Here is an overview of some
of the key events organised by Mary FitzGerald Public
Relations and her PR/Event Management
team in the last year.
January
- Horses for Courses-Horseracing
Course, UCD
This was the seventh year running
this very successful 10 week adult education course in UCD. The course
attracted over 150 students who received lectures on everything from
bookmaking to racehorse ownership to handicapping. Key people within
the racing industry who lectured on the course included flat trainer
John Oxx, jockeys, Ruby Walsh, Johnny Murtagh and David Casey, Cian
O'Tiernigh, owner of Brave Inca, Paddy Power, Paddy Power Bookmakers
and Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive, Horse Racing Ireland. The highlight
of the course was the annual day trip to the world famous Coolmore Stud
in Fethard, Co Tipperary to view the world renowned stallions such as
Saddlers Wells, Dane Hill Dancer and the notorious Rock of Gibraltar!
Japanese company
Trend Micro, manufacturers and distributors of anti-virus software
who are listed on the NASDAQ and whose Irish operation is based in Cork,
employed the services of Mary FitzGerald Public Relations to
organise a nationwide giveaway promotion of their anti-virus software
discs. Over 50,000 anti-virus software discs were given away through
a special promotion with Computers in Business magazine, part of the
Sunday Business Post Newspaper. The promotion was very successful and
the company's Ireland and UK Marketing Director Tony Larks said "it
was the most successful promotion the company had run to date on a worldwide
basis". Mary FitzGerald Public Relations was also responsible on an
going basis for generating publicity for Trend Micro's quarterly results
which got high profile publicity in the Irish financial, business, news,
computers and technology press.
KCLR Radio
- Mary FitzGerald
who is a native of Kilkenny was the guest interviewee on Martin Bridgeman's
popular programme. The interview covered Mary's early years in Kilkenny
including her career as a Primary School teacher, a teacher of profoundly
deaf children, a successful television presenter with RTE television
as well as her current role as a PR consultant.
February
- Location,
Location, Location-Property investor's course-University of
Limerick
This was the second year running
this course in the University of Limerick and the focus of the course
was overseas investment property and the key steps required in building
a successful property portfolio. The course had over sixteen lecturers
including best selling property author, Maureen Moran, of 'Make Your
Property Work'. The course was very well attended with over 170 students
registered for the 8 weeks.
- Sunday
Business Post Property Expo- Main Hall,
RDS, Dublin
This was the third Sunday
Business Post Property Expo held in Dublin and run in conjunction
with iQuest and Mary FitzGerald Public Relations. It was
held this year in the Main Hall, RDS and was the biggest and most successful
one yet. There was a very focused marketing and PR campaign which included
prominent 48 sheets and six sheets on billboard and bus shelters around
Dublin, a nationwide radio and television advertising campaign, a press
campaign in the Sunday Business Post. The highlight of the PR/Marketing
campaign was the apartment giveaway in Bansko, Bulgaria on RTE's Late
Late show worth €250,000.
The show had over 100 exhibitors
selling overseas property in the UK, Europe, USA and as well as Dubai,
South Africa and Cape Verde. It attracted 10,000 visitors and in excess
of a billion's worth of property was sold over the three day event.
Following on from
the very successful launch of la crème's inaugural Breast Cancer
campaign sponsorship in October 2005, Mary FitzGerald Public Relations
generated extensive PR coverage particularly in the news and Recruitment
press for la crème's Pink Day which took place on Valentine's Day,
14th February. The staff in all la crèmes offices nationwide
dressed in Pink outfits for the day and both made a special donation
that day to the Breast Cancer campaign. The day was so successful that
it was repeated in October this year to tie in with la crèmes on going
sponsorship of Action Breast Cancer.
March
- Sunday
Business Post Property Expo, Silver Springs Hotel and Convention Centre,
Cork
This was the second Sunday
Business Post Property Expo again run in conjunction with iQuest
and Mary FitzGerald Public Relations held in Cork which was officially
opened by Minister for Enterprise
Trade and Employment, Michael Martin, TD. The show was a sell-out
once again and attracted excellent attendance and substantial amounts
of overseas property was sold.
April
- Fairyhouse
Racecourse-Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National
The Powers Whiskey Irish Grand
National was once again held on Easter Monday, 17th April
at Fairyhouse Racecourse. The Irish Grand National Race was won this
year by Point Barrow trained by Pat Hughes and ridden by Philip Carberry.
Great competition was also evident in the best dressed lady stakes sponsored
by Marks and Spencer and Powers Whiskey (Irish Distillers) where the
winner was Nicola Coonan wearing a beautiful cream wool suit and matching
accessories. Again it was a great sporting and social occasion and
Mary FitzGerald Public Relations were successful in getting the
event wide scale media coverage, particularly in the national and provincial
social and press pages as well as a major feature on RTE's Nationwide television
programme.
May
- Shanghai Vision
Asset Management
Mark Carroll, Managing Director
of Shanghai Vision, a company selling overseas property in Shanghai,
China expanded the service it was offering its clients and as a result
the company had a name change, Shanghai
Vision Asset Management. To reflect this new identity, Mary FitzGerald
Public Relations organised a number of high profile features on
the company including extensive coverage in the property and business
press and on radio.
- MoMuse
Summer Shopping Soiree Dublin.
MoMuse who specialises
in sourcing and selling unique French and Italian designer jewellery
and accessories held a summer shopping evening in Mitchell's Wine
Merchants, Kildare Street. Mary FitzGerald Public Relations notified
the press about it and the evening got particular mention by well known
Irish Times columnist Roisin Ingle on the Orla Barry show on Newstalk
among others.
July
- Newstalk 106
FM the Right Hook-George Hook, "Meet the Spin Doctors"
Mary FitzGerald made
her radio debut on NewsTalk 106 FM,
Right Hook programme as one of the regular panellists on the
"Meet the Spin Doctors" slot on Monday evenings. Topics covered
included a discussion of the media coverage of U2's defection of its
business interests to Holland, the Morris Tribunal report as well as
media coverage of the Rose of Tralee and All Ireland football and hurling
finals. It was great to meet the larger than life George Hook
who has his finger on the pulse and is not shy about giving his own
strong opinions on every topic, be it of a serious or light-hearted
nature. On one occasion he declared he was a "fan of rolled up skirts"
when a discussion on the length of school girls skirts in-sued in the
context of the cost of uniforms and books in a "back to school topic"!
All very highbrow and very George Hook!
September
- Property Ladder-Portobello
College
The successful Property
Ladder course which was run in 2005 in UCD was moved to Portobello
College. Topics covered included getting your foot on the property
ladder, tax and legal implications of buying property abroad and getting
involved in commercial and residential property syndicates. The course
once again proved to be very popular and had 16 lecturers and 170 students
on board.
- Launch of
M and R Property consultants
Successful property author
Maureen Moran from Cork and her business partner Robert O'Sullivan
set-up their own Property Consultancy, "M & R Property"
specialising in the UK market. Mary FitzGerald
Public Relations successfully announced the launch of this new business
to the business and property press.
- La crème
Breast Cancer Campaign
Miss Ireland, Sarah
Morrissey was the face of la crème
Breast Cancer campaign for 2006. la crème and the Premier
group announced they were supporting a national and local radio campaign
informing people to telephone the freephone Breast Cancer helpline if
they had any queries in relation to breast cancer or were recently diagnosed
with the disease. The event was launched by Mary FitzGerald Public
Relations and the campaign was successful supported by staff, candidates
and clients of the Premier Group nationwide.
October
- Sunday
Business Post Hey Big Spender Expo, RDS, Dublin
This show organised by the
Sunday Business Post in conjunction with iQuest and Mary FitzGerald
Public Relations was aimed at all SSIA holders who were looking
for ideas to consider in terms of spending or saving their valuable
SSIA fund. The show had a considerable number of overseas property exhibitors
as well as exhibitors selling cars, boats, fine art, and antiques. A
very imaginative marketing campaign was devised and a successful PR
campaign was launched which included television coverage on RTE's
Late Late Show, TV3- Ireland AM, The Gerry Ryan Show and the George
Hook programme on Newstalk etc.
November
Due to an expanding business
Mary FitzGerald Public Relations and her team moved into new offices
in the heart of Dublin's Business and
Georgian centre to Fitzwilliam Hall, Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2.
- Mo-Muse
Jewellery Evening
Mary FitzGerald Public Relations
assisted Managing Director of MoMuse
Jewellery, Margaret O'Rourke to highlight this shopping evening in
Mitchell's Wine Merchants with emphasis on it being a good evening
to source Christmas presents. The evening was very well attended and
MoMuse jewellery was featured on Ireland AM as suitable gifts for Christmas
presents.
December
Last but not least!
- Events which
Mary FitzGerald would like to acknowledge and which were very significant
in their own right included the following:
- Account
Director, Jackie Roberts (with the assistance of her husband Gerald!)
gave birth in February to a bouncing baby boy, Charles, Michael FitzGerald,
better known to all as "Charlie" and to date he is living
up to his name and like all "Charlies" before him, is making his
mark on this world!
- Honorary member
of the firm and Operations Director for the Sunday Business
Post Property Expo and HBS Expo, Hilary Hughes got
married in a "star studded" wedding in Italy to long-standing
partner, Duan Stokes.
- Congratulations
to everyone on these very happy occasions!
Moving forward
- Coming up in the
New Year, Mary FitzGerald Public Relations will be once again
responsible for some very high profile events including the Property
Ladder courses in February and September as well as the hugely
successful Sunday Business Post
Property Expos in the RDS in Dublin in February and in Cork in
March.
- The firm will also
continue to look after the PR and Event Management needs of a large
number of regular clients including the launch of the Premier Recruitment
Group's new Dublin office and the launch of a new overseas Property company
as well as the major launch of a new Property Web-site.
- A New
Service to be offered in 2007 will focus on Media
Training to include radio and television interview skills, presentation
and speech making skills on a one to one or group basis.
- Full details of
these and other events will be available on the web-site,
www.maryfitzgeraldpr.ie
Finally
I would like to sincerely thank
all my clients for their loyal support and continued business. I wish
you and your family a very Happy Christmas and a successful New Year.
Mary
FitzGerald
Managing Director
Mary FitzGerald Public Relations