Flashback: The Year of 2020

Wow, can’t’ believe it’s the end of the year! Though it feels like a decade in the year 2020, we’re here to celebrate. Celebrate the hard work and friendship throughout the year. It’s time for a 2020 flashback!

January: Gateway Shopping Park’s Rebranding Campaign // Content Creation

This is a project that we’ve been planning for months. Our aim was to rebrand the park from a shopping site into a cultural hub. We launched a €5,000 art commission competition, an opportunity for a local artist to create a landmark sculpture in Gateway Shopping Park Knocknacarra. We also initiated a multi-media campaign, such as Facebook & Instagram campaign, flyer distribution, radio & local press exposure etc, to shift the brand image of the expanding park. Our work was later shortlisted for the Best Content Marketing Award by the Irish Content Marketing Awards in June.

February: Dog Date // Event Production

We came up with this Valentine’s Day event idea – professional portrait shots for dog and owner. This romantic pet event took place at Bray, Drogheda, Sligo & Waterford Retail Park. The results were pawfect – 91% of the tickets were sold out, and 80+ groups of family join the events. What a weekend for the dog lovers! Our activation at Sligo Retail Park was later nominated for the Most Effective Use of Photography by the Irish Content Marketing Awards in June.

March & April: Community Building // Virtual Event Production

And then COVID called. As an event company, we had a hard time. Events were cancelled, our clients suffered, and people were forced to fit in the new normality. Luckily, we found our own way to strive. With the aid of technology, we started producing virtual events within a month after the outbreak.

We organised several online pub quizzes for our corporate clients such as Blanchardstown Corporate Park and Mason Hayes & Curran. We produced the first virtual awards ceremony for Maynooth University Clubs & Societies. The 1-hour ceremony included nomination and winner announcement, entertainment, key messages from staff, and a Thank You video dedicated to the frontline workers. More than 300 students were watching the online ceremony, dressed up and tweeting/gramming throughout the night. It’s an unbelievable experience for us.

May: Reopening in Retail Business // Video Production

As the Government’s reopening scheme was announced, we work closely with Sigma Retail Partners to offer the best shopping experience possible. We updated store reopening information on a daily basis across all digital channels. We produced interview videos to showcase the efforts we’ve put into reopening the parks, and what customer should expect when they arrived. To see the excitement of people’s reaction from it really relieves us. We’re glad to help local businesses.

June: The Irish Content Marketing Awards

Our hard work in the first half of 2020 paid off. We’re shortlisted in 3 categories at the Irish Content Marketing Awards: Best Content Marketing Award – Retail Consumer: Gateway Shopping Park Knocknacara, Most Effective Use of Photography: Dog Date for Pet Stop at Sligo Retail Park, & Content Marketing Rising Star: Tzu-hung Liu, our Data Analyst. We’re delighted to be named along with some of the biggest companies in the country, such as Lidl, Centra, SuperValu and Ryanair. Check here for the full article!

July: New Stores Opening at Gateway Shopping Park // Retail Marketing

After months of works, Gateway finally welcomed the long-awaited flagship stores of Boots and Harvey Norman in July. We’ve launched a marketing campaign for the Grand Openings, which highlighted the safety measures, boost to local economy, and exclusive offers. Local people were very supportive virtually and physically. We had a good number of crowds (while maintaining social distanced!)

September & October: DCU Freshers Week // Virtual Event Production

Schools were back! We adapted the traditional DCU Freshers Week to give the students a virtual experience like no other! DCU Connected TV was a first of its kind for the college. We shot and produced an hour and a half live show featuring live music, cooking, comedy and all the key messages from the Students’ Union and college staff. It’s truly an amazing (and a safe) way to welcome freshers to the DCU family. Another one for the book!

November: Business All-Star Accreditation

Great news to close the year. Shea Mc Nelis, our Managing Director, has been acknowledged with the title of ‘Thought Leader’ in event management and marketing and has been awarded the coveted Business All-Star Accreditation for the second year in a row.

“Following a very difficult year, it is a great way to finish off on a high note with this accreditation. The events industry has been particular bruised during the pandemic; however, we have had some wonderful support by our existing clients who have kept us in mind throughout and gave us some fantastic projects to work on. The positivity of our team and willing to challenge themselves by up skilling and pivoting to keep to company going is very humbling and encouraging for the future. I want to thank the team for this as without them we would not have survived. We are now facing into a very busy 2021 which we are all looking forward to.” – Shea

December: Christmas Decor // Community Building

Finally, it’s the end of the year, and the festive season was here. We’ve been travelling around the country to put up Christmas trees for numerous places. Sounds exaggerated? Check this out.

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That’s a wrap! Though there were a lot of obstacles and challenges, it’s been a wonderful year. To be able to do what we love and what we do best, we’re truly thankful. We look forward to a prospering 2021. Can’t wait to share more with you!

Happy New Year from the 1 Plus Team. Stay safe and healthy.