Project management

Whether you’re delivering a day of investment pitches, launching a competition or shaking up your industry with some revealing research, it’s all in the planning. As disciplined project managers, we are used to the relentless pressure of deadlines and committed to timely, effective communication. That is, internal communication with stakeholders as well as external PR and marketing.

We typically work alongside business leaders at a strategic level, sometimes coming in right at the start to explore the feasibility of a project and develop high-level proposals to help engage stakeholders.  At other times, our role may be focused on a discrete part of the project, with or without the external PR/marketing.  Either way, by coming in from outside we bring a sense of perspective and objectivity.  We challenge our clients and ask the difficult questions (!) and we are adept at building and maintaining relationships and we see this as the bedrock of a successful project.

IBIZ Invest

IBIZ Invest is a life sciences investment forum that we were commissioned to deliver on behalf of UK Trade & Investment.  It was a ‘first’ for UKTI and the objective was to bring UK life sciences companies with potentially disruptive technologies or services to the attention of investors.  Our brief included:

• managing/co-ordinating the panel of investors
• handling all communications with the companies that applied to pitch
• co-ordinating pitching workshops
• programming and delivering the pitch day

We also worked with UKTI and the panel to ensure that the investor invitation list focused on investors actively seeking life sciences investment opportunities.  35 companies were selected to pitch at IBIZ Invest.  They were a combination of healthcare IT, medtech and biotech companies, mostly in the early stages of their development.  It is too early to judge (IBIZ Invest took place in March 2011) but initial feedback is positive and it is hoped that a number of investments will follow.

We chose The Foundry House to deliver IBIZ Invest because of their strong track-record and demonstrable expertise of delivering this kind of investment forum. Marcie and the team deployed energy, tenacity and vision to deliver an excellent event, which provided valuable opportunities for a collection of innovative Life Sciences SMEs. The Foundry House’s focus on quality ensured the involvement of serious investors, business angels and VCs which was essential to the success of the event.Jane Grady, Head of Life Sciences Sector Team, UK Trade & Investment

Running the Gauntlet

We project managed ‘running the gauntlet’, a regional investment competition for entrepreneurs in the East of England, on behalf of the East of England Development Agency. This saw us working with investment partners and a wide range of in-kind sponsors (who delivered £250,000 worth of in-kind services) to develop a comprehensive education and networking programme for entrepreneurs, culminating in a day when 50 companies pitched to investors for feedback. The competition attracted approximately 400 applications each year and over a 3-year period the competition and events programme successfully established itself in the calendar of opinion formers and entrepreneurs alike.

The marcomms campaign won a Gold award in the B2B category of the CIPR awards two consecutive years running.

The Foundry House® has done a consistently good job in delivering well co-ordinated, high profile projects drawing on a combination of disciplined planning, strong relationship management and cost-effective but creative communications. They have worked as anextension of our team on a number of award-winning campaigns.Rachel Bosworth, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director, Communications, East of England Development Agency

The Foundry House® showed the strategic value of integrated communications and PR. But they went beyond and delivered an award winning series of programmes and events. They are top class and I would happily work with them againDoug Richard, Chair of the Investor Panel

Landmark East

This was definitely more than just a competition!  We were commissioned to conceive and deliver an ideas competition for a major landmark.  Initially we worked as external consultants, but later, as the project grew, we seconded a project manager to work with the client’s in-house co-ordinator.

We were involved from the start of the project and worked with the winning teams through their feasibility studies.  We unlocked a high level judging panel and co-ordinated a major workshop programme to run alongside the competition, in primary schools.

We commissioned a video diary that led to a 30 minute documentary on Anglia TV and, with outsourced event management support, staged a roadshow exhibiting all entries.  Our high profile communications campaign delivered widespread national coverage and helped to attract hundreds of entries from all over the world – from artists and architects to community groups and business.

Marcie Bell made Landmark East one of EEDA’s most successful projects. Her initiative, enthusiasm, organisational skills and professionalism were of a very high standard. It was a great pleasure to work with her.Yasmin Shariff, Dennis Sharp Architects, former board member, East of England Development Agency, Chair of the steering group