Prepare for take off

A fantastic start to 2012 brought a busy January and the launch of Spire Payments as a new, independent European player in the electronic payments vendor market, with RT at the forefront leading the creation of a strong brand to rival its competitors and helping to provide a firm platform for Spire’s strategic growth plans.

In less than three weeks from the initial meeting with the team at Spire, we had delivered the complete package – a new name, brand, brand messaging, a working web site in English and Spanish, signage, promotional and packaging materials, an extensive set of data cards, communication materials, stationery and other small details – right down to the signatures on staff emails and the packing tape!

Dave Millener, Managing Director at Spire Payments in the UK explains:

 “From the outset we had a very good working relationship with the team at RT. They just understood what needed to be done and got on with it, whilst contributing with a good flow of ideas, which gave our thoughts and ideas positive direction. It helped that they were just down the road in Wimborne, as it meant we could provide the direct input dictated by the deadline, literally sitting alongside the designers. The outcome was that we achieved our goal and, given the deadlines set, were actually in great shape the day we launched the new company to the market. Our customers both here and in Spain were very impressed that so much had been done, in so little time.”

We are looking forward to a roll-out of activities in 2013 including videos, training materials and the next phases of web site development.

Another memorable launch in the early stages of 2012 came on January 25th at London’s Cloud Expo, 2012 when longterm client C4L launched Infiniserv, one of its new brands and offerings, which is ‘removing the limitations you inherit with off the shelf virtualisation products’.

Being used to working with fast paced businesses and meeting tight deadlines and the successful launch of new group brands for C4L, a leading data centre and connectivity solutions provider really put our responsiveness to the test and we welcomed the challenge!

Working in conjunction with C4L, RT Media provided a range of options, from which the final brand design was selected. We worked closely with the team at C4L to understand its core values in order to create a design which would convey the cutting edge nature of this technology. Intangible services, especially those which are ground breaking, such as Infiniserv, are often the most challenging when it comes to brand development.  Since time was of the essence, the launch at a major trade show was critical in terms of ensuring the stand, website, marketing materials and literature would all be deliverable and we were all delighted that our hard work during this stretched and busy period paid off.

Stephen Dann, Group Marketing Manager at C4L, said:

“RT Media has created an arresting identity for Infiniserv at a time when image and identity are essential for ensuring differentiation in a crowded market.  The team has fully grasped concepts which are sometimes difficult to convey; creating a brand which, in my view, is spot on.”

2013 will see us continuing to work alongside C4L to launch many other products into the global market.

Hitting hard with Social Impact

In February 2012 we launched ‘Get Social in 2012’; a program of Social Media Training courses and Social Impact Audits with the aim of helping clients and other businesses to meet their online and social potential.  The aim is to strategically review campaigns, tighten content and ensure brand continuity across a business’ online presence.

Phase One, a training course covering an Introduction to Social Media, LinkedIn, Twitter, Better Blogging and Facebook for Business, was well received by businesses attending, scoring highly for value, content and detail.

Our ‘Get Social in 2012’ programme was a great success and was highly recommended afterwards by its delegates, Robert Bennet of Groveley Detection said:

“This course gave me a good insight into what is obviously becoming a very important area for any business to add to their marketing programme.” Dr. Monica Seeley of Mesmo Consultancy added: “Excellent – well-presented, clear, learnt plenty (even as an existing blogger). [This course is] a must for anyone wanting to improve their blogging.”

Phase Two offers companies who are serious about assessing and addressing their online presence a ‘Social Impact Audit’. RT Media examines the online social activity of a business to identify areas for improvement, provide techniques for generating good quality content, including points which can save time as well as money, whilst generating better returns.

Ruth Chester of The Little Knitting Company was pleased with the new insight gained and explained:

“Yet again RT Media came up trumps. They understood my brief so on arrival the supporting notes for our workshop demonstrated the thorough research undertaken in preparation. I left with a much clearer understanding not only of how social media works but of how it can benefit my business.”

Working to make visions into reality

As we entered Spring-time of 2012, we began our involvement in one of the biggest and most significant projects for Sony that we had previously undertaken and April saw us embark on the start of a 5 month journey which was the rebuild of the Professional Sony website for Europe.

The project was extremely challenging in terms of scope and timeline but we were confident we had the expertise to be able to provide the publishing and content management resources to help the website go live on a brand new platform with a completely new streamline and sleek design, in-line with the new creative branding. We collaborated with Sony to provide advice and support relating to new content, layouts, banner designs, copywriting and translations and also providing the man-hours needed to transfer all of the content across to the new system.

After participating in the website user testing in Istanbul we continued to support Sony as the website was put live and entered the on-going post go-live support period which came to an end on the 14th August 2012. It took a tremendous effort from all involved at Sony and RT Media, but the collaboration and teamwork was fantastic throughout. See what’s so special about the all new pro.sony.eu here.

Celebrations and Revelations

In May we had the utmost privilege of attending Pramacare’s 30th Anniversary event, where their new-crafted RT Media brand identity was unveiled for the first time. Prama was launched in 1982 by the late Dr Chris Moran with a vision to provide support to people within their own homes following hospital discharge to enable vulnerable adults and older people to enjoy independent living.

The Anniversary event celebrated 30 years of providing home care services for local people and the launch of the new logo coincided with this to demonstrate the Prama vision. We worked with Pramacare to make sure their new brand identity further emphasised their company values and their compassion and integrity.

Jeff Russell, Chief Executive said:

 “Our new logo demonstrates that we aim to show Christian love and compassion in practical ways to bring a smile to the face of older people”.

June brought celebrations as the 12th anniversary of RT Media was upon us! The team enjoyed a BBQ despite the poor weather and we posted on Facebook to thank everyone who has been a part of RT over the years… glasses raised to the next 12 years!

Another exciting project came in June when RT was chosen by Tetra Pak, the world’s leading food processing and packaging solutions company to develop a revolutionary tool to help their Sales teams demonstrate the features and benefits of each of their different packaging options to better suit and taylor individual needs to their clients. Working closely with customers and suppliers, Tetra Pak provide safe, innovative and environmentally sound products that each day meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people, so being chosen was a big moment for RT in 2012 and we are thrilled to be part of the process to improve communication and sales for such a well-established and heavyweight company such as Tetra Pak.

As Late June approached we were delighted to announce that RT Media became the website Sponsor for the 2012 Dorset Business Awards by providing the site for the 2012 awards. The awards launched on 27th June and companies were able to enter from 2nd July. The Dorset Business Awards are on a par with any national business awards, receiving high level sponsorship support from regional and national companies, as well as a year-on-year increase in entries. Businesses throughout the county clearly value the status attached to being shortlisted or winning an award. The beauty of the Dorset Business awards is that they are judged by business peers across the County and have come to represent the rich, diverse and colourful range of businesses that our economic region has to offer and we’re so proud to be a part of it this year.

We redesigned and rebuilt the Dorset Business Awards website to assist with the online application process. We had a very tight timescale and an unmovable deadline but we launched on time and the response from the website was great. The guys at DBA were pleased with the application system we custom built along with the analytical data it provided and the way in which they could track and manage applications. We have future plans to improve the application process further this year in time for the 2013 awards which will make the user experience even better still.

Shirley Ewart from Dorset Chamber who organises the Dorset Business Awards said:

 “We are so pleased to be working with RT Media on this project as without the support of Sponsors the year-long awards process would not be possible. We have some great companies across Dorset and we’re looking forward to once again finding those hidden gems via the entry process.”

Giving back

On 27th July, Ross was ‘arrested’ for charity and issued with convict overalls before being paraded through Bournemouth to a cell in the square with nothing but bread and water (and an ipad!) to get him through the day. We would just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who helped raise his ‘bail’ and helped raise funds for the great causes: Lee-manning Hospice and The Wessex Autistic society. The grand total after the event was a fantastic £448.98 and one of the many highlights of our summer!

Innovative design, developments and support

In October the design for the weird and wonderful Cuckooland.com website was revealed and we were very proud to announce that their brand new website went live and ready for business.

Cuckooland.com offers luxury, original gifts for all occasions. Visit www.cuckooland.com for some fantastic ideas including their top ten gifts for women, babies, couples, lovers and even your furry friend! Since October we have provided on-going creative work with a unique twist to suit the brands quirky style including visuals for web, identity and branding, stationery, newsletter and banners.

Nathalie Davis, Director at Cuckooland.com said:

“Ross and his team were incredible, they made us dig deep and we brainstormed together. After a day of really listening to us, RT Media got us completely and a few days later came back to us with some logos and visuals for us to play around with. There in front of us, on a big white sheet, were our thoughts and dreams for Cuckooland – a brilliant, simple logo and the most beautiful images to back it. We are totally delighted with the result and see a long, enjoyable future between Cuckooland.com and RT Media.”

It has been a busy and productive year for our very own Original Mug For life! Some highlights include our Tea and Coffee Lovers gift packs which went on sale over the Christmas period and some nicely designed interactive emails which were sent out to our database of Mug For Life followers to give them more insight into the best Christmas gift!

The Original Mug For Life brand has gone from strength to strength over the last few months, and continues to provide sustainable, environmentally friendly and re-usable mugs for your hot drinks on-the-go, available to purchase through the Mug For Life website www.mugforlife.com or on www.amazon.co.uk/The-Original-Mug-For-Life. More and more people are seeing the benefits of having a Mug for Life instead of the traditional disposable cups. Our first little promotional video for Mug For Life was a bit of fun to show it in action in everyday life and showed examples of how you can use it to make a difference. We got some great feedback and even inspired a whole host of followers to post their own Mug For Life videos and positive feedback on our MFL Facebook page!

There are some exciting developments in the pipeline for Mug For Life in 2013 as the brand continues to grow and inspire people every day to think twice and about ‘sinning and binning’ and do their little bit for the environment. Watch this space!

Following on to 2013…

Our on-going support for Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals continued throughout 2012. We provided support with their email communications and supported the transition when they migrated to new CRM software. We also redesigned their email and landing pages when they rebranded from World Check to Thomson Reuters. In addition, we redeveloped one of their speciality sites, FATCA, which went live just before Christmas and are continuing to work alongside them to improve, expand and enhance the site along with FATCA email communications.

We look forward to continuing to support their on-going monthly email marketing and website activity in 2013 and our professional relationship with Thomson Reuters is one that is developing year on year and one that is valued and thought highly of within the team.

Many new projects and ventures took place throughout 2012 that are still in progress in 2013. RT worked with Groveley Detection, a global manufacturer of fire and gas detection products for use in hazardous areas, to design, build and launch their Groveley Ultrasonic website. We are currently re-designing and re-building their main website which is due to launch in 2013. RT also helped develop an online gas leak detection simulator for Groveley Detection, an app to help advise customers of the advantages they will experience from upgrading their standard single point gas detectors to Groveley Ultrasonic Incus detectors. After a successful re-brand we are continuing to work alongside Groveley Detection to support their print collateral, stationery and datacards and look forward with anticipation to the up-and-coming launch of their main Groveley website.

We also had the pleasure of working with Nunet – a bespoke manufacturer of presentation, promotional and POS products. The success of Nunet is based on offering a wide and fully-customisable product range, together with the capability to develop conceptual designs into actual products and RT Media were delighted to be leading the redesign, development and the launch of the newly architectured promotional goods website including the shooting, editing and production of their new corporate promotional video.

Another project that commenced in 2012 that we are particularly proud of has just come to a head this February was for Autism Wessex, formerly The Wessex Autistic Society. A regional charity providing high quality specialist services for people affected by autism and associated difficulties across the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. The charity began a comprehensive rebranding in 2012 to better reflect its commitment to remaining current and relevancy to its beneficiaries in a changing world. We engaged in research and focus groups with the team which helped inform the headline change, the new charity name of Autism Wessex!

Hand-in-hand with this came a new brand identity and guidelines for Autism Wessex including the logo and the resulting sub brands of Community Wessex and Portfield School. The new brand was unveiled at a special event held at AFC Bournemouth recently attended by actress and entrepreneur Jane Asher, who is also President of the National Autistic Society.

Bob Lowndes, Chief Executive of the charity commented:

“The name Autism Wessex was chosen because the focus group feedback revealed these elements were important. They set us apart from other organisations by simply telling everyone immediately who we help and where we are. The new look of our logo is a modern interpretation of our new name.”

Thanks

We are sure you can agree that 2012 was certainly a year of dedication, hard work and persistence for RT Media resulting in celebrations, and successes that could only have been brought about by the motivation and commitment of the team and all of our clients, colleagues and associates. We believe this has set the ground work for an even better 2013. Thank you to all.

2. Ensure your recommendations reflect your brand
Ideally, the recommendations that you display on your profile should reinforce your personal or company brand and represent how you want to be known as to others. Remember, you don’t have to publish every recommendation you receive if it doesn’t show your very best side…

 3. How many recommendations should I aim for?
10 is a good number of well-rounded reviews to shoot for (although obviously the more the better!). What’s really nice is when people are regular LinkedIn users and write you a recommendation without you even asking them – this can happen surprisingly often – just remember to say thank you!

However, not everyone is used to this practice so be persistent. Ask for recommendations personally wherever possible and explain why they are important to you, this shows that you are taking yourself seriously and you have put in the time and effort to get them.

4. Lead by example
And finally, there’s nothing to stop you making the first move – if you experience great service or receive valuable advice then tell people about it. It’s a nice feeling and you’ll make someone’s day!

Giving recommendations will increase your exposure and visibility in the industry, so you can also offer to ‘swap’ recommendations so everyone is a winner!.. Although, in order to maintain integrity ONLY recommend companies and individuals that you would happily recommend to your own family and friends!

Get in touch if you need RT Media to help with any aspect of your social media activity and Look out for our new refreshed LinkedIn profile before the end of this year.

In 1995 eBay was created as a new way for people to shop online. The logo was designed by Elissa Davis and embodied a welcoming excitement and a childlike energy. The baseline shift gave an unconventional and dynamic feel with its vibrant, primary colour palette and chunky lettering. eBay’s decision to change their well established and recognisable logo was not something taken lightly according to their online announcement last month:

“Our refreshed logo is rooted in our proud history and reflects a dynamic future. It’s eBay today: a global online marketplace that offers a cleaner, more contemporary and consistent experience, with innovation that makes buying and selling easier and more enjoyable. We retained core elements of our logo, including our iconic color palette. Our vibrant eBay colors and touching letters represent our connected and diverse eBay community – more than 100 million active users and 25 million sellers globally and growing.”

eBay worked with design and branding consultancy Lippincott on the refresh. Lippincott Senior Partner Su Matthews has said that the new logo is about change, but also retains an element of eBay’s heritage, which is equally important. The ‘visual harmony’ was inspired by today’s vibrant marketplace and sleek experiences and according to eBay president Devin Wenig it seeks to represent a new eBay: “a global online marketplace that offers a cleaner, more contemporary and consistent experience”.

There is a certain charm and personality about small start-ups that set them apart from the rest but as a company grows along with profit, it’s a frequently occurring pattern where technology brands such as AOL, Microsoft and Twitter have bowed to the pressure to appear more business-like and shift to a more professional logo with a more mature and established brand identity. Eventually, that quirky, characteristic logo becomes a polished corporate identity and suddenly it’s in danger of losing its charisma, it doesn’t seem so exciting anymore. eBay has become the latest digital brand to gesture its new-found adulthood with a simpler, more sleek logo.

For designers this is quite the conundrum. How do you maintain the values that built the business in the beginning without being a slave to aesthetics? The skill lies in finding the correct balance of visual expression, conformity and good design. Take Google for example the logo still retains the fun and naivety of the early days without the contemporary edge, but how long before it too feels the need to conform?

The new eBay logo will be officially rolled out across the websites, advertising and marketing campaigns by mid-October.
View eBay’s announcement page about their new logo here.

Get stuck in
According to Craig Newmark of Craigslist, David Karp of Tumblr, motivational speaker Tony Robbins and career writer Brian Tracy you need to schedule this period every day to get your head together and get stuck in. Write one important task down on a piece of paper before you leave for the evening and that will be the first thing you see in the morning. Prepare your workspace for the chosen task and make sure you have everything you need ready to face it head on when you arrive. That way it will seem a lot less daunting and often the people involved in the task will not yet be engaged, leaving you with fewer complications. Do this before wading into your email and you’ve got an effective system in place.

Don’t check your email first thing
Don’t do it! Although many of us automatically believe this needs to be done first thing, it’s almost a compulsion and can stunt productivity. Only proceed once your first task is completed, this is a great strategy to ensure that even on your most manic days you will end your day knowing you got at least one real job done. If you do need to make sure you receive important messages through at this time AwayFind can monitor your inbox and notify you if necessary. Otherwise, it’s worth letting your colleagues know that they won’t receive an immediate morning response to anything they have sent in your ‘out of hours’.

Work on yourself
Robin Sharma, one of the world’s top experts on leadership and personal success advises his clients to schedule in a ‘holy hour’ to kick start your day in a spiritual manor, focusing on motivating and inspiring yourself to achieve all possible success in your work day.

“The Holy Hour, as you know, is simply 60 minutes at the beginning of your day that you devote to self-mastery and personal development. If your outer life is really a reflection of the quality of your inner life, then it’s a brilliant move to spend at least an hour a day working on yourself. This simple idea alone has helped so many of our clients from around the world get to world-class in business and in life.

During my Holy Hour, I journal, I read inspirational books, I review my goals and plans and I simply make the time to think. Because clarity precedes mastery and the more clearly you can get on what you want to create in life, the more focused you will be in your daily behaviors. Every day can be a platform to get you closer to your mountaintop. And yet, too many people live life by accident.”

Deal with people
This may seem strange if your job is to deal with people,  but what I mean is your own equivalent of customer service. You will almost certainly have bigger fish to fry over the course of your 9 to 5 but use this time to get back to reality. This might mean keeping in touch with contacts from year-ago projects, checking in with colleagues that you don’t regularly interact with, asking questions to your supervisor or mentors, and generally managing the human side of work that is quick to subside between task list items. Engage in your customer service time regularly, and you’ll have a wealth of relationships to call upon when the time comes.

1975- This 70’s inspired logo is rumored to have taken less than a day using BASIC, a computer language program.

1975-87

 

1987-2012: The "Pacman" logo by Scott Baker was designed to represent motion and speed

1994-2002: The tag line "Where do you want to go today?" was added for a marketing campaign

 

2012: The new Microsoft logo was unveiled at a Microsoft store in Boston U.S

“The Microsoft brand is about much more than logos or product names. We are lucky to play a role in the lives of more than a billion people every day. The ways people experience our products are our most important “brand impressions”. That’s why the new Microsoft logo takes its inspiration from our product design principles while drawing upon the heritage of our brand values, fonts and colors.”

I tweeted, posted and emailed my cries for help to friends, family, colleagues and clients to help me raise my bail and you didn’t let me down, although I’m sure you would have liked to see me suffer for a little longer but thanks to all your kind and swift donations I walked free!

I would just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who helped me raise my bail and helped raise funds for the great causes: Lee-manning Hospice and The Wessex Autistic society.

The grand total after the event is a fantastic £448.98. You can still donate just go to my giving page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/rossthornley Every penny counts!

Brand Experience, Brand Promise

RT Media are set to hold a training workshop on successful branding this autumn: ‘The importance of Brand’.  The Wimborne based branding agency who have recently celebrated their 12^th successful year will deliver a two hour interactive workshop on 10^th October to support businesses to engage deeper with their customers by making strategic branding considerations.

Ross Thornley, founder and Strategy Director of RT Media believes that how you perceive your own business can often be different to how the customer views your brand, this often causes a critical ‘brand disconnect’. Consistent, well positioned branding is something everyone within the business needs to consider:

‘RT knows that a successful brand encompasses everything you do and offer, building meaningful long-term connections with your customers. A brand should run seamlessly into all aspects of the customer experience and our workshop will help you understand the importance of how you are perceived. You will learn how to connect with your customers by making strategic considerations and significantly increase your brand value through clear and consistent communication. It’s a choice every brand can make.”

For more information visit www.dcci.co.uk/training or email Natalie@rtmedia.com

Thanks to the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act (2006) and the Olympic Symbol (Protection) Act (1995) any such use is not a civil matter (as is usually the case with copyright infringement etc.) but a criminal one – your competition could be breaking the law and there is a team of LOCOG “Brand Police” who are very actively seeking infringing adverts, events and promotions.

We’ve produced a simple set of guidelines, based on the LOCOG brand guidelines, to try and help*

1) Do not use any of the trademarks, protected logos or marks:

Especially the ones protected by the Olympic Symbol (Protection) Act (1995):

2) Do not imply an association with London 2012:

“An association with London 2012 can be created by the use of any words, images or marks, or, more likely, a combination of these. For example: athletic images, representations of an Olympic style torch and flame, the colours of the Olympic rings, words or iconic images which evoke the spirit of the 2012 Games, and other representations relating to the Games may each contribute to the creation of an association with the 2012 Games.”

Especially the “Listed Expressions”:

“any two of the words in list A below
OR
any word in list A with one or more of the words in list B below:

A: Games, Two Thousand and Twelve, 2012, Twenty-Twelve
B: London, medals, sponsors, summer, gold, silver, bronze”

3) Do not promote or sponsor any marketing or promotional events/conferences themed around or focussed entirely on the games, inclusion as one section in a program amongst others is permitted.

4) Any reference to the games in a newsletter, briefing notes or internal memo should remain factual and should not suggest an association in any way (as above).

What is acceptable?

Genuine editorial pieces (not advertisement features) and factual information (“Due to road closures our distribution times will now be…”).

Here are a couple of clever campaigns, that avoid breaking the legislation:

Marks & Spencer – On Your Marks

Nike – Make it Count

*If you’re in any doubt at all, please contact your legal advisor. At this point I feel I must restate part of our website terms and conditions:

The information contained in this article & website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by RT Media Ltd. and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website and the information herein.

The IAB have revealed the biggest increase in online marketing spend in five years with video ads and display ads helping to accumulate the massive £4.8bn spent in 2011. It’s apparent that with technology rapidly improving to allow for high-quality video, animation and interactivity within banner and skyscrapers adverts, that companies are now realising the central role that online marketing should play in their brands marketing campaigns. As online display advertising sails past the £1bn mark for the first time, no wonder the digital world is heralded by many marketers as the future of all marketing. We at RT have the knowledge and skills to go all the way with you, have a look at how we can help you keep ahead of the game with our online marketing strategies here.

Its also been reported that marking spend on online video advertising has contributed to the rise, doubling to £109m. Video advertising now accounts for 10% of all online display advertising. The massive rise in demand and consumption of online video is attracting advertisers and brands and consequently altering the relationship between brands and media publishers. As more devices get connected to the internet from games consoles like Xbox and smart phones like the iPhone the distinction between online and traditional TV viewing is becoming unclear. Last year alone advertising on mobile devices rose by 157%, to a new high of £203m, as a result of the rise in demand for Tablets such as the Apple iPad. What’s more, this is only a taste of what’s to come as over 112.5 million adults, or one-third of the adult population, are expected to own a tablet by 2016, a revision of its previous forecast of 82.1 million.

The IAB state that on average 39.7m people are going online each month in Britain, and 27% of all the time spent online was spent on social networks. With brands investing more and more in social-media, advertising itself was up 75% since last year, accounting for 21% of total display advertising spend. Make sure if your company is planning to incorporate a social media strategy into your marketing campaign for 2012 that you are reaching your full potential online.  RT Media recently launched ‘Get Social in 2012’; a program of Social Media Training courses and Social Impact Audits with the aim of helping clients and other businesses to meet their online and social potential. For more information about training courses or Social Media Audit, visit Get Social in 2012

Anna Bartz, strategy manager at PwC says that the findings further highlight the appeal of digital media to advertisers:

“This year’s results reflect the continued appeal of digital media – on desktop, mobile or tablet – to advertisers for both brand advertising and direct response. All formats grew, with strongest increases in video and social media, and in search. Internet ad spend’s 14.4% growth is exceptional when compared to an estimated advertising growth of less than 2% across all media in 2011.”

The opportunity to speak at one of the world-famous, non-profit TEDx events doesn’t happen every day – in fact it is by invitation only.  So when Luke Williams, a Social Media Strategist at RT Media and fan of TEDx events for many years was asked to speak at a recent TEDx event in Hull, it was a personal achievement.

Luke explains: “TED was set up in 1984 in the USA to bring together people from the Technology, Entertainment and Design worlds under the banner of ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’.
TEDx events follow the same format but on a local level and take place all over the world covering a whole range of topics.

“To be invited to speak at a TEDx event, the content must be unique and in keeping with the spirit of sharing worthwhile ideas, as well as the theme for the event – in this case ‘Beyond Limits’. Speakers undergo a rigorous process, which ensures the quality and standard is very high. First I had to submit my idea and then complete a form about why I wanted to speak on my chosen topic.  Once accepted, I was asked to meet the panel in London, prior to the event in Hull. “

Luke’s powerful subject  ‘Why Don’t You?’ focused on his own personal journey from boy to manhood following the death of his father, the ‘epiphany’ he experienced from setting key personal, career and even ‘enjoyment’ goals, and the focus to achieve them.

Luke adds: “Being invited to talk at the TEDx event in Hull was a great honour, especially having followed TEDx events for many years – and one which I can tick off from my list of personal goals.”

Each TEDx event includes a suite of short, carefully prepared talks such as Luke’s, or demonstrations and performances (live, or TEDTalks videos from TED.com) on a wide range of subjects.  The aim is to foster learning, inspiration and wonder – and to provoke conversations that matter.

Luke’s presentation will be added to the TEDx library and made available on the RT Media Blog in due course.