The Big Event was the second annual accessibility expo held by the Auckland Disability Providers Network. The challenge to Alexander Communications (AC) was to increase foot traffic through the 2013 expo and bring the accessibility message into mainstream media. In the past, communication messages about accessibility and disability have remained largely within the disability sector.

The Auckland Disability Providers Network worked with AC to find engaging stories within the expo.

Results

The results achieved for The Big Event saw visitor numbers at this year’s event nearly double on the inaugural 2012 expo.  The New Zealand Herald profiled an AC client working with The Big Event and included a positive mention on the client’s work with the Auckland Disability Network and the upcoming expo.

Shine TV also featured The Big Event on its nightly news bulletin, Focus, giving viewers a taste of the Friday show, ahead of Saturday.

Radio New Zealand National attended the event and produced a half-hour documentary segment for its One-in-Five show. This included several positive interviews that profiled different aspects of the event. The full interview can be heard here.

The Big Idea, an online arts website, also featured the event’s art exhibition, Perception.

The event featured on leading entertainment site eventfinda and in the Auckland Council and GrownUps newsletters. Other coverage was achieved in news sites infonews, yahoo and Scoop.

The company announced that its scheduled 30 September 2013 moratorium repayment to investors would be paid out on 8 May. This development means investors will receive payments approximately five months earlier than previously signalled.

The announcement was in keeping with Geneva’s early repayment record:  earlier-than-scheduled repayments were also made in September 2010, March and September 2011, March and September 2012, and March 2013.

The interview can be heard here.

Two of New Zealand’s leading fashion websites FashioNZ.co.nz and Chelsey.co.nz  are each giving one lucky bride-to-be a $50 voucher to spend at ‘The Wedding Boutique’, brandsExclusive’s online wedding sale.

As wedding season is well underway, and there’s a $50 voucher to vie for, there’s every reason to spend up and buy that extra dress you know you need. To enter the draw, simply fill in a few details about your bridal entourage. The winner will be drawn on 8 May 2013.  But don’t wait until then to head over to www.brandsExclusive.co.nz, as the sale starts on 6 May and lasts until 13 May.

brandsExclusive’s ‘The Wedding Boutique’ is a must for every bride – and groom – to-be.

The links can be seen here and here.

The link can be seen here.

Pure SEO is New Zealand’s top-ranked SEO company for the search term ‘search engine optimisation’ and ‘seo’. Auckland based, the Pure SEO clients include AIA New Zealand, Bridgestone, Duty Free Stores New Zealand and Tony’s Tyre Service.

Speaking to NZ Herald Richard explained the techniques employed by Pure SEO to boost google search listings including using keywords with website, copywriting and social media interaction.

Richard moved to Auckland from Britain in 2009 and while he didn’t know anyone here, he did see a gap in the market for his expertise. With an entrepreneurial spirit Richard used networking to build Pure SEO from a one man operation in his home office to a successful business that has just moved into new, larger offices to accommodate company growth.

Read the full article here.

Campaign Overview

The Guardian Trust Rose Hellaby Maori Education Trust is an annual scholarship recognising talented and hard working Māori students. Guardian Trust and AC have a long-standing relationship, first working together on corporate and philanthropic campaigns in 2006.

To boost the profile of the inaugural Rose Hellaby Awards, where $130,000 in scholarships was presented to 120 Māori secondary and tertiary students, Guardian Trust, the sole trustee and investment manager of the Rose Hellaby Māori Education Fund, worked with AC to tell the story of Rose Hellaby and the three students who were the major award recipients for 2012.

Results

Miriama Ketu-Mckenzie, the recipient of a prestigious $30,000 scholarship from the Rose Hellaby Māori Education Fund, was interviewed by Good Morning.

Speaking to Phil Morgan Rees, Guardian Trust’s general manager of personal client services, and Miriama, interviewer Matai Smith discussed how entrusting a legacy to Guardian Trust can see it grow and benefit others far beyond a single lifetime.  Guardian Trust, which distributes $32 million annually from 462 New Zealand charitable trusts, had its website linked to Good Morning’s website, with an invite to potential future recipients to apply for the Rose Hellaby postgraduate Māori scholarships and other gifts from the fund.

Miriama Ketu-Mckenzie was also interviewed by Paul Diamond, the stand-in host of National Radio’s ‘Saturday Mornings with Kim Hill’, and Radio New Zealand’s Eru Rerekura for Te Manu Korihi.

The other 2012 recipients, Lewis Neihana Tait Jones and Jessica Templeton, also received coverage; Lewis featured in the Waikato Times and online at Stuff.co.nz and Jessica appeared on Canterbury TV.

The Big Event is the biggest accessibility expo in the country. Over 6,000 people attended the inaugural event in 2012, and this year’s free event at Greenlane’s ASB Showgrounds on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 April is set to be even bigger.

The concept of The Big Event was developed by the Auckland Disability Providers Network. The idea came to chairman Chris Ross, who was repeatedly hearing people in the accessibility community say they didn’t know where to go to access new products and services.

“These products and services can make one’s life more accessible, so we decided it was time to get all the key players into one place,” he says. “The idea grew from there and following the success of the 2012 event, it became obvious there is a real need to make this information widely available in New Zealand.”

Over 100 exhibitors will share products and services at The Big Event. For innovators who participate, there is the opportunity to win an award for best accessibility invention, with the prize being help to develop and mass-produce the winner’s service or product.

A dedicated youth area will be set up to give young people the opportunity to try a range of exciting activities, including rock-climbing, basketball, surfing and a horizontal bungy.  Like the rest of the event, participation in these activities is free. The idea is for youth, both able-bodied or with a disability, to join in and try activities they may have not experienced before. The youth area is being run by The Cube, Halberg Trust, Special Olympics and Paralympics New Zealand, with information and assistance being given at each of the stations.

Five art therapy students in their final year at Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design have created a sensory space for all who visit the expo. For those who have ever wondered what it’s like to have impairment, the sensory deprivation simulator will allow visitors to experience movement with no sight or sound.

Student Tania Blomfield says it has been both a challenge and a lot of fun putting the sensory space together.

“As well as the sensory deprivation simulator, there are challenges for participants involving smell, touch and vision, and the opportunity to return to childhood and get your hands dirty.”

New to The Big Event this year is an art exhibition featuring 45 works by New Zealand artists faced with some form of disability (physical or mental). Auckland’s Spark Centre was asked to curate the exhibition, the theme of which is perception.

Director of the Spark Centre of creative development, Suzanne Vesty, says the centre received 86 artwork submissions to feature in The Big Event’s perception exhibition. After a rigorous critiquing process, the top 45 works were selected. All artwork displayed at The Big Event is available for purchase, and many of the artists will be present to discuss their works and the creative process.

The Details: 

What: The Big Event – Expo & Marketplace

Date: Friday 5 and Saturday 6 April 2013

Time: 10am – 4pm

Location: ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland

Tickets: Free

Parking: Free

Highlighting the demand and struggle to enter the property market Mr Walters recommended a strategy to enable young families to purchase their first home.

The article struck a chord with the New Zealand Herald readers with the comments section providing an interesting cross-section of opinion.

The article on small business looks at the corporate techniques and systems Vee uses to run her team of 10. Space Studio is an interior design and procurement logistics business specialising in hospitality, retail and commercial groups, both locally and internationally.

Vee says large businesses can learn from SMEs and their ability to change quickly.

“During the financial crisis we could be working on a large project and the finance would stop. You have to be able to react to that.”

A link to the article can be seen here.

The appointment occurred after the Directors of GEON appointed voluntary administrators. Control of GEON’s businesses and assets now rests with the Receivers.

Messrs Grenfell and Black said the Receivers were working swiftly to stabilise GEON’s operations and assess each of its business units while concurrently running an accelerated sale process for GEON’s business and assets.

”We have begun the process of stabilising GEON’s operations with the support of key stakeholders, including GEON equity holders KKR and Allegro. This will facilitate a thorough assessment of each of GEON’s business units’ financial position,” they said.

The Receivers have also already commenced a sale process for GEON’s businesses and assets and have received an Expression of Interest from one party and held discussions with others.

Messrs Grenfell and Black said the Receivers were liaising with employees, unions, customers and suppliers to ensure minimal disruption to operations.

About McGrathNicol:

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