Mission accomplished - thanks to C8!
C8 brought all the excitement of space travel to Bradford in September 2008 – and all without leaving the ground!
When a group of astronauts from the most recent space shuttle flight visited the city, C8 had the task of organising the whole thing from start to finish. With a timescale of only five weeks, the company put together a total of 11 events to take place across three days. As a result, more than 15,000 people – including thousands of local schoolchildren – were able to see the astronauts and hear the inspiring story of their recent trip to space.
Like the space shuttle mission itself, the astronauts’ visit to Bradford required a great deal of meticulous planning. “It was certainly a mammoth task!” said C8 director Alam Zeb. “We took on everything from the nitty-gritty of bookings and administration, to all the marketing and branding work, to making sure the astronauts were well looked after while they were here.”
C8 liaised with many different organisations during the planning stages, from NASA to the local council and police. Alam also worked closely with Yorkshire Forward, Bradford College and YES net, who were all supporting the event. Liaison with the media was a key part of the process, given the high level of interest in the astronauts’ visit. Alam ensured that the right information reached the right people, from newspapers to TV and radio companies, and dealt with all media enquiries and requests.
Alam said: “It was a truly wonderful event for all those who came & participated – and for the city itself. Bradford was the only city in England that the astronauts were visiting. The space shuttle retires in 2010, and this may well have been the last space shuttle crew visit to the UK.''
As well as being exciting, this visit was intended to inspire young people’s interest in space and make them think about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as possible careers. Having some real astronauts here really helped that. After all, who better to get children interested in space than a group of people who’ve actually been there!”
The astronauts’ visit included a civic reception in Centenary Square and a trip to Bradford Bulls stadium to give an exciting and inspirational talk to primary school children about their remarkable mission, which NASA described as the ‘nearest to perfect’ ever achieved. The crew continued their voyage around Bradford with a trip to Bradford College’s Trinity Green campus, where an audience that included local business people had the chance to share in the excitement.
Students from some of the district’s secondary schools also had the opportunity to meet the crew. And a return trip to the stars was on the agenda when the astronauts visited the Yorkshire Planetarium at Harewood House.
Hashim Hashim, manager at Bradford’s Wow Academy, said: “Alam and the team did a fantastic job with organising this visit, especially given the short time they had available. It was great to see everything working perfectly on the day with very few (if any) hiccups. Alam is very professional, and this event demonstrated just what he can do when he puts his mind to it. Without him, I don’t think we could have done it. It was a great success, and all the comments and feedback I’ve had have been extremely positive. The event really was a credit to Alam and C8.”
Martyn Chesters, senior regeneration manager from Yorkshire Forward, said: “What can I say? Excellent, magnificent…beyond all expectation and belief! Alam was given full responsibility for organising the astronauts’ visit, and managed the whole thing brilliantly. The result was a world-class event that was enjoyed by everyone who was involved. Fantastic!”
