C Eye focuses on branding of Warwick Conferences

C Eye is working on a £200 000 branding project for Warwick Conferences, due for completion by February next year. Warwick Conferences is one of the University of Warwick’s commercial arms.

The consultancy’s work includes brand strategy, the creation of a fresh corporate identity that will be carried through all internal and external communications and the design of exhibition stands.

Warwick Conferences represents an important revenue generator for the university, which is increasingly self-funding, says Amanda Smithson, head of marketing and communications at Warwick Conferences. It comprises three purpose-built management training centres, a university conference centre and 480 four-star executive rooms.

The project has been undertaken following the regrouping in 2000 of the Scarman, Radcliffe and Arden House training centres with the Conference Park, under the umbrella brand of Warwick Conferences.

‘Each management training centre has its own brand equity, but customers have never associated the centres with Warwick Conferences. Each House will retain its name but we want to maximise the brand equity of Warwick Conferences. Also each centre has its own sales and marketing division and by grouping the centres under the master brand we will be able to maximise our cross-selling capabilities,’ says Smithson.

In addition to the brand strategy and visual identity, C Eye will develop a marketing strategy. It is also redesigning the home page of the existing website. The remaining sections of the website will be redesigned later in the year by consultancy Bit 10, says Smithson.

C Eye beat rivals Identica, Carnegie Orr, Basten Greenhill Andrews, Citigate Lloyd Northover, Pentagram and Wolff Olins in an unpaid creative pitch.