Gloucestershire’s Hartpury College and Hartpury University have rehired Northern Hive to handle an extensive communications brief around its major international equestrian competitions, FEI European Championships for Young Riders and Juniors, and undergraduate equine student recruitment.
Due to the cancellation of in-person events due to the coronavirus pandemic, the agency is briefed with creating a digital and online campaign that will maintain engagement levels over the summer and boost awareness of the 2021 events. The brief also includes stakeholder and sponsor engagement, a series of virtual events, and assisting with content creation for Hartpury’s academic courses and undergraduate student recruitment.
Hartpury University and Hartpury College are specialist educational providers, sharing a 360-hectare campus in the heart of Gloucestershire. The institutions have almost 4,000 college and university level students studying postgraduate and undergraduate degrees, A-levels and diplomas in the areas of sport, equine, animal, agriculture and veterinary nursing.
Northern Hive CEO Mark Hayward, who has a background in equestrianism, said “Hartpury is a shining example of a world-class equestrian and educational facility, so it’s no surprise that we are so delighted to be working with them again in 2020. It is extremely sad that the physical events cannot take place this year, although we are working hard on a whole host of creative digital campaigns to keep stakeholders and competitors engaged”.
Phillip Cheetham, Equine Director at Hartpury, said “We’re pleased to welcome back Northern Hive as our PR partner, particularly during these unprecedented times. The coronavirus pandemic has forced us to cancel our summer events and European Championships, so we were keen to quickly adapt and boost our online and digital activities. Our events usually provide opportunities for students to gain real-world experience and make valuable connections, so we are keen to have a remote digital strategy that meets our objectives as closely as possible, even in these non-contact times. Northern Hive will also assist with a content campaign to promote undergraduate equine student recruitment".
