Christmas comes but once a year...

...so let’s drag it out for as long as we possibly can!

Or so seems most retailers’ strategy when it comes to the festive season.

Christmas started at the end of October in shops around the area and will probably end around mid-January. I am not some Scrooge like character that dislikes Christmas, I love it though I do feel it is losing a bit of its charm as I get older. To add a bit of sparkle to this years Christmas I am jetting out to New York to see in the New Year in style! Fab!!!

Anyway, now I have bragged about my up-coming holiday...

We are definitely not using the run up to Christmas as an excuse to sit back and relax and are more than merry getting into the festive spirit whilst out on shows... in fact we have 6 shows about to fly out of the doors!

Everyone is a little bit on edge as traditionally, Secret Santa is drawn in the first week of December. With the day fast approaching everyone is a little anxious as to who they will pull out of the bag. Who will have to buy a present for the MD?! Who will receive the funniest present?! Who will receive the best?!

The excitement is reaching boiling point!!!

We have created our new all singing, all dancing (not literally might I add) email-able Christmas card which will be hitting inboxes of our nearest and dearest in December. If you want to receive an e-card from us send me an email to me, rdollman@comtec-presentations.com and I will put you on my ‘good kids’ list. Equally, if you want to send me an e-card, feel free :)

Anyway, that’s enough of a ramble from me regarding Christmas.

Enjoy the rest of November.

Becs

Apologies about the lack of posts

Last week was definitely one of the busiest of the year with one of our bigger events going out (they seem to get bigger as the year goes on!).

Infection 2009, the flagship conference of the Federation of Infection Societies saw half of Comtec de-camp to Birmingham for 4 days.

Everyone agreed it was a lot of hard work from everyone on the crew but overall, everyone had a great time.

Over 700 visitors came over the 3 days of the event to see speakers at the conference and the 75 stand exhibition.

This week everyone is catching up after being out of the office and getting on with the next jobs at hand... it never seems to stop but we wouldn’t have it any other way!

We also saw Rachel Bullock, Account Manager, move onto pastures new upon her return this week. Good Luck Rach, we know you will do well.

Infection 2009

Next week Comtec are to de-camp to Birmingham for the Infection2009 conference.
A big feature at the event will be speakers in the topic of the H1N1 virus which has attracted a bit of interest on event websites.

Here are a couple of links to give you a taste...

Conference & Incentive Travel Awards

How Do

A week in the life of... Becs

Monday – well it was an excellent start to the week when we had a slight glitch in the electrics which meant we were computer-less. With our resident IT expert off the premises, the care of the servers etc fell into my lap. Luckily everything ran smoothly and we avoided any issues. Phew!
I spent the rest of the day writing up case studies and copy for future campaigns and press releases.

Tuesday – After a few weeks of saying ‘I really should document how to do this’ for others in the company (and for clients too) I finally got around to writing How To Guides for blogging creating marketing campaigns. I also made a few updates for clients the Manchester Phoenix and Infection 2009.
I left on the stroke of 5.30 (very unlike me) today as I had to get to Manchester to see a band called Phoenix play. They were brilliant, one of the best live bands I have seen in a while (and I have seen quite a few recently). They were supported by a band called Chairlift who I also thoroughly recommend.

Wednesday – Every Wednesday I take content provided by the Manchester Phoenix and put it into a lovely html email template and this Weds was no different.
I was also tasked with setting up Michelle who has joined us to cover Danni whilst she goes on maternity leave with emails and a computer. After my time moonlighting as an IT expert again I returned to my real life as a marketer making email-able invites, again for our friends at the Manchester Phoenix.

Thursday – Holidaaaaay! It was about time but I had a well deserved, if I do say so myself, day off. I had a lovely time catching up with my friend, watching Total Recall and eating Chinese food (If you are ever in the Manchester area and looking for moderately priced, excellent quality Chinese I suggest you head to Sweet Mandarin in the Northern Quarter. Very good stuff!)

Friday – back to work and in an extremely quiet office. Just as I settled in with the heating on high and my favourite radio station in the background thinking I was alone for the day, two noisy project managers turned up to join me! :)
The entirety of Friday was spent catching up on bits and bobs of jobs and completing tasks I had started previously. Was very productive and I feel much more organised.

Its Danni’s leaving day today and I really wish her Good Luck. Her presence in our ‘late lunch club’ will be missed but I am sure she will be back in the New Year to show us the little ‘un.

And that was my week!

It wasn’t a typical week, but then they never are, but I hope this gave you a slight insight into my working life.

Becs

Great South Run

Congratulations to Mand & Ron who ran in yesterday's Great South Run. The duo stuck together and managed an excellent time of 1 hr 55.

The Tea Girl

So I have been here for 8 weeks and I have been asked to write a blog. Not really sure what to write so I thought I would let you know a bit more about me and what I think of Comtec so far :)

I am a 5ft.5 (yes and a half) 24 year old brunette. I love films and I like to give a hundred per cent to everything I do so unfortunately I am not great at taking criticism-but I am human so it is expected that I have faults. Another fault is my love of food-I may be fussy but the food I do love I like a lot of lol. My weakness in particular is cheese, curry and wine.

I live at home with my mum which is good as I get looked after very well but there is a lack of privacy. I am hoping to move out next September which should be a great adventure  I was going to move out this year but I thought that a new job was enough adventure for me.

In my spare time I love to go to the cinema so I tend to go at least once a week-though I won’t watch any horror-it just scares me so I spend most of my time hiding from the screen (rather pointless). Unfortunately I am a bit of a romantic so I do like a good rom com-not going to lie-I am quite girly. However I love action films especially the classics like anything with Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme or the beautiful Bruce Willis.

So eight weeks. It has gone really quick, though at the same time I feel like I have been here for quite a while. A contradiction but that’s how I feel. I think it’s because of a mix of reasons-how welcoming everyone has been and how much there has been for me to learn.

I have no complaints yet except for the lack of tea making from Sevans and George :) So far I am very happy here and look forward to writing my next blog....if I’m allowed.

Rebecca C

Comtec Maths

There are 25 people currently based in Communications House.

Of the 25...

2 have the surname Gilmour.
2 have the surname Lyons.
2 are named Rebecca.
2 are named Helen.
2 are named Steve.
2 are named Anne.
2 are named Sarah.

So that means that there are 11 people with truly unique names, both first and surname, based in our building. However, we are soon to get a Michelle to cover for Danni when she goes to have her baby which means that Michele Marsh will no longer be the only Michelle.

At least the new Michelle won’t have many names to remember....

Becs

How do you manage to switch off from work?

...I do it with jogging, not for everyone I know and that includes most of the people I work with!

In January 2008 I decided that I wanted to do something to raise money for a charity that was important to me. With a busy schedule at the best of times it took quite a bit of deliberating to decide that maybe I could start jogging. Never someone to do thinks by halves I bought a pair of decent trainers and set about training to do a half marathon in September! I know most people who have only just taken up jogging might have settled with a 10k race to start with but I always have to push myself. I also have to make sure that I tell as many people as possible so that there is no way that I can back out. So the challenge was set.

May 2008 was half way through my training schedule and saw me taking part in the Manchester 10k – a bit of test of my ability. Race went well and I finished in a respectable time. So far so good! The lead up to September was challenging as I increased my distances in preparation for the 13.2 miles of the Leeds Half Marathon. The race itself was quite daunting and very hilly! I feel I fully appreciated just how hilly when I got to the top of one particular hill and a very nice chap told me that I had done well to survive ‘cardiac hill’!!! It was really hard going from 10 miles onwards when I ran out of energy but sheer stubbornness got me through the last 3 miles, still jogging otherwise it was going to take me even longer to get to the finish line! Becs and Sarah from the office were waiting to cheer me over the finish line and it was fantastic to see friendly faces – even if they did want pictures when I looked so sweaty and hideous!! The sense of achievement was amazing and I raised over a £1,000 for St. Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds.

But the jogging had become a bit of a bug and although not so strictly I continued with jogging though the winter when I could get out. So January 2009 sees me deciding that I need another personal challenge and obviously it needs to be better than 2008.

So completing the Great North Run (13.2 miles on the 20th September) and The Great South Run (10 miles on the 25th October – 2 days before my 40th birthday so no early celebrating!!!) was the plan of action.

The Great North Run was an all round amazing experience! From setting off to Newcastle at 6.30am in the morning to seeing Gordon Ramsay arrive also looking excited about taking part to slapping hands with Sting as I went over the start line to jogging with a ‘push me pull you’. The crowds lined every part of the 13.2 miles and their support is what made it such an unbelievable experience. For those that didn’t see the coverage on BBC1 it was a scorching hot day and I did suffer with the heat at miles 5 & 6 but then I managed to cool myself down and get into a steady pace for the rest of the race. I finished it on an absolute high and am now hooked on the Great North Run Experience and will definitely be doing it again next year!

So its now just less than 3 weeks to the Great South Run, training is harder because it’s getting darker earlier and motivating myself to run in the dark isn’t easy!!! But i’m really excited as it’s home territory and a flat course. So on the 25th October when you’re enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning spare a thought for me embarking on my next race!

If you are interested in sponsoring me and supporting St Gemma’s Hospice please visit my justgiving page (www.justgiving.com/gilmours)

North of England Excellence Business Awards

When I first started at Comtec, I was a Project Manager and the North of England Excellence Business Awards was my first event. The event was held in the Hilton Hotel in Manchester and it was a very exciting few hours for me – but it was also extremely tiring! I vividly remember, at 3am perching on the edge of the stage during the de-rig, coiling cables and wishing I was at home, in bed!

Fast forward two years and I was in a very different position. I was sat on the other side of the set, dining in style (foie gras to start, garlic and herb chicken with some sort of wonderful potato side dish for the main course and finally a raspberry mousse type thing for dessert).

The set looked incredible. It was lit in the NOEE brand colours, lots of purples and pinks with two 42-inch plasma lecterns at the front. Star cloth behind the set twinkled as the awards were handed out and it was such a different feeling to two years ago. I had time to take it all in and be proud of what the Comtec staff had achieved. From the first moment we are handed a contract, the teams work hard to design and build the perfect set, put together a slick presentation, and of course, to deliver to the clients expectations.

The Leeds Armouries was the back drop for the North of England Business Excellence Awards and what an incredible venue that is! The evening began with a drinks reception and we were treated to a demonstration by some of the staff dressed in replica armour from centuries ago and armed with some pretty heavy-looking swords! The demonstration was a lovely touch and was a very original way of kicking an event off. The host for the evening was BBC North West’s Dave Guest and swept through the presentation with his usual wit and charm!

Unfortunately for me, the night ended in a very similar way to the way it did two years ago. Perched on the edge of my seat at the table (which was sporting a lovely red wine stain thanks to not-so-steady hand), I nursed a glass of water and looked forward to going home to bed. Sadly, it was only 10:30pm – I think I’m getting old!

Rach

The Plague...

It’s been another busy week. The entire team have been run off their feet and travelled from Manchester to Leeds to Manchester to London.

We also have a cold spreading around the company with Media having started it and spread it to Technical and Ops. So far in Sales & Marketing we are immune... So far.

As if that isn’t enough we have had to quarantine one member of staff who has developed Chicken Pox aged 35!

We aren’t all disease ridden though. Some of us are as fit as a fiddle ... Cough.

What a week?!

We had more than our 15 minutes of fame on Tuesday 15th September.

If you were watching BBC news that evening you would have spotted us in reports from this year’s TUC conference as well as at GG2 Leadership & Diversity awards.

Gordon Brown addressed the TUC delegation in Liverpool’s BT Convention Centre about the state of the economy.

At the same time, we were also in London at the GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards at which Tony Blair spoke.

The crew are all exhausted and ready for the weekend now.

Unfortunately we lose a few members of the team today – Kay is leaving to have baby number 2 and Nick and Laura are returning to university after their placement year with us.

We wish all three the best of luck and of course we will miss them!!!

Becs

SEE US LIVE ON TV NOW!

Half of the staff are away on two very important jobs this week.

For the first we are working with Tony Blair and for the second, we are featuring heavily on BBC Parliament with this years TUC (Trades Union Congress).

Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlive/bbc_parliament/ to see the TUC set!

Comtec

The evolution of language...

Bonjoúr.

In the Sales & Marketing department it has become VERY popular to speak a mix of English and French or, Frenglish as I am dubbing it.

Sales & Marketing Director George Thompson was the trend setter as he bizarrely started dropping words and phrases such as ‘oui’ and ‘tres bien’ into conversation in a terrible French accent. This was quickly built upon by Amanda, Rachel, Trish & myself with questions such as ‘Où est la toner nouveau for the printer?’

As you can tell, our French skills are a little lacking however in my defence I have never had a French lesson in my life! Infact, I have even begun adding the odd bit of Spanglish including ‘no me gusta la smell in la toilette’. That was a bad example but it perfectly illustrated our grasp of the foreign tongue.

Amanda has the highest level of French fluency (we once heard her on the phone to people at Disneyland Paris and were amazed to say the least) but seems to be contributing the least to the conversations. This is probably a wise move on her behalf.

Until next time, ‘Hasta la vista, mon ami’.

Becs

Danni's Week

Since starting with Comtec I have had many random tasks thrown at me with last week being no exception to this. I’ve been getting quotes for a variety of wacky/wonderful things…porter cabins, mask artwork, trophies. I’ve also had my Bob the Builder hat on, recently discovering what a grommet and a back plug is. By now I believe I have more than earned ‘Jim’ll Fix It’ status.

In other news…I would like to make a lot of people very jealous - for the first time pretty much EVER, me and my partner Anthony have actually won something!! Well, it was more Anthony than me. And no, it’s not a free bag of crisps or £1 on the lottery!! We’ve managed to bag 2 tickets to a world cup game including flights and 3 nights in a 4* hotel!! South Africa, here we come!! I’m not really a football fan but I think I can manage pretending to be considering the circumstances!!

WOOHOO!!

Danni

'Jiggy… but a bit too rhymey'

So, Robbie Williams has brought a new song out. And this is apparently big news! Apart from being all over local and national radio, it has made national newspapers and is even featured on the BBC News website homepage – must be a slow day today?!

The single, which has been much awaited by, oooh about 5 people, starts off very well. It has a very funky beat courtesy of the seminal producer Trevor Horn. Soon it becomes very “Robbie” which is no bad thing – but in my opinion, the two don’t really mix.

The rest of the office have provided very mixed reviews – Project Management said “yeah… it’s alright” and “it’s quite jiggy but a bit too rhymey”, George said “I’m really liking it” and me, well, it could be a grower. Amanda though, our Account Director was vehement about the song. She has promised to make us all listen to it until we love it as much as she does. She’s already planning on buying tickets for any forthcoming Robbie tour and has considered emailing the man himself to suggest that he doesn’t rejoin Take That until he’s re-established himself as a solo artist.

I will be very intrigued to see what comes out next. I can’t see any of his material being as big a hit as some of Take That’s more recent records but then Robbie has surprised before. Remember when he left Take That and everyone thought he’d fail? Then came Angels! Maybe he could pull off a similar triumph with this album? Only time will tell… I’ll keep you posted!

Rach

Never mind the b....

If you are anything like me you have come back from your Bank Holiday to an inbox full of unsolicited sales emails containing cringe worthy(!) clichés.

Rather than beating them, I decided to join them and have come up with my own for Comtec.

It took me 5 minutes to throw this together, which just goes to show that your average marketer really doesn’t spend much time developing their campaigns.

Enjoy the campaign and remember, if you want to contact us just give us a call on 0161 370 7772!

Becs


We want to get on your radar...

Here at Comtec we pride ourselves on being an excellent value proposition. Our main priorities are looking after our clients and maintain our position as a best in class Event Production Company that can make a valuable contribution to your organisation.

We are a reactive, proactive organisation that really know how to think outside of the box to make your event a success.

Having worked with a whole host of clients we know that it’s important that we work in alignment with your marketing communications strategy and ensure that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.

The bottom line is that we are the complete solution to all your event needs.

Jollies

When the summer arrives there is usually a lull in the number of awards and conferences held due to it being a traditional time of holiday madness... and that is exactly why the past few weeks at Comtec have been filled with staff heading on their jollies.

Last year I had a 3 month jaunt around Europe & Russia for my summer. This year... a weekend in the Lake District. It’s not quite comparable but I am definitely looking forward to spending the weekend with friends, especially since we have already planned a relaxing day in our hotel pool!

Other notable Comtec holidays include a week at home, a weekend trip to a 24-hour Mountain Biking competition, one family holiday to Robin Hood’s Bay as well as certain Comtec-ers purchasing new tents and even a caravan! Of course some Comtec-ers are heading to sunnier climes and bucking the ‘stay-cation’ trend with trips to Turkey, Cyprus and Malaysia either having occurred or being in the pipe line.

That’s all for now.

Becs

London Calling...

Well it’s been a busy couple of months in the sales department. We’re currently selling exhibition space, delegate places and sponsorship packages for one of our biggest events – Infection 2009.

Despite the recession (is anyone else sick of hearing the words “recession” and “in this current climate”???) sales are doing well. The Project Management department have been supporting the sales team too because (as I’m sure everyone is well aware) it’s all hands on deck… in this current climate.

Infection 2009 isn’t the only thing we’ve been focused on. Oh no! We’ve been collecting briefs, writing quotes, winning business and our favourite pastime – pitching!

George Thompson (Sales & Marketing Director), Amanda Gilmour (Account Director) and I (Account Manager) all headed down to London yesterday to pitch for some huge (and very exciting) new business. It was of course completely nerve-wracking but at the same time, totally exhilarating!

However, post-pitch was even more nerve wracking. As we waited at Euston Station for the 18:40 back to Manchester, we felt the crowds growing bigger and more restless by the second. The 18:40 is the first train AFTER peak time you see… and well, it can be a bit scary. The second the platform number was announced, many commuters took off at a run, ramming each other out of the way with bags, briefcases, laptops and trolleys. Two friendly young gents even got into a bit of a fight.

Finally grabbing some seats, we all settled down for the journey back, only to be promptly shifted by two people who had reserved the seats. Argghhh!

It all worked out in the end though – we found a seat in a declassified First Class carriage and made it home in one piece. As I looked out at the Manchester skyline, I was immensely grateful that I didn’t have to do THAT journey every week!

Rach

The Changing Face of Comtec

Since I started working for Comtec my ever-changing hair colours and styles have been a bit of a running joke in the office…but little did I know it wouldn’t just stop there.

I now feature on the Comtec website on a page where anyone is able to chop and change my look at the click of a button…no hair colour is too bright and no hairstyle is too wild so feel free to have a bit of a mess around here!

A couple of people in the building have commented that the longer hair is best but I think I have decided to interpret this as a vote to cover my face as much as possible!! I much prefer the Elvis-wannabe do in the ‘turquoise’ colour, but that’s just my own preference.

Anyway, I shall be taking the laptop along to my next hair appointment now I have my own personal hair-style modelling catalogue to browse through….picking my next do has never been easier….Thanks Comtec!!

Danni

Comtec Bake Off - August

As a former, Bake-Off champion, it is with great pride that I can announce that August’s Comtec Bake-Off Champion is Laura Wells.

Wellsy stunned judges and her fellow competitors with a fabulous lemon meringue pie.


The calibre of the entries was superb with Rachel Bullock reaching a personal best of second place with her muffins. With my entry of a jam sponge decorated like a ‘1980’s kid’s birthday cake’ (McAteer, 2009) I was happy to claim a joint third position with Events Director, Michele Marsh, who joined the bake-off with her highly acclaimed Carrot Cake.



Trailing in the bottom two positions were the Gilmours. Both Mr and Mrs had a grudge match to see who could claim the title of ‘kitchen supremo’ in their house. Ron, a first time entrant to the bake off, presented judges with a chocolate swiss roll which most believe to be a little ambitious for a first timer. Mrs Gilmour entered with a cookie selection.

Previously Amanda peaked in second place with her fairy cakes, however she is no stranger to the bottom of the scoreboard with her scones, which have won an award for being the ‘Worst Entry to the Bake Off So Far’ and being described as ‘so dry, you could put one in an Olympic sized swimming pool, and within 30 seconds it would have absorbed every last molecule of water’.

Planning for the next Bake-Off will begin in the autumn.

Becs

Memoirs of a Marketer

It has been quiet in the office with two of our louder members of staff on their holiday’s this week. It has been positively tranquil!

We’ve had the opportunity to develop the use of video messaging for Business Development recently in Communications House. So far it’s worked a treat and we have had some excellent responses from potential clients. Of course the set-up of the studio and recording I like to leave to the more media savvy folk such as Helen ‘Fordy’ Ford and Ron ‘Spock’ Gilmour.

Have you got yourself on Twitter? I set up Comtec’s Twitter a while back now and always update it with some relevant news and views. If you want to follow us go to twitter.com/comtecpres or search comtecpres when you are next logged in.

On another note, we said good-bye to Rowan last week with a few drinks in the local pub. We wish him all the best as him and his girlfriend Cat go on their travels. First stop, Portugal!

Hasta la vista!

Becs

Motor Trader

As usual July comes round and the Comtec crew takes to the road for the Motor Trader Industry Awards. With happy smiley faces the Comtec crew, loaded up Big Bertha (the truck) and the crew jumped into the bus heading down to ‘the big shmoke’. The journey was long to say the least, as the motorways came to yet another stand still. All magazines had been read for the 2nd time - yawn - and after 9 long hours we saw the bright lights of London and the crew bus pulled up outside the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane where we were soon joined by Bertha...

As Fode lowered the tail lift and everyone eagerly awaited the start of the load in, the heavens opened. At first this wasn't too bad, until the sky went from grey to black and the rain changed from a heavy summers rain, to Arctic pebbles of ice!

As the pebbles hit us they felt like needles in our backs. Luckily we had Rowan on hand to brighten the mood as he decided to do a bit of singing in the rain and the crew couldn’t fight back the hysterical laughter.

The load in was the quickest yet, there's a new record to beat crew!

Helen Ford

Smashing deadlines…

Late on Monday, our two web monkeys were given the task of re-creating one of our client’s websites in under a week.

Well Tuesday and Wednesday flew by but, miraculously, the web monkeys pulled out all the stops and completed it in 2 days!!!

We originally made a basic .html website for the client back in November 2008. Since then a lot has changed with us having entirely re-branded the event and the website developing to include abstract submissions as well as online delegate booking and payment.

The new website can be found online at www.infection2009.com

Welcome...

We hope to keep this as a regular thing with a number of bloggers throughout the company. Some are new to blogging so you may have to bear with them as they get to grips with it and until the young-one’s are able to fully immerse other members of the team into the world of Web 2.0.

We hope you enjoy our little ravings, and feel free to post your comments for us to have a look at.

Until next time…

Enjoy!

Everyone at CPL