May was a bustling and eventful month at the NB office, as it always tends to be. Exciting news and impressive projects took centre stage.
In the realm of personal milestones, our team had reason to celebrate with an engagement announcement within the project management team. NB is also about to celebrate a big birthday in June.
Additionally, we proudly unveiled the highly anticipated new website for Ipieca. This ambitious endeavour aligns with their mission to enhance environmental and social performance within the oil and gas industry. With meticulous planning we breathed life into this digital platform, ensuring it stands as a testament to Ipieca's unwavering commitment.
Read on for all updates from the NB Communication team.
Promote Shetland visits Connect 2023
One of the flagship annual events organised by Visit Scotland, ‘Connect’ attracts buyers from around the world who are interested in organising trips to Scotland, putting them in touch with destinations and providers.
The 2023 event was hosted in Aberdeen at the fantastic P&J Live, and Promote Shetland was there with Shetland’s trade stand manned by NB’s Head of Content Marketing Adam Civico, supported by Shetland ambassadors Veronica Rocks and Joe Rocks.
Our decision to take an enhanced stand gave us the opportunity to prepare an eye-catching display board, and open two appointment calendars.
Adam said: “Connect 2023 was excellent. Our pre-event work included co-ordinated email correspondence with buyers, sharing some of the brilliant films and photos we’ve created for Promote Shetland.
“That effort meant we had two fully booked appointment calendars allowing us to develop some strong new contacts for Promote Shetland, with tour operators from around the world interested in Shetland.”
Milestones at NB
Project manager Kylie pleasantly surprised the team; returning from a holiday in London engaged to her partner, Liam. The entire team extends their heartfelt congratulations to Kylie and Liam.
We have another cause for celebration in June: NB Communications is turning 21 years old! To commemorate this milestone, we will be embarking on a team outing to the North end of Shetland. Here’s hoping for sunshine!
Ipeica.com launches
We launched a brand-new website for Ipieca – an esteemed global intergovernmental organisation dedicated to enhancing the environmental and social performance within the oil and gas industry.
Collaborating with the exceptional team at Ipieca has been an absolute pleasure, as we witnessed their captivating vision materialise into a fully functional digital platform.
Our involvement encompassed a range of services, including Website Design and Development, Website Audit, and Website Maintenance and Support. With meticulous attention to detail, we seamlessly migrated the entire site to our preferred CMS (Content Management System). This migration allows for greater responsiveness, intuitive user experiences, and enhanced flexibility for streamlined administration.
By implementing optimised code and making notable front-end improvements, we have significantly bolstered the website's overall performance and usability. We have revolutionised the site's filtering functionality, ensuring smoother navigation and improved accessibility. Furthermore, we introduced an intuitive language and translation management system, facilitating multilingual access and inclusivity.
The website's design was carefully crafted to align with Ipeica's four strategic pillars, which are integrated throughout the site architecture. As visitors explore the homepage, they will find key messages communicated with clarity, with a particular emphasis on highlighting the invaluable resources section as a call to action.
Read the Ipieca case study here.
High demand for Tall Ships tickets
NB Communication won the Tall Ships Lerwick PR and Marketing contract in 2022 and have been working hard ever since to create a buzz around the event. It certainly paid off, with tickets for the three headline concerts selling out in less than a day.
Our collaboration with Tall Ships Lerwick started back in 2021 with the creation of their website and grew into an ongoing partnership focusing on news and media management, press releases and consultation on social media and content.
Beginning on 26th July, Lerwick welcomes tall ships from around the world in this annual race. But for those living in Shetland and not taking part in the race, it’s a chance to let our hair down with family entertainment and the likes of Peat and Diesel taking to the stage on Friday night.
Office Recommendations
Reading:
Book: Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez
Invisible Woman looks at the bias between men and women in data collection affecting everything from government policy and medical research to technology, workplaces, urban planning and the media. This book came up in a conversation in the office recently about AI, a system that relies on data that already exists on the internet and the dangers of the binary gender gap increasing with it.
Kylie said: “This is an interesting but frustrating book to read. Eye-opening to the volume of unconscious biases that are prevalent in our society. I’d recommend listening to the audiobook, which is narrated by the author. Her tone conveys the feeling and intended meaning of every word.”
Book: Past Lying by Val McDermid
The latest book in the Inspector Karen Pirie Series.
Val McDermid will be arriving in Shetland in June for the Shetland Noir book festival, an exciting event for any fans of crime fiction!
- Read the Promote Shetland blog, Shetland's bookshelf: Eight ‘Shetland Noir’ classics
Listening:
Podcast: Motley Fool Money: Peter Zeihan on China, Apple, and Europe
Geopolitical analyst Peter Zeihan outlines the China's problems, and some problems the US and Apple need to solve going forward.
Album: Motor Songs - Bulgarian Cartrader
Alex said: “Well the name is intriguing enough to make you want to give it a listen. Feels very organic and a little rough around the edges which I like. Mavrud is a quirky earworm, almost Asian sounding, whilst Embrace is an engaging spoken-word story. Overall the production is alternative and doesn't stick to the usual mix techniques, and as an album it's a very pleasing journey.”
Podcast: Backlisted
Backlisted is a podcast about books, with each episode featuring a guest (usually a writer) who has chosen a book they love and which they think deserves a wider audience. This isn’t about selling new products: it’s about how and why some books stand the test of time.
Eleanor said: “It’s just such a calming listen, and every book they have recommended, and I have read has been really fantastic.”
Podcast: The Lazarus Heist
The Lazarus Heist is an unbelievable but true story about a group of hackers stealing billions of dollars, beginning with the hacking of Hollywood. A recommendation from Calum, backed by Alexandra.
Alexandra said: “I started listening a couple days ago and was instantly hooked, not only is the story intriguing but the podcasts presents it in a way that’s gripping without feeling cheesy. The only mistake I made was starting it with my partner; that’s my true recommendation, don’t start binge-worthy podcasts with people who are always busy!”