At the end of June, the C8 team got together to celebrate another great quarter; with new research projects launched, accounts won, team members hired, and promotions secured. There was a lot to celebrate, and the team never fail to do just that!
Here are just a few of the highlights:
Exciting News!
The morning kicked off with a business recap of Q2. It was great to look back at what has been another whirlwind quarter, which – as we say every quarter – went by in a flash. It was great to see the team getting out and about this Spring, attending events such as RSAC, Infosecurity Europe, CyberUK, the Media Production and Tech Show, and more.
But the highlight news was Ameesha and Ceren’s promotions to Account Manager and Senior Account Executive, respectively. It was great to see both receive recognition for their hard work and incredible results secured this year!
Why opinions matter with Opinion Matters
We were then joined by Karen Brooks and Robin Smith from our trusted research partner, Opinion Matters, close friends of C8, for a presentation on ‘elevating research’.
Research is an invaluable asset that we utilise with our clients to amplify brand awareness, and their expertise and standing in the market. But as Karen and Robin explained, its purpose can stretch far wider than pure PR and take many more forms than a simple questionnaire. An area I hadn’t fully considered was the need to curate the respondents journey to ensure they remain engaged throughout, in order to ensure the quality of data expected by the client – and journalists.
As always, it was a joy to catch up with Karen and Robin, who provided incredible insight into the research landscape that I am sure the whole team will be implementing in future projects with clients.
The morning ended with a great talk from Paul McNamara, Senior Political Correspondent at Channel 4 News. Paul spoke through his career and shared valuable advice about pitching to broadcast media, before diving into an insightful Q&A that gave the team an opportunity to pick the brain of an expert at the top of his field.
Ciao Bella, hello lunch!
Following such an insightful morning, the team needed replenishing and Ciao Bella was the destination of choice. Nestled in the heart of Bloomsbury, the Italian (if you hadn’t guessed already) restaurant transported us to Rome, serving traditional, no fuss, portions of pizza, pasta, seafood, and other delicious food. It was a lovely lunch and a great time to wind down ahead of what the team didn’t know was going to be an afternoon full of activity.
Bucket Race
Our afternoon bonding activity was curated by Ameesha and included a scavenger hunt-esque task around Notting Hill with location-based, and personalised C8 tasks. The activity involved two teams competing against each other to achieve the most tasks in a set time limit. With some team members exhibiting their competitive streaks more than others – with the latter happy to suggest the most number of tasks that could be achieved in a pub with something chilled. It was a great team building experience and a chance to explore a beautiful part of London.
It will come as no surprise to some that I was on the winning team, with over double the number of points than the other team, although we were barely counting. Big props go to Aga, Ameesha, Nigel and Megan for steering us over the line with exceptional teamwork and decision making.
An Evening to Remember
Before we all headed home for the evening, we had a quick stop at Vagabond for a refreshment and reflection on what was another QBR for the (C8) history books. From a morning that left us dizzy with new knowledge, a bowl of pasta big enough for two, and an activity which had us at times running through west London, it was a much-needed final port of call before our journey back home.
Here’s to an equally successful Q3 as we hit the summer months hard!