year old.

The girls are gonna win it...

Quite a lot, so it turns out.  There was kayaking, sailing, and lots of snorkelling and swimming.  There was beach cricket, football matches in the sun and even a sandcastle building competition at the superb Rexplorers Kids’ Club at the Halcyon Cove by rex resorts. 

Watch out for the killer bees....

  There was whooping and splashing as they dive bombed off the back of a catamaran in a private beach cove during a circumnavigation of the island.  And there were the loudest screams ever to grace the Antiguan rainforest canopy as they soared through the trees on zip wires at the Antigua Rainforest Canopy Tour. 

And that was just the adults.

Add to this, an unlimited supply of interesting fruity drinks, a memorable souvenir hunting experience in the vibrant markets of St Johns, and some of the biggest breakfasts (complete with pancakes and syrup, mmm…) they’d ever consumed, and we had four happy kids and four equally happy parents.

Check out the images and the videos below, and see what we got up to…For more images, see our Flickr page

 

Could get used to this working during daylight hours!

Over here....

The kids relax on the cat

Last day in the sun

Frankly, I’m a bit fed up with hearing about how out of date Travel PR is.  In the blogosphere, PR agencies seems to be easy targets.  Why is that?

I suggest it could be down to a couple of things.  For a start, a lot of travel bloggers are, let’s face it, freelance journalists who are finding it really hard to get commissions this year and need material to write about.  Don’t get me wrong, I have absolute sympathy for this predicament - it’s tough out there - but surely turning that frustration into a generalised rant about Travel PR agencies strikes of ‘biting the hand that feeds you’. As does dissing the print media they are so keen to get back into. 

We all know print and broadcast coverage is traditional, doesn’t mean it’s evil.

Secondly, bloggers tend to be, by nature of their work, more literate in social media marketing techniques than the average Joe.  That’s fine too.  But it doesn’t necessarily follow that the travel PR world is just sitting around waiting for the social media revolution to wipe us out.  We’re all doing what any sensible company does when faced with a changing landscape; we’re training ourselves and our staff, we’re testing new techniques, we’re learning new skills, we’re looking around for talent, and we’re building our own internally.  Of course we are.  What else would be doing?  And many of us have already delivered many projects which absolutely embrace the opportunities presented through social media marketing.  Or are quietly monitoring the networks and interacting on behalf of our clients.  Or are managing Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, corporate blogs and video content, and considering SEO in everything we do.  You don’t win awards for that stuff.  And we don’t send releases to PR Week about it.  But it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

We’re also continuing with some of the traditional stuff.  Yes, we are still maintaining strong relationships with journalists, on and off line.  And we’re still hosting the odd event (as far as I know, hospitality is still allowed in the 2010s?), responding to information requests, answering the phone and even hosting the odd press trip to far away lands.  And why are we bothering with all this stuff?  Well, because our job is to raise brand profile, deliver brand messages, manage reputations, and gain publicity.  And these methods are tried, tested, possible to evaluate, and they deliver ROI.  And if you become so arrogant that you start to think that just being in the social media space is enough, you’ll end up with no clients at all.  And so far behind the curve, it’ll probably whack you in the back of the head.

If you are looking for a great place to sail, check out the Florida Keys & Key West and this article from World Reviewer

Anna was nominated by Helena Beard:

‘Anna, you have been a pleasure to work with over the past month.  In the midst of such a complex project for Travel City Direct, it’s vital for us to be able to have access to swift responses, strong decision making, and constructive comment and you’ve provided us with all of these.  You’re also always friendly, always helpful, and always seem to be smiling!      

 Thanks, Anna.  You’ve been a star this month.’

Karen was nominated by Kylie Rathbone:

 ‘All your help on the Ski Safari Group Press Trip with Inghams was so welcome.  You really pulled out all the stops.  The group had a brilliant time and everything ran smoothly.  I’m sure we’ll see some great coverage for Travel Alberta.

We all really appreciated the way you handled this one, Karen.  Thank you very much.’

Congratulations from all of us Karen.

When the opportunity presented itself to join my husband in Riga (where he has been working for airBaltic for the last 18 months) I was lucky enough to remain part of the KBC PR & Marketing team, representing clients such as Mesmear (www.Mesmear.co.uk) and Select Apartments.

Since we now truly live in a Global World, this often means frequent business trips or even relocation (visit www.SelectApartments.co.uk for a wide choice of serviced accommodation, worldwide).  However, by the wonders of the world of high-techn gadgetry and communication – the web, remote online access, emails, mobile phones and Skype – you can simply ‘be’ anywhere, work anywhere and maintain a thoroughly professional service.

Now known as KBC’s ‘Woman in the Baltics’ (not to be confused with the KGB’s Man in the Baltics), I have fully embraced the world of ‘remote access’ and even watch UK TV and satisfy my daily news-fix online!  Naturally I use facebook to keep in touch with friends, family and industry colleagues and have even been known to ‘Tweet’ from time to time.

I have just found a really useful and cost-effective way to offer contacts a ‘local’ telephone number call you on. You can rent a Skypeln for just £11.50 for three months’ rental.  You can choose from a wide variety of UK STD codes and numbers, such as London, Brighton or Manchester and then callers simply connect to you (via Skype) anywhere in the world, using the same method (and cost) as a UK telephone call.  No special gadgets required!

And if, like me, you can’t successfully live the ‘Expat’ lifestyle without watching the latest episodes of Corrie, Eastenders or Strictly, then FilmOn.com is a digital online TV company which means you can watch all your favourite programmes for just £9.95 per month.

Living and working abroad does not mean you have to be out of touch, The Daily/Sunday Telegraph, for example, produces a special 48-page weekly digital edition for just £50 a year.  You even get the Telegraph Crossword! http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/518/695

But, when I am not linked to the Information Super Highway like an umbilical cord, I aim to fully take advantage of Latvia’s close proximity to The Baltic and Nordic countries, Russia, Germany and Poland.  With spring just around the corner, I shall soon be jumping on airBaltic planes every weekend to discover this fascinating new Eastern European world of travel experiences.

Next blog….The Latvian capital has a new brand image – ‘Live Riga’.

Eugéne Roberts

KBC’s Woman in the Baltics

 Krista was nominated by Tanya Hillman:

 ‘‘Krista, you have been such a model client over the past six months; responsive, reasonable and with great communication skills.  You have also done a superb job of juggling the needs of all the partners and translating varying priorities into a clear brief for us, which ensures the best results for Atlantic Canada.  We’ve loved working with you and wish you well in your new role.’

Congratulations to Krista from all of us at KBC PR & Marketing.

ESTA MANDATORY FROM JANUARY 20, 2010

The position relating to the ‘grace period’ of 1 year for full compliance with the ESTA requirement has now been clarified and the date for implementation has    finally been resolved.

US Customs and Border Protection have advised that with effect from January 20, 2010 it will be mandatory for all passengers travelling to the USA under the Visa Waiver Program to receive approval to travel using the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) scheme. All passengers travelling to or transferring through the US from this date are advised to apply for an ESTA at least 72 hours in advance of their journey.

Under the new regulations, US Customs and Border Protection will not now be able to accept US-bound customers for their flight if they have not received ESTA approval or if they do not hold a valid visa or Green Card.  Although not fully implemented during the past year, most UK-USA travellers are already familiar with the ESTA requirement.

ESTA can be obtained free of charge by visiting the Visit USA Website at www.visitusa.org.uk or https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov where further information on the scheme can also be found.  Once completed & approved, the ESTA application is valid for two years and allows multiple visits without the need to reapply. Travellers can apply for an ESTA even if they have no firm plans to travel to the US.

We’ve only been working with Atlantic Canada for six months but, already in that time, we’ve hosted two other events; a media reception at World Travel Market, and the Christmas TravMedia evening.  Both of these went really well, with a fantastic turnout, but that didn’t stop the butterflies circulating as we waited for our guests to turn up.  It’s always the same with events.  However many you organise in a year, the adrenaline never fails to make an appearance. 

Of course, we needn’t have worried.  The limosines all turned up as we planned and all the guests remembered their ID and made it through security!  By 7pm, they were all safely esconced in the domed, glass bar of The Gherkin, staring out at the lights of London with one of the best views in the Capital, and sipping a Blueberry Mimosa (a mix of blueberry juice and sparking wine from Nova Scotia), or a ‘Bay of Funtini’ (vodka, blue curacao, cranberry juice, with a slice of lemon to represent the sun over the Bay of Fundy).  Do you see what we did there?

Aside from the spectacular view, the reason you go to the 40/30 restaurant at The Gherkin is for the fabulous food.  Atlantic Canada has some of the best seafood in the world so, of course, that’s what we served;  delicious jumbo seared Canadian scallop in a tasty sauce with celeriac and samphire.  And for the main dish, well, lobster of course.  You can’t celebrate Atlantic Canada without lobster.

And after all this healthy fare, we thought it only right we ended with a mouthwatering blueberry muffin. 

It was a great evening.  There’s something so invigorating about being perched at the top of London looking out across the City.  The guests all seemed to enjoy themselves, and we had a lot of interest from the media for story ideas and trips out to the four provinces which make up the region.  It was lovely to see our friends from New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia and Price Edward Island again too. 

Thanks to everyone who came along.  Enjoy the pictures and we look forward to welcoming you to Atlantic Canada soon.

“Only February and the best press thrash of the year already…a hard act to follow!”–  Paul Wade and Kathy Arnold

“it was just wonderful, from start to finish!” – Jini Reddy

“Thank you all so much for a wonderful evening;  for superb hospitality, generosity, food, apple cocktails (!) and company.” – Mary Loudon

“Thanks so much for such an amazing evening up the Gherkin! My mind’s eye’s still savouring all the views and tastes!” – Adrian Gillan

“I had a wonderful evening and thoroughly enjoyed a taste of Atlantic Canada!” – Sarah Foden

“Now I really can’t wait to visit!”  – Gillian Thornton

“Great to learn more about this region of Canada, too – although it means the list of places I’d like to visit has grown even longer!” – Becky Ward

“The views were fantastic, the food was delicious and the company was great.” – Jacqueline Branch  

“A big THANK YOU!! for a truly splendid evening! It was such an amazing venue, and really great food” – Louise Roddon