Subject: Communications update Meeting date: 19 December 2018 Report to: Regeneration and Communities Committee Report of: Ed Stearns, Director of Communications, Marketing and Strategy This report will be considered in public 1. SUMMARY 1.1. This report provides an update to the Committee outlining the external communication of regeneration activities 2. RECOMMENDATION 2.1 The Committee is asked to note the report and its appendices. 3. BACKGROUND 3.1 At its last meeting, there was an action for a report outlining the communication of LLDC’s socio economic and community regeneration activities to be submitted to this meeting. This report sets out work that has been done since then and presents some of the media coverage that this has generated. It includes a case study on a major event, the East Works Awards, which celebrate the diversity of talent, innovation and businesses on and around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The work undertaken supports LLDC’s community engagement programme which helps to tell the regeneration story through face-to-face contacts with a diverse range of local groups. 4. REGENERATION STORIES 4.1 The Park gained international coverage through an article in the New York Times. This was a broadly positive piece which focused on the success of the legacy to date and what East Bank will bring to the area. (Link to the article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/business/london-olympic-park.html ) Shrouds of the Somme 4.2 The Shrouds of the Somme installation opened in the South Park Lawn on 8 November 2018 to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War. In support of the installation, LLDC developed a schools’ programme which gave an opportunity for young people to explore the impact and scale of one of Britain’s most important and devastating events of the 20th century. Prioritising Key Stage 2 and 3 pupils in the four neighbouring boroughs of the Park, the programme explored the impact of The Battle of the Somme through a variety of free activities and outputs aimed at key stage 2 and 3 classes, including: visits to the site with an introductory talk; in school workshops; and teaching resources. Take up was very good with close to 3,000 pupils from over 30 schools visiting. 4.3 We organised for the Newham Recorder to visit the installation and take some photographs of pupils at Chobham Academy. The Newham Recorder published an article (link to the article: https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/pupils-visit- first-world-war-memorial-in-olympic-park-1-5782951 ) and promoted this through social media, as did Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Waltham Forest Councils. East Bank 4.4 Following extensive press coverage of the Mayor of London’s launch of East Bank in June 2018 we have continued to promote the East Bank programme and the benefits it will bring to the local area and beyond. Our promotion of the public consultation on the plans for Stratford Waterfront helped to ensure that thousands of people took part in the consultations across over 70 events and outreach activities. 4.5 The appointment of Baroness Lola Young and Sir David Bell as the co-chairs of the East Bank charity, Foundation for FutureLondon was covered in the arts press (link to an example article: https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/faces/co-chairs-foundation-future- london ) 4.6 The project was also covered by the Evening Standard in a piece about the V&A’s new collection in Here East (link to the article: https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/arts/v-and-a-stratford-new-museum- a3977606.html ). A high profile Observer interview with the V&A’s Director, Tristram Hunt, talked about East Bank in general and the V&A’s plans in particular (link to the article: https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/arts/v-and-a- stratford-new-museum-a3977606.html ) 4.7 East Bank partners are already working in the local area to deliver on the East Bank Strategic Objectives. A key event in this period was the launch of the Fashion District on 10 September 2018 at Christopher Raeburn’s studio in Hackney, attended by the Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz, and local MP, Stephen Timms. The district is the result of an innovative collaboration by London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, LLDC, the Mayor of London, the British Fashion Council, UK Fashion and Textiles, Unibail Rodamco-Westfield, Poplar HARCA, The Trampery, Fashion Enter, Here East, Newham College, and the London Boroughs of Hackney, Haringey, Newham, Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets. It has been supported by the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund, which has invested almost £2m. Speakers at the launch included deputy Mayor Justine Simons and Frances Corner, Head of London College of Fashion. The aim for the district is to become a global hub of fashion technology. Coverage included the local press including the Hackney Gazette and East London Advertiser and in the fashion press (link to an example in Drapers: https://www.drapersonline.com/news/londons-east-end-fashion-district-gains-2m- funding/7029507.article ) 4.8 We also promoted the Stratford Waterfront Schools Design Challenge on our website. This event saw over 30 local schools designing a new piece of street furniture for Stratford Waterfront, culminating in a judging event at the Podium. The judging panel included representatives from LLDC. Sadler’s Wells, the V&A and Allies and Morrisons. (link to the press release: https://www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/news/news- articles/2018/06/stratford-waterfront-schools-design-challenge ) Creative Opportunities Programme 4.9 The two-week pre-employability Creative Opportunities programme for the creative industries has supported eight local residents into employment. In support of this we set up an interview in the Newham Recorder with a successful participant now working in the film industry. The Great Get Together 4.10 This free community event was held in the north of the Park on 24 June, as part of a nationwide programme of events. Our communications strategy leveraged the national publicity along with our own stamp and voice placed in the programming and marketing. We received positive local coverage in the Newham Recorder with an article about the event itself and another about the Movin’ Rap schools programme in local schools, focusing on the dancer Theo 'Godson' Oloyade’s workshops in Gainsborough School in anticipation of the event (link to the article: https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/dancer- providing-hip-hop-workshop-for-pupils-ahead-of-community-event-1-5572307 ) 4.11 The integrated marketing and communications campaign used data analytics and industry intelligence to create a distinctive offer, targeted on social media platforms. We raised awareness of the event through printed materials in the Park magazine, events leaflets on Park hoardings and on our website. 4.12 We targeted local residents through a range of channels, including flyers being delivered door to door to over 10,000 addresses, displayed in local commercial outlets and through a series of newspaper adverts in key titles including the Newham Recorder and the Hackney Gazette. An 80% discount negotiated with Exterion also enabled us to advertise the event to over one million people a week on digital advertising pods through Westfield Stratford. Park Summer Campaign 4.13 Our marketing campaigns aim to encourage local residents as well as wider audiences to visit the park by emphasising the perceived most attractive areas of the Park, and bringing out messages such as the Park being free to enter and ease of travel. 4.14 In support of our summer campaign, we secured billboards in high footfall sites across London, including Charing Cross, Euston, Kings Cross St Pancras, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Tower Hill, Oxford Circus, Victoria and Waterloo. 4.15 London residents were targeted with a radio advertising campaign. A 30 second ad ran across Heart FM, Sunrise Radio, Capital Xtra London and Absolute Radio London, reaching a broad audience from a geographical, age and social group perspective. 4.16 The summer edition of The Park magazine reflected the excitement offered by the Park in summer, covering the live, work and regeneration profiles including East Bank and the Bobby Moore Academy. London Calling (the distribution agent) requested additional copies due to the high pick up rate. 4.17 We have made good use of our access to the Meridian Square billboard (weekly reach 3 million) and the Stadium digital wrap to keep the Park front of mind with both locals and visiting tourists. We used these resources to promote the ArcelorMittal Orbit attraction, community events such as The Great Get Together and Active August and our East Bank partners’ event at Here East. We also offer the Big Screen to GLA group partners, the GLA themselves taking advantage of the opportunity to use it as part of their anti-knife crime campaign. EAST Education summer school 4.18 The successful new EAST Education Summer School was supported with a compelling, creative and low-cost campaign, communicating what it was and who should apply. This included a high impact visual which appealed to a range of audiences, using Park owned channels. We created and coded a website landing page hub to promote the Summer School, dialling up the range of activities students could get involved with, with interactive PDFs for web users to display and download. 4.19 We also created an East Summer School news story for the website and a ‘kit of parts’ including graphics and website links for Park partners who were encouraged to promote to their networks.