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Last time we put together a newsletter we had a different Prime Minister. The General Election meant we had to move the Kent Press & Broadcast Awards ceremony, which included finding a new host, so we've been rather busy.
Fortunately the event was a great success – you can find out more below – as well as read about a press launch that was a first for the UK and a welcome return for onshore wind farms.
Winners of the Kent Press & Broadcast Awards 2024 are announced
After a record number of entries, the best work of everyone involved in the media in Kent has been celebrated at an awards ceremony hosted by BBC news presenter Martine Croxall.
The winners of the tenth annual Kent Press & Broadcast Awards (KPBA), which is organised by Maxim, were selected from among 163 entries received across 16 categories, by a team of eight independent judges.
The awards event took place at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury on Friday 26 July.
Wind farms go political full circle
It’s now 15 years since the?Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm?located on the Romney Marsh was switched on by Ed Miliband and became the South East’s largest onshore wind farm.
Maxim was responsible for the local community and stakeholder engagement, as well as media relations, on behalf of RWE Renewables. It’s great to see that developing onshore wind farms are back on the Government’s agenda as it wrestles with how to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, improve fuel security and hit Net Zero – and reforming the planning system.
And after 14 years in opposition, the former Secretary of State for Energy has now returned as the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
It is a shame that, despite the UK’s track record in delivering offshore wind farms, Little Cheyne remains the South East’s largest and only onshore wind farm, with its 28 turbines generating up to 59.8MW of green energy.
Maxim has been involved with an average of one energy generation or renewable project a year, whether it was London Array, off the Thanet coastline, and the largest offshore wind farm, or small solar farms or anaerobic digesters.?
Securing planning permission for renewable energy projects has never been easy, with the likes of RSPB or CPRE often opposing them, despite having strong environmental credentials. Key to success remains the earliest possible engagement and doing everything possible to win over the wider community.
What has changed since Little Cheyne was commissioned is a growing public recognition of the environmental challenges facing our country and the world as a whole – and support for renewables.?
It’s a brave move by the new government, and comes at a time when we need to reduce our carbon footprint and bring our communities on the journey.
If you want to find out more about how Maxim could support your renewable industry projects with public, political and press support, give us a call.
Major milestone for awards
Developing positive relations with the press is at the heart of many successful businesses, especially those with a good story to tell or a proactive PR agency – or better still, both. However, if your target is the Kent media, and you’ve a major landmark anniversary to celebrate, then there’s a sponsorship opportunity that can also play an important part.
Relationships have to start somewhere and the Kent Press & Broadcast Awards (KPBA), which this year celebrated its 10th anniversary, have helped many local organisations strengthen relations with the county’s media through their sponsorship.
Being associated with the awards also demonstrates the sponsor’s positive commitment towards the county’s press and making headlines themselves. At the same time, an awards scheme needs to be worth winning and in the case of KPBA, the journalists who enter want the chance to be recognised among the best in the county.
Sponsorship is all about reaching the right audience – in the case of KPBA it is the media – and this year’s awards received a record 163 entries. An award scheme’s credibility is also about the quality of the judging, and in the case of KPBA we’ve assembled an independent panel all with years of journalistic experience.?
The not-for-profit award scheme is run by Maxim, and secured an illustrious roster of 2024 sponsors, including:
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And this year KPBA supported two charity partners: Demelza Charity and Folkestone Leas Lift .
And then there’s the big day and making the most of the KPBA ceremony. That inevitably involves presenting an award, and getting to know the local media over a lunch and glass of wine – and possibly adding a small branded gift to the goody bag. It’s also about celebrating the winners through your social media and trade press, with Maxim responsible for promoting it to the region’s business press and local media.
The final benefit comes in the form of the post-awards ceremony press coverage. To date, this year’s ceremony has been covered on KMTV, KentOnline, South East Business and trade website Hold the Front Page.
Believe it or not we’ve already started to plan for next year so if 2025 is a major milestone for your business and could be the perfect year to sponsor KPBA, please get in touch.
Let BattleKart commence
‘A national first’ is often a phrase the media push back against when they hear it – and the PR team needs to show it stands up to media scrutiny.
In the case of BattleKart, Maxim was able to prove the claim but also give the press the opportunity to get a look behind the scenes and then let them step inside a life-size video game for the first time in the UK.?
BattleKart brings together the world of indoor karting and gaming, thanks to augmented reality technology and electric karts, which means there is no danger of fuel spills or environmentally damaging emissions.?
From the press perspective what was not to like, as BattleKart combines the physical thrill of karting with the strategy of video gaming adrenalin, and on the night saw them go head-to-head against their colleagues, rival outlets and even the team from Maxim.
Crucial to the evening’s success was Maxim getting the right press to experience BattleKart for themselves. Working closely with Carly Warner, the Business Development Manager for the interactive digital visitor attraction, we scoped out a press event that would meet her expectations.
Press list prepared and signed-off, we then got on the phone and invited the media, confirming the joining details. The press release was written and a photographer for the evening was briefed and booked.
On arrival it was a case of introducing the journalists to the BattleKart team to understand how this national first had landed in Sittingbourne, before heading down to the augmented reality track to experience it for themselves.
The reporters took to their electric-powered karts and went head-to-head with their colleagues in all six individual games, each with a different footprint projected from above, with tips and tricks available to enhance the experience.
The result was strong media coverage, including the Sun, ‘Cene magazine, KMTV, KentOnline, numerous KM Media Group titles, KentLive, CommunityAd, insideKENT, plus a number of business titles to promote the corporate event aspect of the BattleKart business.
BattleKart originated in Belgium, and has spread to France, Germany, Netherlands, as well as Australia, Saudi Arabia and Dubai – and now Kent.
Open to people of all ages taller than 145cm or 4’ 9.1” inches, BattleKart Sittingbourne is based at Hooks Hole Farm, Chestnut Street, Borden, and can be found at www.battlekart.com/en/sittingbourne.
?? If you need help to launch your product to the press give Maxim a shout.
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