South of England Agricultural Society

Details

Lea Graham has acted as PR and Press Officers to The South of England Agricultural Society, a registered charity, since 1994.  Through this responsibility Lea Graham has been at the forefront of promoting countryside issues throughout the South East.   

The role demands close liaison with the Society’s Directors, Chairman and Vice-Chairman, the Trustees, Members of Council, various Committees and the office team.  This liaison involves confidentiality and tight deadlines as well as keeping a firm grip on expenditure.

Media Relations

Lea Graham is responsible for the co-ordination of media coverage at the flagship South of England Show, the Spring Garden & Leisure Show, Autumn Show, Autumn Conference and Festive Food & Drink Fayre.This involves close contact with national and local newspapers, television and radio. 

Lea Graham is also responsible for the production of all publicity materials, media packs, organisation of press conferences and the provision of information bulletins. 

At the 2011 South of England Show, Lea Graham Associates hosted more than 150 press representatives including BBC Television, Meridian Broadcasting, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky and several radio stations.

Royal Visits

Lea Graham was honoured to arrange the visit of Her Majesty the Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh to the South of England Show in Jubilee Week.  Other Royal visitors to the showground include HRH the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, Princess Alexandra and, most recently, the Earl of Wessex.  

Lea Graham is responsible for press releases, photographers and protocol for all the Royal occasions.  This includes the co-ordination of rota passes, liaison with Buckingham Palace, the police and the Central Office of Information (COI).

Public Relations

Publicity, marketing, advertising, education, design, photography and editing for the "Seasons News" in-house publication, as well as Show literature and other promotional material.

Lea Graham promotes the Society throughout the year using press releases, photographs, television and radio interviews, competitions and feature articles.  The remit encompasses the broader issue of promoting the rural economy, a vital part of the Society’s work.  

The breadth and depth of media coverage secured by Lea Graham has not only been comprehensive, but also highly cost effective for the Society.  In a recent analysis, it was shown that the publicity for the South of England Show 2011 – notably television coverage - generated by Lea Graham was valued in excess of £2 million calculated at current advertising rates.

Media Coverage

The three-day 2011 South of England Show generated 76 articles & broadcasts across national, regional & local media and trade press.

These reached a potential audience approaching 14 million (13,926,525)

The advertising value of this year’s coverage amounts to £2,103,819 and cuttings are still appearing 5 months later

Broadcast coverage included Sky News, ITV News by ITN, Channel 4 News, Meridian South and Meridian South-East, BBC South and BBC South-East. Radio coverage included BBC Sussex, Heart Sussex, Bright 106.4FM and Mid Downs Radio.

Among stories covered were the Royal visit by HRH the Earl of Wessex; the visit of the Secretary of State, Caroline Spelman; and Shadow Secretary, Mary Creagh.

There was also coverage of the Media Breakfast, Opening Ceremony and Eddie Kidd’s appearance on Saturday.

 

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South of England Agricultural Society