The organisers of next summer’s Tall Ships event in Lerwick have awarded the contract to provide marketing and PR services for the four-day event to local firm NB Communication, who have agreed to provide a proportion of the service as an in-kind sponsorship contribution.
NB will work with Shetland Tall Ships Ltd to build excitement for one of the most significant events in the global sailing calendar, which previously visited Shetland in 1999 and 2011.
The company, based in the town’s Stewart Building a mere 177 steps away from Tall Ships’ own HQ, recently celebrated its twentieth birthday.
NB has been responsible for delivering the Promote Shetland service on behalf of Shetland Islands Council since 2017, with the contract being renewed for a further five years in February.
NB also provides website and digital marketing services to a range of clients in Shetland and elsewhere in the UK. It has helped hundreds of local organisations to communicate effectively online and improve their marketing reach.
It has already developed and delivered an attractive modern website for the event, which is easy to use and packed with information for locals and tourists planning to visit in July 2023.
Shetland Tall Ships Ltd project manager Emma Miller said: “NB has built up a terrific track record through its delivery of the Promote Shetland contract and its work with countless other clients inside and outside the islands over the past 20 years.
“We are delighted to appoint a Shetland-based company that is not only located within a one-minute walk of our own office, but has an unrivalled understanding of the local market and has demonstrated full commitment to the event through their offer of sponsorship in providing their services.
“Combined with an outward-looking philosophy, that makes NB the perfect partner to fulfil our PR and marketing needs for what will be one of the biggest events to take place in Shetland in recent memory.”
“We are delighted to be working with a local company that is not only located within a one-minute walk of our own office, but has an unrivalled understanding of the local market and has demonstrated full commitment to the event though their offer of sponsorship in providing their services.
NB managing director David Nicol said the company was delighted to be playing a part in ensuring the Tall Ships event is a resounding success.
“I well remember the previous visits of the Tall Ships Races to Lerwick,” he said, “and it is great to feel the growing sense of anticipation as the countdown to their return continues.
“A successful Tall Ships should have a lasting impact on Shetland’s reputation outside the islands, and is very much aligned to Promote Shetland’s aims and objectives.
“We have been taking on an increasing amount of PR and marketing tasks for various clients and our staff have extensive local knowledge and experience across a broad range of industries.
“NB enjoys strong relationships with key players within the public and private sectors and we are hugely excited to apply our experience to promote such a high-profile event, which is taking place within the community we live and work in.
“We’re also delighted to be getting behind the event as a sponsor – it is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of the islands to an international audience.”
