Following the success of last year’s venture, Harveys is returning to the mother of all shopping events, The Ideal Home Show (16 March – 1 April), to sample the deliciously refreshing Harveys over ice with a slice of orange to the crowds of shoppers. Here’s a snapshot of the prep that goes into such events.
We promised to deliver an oasis of calm in the form of a vintage garden stand, the ideal place for visitors to take a Harveys Half Hour away from the hustle and bustle. For weeks it has been a masterpiece in the making, held together by our multitasking guru of an account manager, Holly. From ‘permission to builds’, ice and orange orders and CAD drawings, to an endless parade of health and safety forms, risk assessments and approval processes, it all had to be done and we made it to opening day!
The most important element, the stand design, has been revealed in its fully glory. Lucky team member Rhiannon escaped the confines of the office and took a trip to a nearby garden centre (who knew central London had them?), to scout for plants and colleagues have been donating garden benches, retro bicycles and all manner of other props. We are particularly proud of our Pinterest board, on which we nurtured our inner designer and posted images of everything from wheelbarrows to brick-patterned wallpaper to garden gnomes.
So with things in hand, I must admit to having embarked on a one-woman crusade to smuggle an animal of some kind (perhaps a pink flamingo?) into the design plans and onto the stand. Unfortunately I’ve been met with disappointing resistance from my teammates; they think animals don’t fit with the theme. I say, how do animals not fit with the theme? They’ve been around forever, surely they can be deemed vintage? I admit the flamingo errs on the retro kitsch and offered to compromise with a fox perhaps, or a badger? Just your average garden animal really, I can’t see the harm. It seems they can. At the time of going to print (or to blog as it were), it’s all gone quiet on the issue but let’s just say, if there are those among you who agree with me please tweet a picture of your preferred animal to @focuspr and I’ll see what I can do to squirrel it in!
Stay posted for our imminent update on the trials and tribulations of executing a mass sampling campaign to thousands of thirsty shoppers!
