Next stop….Rehab!

“We only have 300 test tubes, do you think that will be enough shots on the door?”

This was the question my colleague was asking me this time two weeks ago, as we prepared for the infamous GBC and Chocolate Communications media party. To be honest I was unsure, we had an unprecedented amount of media RSVP this year, ranging from influential UK bloggers to journalists who had once upon a time received all press releases in the post.

The tongue in cheek ‘Break Free from Rehab’ theme had already resulted in a real buzz about the party and we didn’t want to disappoint. In retrospect we had nothing to worry about, even though we had almost 200 journalists in attendance we were well prepared.

The venue was perfect; a new place in Soho, London called Club 49. The staff were also fantastic, quickly creating an assortment of tasty shots for consumption by the attendees who didn’t have an early start the next day (or had simply forgot). The role of these shots in the decision to have a break dancing competition at midnight is also still up for debate.

The only complaint of the night – that the next party isn’t until the new year. But at least some comfort can be taken from the fact they can still check out the pics on this Flikr site.

Hello?....I'm on a plane right now

So... using a mobile on board a flight is becoming a reality, according to not only Ofcom but Ryanair who were pleased to announce the new service to passengers on their entire fleet from 2008. While some airlines seem to be excited about this, I have so far not come across anyone who thinks this will do anything in the way of improving their in-flight experience. In fact, I recently saw that The Daily Telegraph started a petition to keep airlines mobile free citing passenger sanity and security reasons and so far 5,332 readers have signed up.

Having travelled by plane only yesterday and experienced voicemails, screeching ringtones and reminders beeping through the cabin seconds after touch down, the potential horror of allowing mobiles on planes hit me. It's hard enough to sleep on any flight or even relax with a good book. Imagine trying to sleep with the sound of your fellow passenger making a call explaining what he's just had for lunch, where he is on the world map, what films he'll be watching.. the list is endless and we know these types of conversations too well from train and bus journeys.... Now imagine a Boeing 747 with 490 mobile phones on board. While I'm all for technology, in this case I really do enjoy having a mobile free in-flight experience.

Consolidating IT Security industry

Gosh another IT security specialist is gobbled up. Intended consequences are that an IT security vendor becomes an even bigger one stop shop covering all possible defences against an ever widening and proliferating range of threats. Unintended consequences are that some nicely stitched together OEM deals to plug together - for example - separate vendors' anti-spam and anti-spyware products into one integrated offering look like they'll be torn apart as new owners build their expanded security portfolios

Last Ring Tones of Phone Box Recorded Online

A sneaky look at my neighbour's plans for a conservatory opened my eyes to how much more information UK councils are putting online. Full PDFs of planning applications are now available online. Only drawback is web site performance which can be pitifully slow and crashed my laptop twice - but anything is better than actually visiting a council office.

Having found my neighbours plans (perfectly sound by the way) I noticed that many of the other planning notices are for the removal of the BT telephone boxes. Seems phone boxes are being converted into illuminated signs. So, looks like the mobile is finally killing off a British street corner icon. Finland has already declared the public payphone extinct. And now the last rites of the UK payphone are being recorded online. Could the pillar box be far behind ....?

High Tech May Avoid US Economic Blues

I just had the pleasure of returning from my reconnaissance mission in San Francisco. It’s a city known for its tech haven and occasional earthquake, but I would prefer to avoid thinking about earthquakes given I’ll be heading out there to open up shop for GBC this month.

Even with talk of the sub-prime mortgage crisis echoing in the background, the tech market seems to be determined to steam ahead. It was good to hear so many felt that the heady days of ‘99 are back. No one is whispering about working for an Internet start-up and are proud to admit they are apart of the Web 2.0 bonanza.

Nonetheless, everyone was much more open about admitting to the mistakes made in Web 1.0 and ensuring they learn from them.

Upon boarding the plane back to the UK, I was left with the distinct impression that while everyone is open to the possibility of another tech crash there's still a lot of money seeking home and adding fuel to the fire…which certainly bodes well for a tech PR agency eager to take part in the action.

good news for recruitment

Code of practice for headhunters

What great news, PR Week 28th September 07, a code of practice has been launched to stop that ridiculous practice of recruitment agencies poaching staff they have only recently placed with an employer.

It's been rife in the PR industry for many years now. Every two years, a PR agency knows that the recruitment agency will be back in touch with the person they placed, encouraging them back out again …so just as the individual was starting to make a real impact on the business and more importantly on client work…invariably the recruitment agency will be encouraging them out again and they get fees twice over for doing virtually nothing other than making a phone call.

However, just because there is a new code of practice…I suspect (judging from the reaction of the recruitment agents) that nothing much will change. The challenge now will be to make sure it is taken seriously and actually implemented across the industry..until such time as they find a way of doing that, we are just paying lip service to the problem. And of course, ultimately, the problem remains the same..as we all know good PR people are few and far between.

SCG

New Public Affairs Blog Goes Live

Our public affairs team has launched their first blog inspired by the Labour Party conference. So expect some intial tales of life at the politico coalface, a quick review of what fringes tickled their political fancies and much more besides