Well, that’s what I was told at the weekend! I was declared a “birthday virgin” when I arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon to take part in my first ever Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations.

I was in the Bard’s birthplace as the guest of an incredibly talented lady called Melissa Mailer-Yates, with whom I’ve been doing a bit of work recently.

Melissa is the CEO of Shakespuss & Co Ltd. Shakespuss is a concept based around a cartoon cat and is designed to bring Shakespeare to a pre-school and early school years generation.

Melissa was thrilled to be given such a prominent position in the town for the Shakespeare’s Birthday Parade, with her own corporate emblem and flag. The Shakespuss flag was unfurled by actor Robert Lister, better known as Lewis from The Archers on BBC Radio 4.

The parade was followed by a boat ride and then lunch at the Crowne Plaza. We were in fine company and I found myself chatting to the lovely Mayor of Royal Leamington Spa, Councillor Caroline Evetts.

As part of the luncheon we saw the presentation of this year’s Pragnell Award, which is given to those who have extended the appreciation and enjoyment of the works of Shakespeare.

Many prominent actors have received the award in the past, including Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench. This year the recipient was Jane Lapotaire and her acceptance speech was genuinely inspiring.

I’d like to thank Melissa for inviting me. The CC team are really looking forward to working with her on the next round of investment for Shakepuss, which we believe has the potential for global success.

At CC, we’re known for not being quite like any other marketing agency. One of the services we provide that is a little out of the ordinary is that we organise small events.

Mickey’s background in marketing management has seen her organise all kinds of events from trade show stands to manufacturing product launches. “I do love doing events”, she says. “I like the energy and there’s the whole thing of building up to them, making sure everything is in place.

One such occasion took place when we arranged a tasting event for our client BruCru. This was part of the pre-launch campaign for their new Nitro Coffee, 6C Dark.

The event took place in a historic pub in London’s Fitzrovia district. The invitees were a select group of prospects, senior figures from businesses in the hospitality and catering sectors as well as potential distributors.

“Most of the delegates were from London, so it made sense to make the event easily accessible by public transport”, says Mickey. It’s just one stop on the tube and a short walk from Euston Station.

“There was nothing fancy – no music or lasers!”, she laughs. “But it was a well organised event that made the people arriving feel they were part of a privileged group who getting to sample this product before the media or anyone else got to see it”.

“This sort of thing is so important with a new venture – getting the key prospects invested, making them feel part of something. It really helps with building loyalty and keeping them engaged.

“This is what we are always doing at CC when we work on a project – we keep reevaluating it and asking, “Where are the customers or prospects at right now? What can we do to keep them interested?”. When you keep thinking like that and focusing on the clients, it helps you come up with ideas like this”