Furniture and Furnishings galore!

It's furniture and furnishings galore next week, with both the Interiors Show here in the UK and Las Vegas Market in Sin City opening on Monday. I look forward to catching up with all my furniture buddies, but in Birmingham not Las Vegas this time, I'll be back in LV in August!

World Market Center Las Vegas promises some fantastic new products from around the world, with deluxe design in Building B on the second floor leading the way with 'Design & Living.' There are some great seminars and events and as usual amazing hospitality - enjoy!

Singing lifts the spirits!

As a Welsh woman I've always been fond of a song or two, often accompanied by watching a rugby match! Had a great time on Saturday afternoon on a 'Come and Sing' day with the Leicester Bach Choir. Remarkably, despite very limited rehearsal time, we managed to put on a pretty good performance of Puccini's Messa di Gloria. Enormous thanks to the conductor Richard Laing who somehow managed to pull many singers who were sight reading like me together with those who've performed it before, to great effect. The tenor soloist Roberto Garcia Lopez was fantastic and my friend and I left feeling that our spirits were lifted!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my clients! Hope you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2011. Looking back at 2010, it wasn't all doom and gloom, although for many clients there was a fair share of that - but for all of them, there was an opportunity to revisit what they're doing, look closely at their core business and choose their preferred areas for growth. That's where we come in and 2011 is all about concentrating on growth and development and building brands, so cheers to that!

Brrr it's cold here!

It's been a chilly week - understatement of the year! My client Cape Westerly has taken amazing menswear out to the greater public - thank you to Nicola Wheeler for excellent event organisation as always! Strangely enough this thermal winter hat's been selling out fast all week! I've personally given a Gearbox Gifts alarm clock to a car-mad 12 year old whose father wants one too and another client, The Belmont Hotel in Leicester has taken the initiative and has added mulled wine and mince pies to the menu for those who'd like to pause from their shopping and recover from the cold!

Meanwhile, I've been writing press releases for Las Vegas Market (slightly warmer environment!) in advance of Winter Market in January 2011. In other words, the snow's not stopped things here at Nicky Stephen Marketing, although I am under pressure to go sledging with children and dog!

Weather's turned, thoughts turn to Christmas

Pouring with rain out there, aren't I glad I'm taking the afternoon off to spend with my children later! I guess that's it, summer's over and it's time to start thinking about Christmas presents so that I'm not rushing round like a mad thing at the end of December. If you're looking for something for the man who has everything, then take a look at Gearbox Gifts - it's got some great stocking fillers for anyone who loves their car and some rather more substantial gifts too if you're feeling generous! This one's my favourite, take a look at this video http://www.youtube.com/user/Videoteq#p/u/5/iwhqStIVXa4

Cape Westerly Clothing website is live!

A busy start to October with things hotting up for the launch of Cape Westerly Clothing. We've worked on the brand identity, the labelling, website, and marketing and it's all starting to come to fruition. The website went live today http://www.capewesterly.co.uk/ - have a look. It's men's leisurewear with a sporty heritage, so launch concentrates on rugby shirts, but soon to be added will be hoodies, duffle bags, joggers and more. The first order came in ten minutes after the initial emailshot, so we must be doing something right!

There are some perks!

There are some perks to this job, and last night's was great! I took a group of international journalists to the Viva Elvis show at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas. We're all over in the States for the Las Vegas Market (furniture and furnishings) and after a long day's work our treat last night was a show. Spectacular didn't cover it - the amazing Cirque du Soleil production was a fabulous mix of acrobatics, dancing, incredible sets and of course Elvis music - I thoroughly recommend it to anyone coming over to Las Vegas!