So PR - An award-winning, multi-discipline PR company with a national & international client base.

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield

We got the UK's newest international airport off the ground.

"The difference between SO and other agencies I've worked with is that they actually delivered what they said they would - and more."  
Sharon Bennett, then PR & sponsorship manager, Robin Hood Airport

This five-year project took the UK's newest international airport from concept stage through to brand launch, drawing on an extensive range of PR disciplines.

The context

We began working for property giant Peel Holdings before they had even obtained planning permission for the airport. They had invited some of the region's largest full-service PR agencies to bid for this work, but SO was successful because of our strong experience in corporate PR, community relations, crises and issues, and event management.

The task

Peel Holdings asked us to support them with the £80 million development and subsequent launch of a brand-new international airport between Doncaster and Sheffield, Robin Hood Airport.

What we did

Our work on this project spanned five years, from 2003 to 2007, and reflects the sheer breadth of our expertise and experience:

Stage One: Influencing the planning decision (2003/2004)

• Public consultations 
  
• Press conferences
  
• Stakeholder relations
  
• Press-office function
  
• Damage limitation with regard to negative reactions to the airport's name
  

Stage Two: Development (June 04 – April 2005)

• Development update
  
• Emergency planning with blue-light services
  
• Crisis & issues planning
  
• Ongoing stakeholder and community relations
  
• Press-office function
  
• Recruitment support and internal communications
  
• Marketing and international strategy
  

Stage Three: Operational launch (April 2005)

• VIP and media launch events
  
• Inaugural flight hospitality (Palma, Majorca)
  
• Ongoing media relations
  

Stage Four: Brand launch (February 2007)

• Media strategy 
  
• Celebrity launch (Sean Bean and Brian Blessed)
  
• VIP launch event
  

The results

• 23 national and regional news journalists flew on inaugural flights
  
• 38 photographers/radio crews attended launch (April 2005)
  
• Dealt with more than 500 launch related media enquiries between December 2004 and May 2005
  
• £1m worth of media coverage achieved by celebrity brand launch 2007
  
• BBC Look North (Tom Ingall) sent letter of thanks for well-organised launch activity
  
• Then MD, David Ryall sent post-launch letter of appreciation and commendation