1. A short Lucid story... Lucid: def. ‘shining, transparent, easily understood, intellectually bright’
2. If you are a client or agency who needs... A highly-experienced, strategic and creative thinker to help you to conceive, present and execute live events that make a difference...
3. The story so far… A previous life as an actor helped me understand the power of live events and story-telling to inspire and engage audiences
4. The story continues... 1987: I join Commercial Presentations as in-house writer, learning to write proposals that sell, and events that excite all kinds of audiences Amongst many corporate events I research and write a piece of pure theatre for the Corporation of London in Guildhall to celebrate a big anniversary – 800 years in one hour! I am awarded the Freedom of the City of London which I believe allows me to drive a flock of sheep across London Bridge!
6. The story continues... 1996: I join The Visual Connection Highlights include two of the most popular pavilions at Expo 2000 : The 21st Century pavilion where we present Shanghai to the world Health Futures with the World Health Organisation, designed by Toyo Ito. Inside, we tell a purely visual story on the world’s largest projection surface
12. Some awards Freedom of the City of London ITMA 2003 Platinum - Dealer Launch Gold - Best UK Event Gold - Best Product Launch IVCA 2005 Communication Effectiveness
14. Internal communications: Cable & Wireless – ‘A New Way’ (for TBA) Global brand launch Aim: build confidence & promote behavioural change in an organisation undergoing difficult & rapid change Execution: a 2 hour experience with small groups in highly interactive workshops Achievement:positive engagement with about 5,000 staff worldwide
15. Cable & Wireless: internal global brand launch : “A New Way” “A new way for consumers”: ‘cool wall’ links consumer viewpoint to brand performance “A new way for customers”: dramatised video - audience vote on the outcome “A new way for our business”: staff create tomorrow’s headlines “A new way for ourselves”: making the new values come to life
16. Internal communications: DWP: senior management conference (for COI) Aim: stimulate fresh thinking & engage senior managers in ‘making a difference’ Execution: breakout groups focus on behaviours to bring values to life. Using a creative toolkit they perform their ideas and vote on the best which are showcased in plenary session Achievement: real time voting reveals positive opinion shift. A high proportion say the experience would help make a difference
18. Communication strategies: The Army: Defence 2004 (for COI & Shelton Fleming) Defence 2004 Aim: develop a comprehensive face-to-face communication strategy to ‘take defence to the nation’ Execution: research & development. Reports identify target audiences, methods, Army agencies co-ordination and plan of action. Achievement: enables COI to run an industry tender for creative implementation
19. Sales conferences: BT Wholesale Markets (for Shelton Fleming) Aim: motivate the salesforce in a tough trading climate Execution: move from a traditional, passive conference format to a more open, engaging one. Achievement: audience evaluation showed increased confidence in the strategic direction set by senior management
21. Training & motivation: Home Office ‘Together’ campaign (for COI) ‘Together’ campaign (forerunner of ‘Respect’) Aim: train and motivate 3,000 diverse practitioners who deal with anti-social behaviour Execution: Academy road show with ‘local heroes’ videos, specialist workshops & cross-functional teams solving challenges and sharing thinking Achievement: 88% say they are better equipped. IVCA award for effective communication
23. Retail environments: Army ‘showroom’ (for COI & Shelton Fleming) Aim: create an innovative environment for the Army to engage with the public, including potential recruits Execution: bringing to life a proposition that the Army stands for much more than people assume. Displays, exhibits, interactives, video stories, all support the opportunity to engage with real soldiers Achievement: pilot store achieves recruitment levels six times higher than comparative areas nationally.
25. Education: CERN travelling exhibition (for Shelton Fleming) Aim: inspire young people to learn about the origins of the universe, particle physics & the value of fundamental research Execution: linked pods let visitors explore the Big Bang, particles, mysteries of the universe, the Large Hadron Collider & the achievements of scientists. The story is experienced with film, graphics, innovative interactives & sound domes Achievement: extremely positive client and audience feedback
27. Global car launches: the new Range Rover (for Park Avenue) Aim: to excite international dealers and press about the most advanced SUV in the world Execution: communication and scriptwriting for an employee experience, launch champions event, international dealer launch (Italy), and international press launch (Skibo Castle, Scotland) Achievement: extremely positive dealer feedback & press coverage. Multiple awards for dealer launch, best product launch, best UK event
29. Public consultations: DECC nuclear national policy statement (for Acclaim) Aim: communicate the national and local relevance of a policy statement on a highly sensitive subject, and generate feedback Execution: interpret highly complex information accessibly and accurately. Touch-screen technology offers visitors access to a range of topics. Multiple feedback channels provided at local exhibitions and public meetings Achievement: strong public interest in the content
31. Public events: Royal Navy - Trafalgar 200 (for innovision) Aim: capture the historic importance of the sea and the role of the Royal Navy, including its continuing relevance today Execution: an extraordinary piece of theatre in Trafalgar Square, dramatising great sea actions, from Trafalgar to today, narrated by an actor playing Nelson Achievement: watched by over 10,000 people live and many more on national TV
33. So how could I help you? As part of your team, offering as much or as little as you need: Research and communication strategy Creative concept development Pitch writing & presentation Experience structure Content production Copywriting Interviewing and facilitation
34. Where could I help? Conferences and meetings Workshops Exhibitions Installations Public events Film Digital media
35. If you enjoyed the story and would like to talk... Please contact Stuart Blake: P: +44 (0)20 8859 3137 M: +44 (0)7904 091 776 E: lucid1@btopenworld.com
