by John Kendall | Jan 12, 2015 | From the Chair
A Happy New Year to you and I hope you had a good Christmas break. Even before the year was out came news of several press office changes, including a reorganisation at PSA Peugeot Citroën UK. This sees Andrew Didlick becoming Director, Communications, Events...
by John Kendall | Nov 3, 2014 | From the Chair
There are just two weeks to go before the Western Group AGM, again kindly hosted by Mitsubishi at its Cirencester head office, right in the heart of Western Group territory. The AGM means that we will see a small but significant committee change. After several...
by John Kendall | Oct 1, 2014 | From the Chair
I’ve just spent a most enjoyable day at the Western Group’s favourite racing circuit, Castle Combe, watching 62 racing teams battle it out through three race series to secure a place at the next round, to be staged at Goodwood on Sunday 11 October – two...
by John Kendall | Sep 1, 2014 | From the Chair
It’s 1 September as I write, a subtle reminder that summer is sliding gently into autumn and from a motoring scribe’s perspective, the round of autumn motor shows will be on us soon, with accompanying launches. Thanks to VW for hosting our August meeting at...
by John Kendall | Aug 1, 2014 | From the Chair
Did the Western Group Driving Day trigger the continuing fine summer weather? I doubt we can claim that although Alyson Marlow did such an excellent job of organising it and it would be typical of her if she had sorted the weather out too. We knew...
by John Kendall | Jul 1, 2014 | From the Chair
Wednesday 25 June brought the curtain down on yet another Western Group of Motoring Writers PR Driving Day at a sun-drenched Castle Combe Circuit. A year of planning and hard work from organiser Alyson Marlow meant that the day ran like clockwork, even though...
by John Kendall | Jun 2, 2014 | From the Chair
There is just over three weeks to go to this year’s Western Group PR Driving Day and the SMMT annual test day gave us a good opportunity to remind all the industry press offices we could find that the clock is ticking and there are still places to be booked for...
by John Kendall | May 1, 2014 | From the Chair
Last month I was about to head off to Castle Combe for a meeting and I will be going there for another to meet the id-pr team who will be operating a new and improved key handling system for the Group at our PR Driving Day on 25 June. It’s not the first time...
by John Kendall | Apr 1, 2014 | From the Chair
March is generally not my favourite month. As a monthly magazine editor, it means a short month in February, plus the Geneva Show, which means a pile of extra work. I’m not complaining, but usually glad when April Fools Day comes looming up over the horizon....
by John Kendall | Mar 3, 2014 | From the Chair
According to The Bluffer’s Guide to Public Relations, PR people should disabuse themselves of the notion that journalists attend press launches to learn about their organisation’s astonishing new product or service, because they really go to talk to each other...
by John Kendall | Feb 3, 2014 | From the Chair
When I started out as a journalist in 1990, most of us worked for magazines and newspapers – online publications were a few years away yet. Freelancers were in the minority. Now most of us work freelance. It’s good to know that the UK is one of the...
by John Kendall | Jan 1, 2014 | From the Chair
Whenever I think that December is going to deliver a fairly relaxed run up to Christmas, I’m usually tempting fate and 2013 is no different from others. I’m running to keep up, with Christmas just four days away. Today is the winter solstice – the sun rose at 8:04...
by John Kendall | Dec 1, 2013 | From the Chair
It’s stir-up Sunday as I write this – a traditional reminder to get on with making the Christmas pudding, although for the Christmas cake maker in the Kendall household (me) it’s a gentle nudge to go out, get the ingredients, book some time with Ken (Wood) and get the...
by Reg Burnard | Nov 1, 2013 | From the Chair
So, it’s crunch time; for all sorts of things and people. The deadline for nominations for various offices closes today; with little activity, or so it seems. And, equally importantly, the hour approaches when those who have not submitted recent examples of their work...
by Reg Burnard | Oct 7, 2013 | From the Chair
Bought a new car lately? Ever wondered how long a customer deliberates before selection? Do they ever read what we motoring people write about a new car? And, normally – and ideally – we motoring writers have a car for a week to assess its virtues; and...
by Reg Burnard | Sep 16, 2013 | From the Chair
The group and the industry had a busy few months through the summer and there does not appear to be a let up in the frenzy as the Frankfurt motor show begins this week and our own AGM is on the horizon. There are dozens of new model launches taking place and even more...
