Wales holiday business on the PR hunt

PR and the media will be very much on the agenda when tourism professionals gather in Swansea on September 28.

And I'm delighted to report that I'll be there, hosting an informal - but highly informative - Q&A session with Rupert Hall, the South Wales Evening Post's very engaging business reporter.

He's agreed to reveal to visitors at the Tourism Swansea Bay Marketing Mix Roadshow how to make their businesses essential to editors.

The big question, no doubt, will be: "How can I tempt a journalist to write a great story about my business?"

Spotlight

We hatched the plan over tea and coffee in Morgans Hotel and are both looking forward to our half-hour in the spotlight at the nearby LC.

It goes without saying that successful PR involves developing good relationships with the journalists you may have to deal with in future months and years.

The writers and broadcasters themselves seek to build a great contacts list - so get yourself along to the show and add a few more crucial names and numbers to your Windows Contacts.

Other speakers include Visit Wales head of campaigns and digital marketing Gillian Berntsen, South West Wales Media advertisement director Lisa Cameron and The Wave and Swansea Sound station director Helen Bowden.

May 12's Swansea Bay Media Highlights – Midweek Online Special

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For all those interested in & working in the Swansea Bay media
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South Wales Evening Post Click
All change – Labour politicians across South Wales salute former PM Gordon Brown. Click
Commercial – Nice Evening Post hook-up with leisure centre the LC, a competition offering the winners 12 months of free gym membership. Click
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Swansea Sound Click
All change – US President Barack Obama is thought to have congratulated David Cameron by telephone, while Downing Street staff showed Mr Cameron's wife Samantha around Number 10. Click
Commercial – Decent promo for garden centre Fforestmill with a Swansea in Bloom/Swansea Sound competition offering winners £250 worth of vouchers. Click
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BBC Wales Click
All change – Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones says he wants a "constructive relationship" with the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat UK government. Click
Local news lead - Police detective arrested on underage girl sex claim. Click
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Links Twitter | Website
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3D specialist Valley Design set for web launch

Look out for a new website coming soon from Valley Design - the text has been expertly edited by Andy Pearson Publicity.
I bumped into the company's David Pickering at this month's Swansea Business Show in the LC which I was glad to see covered by South Wales Evening Post business reporter Rupert Hall. David was interested in my skills as a wordsmith.
He's a dynamic individual with a great skills in 3D visualisation - and his services will be of great use to a wide range of forward-thinking enterprises.
Based in glorious Cwmgors, high above the Swansea Valley, David's passionate about his craft and is well worth a shout if you've got anything needs looking at with a 3D computer model.
You can call him on 01269 820578.

Business show lures Swansea media folk ... and others!

Well done to Swansea radio blogger Mike Leahy for his efforts in staging the Swansea Business Show 2010.
It took place on Friday at the LC and brought out a few notable media individuals.
They included the South Wales Evening Post business reporter Rupe "The Scoop" Hall, editions of the new-look Carmarthenshire Life magazine and a dynamo from further east, Prabhjote Chada.
The latter is an interesting fella, new to many on the Swansea media circuit.
He seems to have more energy than the National Grid and more ideas than a Government think-tank.
In media terms, he's involved with community broadcaster Radio Cardiff. He broadcasts on the subjects to business and gadgets-made-simple ... and he's doing a good job by all accounts.
Prab's also launched Cardiff Business Online, a directory with a difference. Check out the funky logo right here.
An honourable mention, too, for others listed in the show's  guidebook.
They all helped to stage a colourful and varied show. Well done on all your efforts ... and don't forget where to come if you need to publicise your enterprise further - or if you need writing or newsletter services of any description.
They included: AIMS Accountancy for Business, Aquatherm Plumbing and Heating, Atech Graphics, Barry Training Services, Beach Software, Biz Mobiles, BNI, BCS Media, Business Sense, Call Catchers, Celtic Wine, Chwarae Teg, Clickbridge, Costco, Colourbox, Compare Wales, CTS Engineering, Davies and Co accountants, Dragon Innovation, Dividend Training, Dylan Thomas Experience, Dynamic Rock, E-crime Wales, 4 Networking, the Federation of Small Businesses, Flexible Support for Small Business, Giles Insurance, Green Dragon Energy, Inspiration, IntroBiz, ISO in a Box, Jakson Lee, LEAD Wales, Life Photography, Mac Guru Wales, Noremac Hygiene, NFU Mutual Insurance, Photographs Of, Ramada Jarvis Hotel, SIFE Bright Futures, Star in a Jar, Stupid Tuesdays, Swansea Business College, Swansea College, Swansea University American Football team, Sue Preston Hypnotherapy, Taybarns, Teimlo, Total Building Controls, Trevor Lewis Signs, Utility Warehouse, Valley design, Veritas Language Solutions, The Steven Williams Practice, the Welsh Business Show, Wolfestone Translation and the Zaal restaurant.

Swansea Bay leisure market gets media savvy

Free glossy What’s On In Swansea is a colourful fixture in the area’s media scene these days.
With the sales line of “Your essential leisure guide”, it features advertising from tourism, theatre, music, culture, events, dining and sport.
Its impressive 20,000 print-run means good visibility in places such as tourist information centres, libraries, council buildings, theatres, museums and galleries.
The March/April edition is just out and includes a number of good examples of publicising an enterprise through this journal which is helmed by Sketty’s John Hughes.
Immediately noticeable is a vibrant front cover treatment for a four-night show at the Taliesin. The marketing team there have got in with plenty of time to spare – the production’s not until the end of May – so have done well to trigger early excitement.
On the inside cover is an exemplary ad for the LC. It’s good for a number of reasons: bright images of people having fun, a slogan targeted straight at the What’s On market - “Spend some quality time with the family!” - and a confidence to keep the whole page utterly uncluttered. Da iawn, LC.
The Swansea Philharmonic Choir remain one of the city’s understated gems so it’s good to see them getting some publicity in well ahead of schedule. They host a Brahms Requiem concert with Pontrhydyfen soprano Rebecca Evans on March 27 so it’s good to see them making the most of an outside right-hand half-page.
A number of advertisers have secured a second bite of this issue’s cherry by offering prizes in the magazine’s wordsearch competition. They include Fairyhill, SoCocoa, the Gower Wildflower and Local Produce Centre and Castellamare. Well done, all.
John Hughes is an open-minded individual who’s always willing to listen to good ideas on how to make the most of advertising. Don’t be slow in going to him with ideas.