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Girls in Tech: How to Break into the Tech Industry

Carlly and Cassie recently went to a Girls in Tech event on how to break into the tech industry. Hosted at the start-up incubator Wayra’s offices, they went to hear more about the struggles of women in tech and what could be done to create an even playing field. Here’s how they got on:

With only 26 per cent of the digital sector made up of women in the UK, the tech industry is notoriously difficult to enter as a woman.

So, how can you break into the tech industry? And once you do, how can you set your career on a upwards trajectory?

Harriet Minter – Head of Women in Leadership at The Guardian –  says it all depends on collaboration. In her session, she explained that women are naturally better leaders than men because they are more collaborative and operate with a social mind-set. Women can break into the industry with technical knowledge and social media skills but what really sets a career path on the upwards is the ability to take ideas and opinions on board to create broad and informed leadership.

Elizabeth Eastaugh – Head of Technology at Expedia – believes that what truly matters when it comes to progressing a career in tech, is your ability to work efficiently. “The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is to ‘get your day job down to 4 hours and then do the job above you’”. The combination of speed and efficiency allows you to be noticed and regularly promoted. Learning how to correctly prioritise and delegate is essential.

Other advice ranged from choosing a diverse company as it would be the most forward thinking, to providing as much data and evidence as possible when promotion time comes along.

What we found surprising was that both Harriet and Elizabeth advised against volunteering for extra tasks which will not in the long-run, positively influence or affect your career path. They said that whilst it was important to appear enthusiastic and energetic, you should take on tasks that you feel passion for and not obligation.

Having attended an evening full of inspiring and successful women, the key piece of advice we’re taking on board is that both men and women should be encouraging conversation as to why there as so few women are in the tech industry and what to do to support a more diverse workforce.

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PRCA – The future of technology journalism

On Tuesday night we hosted a PRCA discussion on the future of technology journalism, and the challenge of making money from it without compromising integrity.

There was a great line-up of journalists – Charles Arthur (ex-Guardian); Sam Shead of Business Insider; Alex Wood, editor-in-chief of Memo; and Hannah Bouckley from PA / BT.com. Our host for the evening was Ben Rooney, formerly of the WSJ and currently editor-in-chief for Informilo.

Integrity is a delicate issue, with all the journalists naturally very protective of theirs. Inevitably the discussion led to talking about whether it’s ever right to simply copy and publish press releases. The journalists said that stories based on press releases usually get the least traffic on news sites, which isn’t entirely surprising. We often encourage clients to try different approaches and really consider the newsworthiness of an announcement.

Charles Arthur went on to describe the press release as “silt at the bottom of the ocean” – they form a tiny part of the overall story, and very rarely area story on their own. Charles also reiterated the idea that PRs and journalists will always be at odds because (paraphrasing) ‘PRs just want a nice write-up for their client while the journalist wants a juicy angle’. That’s something we disagree with strongly – we have countless examples of relationships with journalists where both sides benefit, but each to their own.

The debate then moved on to Native Advertising and whether, if it is quality content, is there anything really wrong with it?

Alex certainly saw it as an attack on the integrity of journalism and made a fair point that sponsored articles often offer little balance for the reader. However, it all came down to monetising news sites and the challenges of this in the light of ad blockers becoming ever more prevalent.

Hannah was the only member of the panel to truly encompass both worlds as spokesperson for a business (PA/BT.com) and journalist trying to tell exciting stories. She has an especially challenging role because she needs to steer clear of anything that might be particularly damaging to BT, and it was clear the financial backers can always push on journalists to avoid heavy handed criticism.

That’s something which didn’t sit particularly comfortably with Alex and Sam. But it’s the exact issue countless newsrooms across the world face every day. And how many times do we see the opposite situation, where a publication charges headfirst into a story, only to issue a tiny retraction buried away, days or even weeks later.

So what was the result of the panel? Will PRs and journalists ever come to a comfortable middle ground on the issue of integrity? Will native advertising eventually take over news sites?

Having listened to the discussions around bias, advertising, sponsors and the murky reminder that we all need to get paid… the future is still unclear! The next few years will see the lines continue to blur massively, as everyone tries to become a ‘content producer’ – ultimately, does it even matter that much where it comes from as long as it has integrity?

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Compass Network newsletter – December 2015

Season’s greetings! Welcome to the final Compass Network newsletter for 2015.

We end the year with 32 Compass Partners and some great client wins and campaigns across the network – see some of the most recent updates below.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions about the Compass Network, please email: Compass AT nelsonbostock.com

All the best for 2016 from Compass Network!

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Nelson Bostock Group Unlimited will bid a sad farewell to its chief executive Lee Nugent at the end of January 2016 after 20 years in the business, the last eight as CEO. Following his departure, the individual agencies will continue to be led by their existing managing directors. In true Nelson Bostock style, there will be an epic farewell to thank Lee for the enormous contribution he’s made to both NBGU and the Creston Group.

This quarter, Nelson Bostock celebrated being appointed as the new PR agency for media and market intelligence company, Signal. After months of preparation, Nelson Bostock Unlimited was also super busy working on Canon’s quinquennial event, Canon EXPO, bringing an extensive press programme to life in Paris, in October. Back at home, we hosted an event for the PRCA, gathering PRs and journalists to discuss the future of tech journalism, and put on our Sunday best for Canon UK’s annual Parliamentary Reception at the House of Commons.

Fever’s final quarter in 2015 has been particularly busy, with a number of consumer campaigns launched in the run up to Christmas. Sky’s next generation television service ‘Sky Q’ was officially unveiled at a packed consumer technology press conference mid-November, and not forgetting NOW TV’s ‘Obfleshion – Eau De Walker’ project which saw us develop a fragrance to help fans ward off unwanted Walker attention in the run up to series 6 of The Walking Dead. Aside from client side news, Fever also sadly said goodbye to Joint MD Frankie Oliver, who has stepped down after 8 years with the Nelson Bostock Group, to spend more time with her son. Bruce McLachlan will continue to lead the agency.

Things Unlimited has had a busy couple of months. Our relationship with Danone continues to grow and we have been successful in picking up some new campaign work for Cow & Gate. Our content strategy for Emmi Caffe Latte is in full swing and we’re producing some great content for the brand. We’re working on 2016 plans which will include an influencer ambassador and seeding programme. For Logitech we are running a seeding programme and the team are currently working with a roster of extreme sports stars to promote the UE speakers out in the wild. We are also populating an exciting pre-roll ad project, using a surprise and delight mechanic to offer ad viewers the chance to chat with the influencer directly on Skype – straight from the ad unit.

MediaWorks celebrates its first anniversary this month. The content unit and consultancy led by former Reuters Technology Correspondent Matt Cowan has had a remarkable inaugural year, venturing as far as Kenya to make a film for the UK’s fastest growing technology company WorldRemit, while making a mark closer to home with videos for EE, Sky TV and Sony PlayStation. MediaWorks has just brought on board Alex Cooper as Head of Creative; Alex was most recently the Head of Content at Agile Films. So the stage is set an even more exciting 2016.

In December, PR Week named Bateman Group in its highly coveted listing of Best PR Places to Work in the U.S., in the Midsize Agency category for 2015. This award represents two firsts for the company: first recognition of its workplace in a nationally focused publication and first win in a midsize agency category. Bateman also welcomed a host of new clients recently, including L’Oréal USA and HackerRank.

The festive season is one of the busiest at Corporate Image, which manages PR for Africa’s largest New Year’s Eve party – New Year at the V&A Waterfront. On the brand and reputation management side, we were recently appointed to work on the newly-formed Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), which has kept our team on its toes. Other new clients include US private investment fund One Thousand & One Voices (1K1V), which specialises in investing capital on behalf of high net worth American families in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Emerson K Partners is now working for IRONMAN Korea Organizing Committee to promote IRONMAN Triathlon sports in Korea. CEO of Emerson K Partners, Kris Park, has been appointed as the official spokesperson for IRONMAN Korea Organizing Committee. Emerson K Partners has contributed to hold 2016 Busan IRONMAN Race and 2016 Inchoen IRONMAN Race in acquisition of sponsorship and government relations. Emerson K Partners have won “BANDI”, a Smart Home Lighting Solution. With the Korean government more supportive of Smart IT-driven living environments, there is a rising need for PR in the IT innovative technology space.

Schwartz PR is proud to announce two new clients in Germany: tech startup Weebly, which enables people to easily create a unique website, blog or online store with a blink of an eye. The German PR experts are now responsible for product and corporate communications. Schwartz will also help Wrike, a SaaS-based work management and collaboration platform, to increase the level of awareness in Germany as well as to educate about the advantages of software-based and digital teamwork.

Sound Public Relations has won the Bronze PRGN Best Practice Award 2015, gaining the third position in the Consumer Products Communication category, with the campaign conceived for the launch of the new YOGA range of LENOVO products. The award has been handed in to the agency’s Managing Partner Alessandra Malvermi, during the PRGN meeting that took place last November in Dubai.

Fink & Fuchs Public Relations took the occasion of the “Back to the Future Day” on October 21, 2015 to invite customers, prospects and partners to its annual Inspiration Jam (view multimedia report). Participants were taken on a journey to the Future of Communication where they got a glimpse of intelligent cars, developments in robotics and virtual reality, as well as trying out numerous tech gadgets in the agency’s sample lab.

Insights

Buman Media released its annual survey dedicated to the Russian PR market

The agency polled more than 100 comms directors about the structure of Russian PR departments, their relationship with agencies and their changing budget policies, amid the country’s current economic crisis. It finds that creativity remains the biggest concern for Russian clients when it comes to their PR agencies, up from 53% last year to 71% this year. Other capabilities appear to be in better shape — with analytical skills (21%), social media expertise (21%), and internet marketing (18%) proving less problematic. Among those who don’t work with a PR agency, over half (52%) do not believe they need an agency for their comms needs, 19% said they do not trust outside experts, whille 13% reported budget constraints. Despite the economic slowdown, or perhaps because of their cuts in PR budget elsewhere, 22% of companies increased their communications headcount, while only 9% reduced staff. You can read survey summary here.

Corporate Image shares research on South Africa’s internet activity

Recent research has revealed an impressive 49% of South Africa uses the internet, showing fast adoption rates, while still not being as high as developed nations. SA internet users account for 8% of the continent’s internet usage, and this is shared between mobile and traditional computer-based access. Facebook is the largest social media network in SA, with 11.8 million users, or 22% of South Africans. 74% of South African Facebook users access it through their mobile phones.

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Designs on Christmas

Today we’ve got a guest post from Cen, part of our amazing Design team. Cen’s been with us for about a year, and has taken some time to reflect on her first twelve months with us.

 

The first year of Christmas my agency gave to me….

200 Extravagant Office Elfie agency mailers

7 Embellishing EE HTML Designs

6 Quirky Canon Photo shoots

5 Festive Universal HTML Projects

4 Dashing Canon Gift Guides

3 Scrumptious Chocolate Advent calendar (plus another… Hugo’s one which was polished off nicely within two days…oops)

2 Funky Christmas Baubles

And 1 Phenomenal Christmas party at the stylish Lucky Pig.

 

This time last year I was preparing for an interview at Nelson Bostock. The sheer excitement and enthusiasm I had on my face glowed liked a Christmas tree! It was matched as I entered the office floor to see a very creative and festive PR agency. I took a moment to absorb the atmosphere and I knew after a fantastic interview that I belonged here.

And so the adventure began.

I love Christmas, so it was great to leave with an early Present of a new job. It has been an exciting and absolutely packed year. But as it’s Christmas, I’ll focus on the Festive themes.

‘Christmas in July’ is strange! Everyone is planning, prepping, and panting profusely for the best and innovative ideas they can produce for Christmas 2015… in the middle of summer!

I was over the moon when I received my first huge project for a Christmas Look Book. It was a bit of a challenge, as my colleagues were eating ice creams and comparing sun tans, to create a design which captured the essence of Christmas. I was really happy with the final product, a frosted cover with delicate decorative icons throughout – it really evoked the spirit of Christmas despite the time of year!

I thought how incredible it is to be designing something like that six months ahead of when the actual event is. Not too long after, something equally amazing happened… we started planning for the the NBG Christmas Party. My love for Christmas meant I leapt at the chance to volunteer to use my passion and creative skills to design the ‘SECRET’ Christmas Party Invite. This was also a challenge as I’m like an excitable puppy, especially when it comes to festive fun.

We came up with a great theme which allowed me a lot of freedom. I designed a 1920s prohibition invite with a twist – we weren’t going to tell anyone where the party was! In the 1920s you had to be careful that the authorities didn’t get wind of these types of shindigs!

As this was a secret I went all out designing extras to make it the best kept surprise from all my colleagues. It was hard designing this when everyone was passing my screens, I could hear the whispers… “ooo what’s that…it looks like an invite…” but I was able to bluff way through and steer people off the subject.

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The party was held at the Lucky Pig, and I wanted the design to have a mysterious clue behind it. I came up with the idea of stamping luxurious gold wax seals on the black envelopes. One stamp was a clover and the other was a pig, but you only got one or the other on your invitation.

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The Black and Gold invite went down amazingly with the agency and everyone was talking, comparing notes and guesses. We love a party, but it was fantastic to see the invitation spark so much chatter. The party itself was also incredible, you can see (the safe) pictures on our Facebook page.

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Shortly after that, we began strategising an epic concept for the agency Christmas Mailer. During the creative brainstorm, the idea of the selfie sprung to mind. But we had to make it a festive selfie… so why not, an ELFIE! We came up with the idea of a lavish tube design stuffed full of Christmas goodies. It had to be eye catching but also serve as its own packaging to be sent through the post. It was fun to create, and the Office Elfie was an excellent success with lots of clients participating, as you can see on our Twitter page @nelsonbostock/#OfficeElfie. And we even got coverage on PR Week! This was a showstopper of a project to take part in. The bonus is we now indulge copious amounts of candy canes and chocolate baubles left over from the packing… shhh.

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And so here it is, Christmas is almost upon us at Nelson Bostock. This has been an incredibly challenging and rewarding year – one that I would not change for anything. These have all been highlights for me along with working with a fantastic team and enthusiastic colleagues.

Christmas may be over soon, but I’m already longing for Christmas in July, where all the fun and PR madness begins again.

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PR in 2016

It’s been another belter of a year. Another bruising 12 rounds for the PR industry but we’re still standing and starting to fight our corner. There have been some notable PR campaigns that have continued to demonstrate the creativity, influence and effectiveness of PRs, from Guns with history from States United to Prevent Gun Violence to ridiculously simple ideas like B&Q’s leaked staff memo about the worry of running out of cable ties as Fifty Shades of Grey was released.

For me 2016 is all about the C-word (not what you’re thinking, no not that one either) – not ‘Content’ but ‘Confidence’. In a world where everyone is obsessing about integrated comms, content marketing, engagement and influencers, the PR industry needs to define what it stands for and have the confidence to deliver. My hope is that the identity crisis that has plagued the industry starts to subside and perhaps we’ll see the end of surveys such as the one from PR Week in March saying that 70 per cent of the general public don’t trust the PR industry.

If you look at the predictions for next year you’re left with a number of questions ringing in your ears…

  • Will the press release die?
  • Will measurement finally be cracked?
  • Will content marketing eat PR?
  • Will PR ever have more of a voice at Cannes?
  • Will video completely take over as our primary means of communicating to audiences?

This is symptomatic of the industry, more questions than answers and no common consensus on what will happen in the future. Rather than questions, let’s think about why PRs have every reason to be confident in 2016…

  • The great idea can come from anywhere and PR has as much right to lead big campaigns as our advertising and media buying friends
  • Demand for greater authenticity and transparency from brands will not let up, and PR is the right discipline to deliver on this
  • We have the right people to grab these opportunities: the industry has never had so many diverse skill sets available to it, from media relations and content specialists to creative planners, data analysts and digital and social specialists, who combined can generate memorable campaigns, which deliver genuine business impact

The definition of confidence is ‘the feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something’. I have faith in our industry and belief in my team’s ability to deliver great work next year and beyond.

Am I confident? Yep.

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Best Companies – Nelson Bostock Group Unlimited awarded Two Stars!

We’ve had some great news to start the year – we can officially announce that Nelson Bostock Group Unlimited, (including NBU, Fever and Things Unlimited) has been awarded TWO STARS in the Best Companies survey. This means we’ve been rated as an ‘Outstanding Place to Work’.

We’re a company built on the principle of putting people first, so it’s great to see recognition of our dedication to creating a unique workplace. If you want to get a rough idea of what makes us tick, check out our previous blog posts and our Facebook page. Or swing by when we’re having a Pizza Friday!

Lee Nugent, CEO of Nelson Bostock Group Unlimited, said: “It’s great to be rated as an Outstanding Place to Work once again. We first entered Best Companies in 2008, and I’m delighted to say we’ve gained a starred employer rating every single year since.  Our people are our everything, without them we have nothing. Attracting, motivating and retaining great talent is our number one priority – that’s what business success is built from.”

What’s even more exciting is that we’ve got a lot more lined up for this year. We’re not aiming to simply retain and improve our star status – though the awards are a nice bonus. What’s important to us is that we have an agency packed full of happy people, because that’s how the happy, talented people create the best work.

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Time to announce the #OfficeElfie winner!

Each year we try to come up with something fun as a way to send festive greetings to our friends.

And each year the pressure is on – What can we do to top last year? Will people enjoy it as much? How can we make sure it’s something people will want to talk about?

After brainstorms that started back in June (we take Christmas very seriously) and lots of deliberating, we came up with #OfficeElfie. It’s everything you need to take the ultimate Elfie – hats, ears, face paint, and of course, an Elfie stick. All packaged up in a Christmas themed tube created by our own Design team.

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Through December we were inundated with a huge range of creative Office Elfies. We had a staggering 178 mentions from 70 unique users, and even bagged a mention in PRWeek – not bad, eh?

We hope you had as much fun taking part as we did putting it together, but unfortunately there can only be one winner.

It was a tough decision, but the winning #OfficeElfie goes to @NOWTV, congratulations guys, a PlayStation 4 is on its way over to you!

Special mentions to @Signal, @dynamopr, @MktingSciences, @JGMayStephens, and @ICMResearch for outstanding efforts!

Here’s a collection of our favourite Elfies for you to lol at, we look forward to more Christmas fun soon!

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Prepare for take-off

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s actually a mix of both. Joe explains what you need to know about drones.

It’s 2021, you’re hungry. That pizza should have arrived 10 minutes ago. An iPhone 9S buzzes on the table. You look out of the window to see a Full House, with extra pepperoni, drop into the front garden. Just a pipe dream? Only time will tell how prevalent drones could become over the next five years. However, there’s no doubt 2015 was the year that they captured the world’s attention.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expects one million drones to be bought by Xmas shoppers in America alone. Meanwhile, investment in non-military drone technology between Jan-May 2015 surpassed the previous five years combined.

If 2015 is the year when the world sat up and took notice, 2016 may be the year when drones, quite literally, take off.

Delivery is just one of the hundreds of proposed uses for drones. Accordingly, there are countless media rumours and reports appearing every few days. Subsequently, this makes it tough to know where to begin.

With that in mind, here are five must-know stories for any drone aficionado!

  • Amazon is leading the charge in terms of a viable delivery service. However, regulations are proving tough to navigate. The success of Amazon Prime Air (NSF-those who don’t like Clarkson) could depend on the US government agreeing to reserve airspace between 200ft and 400ft specifically for drone flights
  • Google believes its Project Wing drones will rival Amazon and start delivering goods to homes by 2017. Moreover, the tech giant is also patenting technology that would enable drones to provide emergency medical services to remote locations and disaster areas
  • Taking a different approach, Facebook plans to use semi-autonomous Aquila drones – each the size of a 737 – to connect the far reaches of the planet. Flying at months at a time, these solar-powered planes will circle 17 miles above the earth and provide internet to large rural areas.
  • Microsoft’s Project Premonition proposes using drones to catch mosquitoes for testing – previously an incredibly laborious task. This innovative approach could dramatically improve the detection and prevention of mosquito-borne diseases, saving lives in the process
  • Intel recently demonstrated what’s capable in terms of drone synchronisation and control. All while setting a world record for the Most Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) airborne simultaneously. Who needs fireworks!
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“PR is at its best when it thinks journalistically” – A PRCA breakfast discussion with Christian May

On Wednesday morning we went along to the first PRCA Media Relations Group breakfast. It was a discussion with Christian May, the editor of City A.M. Strinkinlgy dressed, with an impeccably folded handkerchief in his top pocket, Christian immediately grabbed attention. He kept us entertained with more than a few wry jokes.

The session was lively and upbeat. Christian fielded questions covering a huge range of topics from the upcoming mayoral election, immigration, Scottish independence and more.

We gained some great insights from the briefing. But one of the most interesting discussions was what makes for great PR. As Christian originally worked in PR he was pensive on the topic.  He recalled his own days selling in press releases to media. His conclusion was that “PR is at its best when it thinks journalistically”.He told us to remember that what mattered in every pitch was what made it an important, interesting and unique story.

A big thanks from us to the PRCA for organising the event, and of course to Christian May for taking the time to speak to us.

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A Cracking Evening of Egg-cellence

We’re not immune to a sweet treat here at Nelson Bostock towers. So, we sent our biggest Crème Egg fan, Sara, to sample the newest café on the block. Here are her thoughts:

The festive period seems like a distant memory. Dry January and weight loss resolutions are in full swing. So what better remedy to beat the blues than a visit to London’s newest pop-up café? Cadburys’ Crème de la Crème Egg Café opened today to an egg-spectant audience but does it live up to egg-spectations?

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Lately, conversations have centred on the less than well-received recipe change. This alteration triggered one of the nation’s favourite Easter treats become a shell of its former self. The change was no yolk. However, American owners Mondelez claim the move from the traditional Dairy Milk chocolate shell, to a standard cocoa mix, was based on consumer research. But this leads us to an important question – was the opening of the latest novelty café a carefully planned PR stunt or a convenient coincidence?

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Word has it that the preparations have been underway for some time, long before the change in recipe even happened. Let’s take a moment to think of our fellow PR colleagues at Golin. They’ve had to persuade numerous journalists that this was not an attempt to combat the negative feedback.

But let’s move away from the motive and instead take a look at what visitors to the café can expect!

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The first floor features Crème egg memorabilia and serves Crème egg toasties, Crème egg and soldiers and Crème egg traybake. It even serves Crème egg and Strawberries. I was lucky enough to try the former two delicacies which I can only describe as a warm, gooey, buttery hug and a slightly sicklier version of Nutella on toast. All dishes cost £4 and come with a cup of tea or coffee.

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And to burn off the 473 calories (that’s just for the toastie), the top floor is a dedicated ball pool complete with “goo’s and don’ts”. While no heavy petting or chicken feeding is allowed, this is still a super fun way to spend a night with friends.

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The café, located on Greek Street, is built over three floors and open for seven weeks. When tickets went on sale on Tuesday, they sold out immediately, however, a limited number of standby seats will be available. Even if you can’t get in the door, takeaway toasties are available.

If you can’t wait to sink your teeth into the oozy goodness of a Crème egg confectionary marvel, the café is located at 26 Greek Street, Soho, W1D 5DE. January 22–March 6.  Fridays 5–9 pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 2–6 pm.

The Prince’s Trust will receive all donations.