On October 12, 2009, The Grand in Brighton held a memorial service and ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the IRA bomb in 1984 that killed five people at the hotel.
Cobb PR was called in to handle media relations for this major event, which was attended by more than 250 people including a number of bomb survivors and relatives of those who died.
High profile guests included Norman Tebbit and his wife Margaret, who was severely injured in the blast, and Jo Berry, the daughter of Anthony Berry who was killed.
As well as making sure the media was properly organised, it was also our objective to promote the hotel while not in any way appearing to glamorise this horrendous incident.
Media planning:
Cobb PR anticipated strong national media interest in the anniversary events and began planning for the day several weeks in advance.
Using our contacts with local and national journalists from both print and broadcast, we were able to ascertain exactly what the media needed in advance, and then facilitate this.
To make sure the media’s attention remained focussed on The Grand, we researched the key figures who played vital roles on the night of the bombing and arranged for many of them to attend a media briefing at the hotel three days before the anniversary events.
They included the fireman who pulled Lord Tebbit from the rubble of the hotel and the only remaining member of staff who still works at The Grand 25 years on.
To coordinate the press, we issued a detailed operational note to all media outlets a week before the media briefing day, outlining exactly who would be available to interview, and to invite the press to film in and around the hotel.
This gave us the opportunity to highlight how the hotel had changed since the bombing, and to advance some of the hotel’s core messages.
As expected, the operational note generated dozens of calls from the media both in the UK and from some international news organisations such as AP.
On the day of the media briefing, several TV crews and reporters interviewed rescuers and survivors, using the hotel’s splendid rooms as a backdrop to film background material.
As a result, much of the coverage that appeared in the media following the actual anniversary events featured the hotel – one of our key objectives.
The event:
Thanks to our planning for the anniversary event, the media were all fully briefed about where they could film and who they could interview, and when. This was vital in making sure the event ran smoothly.
On the day, the BBC covered the anniversary all day on its national news channels while ITV also ran the story. Several national and local newspapers attended the event resulting in widespread coverage the following day. We also welcomed renowned film director Roger Spottiswoode to The Grand who is filming a documentary for the US television networks.
Overall, Cobb PR managed to balance the integrity of the event, which was at times very sombre, with the needs of the media and ultimately the valuable opportunity to promote the hotel.
Feedback received from dignitaries, including the Tebbits, and the media was very strong.