We have been encouraged by a clear rise in our number of new business meetings since March. It looks as if many companies are becoming more optimistic, although – as throughout this recession – some sectors are definitely chirpier than others. It will be interesting to see what impact the change in UK government has on this situation. Overall, we continue to believe that a recession is similar to a period of mourning, and that after a suitable period of grief everyone wants to return to ‘life us usual’. A more upbeat mood is definitely there, so let’s hope that the promised tax changes do nothing to unsettle it.

KDS, our travel and expense (T&E) systems client, has been running like a greyhound out of a trap since the arrival of its new sales and marketing supremo Dean Forbes. We have been working on all fronts to push out its new messages (about securing a return on investment for travel expenditures), with press releases in the works, successful trade media interviews, a new website proofed and amended, and a vendor briefing lined up with Gartner.

The Sunday Times, Britain’s dominant weekly broadsheet, will increase the volume and breadth of its business coverage as a result of Rupert Murdoch’s new online media strategy, says the paper’s new business editor Dominic O’Connell. (more…)

A good meeting with FiscalReps today to talk over ideas for more thought leadership articles. As our FiscalReps case study shows, even a company that doesn’t naturally generate press release opportunities can sustain a great PR programme by showcasing its thinking on industry trends. Given the latest tax and regulatory developments in the UK and continental Europe, we now have a fresh series of articles in the pipeline to keep FiscalReps front of mind through the insurance trade media.

A successful few days with Cessna at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE). The event is the largest and most important European trade fair for the business aviation industry and the mood is an important barometer for the industry’s prospects. Happily, things have looked much healthier than at last year’s show, when the atmosphere was fairly sombre and attendances were down. As ever, the media is here in force and we have had a busy few days supporting Cessna’s press conference, arranging on-site interviews and handling drop-in media enquiries. We’ve also eaten enough fondue to power us for the rest of 2010.