For some months now, The Great Hospitality Show has very much part of our day-to-day here at Jellybean Towers – as we are very honoured to do the PR for the show. This week saw all our preparation and planning come to fruition as the show hit the NEC from Monday to Wednesday, attracting hospitality professionals from across the industry. As the Great Hospitality Show PR team manned the press office and social media and my other colleagues hosted press stand visits, caught up with clients and contacts, and even sampled the amazing food at the La Parade, I was seated in my own little booth on mentor duty.
In a turbulent year of world events, political upheaval and an uncertain trading future it’s reassuring to know that the world of B2B marketing remains generally positive, upbeat and in growth. In a recent report from B2B Marketing 25% of agencies see the market as strong and two thirds consider it to be in good shape.
I have just returned from a relaxed, warm Christmas in New Zealand, visiting my daughter who lives in Nelson, a small city at the top of the South island, right in the middle of the Marlborough wine area – how lucky is she? After the New Year we did a whirlwind tour of the North Island and so here are some of my favourite foodie spots.
At Jellybean, not only do we have a passion for food and drink, we also have a bit of a soft spot for cute dogs. Of course our beloved Coco lives on in our hearts, but with a dog-sized gap in our lives, our newest bean ‘Whisky’ has bounced into Jellybean Towers and won us over with his puppy dog eyes.
Nothing says December like an extravagant festive knit. Sequins galore, Fair Isle in abundance and garish colours can mean only one thing: Christmas is on its way.
Last Monday it seemed was the official start of Christmas in the world of foodservice and hospitality. Not only was it the Arena Christmas Event, it was also the Hospitality Action ‘Star Filled Night’ gala Christmas dinner. Of course as the leading foodservice pr agency we were at both (Oh you poor things I hear you cry!). Lunch at the Jumeriah Carlton Tower, followed by dinner prepared by chefs including none other than Raymond Blanc OBE, at Brassie Joel at the Westminster Park Plaza Hotel – not too shabby a start to the week by anyone’s standards.
The festive season kicked off last night with the most innovative producers and suppliers coming together at The Caterer’s 2016 Product Excellence Awards.
The world of contract catering is often the unseen side of the industry, working across all sectors from education to hotels, leisure to event catering and of course in the workplace. The average man in the street will generally have no idea that the likes of Compass or Elior or ISS is serving him, but never the less the sector is huge and in recent years it has upped its game to compete with the high street and the rise of food to go, including the street food revolution.
Last Friday evening Jellybean won the 2016 CIPR Gold Award for the Best Corporate and Business Communications Campaign for ‘Wrap Smart’, an integrated campaign developed for our client Wrapmaster. I couldn’t be more proud of the agency, of the team who conceived this strategic and creative idea and of the client who put absolute trust in us to deliver against their tough target. As an integrated foodservice marketing agency dedicated to the foodservice industry this success story really showcases our extensive talent and deep-rooted understanding of the industry we have worked in for nearly 30 years.
Truly life changing little berries that, when blended into a smoothie along with other exotic fruits, poured into a bowl and topped with cool coconut yogurt and chunky granola is simply life changing.
On a cold and frosty Thursday morning myself and fellow ‘bean’ Gemma made our way to the M by Montcalm hotel in Shoreditch to hear the latest insight on the UK hotel market from MCA. As the leading foodservice agency, representing a number of clients for whom the hotel sector is a key market focus, we were there ready to take it all in. Simon Stenning and his team took it in turns to run us through every aspect of the report including quantitative market data, consumer insight and even decision maker opinion, but here are our top ten take-outs…
Whether it’s thanks to my aversion to cooking, or the fact I’m lucky enough to work for the leading foodservice agency and some of the industry’s top brands (let’s go with that one), I eat out A LOT. Thai, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Japanese – if the food’s good, I’m not fussy when it comes to cuisines.
The 1st November 2016 saw the movers and shakers in the industry come together for the annual Eat Out Awards and as the leading foodservice marketing agency, Jellybean of course was there to find who are the operators making waves in this amazing industry of ours.
School caterers are often the unsung heroes of our industry, but this was certainly not the case on Monday evening as The Royal Garden Hotel played host to the annual EDUCatering Awards. The evening saw the great and the good of the school meals industry gather to see who would walk away with these coveted awards.
Having been to Greece on a work trip a few years ago and loving it, when it came at looking for a holiday this year, we decided we would try one of the Greek islands.
After looking around, we decided that Crete would be the best option for us as it’s the most southerly of the islands and therefore the hottest – going in October that was very important to us.
I was lucky enough to spend a week in Barbados and one of the highlights was the Friday night Oistins Fish Fry. Oistins started out as a fish market but then someone came up with the bright idea of setting up a stall to fry and sell the freshly caught fish and now it has developed into THE way for locals and tourists alike to spend their Friday night in Barbados.
Despite searching the back of many cupboards as a child, I never found it but I came close one time. The journey starts with an innocuous walk into a dark, sullen lift. Intriguing as this may be, it also seeks to squash your expectations of what is on the other side. The only clue of what is to come is a single Took Took which stands there somewhat juxtaposed to the darkness of the night and the sullenness of the lift, with its radiant colour. As you tentatively step into the lift, you scan your eye up and down the numbers to find the floor. The poorly lit digits reveal nothing until you reach the top one. The Thai Terrace. You may chance to look around at this moment and notice the exotic pattern of plants and wildlife from another land, carefully splashed on the back wall of the lift. The lift ascends and you hold your breath in anticipation.
