FAR EAST CONSORTIUM - ASPEN AT CONSORT PLACE
There are often many preconceptions attached to large developers, especially those with an overseas presence. Questions can arise regarding the developer’s long-term commitment to the areas it is redeveloping and its genuine desire to create a sense of community. Fortunately, this has been key to our brief with Far East Consortium (FEC), especially as it has grown significantly in the UK with high-profile projects breaking ground in London and Manchester.
Central to our strategy with FEC is to do things differently to a lot of other developers. This means, our communication is proactive and often centred on what we might call a “bottom up” approach. There is a focus on keeping local communities informed about what is happening both on site, and in the area surrounding the site. Via regular newsletters, social media, blogs and interviews with local newspapers and magazines; FEC makes connections at a gross roots level. Local charities, schools, sports clubs, arts groups and small businesses alike are engaged with to ensure that FEC understands their challenges and needs not only for the duration of being ‘neighbours’ whilst on site, but actually long after the project will be completed.
An additional thread to our strategy is putting names and faces to the projects. Communities and media gain a distinct sense of the people and expertise that is going into the development. One such example is the launch of Aspen at Canary Wharf – a 65 storey tower offering mixed use residential and commercial amenities – but ultimately a project which intends to redefine what many have come to expect from this part of Docklands. The focus here is on creating a place where people don’t just have as a convenient base from which to go to work, but actually a sense of belonging. As well as organising an exciting launch event, Elevate PR has carefully deployed FEC’s senior leadership team to undertake a number of interviews, panel events and media commentary opportunities to underpin the vision that it is a business that does things differently, and as a result, its projects reflect that too.
As one would expect when reshaping and challenging preconceived ideas, there comes a degree of issues handling and mitigation. Elevate PR has been central to providing counsel to the team when social media reaction might have arisen, helping to share verbatim information from project leaders, illustrative drawings to explain a specific plan or forthcoming proposal.