PLMR Sport and Leisure Credentials

8/9/2019 PLMR Sport and Leisure Credentials

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SPORTS &LEISURE

CREDENTIALS

ABOUT PLMR

SPORTS AND

LEISURE

OUR SERVICES

SECTOR

EXPERIENCE

WHAT OUR

CLIENTS SAY

PLMR

Church House

29 Great Smith Street

Westminster

SW1P 3BL

T. +44 (0) 207 622 9529

E. [email protected]

W. www.plmr.co.uk
http://www.plmr.co.uk/about/awards-and-accreditations


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ABOUT PLMR

Launched in 2006, PLMR now has a thirty-strong team, whose members have worked as

journalists in papers and on television, in the Civil Service, the third sector, across political

parties, in campaigning NGOs, in Parliament and local government.

In 2014 we won PR Weeks prestigious best political campaign in the UK award. In 2013/ 2014

we were named the UKs top public affairs agency, having beenvoted Agency of the Year at

the Public Affairs News Awards. PLMR has been repeatedly recognised for the quality of our

work, and have won two Gold Lions for Public Affairs and Best Use of Media Relations at the

prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

SPORTS AND LEISURE

Whether it is winning planning permission for a new development, negotiating with treasury

officials about your tax regime or managing the reputation of your sport amongst the wider

public in the middle of a challenging crisis, PLMR understands the issues and challenges that

sports and leisure clients face every day. Our consultants have created and delivered

campaigns to secure tax changes delivering substantial bottom line benefits to the bingo

industry and the travel sector and that have changed attitudes to horse racing amongst

politicians and the general public. Our team includes former parliamentary candidates and

councillors and experts who have advised political party leaders and cabinet members and

we number in our midst one Olympic torch bearer, numerous triathletes and an author whose

work has been shortlisted for the British Sports Book awards.

We know that clients in the sports and leisure sector need to establish and maintain close,

effective relationships with stakeholders, policy makers, players, spectators and customers

that stand the test of time. Working closely with our clients, including an Olympic venue,

sports regulators, trade associations, and one of the worlds largest nightclub brands , our

experience has seen us assemble wide-ranging coalitions and position our clients at the

forefront of the debate, protecting then in times of crisis, raising their profile and helping

them to win new supporters and participants.

At PLMR we are proud of the quality and creativity of our corporate communications services

and we have supplied timely and effective support to clients on the most challenging and

sensitive of briefs. We have worked with clients of all sizes and working across a diverse range

of modes, providing them with high-level political and media counsel, public and media

relations, issues and crisis management, planning permission advice, social media and

integrated campaign strategy.

PLMRs skills, expertise and knowledge have helped ensure that our clients are able tomeet challenging commercial objectives whilst protecting and enhancing their

reputations.


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OUR SERVICES

Public and Media Relations

Delivering the media coverage that our clientswant is one of our core services, whether it is

television or radio, national, regional or local

newspapers, trade or sectoral media, or the

ever important digital world.

PLMR achieves thousands of pieces of press

coverage for its clients every year, all the time never losing sight of our cl ients precise

strategic goals. By generating positive coverage and building organisational reputation we

can drive occupancy, strengthen recruitment efforts and bolster internal and external

stakeholder confidence in your brand.

We work tirelessly with clients to develop strategies that build the foundations for positive

engagement now and in the future.

We can handle your communications for you, so that you can get on with the

work that matters: running your organisation.

Crisis and Issues ManagementEffective crisis management is an essential

part of protecting reputation for those in

the sports and leisure sector. With activities

that are already in the public eye there is no

second chance to get it right. Poorly

handled crises can have long term

implications for any sport or leisure activity.

Successful crisis management involves a rapid, thoughtful response to mitigate negativepress. At PLMR, we are equipped to provide immediate media relations assistance, offering a

24/7 service to our clients.

We will help you react to difficult situations with a range of practical and

proven support. Our experience allows us to successfully manage even the most

serious of reputational challenges.


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Lobbying and Public AffairsIn our open and democratic political system,

political decision-making and the forming of

public policy can be influenced by

organisations and individuals. If you want toengage with government policy that directly

impacts your organisation, we can help you

identify the key stakeholders and reach out to

them.

Whether Public or Private Bills, Public Acts, Statutory Instruments, Private Members Bills, Acts

from Scottish Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly or Welsh Assembly, the

implementations of EU Directives and Regulations, Ministerial Orders, the actions of

QUANGOs, Government Departments or arms length bodies, we can help you get results.

We work closely with clients to refine their messaging into compelling cases which resonate

with decision-makers.

At PLMR, we will help you to maximise the potential benefits of, and minimise

the risk from, the political environment.

Media Training and FacilitationA confident interview performance, whetherfor a proactive positive story or in response to

a reputational challenge, takes preparation

and skill so that you can guide the discussion

in the right way. At PLMR we have the

experience to teach you how its done.

Former BBC journalist Mike Ramsden will lead you through your bespoke training plan, full of

hands-on practice, real-world techniques and illustrative examples. Mike is interviewed

thousands of people on radio and television in his twenty year career, and can show you the

tricks journalists use to get the result they want. Our training team will explain how to avoid

those pitfalls, and deliver the messages you want to convey. Practical sessions, featuring

different interview scenarios, will make your media performances polished. Through PLMRs

media training we can build the national profile of your organisation by helping you become

a leading spokesperson for your sector. We also provide 24 hour on-going support to ensure

you are preparedday or night.

We will prepare you to deliver your message in a

clear, concise and compelling way.


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Digital auditing

Digital channels of communication, from

Twitter and Facebook to Vimeo and Vine, can

help amplify the messaging of traditional

forms of media. PLMR will assess your online

presence and propose and carry out an onlinemedia strategy to ensure that the digital world

works for you.

As customers, monitoring bodies and other key stakeholders take social media into their own

hands, the effective use of, and engagement with, social media is now more important than

ever for those involved in sports and leisure. Our services cover websites, social media

presence and SEO (search engine optimisation). We can assess, create and implement a plan

for your digital strategy.

We will ensure that online channels support, rather that distract from, yourgoals.

Planning Permission AdviceIf you need planning permission to enable

you to grow your organisation, we can help

you get it. If you are challenging a planning

application, we can help you oppose it. The

PLMR team has many years experience of

the UKs planning system and a track record

of success for our clients in both winning, andopposing planning applications.

We know how the decision-making process works, and can help identify your key local

opinion-formers and decision-makers.

We will navigate you through the system and ensure the right messages reach

the right people.

Campaign StrategyOur staff possess invaluable political

experience, having worked in Westminster,

the Civil Service, and as researchers and PR

consultants. These experiences have allowed

our team to develop an understanding of the

centres of power in British politics.

From day one, PLMR has been a fully integrated agency, meaning that we are perfectly placed

to approach projects like campaigns by bringing together political and media expertise to shift

public and political opinion.

We help develop effective campaigns.


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OUR SECTOR EXPERIENCE

THE HORSE COMES FIRST

A Sporting Alliance Campaign

SituationHorse racing in Britain is run by people with a deep passion for horses who deliver the highest

levels of care for the animals involved. However, the sport has come under a concerted attack

from animal rights groups who would like to see the horse racing banned.

SolutionPLMR proposed forming a welfare campaign alliance, bringing together the British

Horseracing Authority, the Jockey Club, racecourses, owners, trainers, stable staff and

jockeys. The aim of the campaign was to equip racing with messages and information to

enable them to defend the sport with a confident and consistent line.

After a comprehensive review of equine

welfare research, PLMR developed new,

stronger, confident welfare messaging.

Drawing on our consultants experience

working on party political campaigns in the

UK and USA, we produced videos, posters,

leaflets, print and online advertising

promoting the proud welfare record of the

sport. We used the alliance to ensure that

the messaging was widely shared around

the sport.

PLMR organised campaign events at

racecourses including Aintree, Epsom,

Sandown, Hamilton and Perth and stands at

open days at training centres. The campaign video A Duty of Care played on giant screensat racecourses and in betting shops all around the country. It was also featured on Channel 4

racing. A network of advocates were recruited and briefed to provide rapid responses to the

local and regional media. Members of Parliament were invited to visit to see training and

veterinary facilities at Epsom and given a behind the scenes tour to see the high welfare

standards being maintained on race days.

Success

Racing has united to get itself onto the front foot on welfare issues. The campaign messaging

is now being consistently used across the sport by all the different participants who now

respond rapidly and confidently to any attacks. Private polling conducted for the campaign by

ComRes has shown a positive shift in public support for racing.


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Boost Bingo Campaign

THE BINGO ASSOCIATION

An integrated lobbying campaign

SituationBingo is played in 400 clubs across Britain by 3.5 million active members. While most other

gambling activities were taxed at 15% or less, the bingo industry paid bingo duty at 20%.

Investment in the industry was being stifled, clubs were closing and jobs were being lost.

SolutionPLMR devised the Boost Bingo campaign aimed at achieving a 5% tax reduction in the 2014

Budget. The campaign positioned bingo as the solution to how politicians could engage withthis key electorate. To do this, the campaign sought to increase public support for bingo -

through national, local, regional and sectoral media as well as social media - with a total of

340,000 people signing a petition calling for a tax cut, which was delivered to the Chancellor

ahead of the Budget. PLMR worked with design partner Perfect Day to create colourful

campaign materials and then arranged the delivery of all materials to almost 400 bingo clubs

in the UK. PLMR also drafted an operational manual for each bingo club to ensure the whole

industry was on board with the campaign. MPs supported the campaign because they saw

bingo as a channel to engage with a large, hard-to-reach section of the voting public.

SuccessThe Treasury listened. Responding directly to the

momentum created, Chancellor George Osborne

praised a robust campaign in his Budget speech.

He said; They want the rate cut to 15%. I can go

further. Bingo duty will be halved to 10% to protect

jobs and protect communities.

The tax reduction was front page of the UKs most-

read newspaper, The Sun, and unlocked

investment of at least 30 million a year for the

industry, providing a stimulus for new clubs to

open, others to be refurbished, and jobs to be

created. The 2014 Budget became known as The

Bingo Budget.


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BRITISH HORSE SOCIETYA lobbying campaign engaging the societys membership

SituationThe British Horse Society is a large membership organisation representing leisure riders and

those who care for horses. Members of the BHS were increasingly concerned about the

prevalence of ragwort in and around land that is used by horses. Ragwort is a wild flower that

can poison horses and in some cases lead to their death.

SolutionPLMR devised a strategy to engage

the membership of the BHS in a

campaign to tackle ragwort and

protect horses.

The first step was to organise a

detailed survey, supported by

Defra, which would assess, for the

first time, the level of awareness

and concern about ragwort in the

horse riding fraternity. By

promoting the survey through social media, email, national, local and sectoral media andproducing a short video, PLMR generated a massive response to the survey with over 14,000

people completing the on-line questionnaire.

PLMR secured a ministerial summit with Defra and 50 representatives of major stakeholders

in the sector to announce the results of the survey and agree a strategy for tackling ragwort

in the future.

SuccessAs a direct result of the campaign, the BHS has been commissioned by Defra to create a toolkit

for local groups to deal with ragwort in their areas. BHS also won high level backing for its

proposal to set up Ragwort Action Partnerships with local authorities in rural areas to ensure

that ragwort is properly and appropriately controlled and horses are protected from the risk

of poisoning. BHS secured coverage for its campaign in local, national and specialist media.

Importantly, the BHSs members saw the organisation established to speak up on their behalf

campaigning forcefully on an issue that directly affects the health and welfare of the horses

that they care about so deeply.


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MINISTRY OF SOUND

A planning campaign to save the club

SituationWhen proposals for a 41-storey residential building next door to The Ministry of Sound posed

a direct threat to the future of the nightclub, PLMR delivered an integrated campaign to

mobilise decision-makers, club-goers, DJs, artists, and the general public to save the club.

SolutionPLMR worked closely with The Ministry of Sound to create the Save our Club campaign and

raise awareness of Ministry as an integral part of the UKs cultural fabric. The campaign

emphasised the valuable role Ministry plays as a business that contributes millions to the local

community, employs hundreds of people and has a positive impact on the community.

Deploying a focused strategy, the Save our Club campaign targeted key audiences including

the London politicians who would decide the fate of the club as well as high-profile advocates

and the wider public.

SuccessOver the course of a six month campaign more than 25,000 people signed a petition to protest

the developers plans, celebrities such as UK number one recording artists Example and

Wretch 32 spoke out publicly in defence of the club and the Ministry gained significant

coverage across local, national and

international media. The Save our

Club campaign generated a huge

amount of web traffic, and to date the

campaign website has received 760,000

visits and over 680,000 social

networking interactions.

Londons Southwark Councils PlanningCommittee voted 5-1 to save the

worlds most famous nightclub, against

the explicit recommendations of

Planning Officers.

When the application was called in by the Mayor of London the developer finally agreed to

measures that would guarantee Ministry of Sounds future.


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WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY ABOUT US

"Working with PLMR is one of the best decisions Ive made sincebecoming Chief Executive. Their energy, commitment and creativity

is fantastic - I cant say enough about them!"The Bingo Association 2014

The Horse Comes First campaign, now in its third year, has greatlybenefited from the comprehensive communications and lobbying

support offered by PLMR. British Racings reputation on equine

welfare is of critical importance to the future of our industry, and

PLMRs work on The Horse Comes First has assisted in conveying,

clearly and concisely, the importance which our industry places on

providing first class care and attention every day to our equine

athletes.

British Horseracing Authority 2014

PLMR are first class strategic thinkers with highly-tuned political

antennae. They will always go above and beyond the call of duty for

clients.

Cancer Research UK 2014

Your work has been transformational in making our campaign

work.

Ministry of Sound 2013

Documents

PLMR Sport and Leisure Credentials