It was thirty years ago today...
Craig Dews
Senior Leader | Founder | Creator | Advisor | Former CEO Limelight Sports Group
On the 25 June 1990 the London Events Agency was formed with two anchor clients – Swimathon and London Youth Games. Over the years the business has evolved, grown and re-branded into LimeLight sports, for which I have had the great privilege of leading since 2001.
Throughout the course of the day we will of course be taking time to celebrate with the current crop of LimeLighters – on Zoom! - and sharing stories about the old days with the amazing LimeLighters who have moved on to other great things in their careers. It is of course the people who make a business and I have worked with some of the best over the years, many of which will of course be friends for life. I firmly believe that the current team that we have built – and managed to retain through the crisis – has huge potential and I know they are all chomping at the bit for our campaigns to re-launch in the next couple of months in the build-up to what I’m confident will be a huge 2021 for the company.
We will also be taking time to reflect. The company was built on two community led, grassroots sports campaigns that have over the years created millions of opportunities to participate in sport. We are still involved in both as well as creating participation campaigns for the BOA, Nike, JP Morgan, The Royal Parks and many more. The brands we work with understand the power of participation to create meaningful connections with their audiences. What other medium delivers purpose, community, social, physical and mental well-being? And yet compared to the clutter of professional sports there are relatively few brands investing in the space. There has never been a better time to invest.
In between the celebrations and reflection we will be using our 30th birthday as a platform to launch our plans for the future. We were due to launch in the middle of March but Covid-19 scuppered those plans! As we start to look forward we feel that the time is now right to unleash the power of participation! Watch this space for announcements later.
Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who has been on the LimeLight journey – to all LimeLighters and partners. Here’s to many more…
Experienced dynamic and creative Consumer PR and Communications Specialist with the ability to get under the skin of business and work closely and collaboratively. ??
4 年Absolutely loved working in the PR team at LEA Events, now Limelight Sports, on my placement in 1999 and then returning the following summer for the BAA Millenium Youth Games. I remember stuffing envelopes with 83 different press releases and sticking captions on the back of pictures of sporting twins, celebrities and athletes. I remember the pitches to regional press, tea in the morning and coffee in the afternoon Heather Purchase, Enda McShane and Olly's banter, laughing and learning so much from Sarah Spencer (Smith) and Sue along with Ben Way and Craig Dews, the sandwiches from the Italian - Ciao Bella - working hard and pulling sellotape and then paint off the County Hall Hotel swimming pool (oops! - placement error). The importance of the Event PR Kit, how to actually run a photocall, manning outside broadcasts, a million and one sports contacts from Andria Rudy. Running for Naomi on event day, always working together as a team alongside Tom and Mark DSC. The itineraries, the debriefs, the nights out, getting 'The Big Breakfast' to do a piece, Iwan Thomas, the BT Swimathon phone going off like crazy with all the team at the ready led by my homie Kara Sweney - so many great memories. I learnt so much in that year across both Events and PR, which I have taken forward throughout my career. Truly, a great placement. Thank you! X
Sustainability l Net Zero l ESG Strategy l Diversity l Writer
4 年Congratulations Craig and all the Limelight team! My two years working with you all were two of the best! PRing the grassroots programs Limelight created was awesome training ground for me, as were the seriously talented and super-fun team I worked with. My favourite memories: Touring the UK with the lovely Duncan Goodhew to publicise Swimathon London Youth Games trying time get a bunch of basketballer to line up for a photo op - when I was so short to them I’m they couldn’t even hear me shouting! Meeting so many fabulous people around the country for the various BT programs you ran and understanding what a difference companies can make to people, with the right support. And of course all those lovely pubs around the office! Thanks for the trip down memory lane and I hope you Keep going strong!!
Health & Safety Professional
4 年Happy birthday but Limelight’s being 30 years old makes me feel VERY old!
Head of International Sales & Partnerships, Sky
4 年Never worked for a team that displays as much passion for the work they do and the experiences they deliver for those who participate. Truly defining what ‘brand value’ and ‘engagement’ should be all about!?
Strategy and transformation leader
4 年Congratulations Craig. Amazing achievement. So proud to have been part of the story. One of the most influential organisations in my career. Limelight has made a huge difference to so many people’s lives. Well done to you, Duncan and all the team.