Holidays are coming

It’s hard to believe I’ve already been part of the University’s MARC for seven weeks – time really has flown by. Christmas seemed so far off when I started at the beginning of November and now, suddenly, it’s right around the corner and I’m panic shopping. Again..!
 

National Christmas Jumper Day 2013!

The team has certainly embraced Christmas; from my desk I can see a lot of tinsel and tiny trees. We have celebrated National Christmas Jumper Day, handed out Secret Santa gifts and shared a Christmas meal at the casino over the road. It’s not just been fun and games though! We’ve been working really hard to make sure that everything is complete for this year and well prepared for next.

Alexon House

The last few weeks have seen lots of exciting developments at the University: The Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, a lecture by Jack Straw and the opening of a mock crime scene lab in Luton, to name but a few. Something I’ve been particularly excited about is the opening of the new Art and Design building. Having grown up in Luton I’ve come to love lots of the old industrial buildings dotted around the town centre, and the Alexon building is one that holds a lot of history within its walls. It’s been given a whole new lease of life and a brand new purpose; I can’t wait to visit and to get inspired by the all the creativity going on inside.

I’ve been really busy filming, editing, proofing, writing and working my way through a very long to-do list. There hasn’t been a moment to stop and I’m definitely looking forward to a rest! You’ll find me being a big kid for a few days over the Christmas break, with a trip to Disneyland Paris planned between Christmas and New Year. My ultimate goal is to bump into Donald Duck by the end of 2013; I’ll post a picture in my next blog post if I’m successful!

Talking of the end of the year, this will be my final blog post of 2013 so, all that's left to say is I hope everyone has a really fantastic Christmas and loads of fun seeing in the New Year!


Clare

Tis the festive season

By Michelle Ramsumair, Marketing Administrator

It's almost Christmas!!! Time has definitely flown by and it's that festive time of the year again. We decorated our office yesterday so feeling much more in the spirit. If you haven't got a tree up or decorated your office then what are you waiting for?

Last week was a taste of sweet and sour as our Director of 17 years left sadly. She has seen our department through many changes and it has grown into a great department to be a part of. Although it is sad we also wish her every success where she is moving to. We had a nice leaving and Christmas do at G Casino Friday, which did consist of some gambling but more drinking I think! We also got our secret santa, someone knows me well!

So campaigns have been keeping me busy, but I have to say I am enjoying them. They involve a lot of co-ordination and attention from the initial draft plan (even before then) to the evaluation after. We are very fortunate to have a great team who word hard and endlessly on these. It is always fun when the companies you build relationships with treat you just show their appreciation. I was lucky enough to be invited by Heart FM to attend the Luton Best Awards as their guest. It was a great evening in at Warren Weir, Luton Hoo with amazing people. I really enjoy meeting interesting people whether at events or when meeting a company to see what they offer and how they may be able to assist with our campaigns.

At the moment I am also studying a CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing. It's definitely tough getting back into studying, but I have a huge amount of respect for anyone who chooses to study whilst looking after their family and working full time. I certainly can't complain, I have it rather easy!! Had my first exam last week and it was scary to say the least. There is so much to learn, but with fun colleagues and tutors working in marketing in various sectors we are never stuck for discussions, and we are all super supportive of one another. Couldn't have asked for a better group.If you are working in marketing or looking to go into it, I would highly recommend becoming a CIM member and looking into what courses and training they have to offer. For new starters in marketing it is a step onto the ladder, for those already working in this area it helps you progress further. There are also other professional bodies to look at if you want to go into other areas of marketing. Why not take a look and see all the options available to you. New Year's resolution perhaps...?

Tomorrow I fly off to Israel for a week, so I am trying to tie up everything to hand over. Definitely excited as it is somewhere different and many people have said how much I will love it out there. Will have photos to show when I return. I better get on with some work so have a great week shopping and decorating everyone!

Picture perfect

Sarah Hampton - Marketing Manager

The very first Prospects
Postgraduate Awards

The month of November has indeed been a busy one, and not just on the work front. The Marketing team has been busy jet-setting around the UK as we attend many an award ceremony. In earlier posts you'll see we went to nearby St Albans for the CIPR PRide awards where we were incredibly excited to scoop two Gold Awards.

This time we headed off to Manchester, along with the Digital Marketing Team to attend the very first Prospects Postgraduate Awards. As our last event of the year, we were out to have a fabulous time!

Feeling festive and enjoying
the xmas market

On arrival we couldn't help but pay a quick visit to the Christmas Market which was a stone's throw from the Awards Venue, the Radisson Blu Hotel. We spent a good half an hour sampling different cheeses and working out whether it was ok to have pesto and coconut in a cheese - obviously not in the same cheese! After taking in and savouring the sights, sounds and smells of the market, we made our way to the venue ready to take us our seats. Being an avid awards goer this year, we like to think we can tell whether we're in for a lucky night. We were all sat on the judges table, so surely a good sign, right?

Our digital team celebrating
on stage - well done!

We were over the moon as the Digital team picked up first place for Best Website. A truly fantastic achievement, and very well deserved after all of their hard work! Unfortunately, we didn't manage to win this time round in the category of Best Postgraduate Prospectus. It was the biggy of the evening, with more than 11 universities all going for the coveted prize and so the competition was definitely steep. But we were very pleased to have made the short-list, and even managed to get a certificate for being a finalist.

Back in the office it's been an incredibly busy period as we get cracking with the 2015 Undergraduate Prospectus. We've been busy writing and refreshing all text, auditing all courses, and arranging new photography to best showcase our new facilities. It was Clare's first big photoshoot with us here at Bedfordshire, and so the team accompanied her to show her around the campuses and facilities and demonstrate the kind of shots we look for when putting a prospectus together. We were able to see the brand-new sports halls over at our Bedford campus, and although I've been with Bedfordshire for more than six years now, it was my first visit to the Alexander Sports Centre - oh the joys of following a sat nav and ending in sheer panic as it says "you have reached your destination" and you're in the middle of a residential area.

Brand-new Art & Design teaching space

I did enjoy going over to see the new Alexon building in the centre of Luton town, which is the new home for our Art and Design students. It was great to see such a professional looking creative space, and made for some excellent pictures which will feature in the new prospectus. We were able to showcase our Fashion students at work, as well as Interior Design students happily working away and commenting on different furniture designs, as part of their projects.

Aside from the prospectus, we're quite excited to be launching our new CRM system: Belong at Beds. We've been busy generating and uploading content, after many a training session, and are almost ready to go live. So keep checking back here to see how the live launch goes.