Author: Dont Panic

The Don’t Panic events schedule is jam packed – and we’re only in February! It’s not a competition, but if it we were, we would be the reigning champions of the digital awards and conference sector. We already have so much going on, including the UK Search Conference, Bidex and the UK Biddable Media Awards – but take a look at what events are launching this week…

MeasureFest

If you’re not aware of it already, MeasureFest is an established digital marketing conference with a focus on analytics, big data, business intelligence and conversion rate optimisation (CRO). It brings all of the specialists in the field under one roof to share knowledge, insights and expertise. So, of course, it’s a great way to network and meet others in similar roles, with the same interests.

Last year the event was a great success and generated many fantastic reviews, with a fabulous buzz about it online. This year is set to be just as dynamic, if not better.

It will be taking place at the British Library in London, which is located at St Pancras, and was awarded grade I building status in August 2015. It is a beautiful space and you will be amongst treasures such as Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook, The Times first edition and Beatles manuscripts!

So if you want to see the best practitioners in analytics, big data etc., deliver compelling and enlightening talks, then do come along this November. To put the cherry on top of a fabulous day, when the conference finishes at 5PM you are invited to join us at the after party. You will be given a drinks token when you register so you might as well continue the analytical discussions over a nice beverage.

The UK Public Sector Communications Awards

The UK Public Sector Communications Awards celebrates and emphasises the best communications strategies and campaigns. Teams and individuals throughout the local and national government, emergency services and not-for-profit bodies are rewarded for their exceptional work, which is showcased to receive the recognition it deserves.

2017 will be the fifth year for the event which will feature a conference (speakers to be announced in due course), drinks reception, a three-course dinner and the awards ceremony in the evening.

So get your conference head in check, a fancy dress or suit in the wardrobe and get ready for our established annual events. We can’t wait to celebrate the brilliance and hard work of our Public Sector Communications teams.

Don’t Panic is an event management agency specialising in delivering events for the digital, marketing and PR industries. Our expertise includes conferences, exhibitions and numerous successful awards schemes including the UK Social Media Communications awards and the UK, European and US Search Awards.

We work with leading trade associations, publishers and public sector organisations, particularly those who do not have in house events teams or the capacity to deliver large scale events. Our services include complete event and project management, event marketing, design and sponsorship sales and we’re able to tailor all aspects to suit our clients’ needs.

This year we’ve got fever for Biddable media – and it’s no mystery why. The PPC sector is consistently thriving, and data-driven advertising and technology is on the rise. Even programmatic is on the verge of a growth spurt, so it’s no wonder we’ve got some exciting Biddable events lined up for 2017.

Our first event is the Bidex Conference in March. This will be dedicated to sharing thoughts, knowledge, ideas and insight from the inside world of Biddable media. There will be speakers from companies and brands highly involved in the industry – including Google Analytics, Facebook Atlas and BBC Worldwide. It’s guaranteed to be an intriguing day.

The conference is to be held at Ham Yard Hotel in London. In the heart of Soho, with a modern, metropolitan feel, the hotel surrounds a beautiful garden and a bronze sculpture (by Tony Cragg). It is the perfect conference setting, bringing pockets of nature and urban skylines together.

Also coming up this year – in May – is the Biddable Media Awards. These awards have been created to recognise, showcase and celebrate the hard work, expertise and sheer talent of those in the UK Biddable Media industry. It will be the premiere of the awards and will attract brands, agencies, media and technology providers.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony at Montcalm Marble Arch in London. As well as the awards ceremony, the night will include a welcome drinks reception and a gala dinner… It sounds like the making of an amazing night, doesn’t it?

There are twenty-four incredible categories that will be awarded, including Social Media Campaign of the Year, Rising Star and Innovation. And the entries will be judged by a highly respected and influential panel from brands such as Lego, Secret Escapes, Google and Facebook Atlas.

In addition, the event’s whereabouts is a prime London location. The Montcalm Marble Arch is a luxury hotel close to Marble Arch landmark. It sits at the top of Park Lane, close to Mayfair, Oxford Street and Regent Street and is decorated in grandeur and magnificence. It will most definitely be a night to remember.

If this sounds like the kind of event you’d love to be a part of and you desperately want to enter – fear not! The entry deadline isn’t until the 10^th March. But be quick, you don’t want to miss something as fantastic as this.

Don’t Panic is an event management agency specialising in delivering events for the digital, marketing and PR industries. Our expertise includes conferences, exhibitions and numerous successful awards schemes including the UK Social Media Communications awards and the UK, European and US Search Awards.

We work with leading trade associations, publishers and public sector organisations, particularly those who do not have in house events teams or the capacity to deliver large scale events. Our services include complete event and project management, event marketing, design and sponsorship sales and we’re able to tailor all aspects to suit our clients’ needs.

2017 has been off to a great start over here at Don’t Panic Events. With successful events kicking off the year and some very exciting projects just around the corner, we’re feeling pretty good. So, what have we done already?

Well, on January 19^th we had the highly anticipated eCommerce Summit. A free one-day event, it brought a variety of eCommerce experts, suppliers and brands together to share knowledge and experience of the industry – including advice on best practice and improvement.

The event was a great success, with attendees commenting on the inspiring content and great networking. The keynote speakers were from companies such as Virgin Trains, Fluid Digital, dotmailer and Tech North.

As well as hearing fantastic speeches, there was an interesting panel discussion and full case studies were shared. The insights that were tapped into at this event, included how to increase sales, the latest tools and platforms and cyber security! We felt we’d gained a whole lot of knowledge when the day was over. And from the sounds of the frantically scratching pens that filled the room, everyone else did too.

We also had ample opportunity to network and talk to many different people of the eCommerce world. With a cup of coffee in one hand, and a delicious sandwich in the other, we mingled around the room and got to know the members of the industry that we’d brought beneath one roof.

The event took place at The Studio Manchester, a hotspot conference and networking location. It had a very warm environment, with a contemporary feel – all in the heart of Manchester. The space was almost as fantastic as the event itself … almost, but not quite.

Just a week later, on January 26^th, we held the Northern Digital awards.

This was, of course, a very glamorous event with drinks in fancy flutes, beautiful dresses and sleek suits. Held at the New Dock Hall at Royal Armouries in Leeds, this was fabulous ceremony was not to be missed.

The evening was a great success, with showcases of well-deserved work and recognition for the faces behind amazing campaigns. The Northern Digital winners included teams from UCLAN, myclever agency & The Co-Operative Bank, South Yorkshire Police and Orange Bus.

The winners were, of course, thrilled – it’s always wonderful when your hard work receives prestigious praise. (And these awards were judged by workers of Google, JD Williams and Tangerine)! But everyone else in attendance had high spirits too, the room was full of smiles and laughter, with great vibes throughout the entire event.

As you can tell, January was an amazing month for us – which banished those New Year blues straight away!

With the winter blues gone for good, we are now extremely excited for our upcoming events. The EU Search Awards extended deadline is this Friday (24^th) so get those last minute entries in. The Educate North & UK Leadership Awards deadline passed last Friday and their University Entrepreneurs challenge is coming up at the beginning of March. There’s also our brand new MENA awards – with the deadline for entries in early March too. We’ve got a lot of exciting things on our plate at the moment and we cannot wait for it all.

Want to hear more about our upcoming deadlines? Check out our events for 2017 here.

Don’t Panic is an event management agency specialising in delivering events for the digital, marketing and PR industries. Our expertise includes conferences, exhibitions and numerous successful awards schemes including the UK Social Media Communications awards and the UK, European and US Search Awards.

We work with leading trade associations, publishers and public sector organisations, particularly those who do not have in house events teams or the capacity to deliver large scale events. Our services include complete event and project management, event marketing, design and sponsorship sales and we’re able to tailor all aspects to suit our clients’ needs.

As EventCity recovers from hosting the largest media, marketing and creative industries expo outside London across two days, we take time to reflect upon a magnificent Prolific North Live 2017.

The event featured 130 exhibitors and almost 140 speakers, panelists and workshop curators from all walks of media life; from broadcasting to marketing to comms to innovation to content. From tech demonstrations, collaboration areas, venture-funding and growth finance sessions, conference seminars, innovation workshops, there was something to satisfy each one of the 3800 people who had registered to pop in to Prolific Live North.

As well as the incredible exhibitors, the theatres were full of inspiring speakers from morning ‘til night keeping #PNLive top of the Twitter trending chart!

The keynotes were composed around four session themes: digital marketing, communications & engagement, content & digital and technology & future trends. Representatives from search giants Google and Bing rubbed shoulders alongside speakers from brands such as The Co-operative and Hearst UK. Conference favourites Lukasz Zelezny of uSwitch.com and applied futurist Tom Cheesewright helped make these sessions unmissable.

There was more than a speck of stardust too.

In the Broadcasting & Media Theatre, writers, cast and crew of Corrie discussed “the next 56 years” of the famous street and Paul Abbott’s innovative and world-class production company put on a drama showcase featuring No Offence. Our inner child was brought out of retirement for an hour by a CBBC session on the adaptation of Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch for television. As if that were not enough, Mike Herbert, CEO of Sheffield-based Warp Films and Shane Meadows right hand man was in conversation and Kate Thornton was a panelist in the Storytelling & Innovation Theatre that also featured Tim Glanfield, editor of RadioTimes.com, and Lotte Jeffs, acting editor of Elle UK.

Among the exhibitors were fifteen national and regional trade bodies plus several leading media companies including Channel4, Archant, Broadcast magazine, Trinity Mirror, Bauer Media and the BBC. Independent agencies were well represented, pointing to the health of the north’s creative, tech and digital sectors.

Don’t just take out word for how magnificent Prolific North Live 2017 was…see what the delegates had to say!

Sandy Lindsay MBE?@SandyLindsay

Massively impressed with ?#PNLive 2017 – huge congrats to ?@ProlificNorth and ?@dontpanicevents – get down if you’re not already!

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Hannah O’Sullivan @consumecomms

Really impressed by #PNLive today! The quality of exhibitors and talks. Well done @ProlificLive @dunstancarter @dontpanicevents

VELVET @VELVET_FILM

A fantastic couple of days attending the #PNLive event! The perfect combination of stands and seminars. #production #advertising #creative

And here are dates for your diary.

Wednesday, February 28th and Thursday, March 1st 2018…for Prolific Live North 2018!

Last Friday saw the first On the Tools Awards with an outstanding calibre of shortlisted companies who walked away a winner! View the full photos of the evening here!

The inaugural event was a true testament to the amazing companies that make up the construction industry, from brands to contractors. It was an unforgettable night- and we love to relive it through the pictures of the night.

We would love to extend our fullest congratulations to everyone that joined us on Wednesday night to receive their awards – being crowned an On the Tools Award winner is a fearsome achievement and one that will continue to reward the winners in other ways.

Well done to everyone who made the shortlist, and we hope that you all had an amazing evening with us at The Emirates Stadium.

Thank you to everyone that came and made the On the Tools Awards such a memorable evening! We couldn’t have asked for a better night; it was a pleasure to work with the greatest of construction in the UK.

A big thank you to our sponsors! We couldn’t achieve such an amazing awards without them! The amazing even host On the Tools who made the night as special as it was! Our headline sponsor of the night was Jewson. Our category sponsor British Gypsum & Graham Plumbers Merchant. A big thank you to our drink’s reception sponsors Grono who made our reception an amazing sea of green turf!

Click here to view the complete list of winners. Roll on next year!

The UK Search Awards shortlist has been finalised, and we are getting ready for the final stage: awards night! This year’s awards will be hosted and presented by Jason Manford, we hope you are as excited as we are! Today is your last chance to grab early-bird tickets, what are you waiting for. Book your table now!

We were overwhelmed by the excitement for the UK Search Awards shortlist, we even accidentally started a Gif war! We love the amazing support this awards gets every year from all you stars of search – and of course we’re delighted to welcome all the newbies for 2016!

With masses of great entries our judging session was a difficult but interesting one, with some companies shortlisted by judges for multiple awards! Brainlabs is a big contender in the awards this year nominated 15 times across the different categories & Verve Search nominated 9 times.

Our awards couldn’t be so spectacular if it wasn’t for our sponsors; we are overjoyed to have Bing as our headline sponsor! Sponsoring our entertainment for the night is Majestic with their amazing photo-booth which no one can get enough of. You’ll be singing your hearts out thanks to Searchmetrics sponsoring the Karaoke booth and our category sponsors this year are Botify, Linkdex & Ungagged.

Our previous winners always have positive comments on the awards as they have experienced the opportunities the awards provides:

We spoke to Founder and MD of BlueGlass Kevin Gibbons to get his thoughts on the Search Awards, his highlights and what you can expect if you walk away a winner in 2016!
“We’ve always been a big fan of the UK Search Awards, the professionalism behind the organisation is fantastic to see. It’s quickly become an essential date in a search marketers diary and has been a great way for us to showcase our teams hard work with award wins voted from industry peers. Plus it’s always great fun and the evening is more like a reunion now!”

Owner and founder Dan Gilbert of Brainlabs, all round twitterati legend and good egg, shared with us why the agency has continued to find it so beneficial to business to enter the Search Awards, and how it has helped the agency to grow and expand state side.

“I love the UK Search Awards. Even when we’re not winning them the work being celebrated is exceptional. It’s a superb opportunity to celebrate innovation in our industry – and have a great time. Since picking up Best Large PPC Agency we’ve had a raft of calls and new business requests from companies we could only have dreamed of before the win.”

Making it to the shortlist is a huge achievement, and a true recognition of the creativity and talent on show in our industry! Aaron Dicks, Managing Director of Impression had a few words to share with us:

“The UK Search Awards represent the best of the best in our industry. To be recognised along such well-respected agencies in the UK Search Awards is a real accolade for us.”

We just can’t wait for this amazing evening with all its amazing search sensations. The UK Search Awards is coming to you on the 30^th November at The Bloomsbury Big Top, London. Tickets are still available here. Early-bird ends today.

Last week saw the fantastic 2016 Northern Marketing Awards! More than 350 of the North’s top marketing experts packed out the Hilton Deansgate in Manchester city centre, organised by don’t Panic Events in association with Prolific North, together with our headline sponsor Click Consult.

For the fourth year running, the awards saw hot competition across the 18 categories – and this year the standard was higher than ever before! Check out the photos from the night!

Hosts Andy Crane and Emma Jesson joined us to host the night, and did a wonderful job of presenting the hugely deserve awards to the winners. Our events team were on fantastic form, and the evening was a wonderful celebration of a thriving and growing industry, if you want to view the full winners list – head over to the awards site here!

Many thanks to all the judges who gave their time, and thanks to all of our fantastic sponsors, without whom we couldn’t bring you such a fantastic night.

We hope you all had a great night – don’t forget we are currently taking entries for the Northern Digital Awards in Leeds on January 26th! For any info on how to submit an entry, click here.

A fantastic Festival Launch to celebrate the investment in Staffordshire University’s new Stoke campus!

Last week saw the incredible Festival Launch of Staffordshire University’s Stoke-on-Trent Campus, which kicked off a with a week of activity designed to celebrate a fantastic £40m investment in new facilities. We’ve been camped out in Stoke-on-Trent for a little while now, preparing the launch – and we couldn’t be happier with how it went!

BBC Radio DJ and presenter of the Great Pottery Throw Down Sara Cox joined the festivities last Wednesday, as the University’s College Road site was transformed into an amazing carnival with a ferris wheel, helter skelter, live music, street entertainment, live graffiti art and food stalls!

The party certainly went with a bang – there were showings of cult movie The Hallow introduced by director Corin Hardy and 24 Hour Party People about Manchester’s music scene, introduced jointly by musician Bez of Happy Mondays fame and Clint Boon from the Inspiral Carpets, who also hosted a silent disco in a tepee to round off the evening – Sara Cox was boogying with the best of them as the night wore on!

There was an incredible buzzing of energy across the night – and it was a great coming together of the whole community – with staff, students, alumni, local business leaders and families from the local area all joining together to get All Stoked Up!

Staffordshire University Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor Liz Barnes said: “This Autumn we celebrate Stoke-on-Trent becoming our main City campus. A substantial number of students and staff have relocated from Stafford and our intention is to get our University community “All Stoked Up” and feeling proud about their campus.”

The successful campus launch was followed on Saturday by an exciting programme of events hosted by different faculties, including the Big Biology Day, a mini science festival with chance to take part in the Great Biology Bake Off, the Digital Day featuring an awesome performance from Titan the Robot, and culminating with an Open Your Mind Day on Sunday. This offered prospective students and their families chance to learn more about the degree subjects on offer, to hear from Staffordshire University students about life at University and find out more about the University’s work experience offer.

It was a brilliant week for the Don’t Panic team, and was the climax of weeks’ worth of creative planning from our event managers. We are incredibly proud of our role in launching this event, and we are excited to continue to work with Staffordshire University on their forthcoming events.

The UK Search Awards have been the yard stick of choice for measuring the marketing pros creating amazing work across the industry. Now in their seventh year, they are regarded as the premier celebration of SEO, PPC and Content Marketing in the UK.

Last year’s awards featured 27 categories, including Best Search Software Tool, Best Use of PR in a Search Campaign and UK Search Personality of the Year. Brainlabs took home a hat trick of UK Search Awards, for Best Large PPC Agency, Best PPC Campaign and Best Local Campaign.

The King’s Cross-based PPC Agency has gone from strength to strength since our earliest encounters with them, and since their beginning in 2012.

Owner and founder Dan Gilbert, all round twitterati legend and good egg, shared with us why Brainlabs has continued to find it so beneficial to business to enter the Search Awards, and how it has helped the agency to grow.

“I love the UK Search Awards. Even when we’re not winning them the work being celebrated is exceptional. It’s a superb opportunity to celebrate innovation in our industry – and have a great time. Since picking up Best Large PPC Agency we’ve had a raft of calls and new business requests from companies we could only have dreamed of before the win.”

Enter the 2016 UK Search Awards – attract big clients, grow your national profile – and make fantastic connections!

This year’s awards, hosted by the legendary Jason Manford, will be held at The Bloomsbury Big Top in London on Wednesday 30^th November, and the awards are open for entries until Friday 23 September.

All categories will be judged by an influential and respected international judging panel. The judging is a robust, credible and transparent two-stage process, involving pre-scoring and a face to face panel discussion. The UK Search Awards is one of the UK’s few digital industry award schemes where judges are not permitted to enter. The shortlists will be announced on Wednesday 19 October 2016.

For any and all questions – please contact joe@dontpanicprojects.com – we look forward to seeing your entries!

The legendary comedian Jason Manford is our host for the 2016 UK Search Awards!

If you’re having a little case of déja-vu, you’re right, we did already announce that Jimmy Carr would be hosting, but due to a change in the 8 Out Of 10 Cats filming schedule he was unable to join us. We happen to think this is a classic case of one door opening as another door closes, and we already can’t wait to enjoy a fabulous celebration with the nation’s favourite Mancunian, following on from his sell-out UK tour!

August is the perfect time to get together a winning entry – the 23 September deadline will be here before you know it, so while everyone is on holiday, it’s time to get busy! We are rewarding the best search agencies and in-house teams across 28 unique categories, including Best Agency, Best Use Of PR and Best Use Of Search across a huge range of sectors.

There is something for everyone – so what are you waiting for? Make sure you and your team come out on top this year, place your UK Search Awards entry! For any further information about the awards, please get in touch with joe@dontpanicprojects.com, or you can visit the site here. We can’t wait to see your entries!

It’s the big one – the one we’ve all been waiting for – the search marketing event of the year – the UK Search Awards are back for 2016!

If you have previously attended the UK Search Awards then you’ll be well aware that not only are the awards a fantastic evening of flowing wine, sumptuous food and entertainment, they are also the highlight of the year for anyone who’s anyone in Search Marketing.

Whether you’re part of an agency, or you’re the essential in house team for a great brand, the Awards is the perfect chance to have fun and join with other industry experts who are working wonders in Search.

So what is it that makes the UK Search Awards such a unique must-attend event?

• Incredible networking and contacts

The awards ceremony is now in its 6^th year – it’s been such an industry essential that it has also spawned sister awards in both the EU and the US! Top names and brands have seen huge growth in their revenue, relating to their success at the awards. Previous winners include MoneySuperMarket.com, Brainlabs, Deliveroo and Sticky Eyes.

• Celebrating your success and hard work

As fantastic as it is to achieve an awesome result for a client – it’s even more incredible to be rewarded among your peers by a leading panel of search marketing experts. It’s a competitive industry, and the awards is your chance to have a fantastic evening, let down your hair and celebrate your achievements from the last year with your team!

• Great PR

The UK Search Awards have garnered a level of industry prestige, due to the rigorously transparent entry and judging process. You can check out the fantastic judges on this year’s panel here! To be proclaim yourselves as shortlisted – or better, a winner – at the awards, is a fantastic bonus to your business credentials, and to impress new clients. In such a fast-moving industry, it’s essential to have the edge on your competitors, and a UK Search Award in your office can make all the difference!

• Jimmy Carr is hosting!

If you haven’t heard by now (where have you been?) the one and only Jimmy Carr is hosting this year’s awards at The Bloomsbury Big Top, London. This year’s awards is on track to be the biggest and most exciting celebration of the search industry, and the most talented and innovative individuals involved.

You have until the 23^rd September to get your winning entries submitted to us! There are 29 all-encompassing categories – so no matter what campaign you want to shout about, there is a place for you! The Search Awards span SEO, PPC, Social Media Marketing and more! We can’t wait to see your entries – if you need advice on the entry process, or need further info about the awards, please contact joe@dontpanicprojects.com, or give us a call on 01706 828855.

Be sure you don’t miss out on your entry submission to the UK Social Media Awards – the sun may not be shining this summer, but when you have a winning entry up your sleeve, your success keeps you nice and warm despite the unending drizzle!

Back for the 7^th year, the UK Social Media Communications Awards is a vibrant celebration of the most creative and innovative individuals and companies in the social media industry.

Driving amazing campaigns through social media? You need to be part of the UK Social Media Awards!

Whether you work in-house, or you are part of a digital agency, the #somecomms are all about creativity and making an impact!

The awards categories are tailored to reflect all elements of the social media sphere – including Best Use of Twitter, Best Business Blog, Use of Social Media in a Crisis, and Best Viral Campaign. We even have specialist categories rewarding public sector and not-for-profit campaigns!

The awards is taking place at The Emirates Stadium on 3^rd November, and is an ideal opportunity to showcase your talent and grow your client list, as well as to celebrate your hard work with other high-flying social media professionals.

Enter before Friday 15^th July to join us for a sumptuous 3 course dinner, drinks and entertainment hosted by Ted Robbins.

Once your entry form is submitted to the site, our esteemed panel of judges, featuring experts from top players in the marketing industry, and some of the UK’s biggest brands, will review your entry. It’s an ideal way to showcase your creativity and innovation to industry experts – and to increase your brand profile on a national level!

Last year’s winners include great brands like Cubaka & Lidl, Spirit Social & Get Fit with Davina, and Perfect Communications & Citroen – make sure you’re in the running for 2016 – submit before Friday 15^th July!

If you have any questions about the entry process, your eligibility, or details about the event, please get in touch with Event Manager Elle Kersh on 01706 828855 or by emailing elle.kersh@dontpanicprojects.com – we can’t wait to see your entries!