Cardiff, the home of Equinox Communications, was listed as the 8th best city in the UK by Expedia yesterday. It got the team talking about what makes the city so special and we thought we’d share what we think are the best bits. Here’s the ‘not for tourists’ guide to experiencing Cardiff life:

Zara – walking over the Blackweir and watching salmon and kingfishers along the Taff Trail. Thankfully there’s loads of great stuff to do with children, farm centres, play centres, ballet classes, toddler gymnastics – the list is endless.

Cardiff, we love this city.

Kate

‘Always look on the bright side of life…’

Well what a year is has been! Hidden amongst the recession, diabolical weather and the media onslaught of doom and gloom, we have remained resolutely positive here at Equinox.
We’ve had one of our busiest years since we started trading more than 15 years ago. The communications industry is changing rapidly and clients require a far wider communications service than even five years ago so we are all learning new skills and adapting fast. We are devising truly integrated campaigns for all our clients, teaching online communications to businesses through Cardiff University and embracing the ever-changing channels of communication that are appearing every week.
It makes for a fascinating and intellectually engaging environment to work in and we are all loving the challenge.
More and more small agencies are opening every month in Wales which is a good thing for the industry to boost competition and, in turn, standards. At the recent industry awards, it was gratifying to see entries of such high standards which will go on to compete on a UK stage. We are by no means second to the rest of the UK in our industry and often lead the way in terms of creative thinking and imaginative campaigns.
It’s the time of year to look back and review the year so the team here have provided their highlights……
Eryl – Success at this year’s CIPR Pride Awards where no fewer than eleven entries were shortlisted, which resulted in seven awards on the night – a truly outstanding result for the team and agency.
Zara – Winning two new clients on the same day in two new sectors for the agency – wood fuel and care homes!
Catrin –Helping to make communicating through the medium of Welsh count in business by representing Equinox on the Management Team of Cyswllt, http://www.cyswllt.org.uk
Kate – Winning gold for The Valleys Heart and Soul Only Boys Aloud Campaign at the Pride Cymru Awards and my work hen do, both events will never be forgotten!
Katie – Creating Equinox Communications’ first Flash mob for our client Cardiff Airport
Beth – My highlight of the year was coming to Equinox in September and being part of such a great team of friendly and fabulous people
Helen –Winning Outstanding Young Communicator at the PRide Cymru Awards.
Louise – Expanding my knowledge of Welsh media, securing feature coverage and getting to know the fab journalists here, especially at our brilliant Christmas party!
Elinor – Obtaining the CIPR Advanced Certificate qualification.
It is a worthwhile exercise to remember the great things that have happened professionally this year and look forward to 2012 with confidence and enthusiasm.
So a thank you to all our clients for their continued support, our suppliers for their outstanding services and the team here for, quite simply, being the best.
Nadolig Llawen to all.

Eryl and Zara

Internships are extremely hard to come by and very competitive so when Eryl offered me a month placement here at Equinox I jumped at the opportunity and what an opportunity it has been.

I have to admit that before I started I thought this sounds too good to be true, they must have some awful filing project or something lined up for me… and how wrong I was. This placement has been fantastic. I have learnt so much and am writing this feeling quite sad that the month is almost over. From day one I was made to feel like part of the team and went straight to work on a variety of tasks. I really feel like I have gained experience into so many different areas of PR, experience which I am sure will be invaluable to me in the future.

From the minute I walked through the door I started organising, scanning and evaluating client cuttings which helped give me a feel for the type of clients Equinox have and the type of coverage they aim to get. It is safe to say that no client is the same and no day is either! From causing chaos in the post office with Elinor posting 15 rather large, fragile food hampers, to filming at Catnic and the BBC for the Canmol Marketing Awards with Helen , to helping run social media campaigns on Facebook and twitter, I could go on…I have been involved with such an array of assignments. The opportunity to get stuck in and actually do some writing of my own is the thing I have enjoyed the most. Writing fashion and lifestyle features based around London Fashion Week, Back to School and this season’s fashion trends as well as html mailers and copy for various websites- I even had a go at writing some press releases! It truly has been a fantastic month. A month where I have learnt a great deal and hopefully not pestered everyone with too many questions as I moved from task to task!

Being involved with Equinox Communications has proved how diverse and interesting PR is and has strengthened my knowledge that this is the career for me. They have given me that extra bit of confidence and determination to try and stand out from the crowd and succeed in breaking into this very competitive career path…well hopefully succeed anyway!

So, the cult TV series The Apprentice is finally back on our screens and it feels like it is all everyone is talking about!

Having had the pleasure of meeting, and having a drink with, the legendary Nick Hewer of Apprentice fame at the end of last year, I have a renewed excitement for this year’s series.

I have already got over excited about the office sweepstake and the chance of winning the grand prize of £12 (I’ve got Gavin Winstanley in case you were wondering) and set my series link on Sky plus!

It is fair to say that I have not always been the biggest fan of the show but since meeting Mr Hewer and seeing the direct impact the show has on young people first hand, I have a renewed respect and think the show goes a little deeper than just entertainment.

Some might say that it should be not be taken too seriously, which I would agree with, but what I think is often forgotten is the impact that it has on inspiring young people to get involved in business.

This is where meeting Nick Hewer comes in. Nick was kind enough to be a judge last November at The Big Pitch Challenge. The Challenge involved teams of college students from the Valleys area to put together their ideas on how best to market a local business as part of Merthyr Tydfil’s Global Enterprise Week in association with the Heads of the Valleys Innovation Programme (HOVIP).

Nick Hewer with The Big Pitch contestants

I spent the evening watching a group of sixteen year olds from the Valleys confidently present their ideas on how best to market the new visitors centre for Rhymney Brewery.  It was clear to see that a lot of thought and research had been put into each presentation and the task had clearly not been undertaken lightly.  I think we were all in the presence of Wales’ next entrepreneurs and many put together pitches that some of us could take some tips from!

Even Nick himself seemed impressed saying “The level of enthusiasm from all of the students that took part surpassed my expectations”

The buzz afterwards was electric and the queue waiting for photographs and autographs with Nick was not to be sniffed at. The students were so excited to have been able to present their ideas to Nick and they were full of ideas of what businesses they were going to set up after college. It is clear that south Wales is soon to be flooded with young entrepreneurs from fashion designers to computer engineers.

Knowing that private enterprise is the key to growing our economy, maybe we should encourage what is essentially a reality TV programme, especially if the level of determination and inspiration that it can create is channelled into something positive for the future.

So, even though the show is a bit of light entertainment and gives us all something to talk about while our computers are starting up the next morning, it is also, in my opinion, one of the main factors today in inspiring young people to get involved in business even if their first motivation wis to prove that they can do a better job than the candidates.

I wish all the candidates this year good luck but my money is on Gavin…literally!

Katie

Last night the team went along to the ‘PR vs Bloggers’ Cardiff Bloggers Meet-up as our Account Director, Kate Sullivan had been asked to sit on the panel.

The turnout was great, with a good balance of PR people and bloggers intermingled and there was a definite buzz in the room. The panel, also made up of representatives from both sides, were first asked to define the role of a blogger/ PR and communications and how that’s changed over recent years.

WEPR’s Wynford Emanuel commented that traditionally, PR was just about getting a client’s voice heard effectively. Kate then added that the focus more than ever is about relationship building. PR is no longer one way, but two way communication whereby we listen, respond and react to opinions and make use of the ever changing platforms that are available.

Speaking as a blogger, ex- PR Rachael Phillips then spoke of the importance of remembering what your readers want when liaising with PR people. She said that there’s something dishonest about accepting freebies and not blogging about them, and that accepting handouts which are irrelevant to discuss on a blog may challenge your integrity.

Golley Slater’s Matt Appleby raised the point that PRs are consumers too. He stated that good PR people won’t try and dictate your blog but can give you access to information, images and offers which might otherwise be hard to come across.

An insight from Cardiff Arcades blogger, Amy Davies into how the relationship between PRs and bloggers can sometimes fall off track highlighted the importance of open conversation and transparency between the two.

The debate was then opened up to the room, and bloggers and PRs were given the opportunity to ask those questions which they’ve kept silent until now. Questions covered included how PR companies monitor and target blogs, how bloggers like to be contacted, if blogs are selling out by using PRs and how PRs can manage reputations online with the rise of social media.

Jen Thornton (arts marketer and blogger) concluded by saying that people have always said bad things; it’s just now they can be heard which is great as it gives us the opportunity to respond. She added that bloggers shouldn’t be scared of PRs and that simply, “PRs and bloggers can all be friends, easy!”

Here’s my top tips from the evening’s discussions:

Top Tips for Bloggers:
-    Get in touch with PR people if you’re happy to be contacted
-    Let them know how best to contact you; whether you’re happy to be added to a mailing list, or you’d rather a phone call or chatty email
-    Add contact details to your ‘About Me’ section of your blog
-    Use PRs for additional contacts – they often have a database of people they can get in touch with to help with a project you may be working on
-    Common sense prevails – we all have the right to express opinion but don’t state facts if you can’t clarify

Top Tips for PRs:
-    Be mindful that a number of bloggers write in their spare time so don’t always expect them to reply quickly or even at all
-    Take an interest in what bloggers are writing about and don’t bombard them with requests and offers that aren’t appropriate – make it personal and relevant
-    Blogging offers an alternative viewpoint to mainstream media so don’t expect your story to be documented in the same way
-    Remember that all bloggers are different – some don’t see themselves as journalists and simply enjoy writing in a personal capacity without cause

The debate was by no means the locking of horns that some may have expected, but was an interesting and insightful discussion where both parties could understand how to work together better. Here’s hoping that Cardiff bloggers and PRs will go on to work in harmony together.

Elinor

As the pace of life seems to get faster and faster improving journey times has now become a major goal for a number of transport providers in the UK, however, I don’t think this applies to one key road in Wales.

In recent months I have made the arduous journey between south and north Wales on several occasions and have found that the A470 is little better than it was more than thirty years ago.

From Cardiff to Merthyr is fine but then that’s it apart from a couple of stretches where you can overtake the numerous slow moving tractors or large lorries laden with timber.

Don’t get me wrong, you do drive through some stunning scenery and a number of road improvements have been made along the route over the years however it still takes a good four hours (if not more depending on traffic and the time of day) to complete the 186 miles from Cardiff to the north Wales coast.

The route zigs-zags through the countryside mostly as a single carriageway (even single track in places) and many of the improvements have had little or no impact on time.

I’ll be one of the first to welcome the opening of the new road currently being constructed between Cwmbach and Newbridge-on-Wye, north of Builth Wells. This section of the A470 has a number of sharp corners and I’m sure the new link will be a major improvement on that current ‘curvy section’.

But have they missed a trick here? What makes the journey so arduous is the lack of by-passes: some have been built, namely Brecon, Dolgellau  and Llanidloes, and of course a series of towns in the south Wales Taff valley where the A470 is a dual carriageway but I strongly believe there is a need for more to improve journey times.

The route currently meanders through towns and villages like Llanrwst, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Builth Wells and Llyswen, which takes an age and yet this new link north of Builth Wells rejoins the existing A470 south of Newbridge-on-Wye. Had they gone north then the town would be bypassed.

There might well be planning or land (or money!) issues which meant the road rejoined south of the town but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of ‘long-term planning’ in Wales when it comes to road building.

Back in the 80s when I worked for the RAC we were privy to plans to build a new link between, what is now junction 28 and 32 on the M4 (in those days the M4 wasn’t one continuous motorway). The then Welsh Office planned a two lane carriageway, we urged for a major rethink and strongly recommended a third lane to cope with the predicted increase in car ownership and traffic flows.

Our advice fell on deaf ears and yet, twenty years on they had to build an additional lane on the M4 section north of Cardiff, at probably twenty times, if not more the cost of it being built in the first place.

Yes, road improvements are hugely expensive and, unfortunately a number of future road projects in Wales have either been shelved or moth-balled due to the current budget cut-backs. Compared to a number of other European countries, even in the former Eastern Bloc countries we already lag behind in good quality road links.

I’m not going to return to the cries of Plaid Cymru activists in the 70s and 80s to upgrade the A470 into a motorway, that wasn’t realistic then and still isn’t now because of the low number of cars that use it every day in comparison to general motorway  usage.

We have excellent east to west links in both north and south Wales (well apart from beyond St Clears in west Wales!) but the A470 is a poor relation.

The politicians talk about Wales being a country of enterprise and opportunity for businesses but then we have a third rate road link from north to south. Time for a rethink!

Eryl Jones

Usually schools or parents organise work experience placements for you with strangers you are yet to meet. Mine was different. I already knew most of the people I was going to see bright and early for the next two days.

Little did I know winning a local competition with Talbot Green Shopping Park, last year, would give me an opportunity to learn more about PR and marketing.

I decided to spend a couple of days of February half term at Equinox. Days I’d normally spend sending and receiving pokes on Facebook. I thought I would break a habit of a lifetime and do something productive with my time. I’d worked with Equinox Communications before on the Talbot Green competition so I knew it wouldn’t be such a pain to organise something.

Although I was nervous to start I was also excited to see people that I hadn’t been in contact with since last summer. Working within the competition made me realise my interest and passion for the media industry.

Fortunately, on arrival, the guys at Equinox made me feel very welcome. I went straight into work and started scanning, writing and organising cuttings. I even found the time to make at least a dozen cups of tea to keep the girls going.

With the launch of ‘Faces of Talbot Green 2011’ looming, Lisa gave me a chance to get involved behind the scenes which included proof reading letters and checking the website and creative designs – something I was oblivious to the year I entered the competition.

Another hot beverage at my side I started some creative writing. Creative writing that could potentially be published – how exciting. My topic – Britney Spears of course! With much needed help from Elinor, I began my review on Miss Spears’ latest album.

Review done, I was then given the strangest task yet. It’s top secret so I can’t share my findings, but let’s just say they say you attend work experience to learn new and useful things and I now have some amazing facts and knowledge about a certain topic that I’m sure I can use in a pub quiz.

Being involved with Equinox Communications has shown me that every day and every task is different. The teams get involved with new and exciting projects all the time and it isn’t always based in the office. Being able to see projects from a different angle and how they evolve from one small idea was great. In my opinion, my short time at Equinox has given be a great opportunity to get an insight into what PR and marketing’s all about, and I would totally suggest other young people get experience like mine to find out more about the industry.

Elena