The team at Redwood ventured to Suffolk in the first week of March to co-ordinate the launch of arc, Bury St Edmunds, one of the only shopping centres opening in England in 2009.
Redwood was appointed to provide a comprehensive communications strategy for the six-month lead-up to the scheme’s opening day. A carefully constructed campaign was formulated and Redwood worked closely with key regional stakeholders, ensuring that relationships were carefully fostered and that all those involved were fully aware of the enormous benefit that the new shopping district was bringing to the historic town.
The team also liaised closely with the local and regional media in the weeks and months before opening to ensure the right messages were reaching local people. On opening day, this positive working relationship culminated in five leading pages of positive coverage in each of the local newspapers, with images of the crowds of excited shoppers queueing to have first sight of the stunning and much-anticipated new scheme.
On the day, Redwood welcomed BBC Look East, ITV Angliam and the regional radio stations as well as numerous photographers and reporters from the regional papers and over the course of the day, the team co-ordinated a raft of interviews and broadcasts with each of the media titles.
Despite early forecasts of sleet storms, the sun shone on Bury St Edmunds and Redwood’s client, the stakeholders and the public all voiced their delight at a wonderful day of entertainment and a beautiful new shopping hub for the region.