Complete Media Group

After a highly competitive pitch, Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery, both part of All Leisure Holidays Ltd have appointed COMPLETE Media Group to handle their PR.

Geoff Lawrence, Sales and Marketing Director at All Leisure Group comments, “some of the most respected and recognisable names in Travel PR pitched for these accounts, yet COMPLETE really stood out. The team demonstrated their understanding of the market whilst bringing a fresh, integrated approach to our communications. COMPLETE’s depth of experience in related vertical markets also provides some fantastic cross-over opportunities and their perspective on our position within the cruise industry was in-tune with our aspirations.”

COMPLETE’s brief is to inspire a new generation of cruise enthusiasts and target existing cruise enthusiasts who have tried the big ships and now want a more cultural experience on a smaller ship. The agency will seek to differentiate Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery from their competitors by highlighting the unique benefits of both brands. COMPLETE aim to position both Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery as the cruise lines of choice for holiday makers with a thirst for knowledge who are keen to learn about the cultures and destinations they visit. The agency will also support and generate sales of individual cruise itineraries and over the longer-term, support after-sales care and brand-loyalty initiatives.

Jos Dewing, Marketing Manager at All Leisure Group adds; “COMPLETE understand that marketing activities need to focus on delivering sales and measurable ROIs, as well as increasing brand awareness. In the current economic climate, this is more important than ever. The energy and enthusiasm of the COMPLETE team was also a deciding factor and we look forward to working closely with them.”

For further information about Swan Hellenic or Voyages of Discovery, please contact, Helen Rainford, Jon Barron or Melissa Mailly-Thompson.

COMPLETE secure a full page review of Late at Tate in the Weekend Telegraph on Saturday, 21st March.

Written by Telegraph restaurant critic, Jasper Gerard, this piece features a review of Late at Tate at the Rex Whistler Restaurant at Tate Britain.

Awarded 4 out of 5 stars, Late at Tate is now fully booked for April, May and June!

The feature also includes Upstairs at the Bluecoat in the Three of a Kind section.

For more information, please contact Sarah Lewis or Gemma Massey.

We attended the Observer Food Monthly Awards and rubbed shoulders with food legends such as Alex James, Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall, Tom Parker Bowles, Jay Rayner & Mark Hix.

We also attended the launch of Wine Chap, http://winechap.com/index.php. Launched by wine guru Tom Harrow, Wine Chap is a new service to help customers make the most of drinking wine in restaurants. It reviews top restaurants on the basis of their wine lists, offering advice, food matching and general critique. It launched with 50 London restaurants and will be adding more weekly as well as expanding to New York among others, and launching a mobile platform to allow instant access for spontaneous meals out. They also run ‘Premier Crew’, a wine concierge and connections service.

COMPLETE has been appointed to handle PR for Bartercard, the world’s largest trade exchange. According to Tim Ashley-Sparks, Managing Director of Bartercard UK Ltd, “COMPLETE were appointed because we were hugely impressed by their integrated, fresh approach to communications and felt this reflected Bartercard’s culture of innovation. COMPLETE’s depth of experience and contacts in a diverse range of industries will also prove invaluable in promoting a product with as much scope and potential for growth as Bartercard.”

Bartercard works much like a credit card, but funded by clients’ own goods and services. On joining, account holders receive a plastic transaction card and an interest-free line of credit. They also receive monthly statements and a trader directory which lists the Bartercard labour pool. Account holders use their card to ‘buy’ other account holders’ goods and services, the value of which is deducted from their account. When members sell goods and services on the exchange, their Bartercard account is credited with trade pounds. The Bartercard concept can be summarised as ‘the bankability of spare capacity’.

Given recent global economic developments, Bartercard is totally relevant and is growing rapidly in the UK market. There is a real appetite for cost saving across industry, and innovative products such as Bartercard can meet this demand. Bartercard has led the way in developing innovative, sophisticated systems which enable account-holding businesses to exchange goods and services with other account holders, saving valuable cash, without having to engage in a direct swap.

Bartercard currently helps over 55,000 smart businesses in 10 countries around the world (over 4,000 in the UK) to increase sales, customer base, cash-flow and profit. It is likely the global economic crisis will only increase businesses’ need to barter their downtime and idle capacity.

To find out how Bartercard can benefit your business in the recession, contact Jon Barron or Gemma Massey for further information.

Last year, COMPLETE clients Tate and Bentley’s each received a nomination for the Drinking Out Excellence Awards 2008.
Earlier this year, COMPLETE attended the awards held at the St Martin’s Lane Hotel. See below for pictures featured in the magazine of our very own Sarah Lewis accompanying industry moguls Hamish Anderson of Tate, food expert Nigel Bardon and wine writer Tim Atkin.

For more information on Tate and Bentley’s, please contact Sarah Lewis or Gemma Massey

A fantastic foodie opportunity: The Guild of Fine Food launches a competition to find a judge for the Great Taste Awards 2009.

The search is on for one lucky winner to join the ranks of industry legends such as Mark Hix and Alex James by becoming a judge at the Great Taste Awards 2009. Premium quality food and drink of every kind from cheeses to pies to sorbets to cider from every corner of the UK - and even the rest of the world - are blind tasted by a panel of independent judges from all areas of the fine food business
The lucky competition winner will join such prestigious and well respected foodies as Charles Campion at the Real Food Festival 2009 at Earl’s Court on May 9th, where they will judge beer, wine, chocolate and espresso coffee. So the challenge is set for any budding amateur food critic that can punch above their weight, which may well have increased by the end of the day! To enter, would-be judges should write 500 words about why they should be chosen along with their foodie dreams and aspirations to gemma@completemediagroup.co.uk. The competition is open to foodies of any age and profession. The deadline is 30th April 2009. All applications will be judged by the Guild of Fine Food who organise the Great Taste Awards.

Adding another string to its illustrious bow, DISTIL (the three-day specialised spirit show, which runs alongside the London International Wine Fair) has announced the inaugural Distil Awards, to be held on Wednesday 13 May at Café de Paris, London.

It will be an awards ceremony and so much more! Compered by the one and only Miss Behave, expect a night of weird, wonderful and absurd entertainment while indulging yourself with 4 sponsored bars show casing spirit excellence and finery.

Jo Sturdy, event manager commented “This will be an awards ceremony like none other. Awards categories will range from Best International Cocktail Bar through to Best International Liqueur and the evening itself will celebrate everything that is innovative, quirky and outrageous in the international spirits scene today. Everyone is invited to dust down their finery and join us at our first international awards ceremony, where your needs will be catered for, your thirsts quenched and your whims indulged. Expect the unexpected!”

With a very limited guest list, tickets will be available on a first-come first-served basis. Please go to http://www.distil-london.co.uk/index.cfm?do=event.awards for more information or contact s.turner@hgluk.com.

Zizzi Charlotte Street opened its doors on Thursday 19th February, following a designer refurbishment of the venue itself and the revamped menu.

The popular Italian restaurant, located in the media and fashion district, has taken inspiration from its surrounding area for its redesign. Zizzi Charlotte Street boasts original features such as ‘cloud lights’ from French lighting designer Céline Wright, representing thought bubbles synonymous with the Charlotte Street ad agencies and vintage storage units and stainless steel olive vats, giving a minimalist feel, perfectly illustrating the fashion houses of nearby Oxford Street. The redesign also incorporates the work of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design’s student Camille Rousseau in the form of light instillations.

The menu supports the new Italian flare of the interior, with dishes such as Calamari served with a garlic and basil dip, Agnello Al Forno – lamb shank, slowly braised served with Tuscan potatoes and fine green beans and the fantastic new Pizza Rustica, an alternative base option for your pizza. Just choose any of our pizza’s and upgrade to the new Rustica range, for a bigger, thinner and crispier base served on large wooden boards. The Charlotte Street branch is the first Zizzi restaurant to serve the new menu, launching in the remaining restaurants on the 4th March. There is also an express menu available for diners in a hurry, offering a 2 course meal plus a drink for £13.50.

To celebrate the opening of the refurbished restaurant Zizzi will be offering diners the opportunity to sign up to the Zizzi loyalty card and benefit from a 10% discount offer after 2pm everyday, just ask a member of staff at the Charlotte Street branch. The restaurant will also open at the earlier time of 11.30am, perfect for an early lunch or business meeting with a traditional Italian coffee.

For more press information, please contact:

Charlotte Read or Nilam Jadav