Hartpury University has appointed Manchester & Leeds based agency, Northern Hive, to support the marketing and communications activities for their equestrian events this summer. The appointment follows a competitive pitch process earlier in the year and is effective immediately.
The public relations brief covers all three international fixtures at the specialist Gloucestershire educational venue including the Hartpury Festival of Dressage (July 3-7th), Hartpury Showjumping Spectacular (July 18-21st), and NAF Five-Star International Hartpury Horse Trials (August 7-11th).
Northern Hive CEO will oversee the strategy as Equine Events Marketing Manager.
The agency will handle all press office activities for the three events, and is tasked with managing Hartpury’s online and offline content channels. Social media activity and strategic communications will also form part of the brief.
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.
Students at Hartpury have access to the largest equine educational establishment in the world, cutting-edge sports facilities, an extensive animal collection, an animal therapy centre, science laboratories with industry standard equipment and a fully working farm.
Philip Cheetham, Equine Director, said: “This is a very exciting year for our equestrian events, as we invest in their development with new activities for equine professionals, businesses and enthusiasts alike. Alongside showcasing emerging equestrian talent, our events provide unrivalled opportunities for our students to gain real-world experience and make valuable connections for their careers. They also help us to sustain our world-class facilities, which further strengthens their learning.
We’re pleased to welcome Northern Hive as our new PR partner and look forward to hosting our best events yet this year.”
Mark Hayward, CEO of Northern Hive said “I have been involved with Hartpury for a number of years as a commentator at their equestrian events, so am extremely excited to now be working with them in this capacity. The commitment and investment made by Hartpury during recent years is outstanding and the facilities are world class. There are tremendous opportunities for growth and development within their equestrian events offering, and we look forward to playing our part during this exciting phase.”
Northern Hive has enjoyed a flurry of client wins since officially opening its doors this spring. While the agency has its UK bases in Manchester and Leeds, it has attracted clients from across the country as well as in the US and Canada. The agency has plans to expand further into Canada and the US in the coming year. -Ends-
