EMS puts a new spin on BHF roadshow

ELLESMERE PORT, ENGLAND, September 18, 2010 (Press-News.org) An eye-catching 'smoothie bike', which allows visitors to mix a fruit smoothie by pedalling, has been introduced as a new feature of the successful health roadshow marketing tour - a project managed by EMS since 2009.

Located outside the 10.5 metre exhibition trailer, the smoothie bike will attract visitors to the experience and underline two of the campaign's key messages - the importance of regular physical activity and a healthy diet.

South Wales is the fifth region to be visited by the roadshow, which targets people living in communities at high risk of developing heart disease.

The three-month travelling healthcare tour will visit community events, supermarkets and high street sites across the region. It will also target employees at some of Wales' biggest workplaces, including the Corus steel plant in Port Talbot.

Since its launch in April 2009, the BHF Heart Health roadshow marketing tour has engaged directly with 40,565 people and delivered 18,893 one-to-one heart health lifestyle checks.
More than 60 per cent of visitors to the healthcare vehicle roadshows in the London, Bradford, Manchester and Glasgow regions signed up for ongoing support through the BHF's Heart Matters online information and support service.

The campaign has been shortlisted in two prestigious national roadshow marketing awards schemes: the Field Marketing and Brand Experience Awards and the UK Event Awards.

Deborah Auty, BHF Project Manager, said: "This is the biggest face-to-face campaign the charity has ever undertaken, and to date we have reached more than 40,000 people in some of the UK's biggest towns and cities."

"For this new leg of the tour, we're going right into the heart of many smaller communities around South Wales, as well as engaging with staff at some of the region's largest employers."

Justin Isles, Client Services Director at EMS, said: "We are going into South Wales on the back of a very successful campaign in Scotland, where the highlight was our visit to two major festivals - the Mela arts festival and Truckfest.

"With such a substantial and ongoing campaign, it is important to continually refresh the experience. The smoothie bike is the perfect addition - bringing an eye-catching, interactive feature to the campaign. I'm confident it will be a great success."

The state-of-the-art BHF Heart Health medical vehicle - designed, built and operated by EMS - provides a mobile base for free heart health lifestyle checks that are conducted by trained BHF staff in on-board consultation booths. Using high profile branding and the latest patient management technology, the roadshow aims to engage with people who may not regularly see their GP.

Visitors register for an appointment using touchscreens that capture basic information on their current lifestyle. If, after review, they are identified as at high risk of heart disease, they will be urged to request a more detailed check-up with their GP.

The South Wales leg of the BHF Heart Health roadshow launched on 31 August and will run for three months, visiting Asda and Morrisons supermarkets, selected high street locations and major employers.

Ref: EMS-HS-08910

Event Marketing Solutions (EMS) is the UK's leading provider of vehicle-based marketing roadshows, specialising in creating and managing face-to-face campaigns in the UK and Continental Europe. http://www.eventms.com/


Media enquiries to
Ruth Devlin
Tel 07896 125764
ruth@judgeandhoward.com

or
Kate Price at EMS:
Tel 0151 350 1509
kate.price@eventms.com