Strabane retailer, Lesley Mealiff of Cilento, was last night presented with a prestigious award at the Ulster Tatler People of the Year Awards 2009, which were held at a glittering ceremony in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast. The awards were presented by BBC personalities, Gerry Anderson and Sarah Travers, and featured 12 categories including fashion, hairdressing, hospitality, business and sport. The awards celebrate and reward local people who have proved to be inspirational in their field.
Lesley was jubilantly awarded Fashion Boutique Proprietor of the Year by a panel of judges tasked with selecting the winner from a hotly contested shortlist. Other big winners on the night included the BBC’s Christine Bleakley (Celebrity of the Year award) and actor Dan Gordon (Arts Personality of the Year).
Communities in the north east of the Province received a welcome boost with the announcement of a major funding package to tackle issues such as sectarianism and racism in the area. The North East PEACE III Partnership, which is supported by the European Union through the PEACE III Programme, was officially launched in Portrush on 10th September 2009. The launch acknowledged the award of £3.6million, by the Special EU Programmes Body, to the North East Council areas of Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Larne, Limavady, and Moyle for the delivery of a range of programmes aimed at challenging attitudes towards sectarianism and racism and to support conflict resolution and mediation throughout the area.
i2 is currently working with the Partnership in the delivery of the branding and communications aspects of the programme. To date, this has entailed the development of the North East PEACE III brand and a full suite of promotional materials including logos, stationary, displays stands, website (www.northeastpeace.com), programme launch, newsletters and ongoing publicity. It also includes working with the Partnership and ten project partners to ensure consistent use of the North East PEACE III brand, the sharing of best practice and the proactive promotion of positive success stories in the region.
The "Impact Marketing on a Shoestring" workshops were attended by more than 20 local businesses, both large and small, and were delivered by i2 on behalf of Strabane District Council. The workshops aimed to help local firms develop, plan and implement practical, low cost marketing ideas, thereby helping them to increase their competitiveness and grow their businesses.
Creating unique business ideas, increasing sales and planning low-cost marketing campaigns on a budget are all items on the agenda for a series of Marketing on a Shoestring workshops delivered by i2 on behalf Strabane District Council.
The first session is being held on Wednesday 6th May at the council offices in Strabane, followed by another two day-long interactive workshops over the next two weeks. The workshops have been developed to help local firms gain an understanding of those marketing ideas that are applicable to any business, simple to implement, and easy on the budget!
Anyone wishing to sign up should register online at www.14campaign.com or telephone Janice at 71886131.
Strabane primary school St Mary's Boys are in the final of the Northern Ireland Primary Schools Cup after overcoming Sacred Heart of Belfast. The match, which was held at the Dungannon Swifts Stangmore Park ground, saw St Mary's win by an impressive 5-1 scoreline. The Strabane boys are now set to meet Hardy (Portadown) in the final, who defeated St. John Baptist (Belfast) 4-3 on penalties in the other semi-final.
When the marketing budget is tight how do you get your message out? How do you stand out from the competition? How can you put a spark into your marketing efforts? These questions and more will be answered in this series of exciting and interactive workshops, which are being delivered by i2 on behalf of Strabane District Council, beginning on Wednesday 6th May 2009.
For further details or to book please contact Janice on 028 7188 6131, or fill in the enquiry form at www.14campaign.com
Pictured sending off another successful order from Balmoral Furniture are: Councillor Jenny Palmer, Vice-Chairman of the Lisburn City Council’s Economic Development Committee and key staff from Balmoral Furniture: Stephen Shaw (Production Director) Brian Lee (Senior Sales Executive) and Paul Moffett (Sales Director).
Balmoral, one of Ireland’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of furniture products to the Domestic, Office, Healthcare, Bar & Restaurant and Educational markets, was one of six Lisburn firms that successfully participated on i2’s Fastrack Sales Development Programme, which is funded by Lisburn City Council and aims to assist participant companies to develop quantifiable new sales opportunities and improve their approach to sales and marketing as a means of improving their long-term sustainability.