Stuart Blake has over 30 years of experience conceiving and executing live events. He specializes in internal communications, conferences, exhibitions, and public engagements. Some of his past projects include an event for the Corporation of London celebrating 800 years of history in one hour, the 21st century and health pavilions at Expo 2000, and a traveling exhibition for CERN to inspire learning about physics. Blake offers strategic consulting, creative concept development, content production, and project management to help clients make a difference through impactful live experiences.
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