Alopecia UK is a small national charity working to improve the lives of those affected by alopecia through support, awareness, research and fundraising. As part of their support function, Alopecia UK organise a national conference packed full of talks, workshops, demonstrations, exhibitors and social events. The Big Weekend, as it is dubbed, has become a core part of the Alopecia UK calendar and provides individuals and their families an opportunity to learn more and meet people who are also affected by the condition.
apt marketing & pr has long been a supporter of the charity as one of the directors, Victoria, has had the condition since 2011. Previous efforts have included the production of a calendar which raised £5,000 sponsorship and a further £1900 in sales with PR coverage across 190 countries and sales in 25 of those countries. Due to the growth in the Big Weekend event, the team at Alopecia UK reached out to see if we could help them with event organisation. We of course said yes and completed the project as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility programme.
Services used:
We were responsible for full project plan for delivery elements, sourcing the venue, create & sell sponsor & exhibitor packages, brand creation (event specific), communications plan & delivery, design & print for signage, brochure and digital platforms.
Key results:
- Largest event to date with over 270 attendees, 5 core sponsors, 13 exhibitors and 5 make-up artists
- New brand for the event – many comments on how the brand had created a more professional feel for the event
- Improved communications with sponsors and exhibitors which led to the event running more smoothly and efficiently
Brands with purpose
SMEs with strong ESG credentials
Membership organisations
Our work
The team at apt marketing & pr really helped us in moving this event on to the next level. From refreshing the brand, to supporting the sales of sponsorship (which lead to the highest level secured so far) and also the organisation of the event including venue sourcing, goody bags and collateral to name a few, their support has been invaluable. It’s been helpful to have an external pair of eyes on the process to see the event in a different way and suggest alternative approaches. – Jen Chambers, Charity Manager, Alopecia UK
It was an absolute privilege to be part of this event. We thoroughly enjoyed it and to catch up with everyone was magical! Thank you for all your support with all our extra little requirements, we really appreciate it. You can all be super proud of a very successful event! – Anele Wyatt, Business Development Director, Aderans UK LTD t/a Trendco
Everything seemed to run so smoothly (from my corner it appeared so anyway) – the food was delicious, and amenities/venue/spacing were great. Many of my clients commented on how well organised it was. – Connie Tu, Created by Connie
Alopecia UK Big Weekend Brand Application
Background:
After revamping the Alopecia UK’s Big Weekend logo for 2019, preparation for the Big Weekend event was required to ensure the future of the newly designed logo.
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Objectives:
With the new Big Weekend 2019 brand for Alopecia UK taking stage, the focus began to point towards consistently applying a brand identity in readiness for the Big Event Weekend to take place in a few months time to initiate people attending the event and awareness out to the public.
Actions:
Key elements to grow the Big Weekend 2019 brand involved designing and creating an event programme, exhibition signage, brand typography, brand guidelines, leaflets, goody bags, sponsor logos, quiz sheets, online event listings and save the date cards.
Results:
Creating an experiential customer journey via brand application was an essential element to the success of the event and charity. The Big Weekend 2019 was the biggest event to date attracting over 340 attendees from the UK and internationally.
Alopecia UK Big Weekend Branding
Background:
Each year, Alopecia UK hosts a ‘Big Weekend’ where the charity runs a fun and vibrant weekend full of activities and events especially for those suffering from and affected by Alopecia who can participate in workshops, medical research, demonstrations, stalls and lectures.
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Objectives:
In previous years; the ‘Big Weekend’ operated under the core Alopecia UK logo. For 2019 the charity decided that they wanted a more global reach and larger presence with a sub-brand to communicate their largest event of the year.
Actions:
With alopecia, we know that the every person is different and faces individual challenges throughout their journey. The letterpress printing style seen in our brand design represents this subtly but has an empowering feel that adds authenticity and uniqueness.
Results:
The combination of fonts and colours creates a soft, approachable vibe that is full of fun and not intimidating, perfect for all ages and gender with visual relations back to the main Alopecia UK logo.
Alopecia UK Big Weekend Event Programme
Background:
With supporting and furthering the reputation and reach of the Alopecia UK Big Weekend event. The Alopecia UK team believe that the time is right to revamp the Big Weekend for 2019, after a year’s break in 2018 including day collateral such as an event programme, timetables, signage, goody bags and more.
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Objectives:
As well as handling event organisation and delivery, apt were tasked with creating a dedicated event brand and identity that helps to give the big weekend its own stamp. It needed to be a design that attendees and sponsors of all ages alike can relate to, which is ‘grown-up’ and can become an iconic staple in future.
Actions:
An important role of the new Big Weekend identity was to be consistent and familiar with the Alopecia UK brand, this allowed apt to creatively apply and introduce key messaging, layouts, brand colours, photography, shapes, typography and illustrations that include an enhanced style which created a distinctive but established look.
Results:
With the Big Weekend logo design maturing into its own pride of place alongside the main Alopecia UK brand, a strong identity had been created to assist in debut delivery, utilising core colours from Alopecia UK and dandelion illustrations to re-inforce and support the brand. The Big Weekend 2019 brand received a positive welcome from attendees, exhibitors and sponsors.
