Birmingham PR and design agency Seal has helped raise the profile of the 100th centenary of the Michelin Guide.
The firm, which manages the annual announcement of the 2011 Michelin Stars, marked the historic event by gathering more than 100 of the UK’s most influential chefs at the iconic Bibendum Restaurant, formerly known as Michelin House – which opened its doors on 20 January 1911.
Birmingham-based chefs from Purnells, Simpsons and Turner’s attended the glitzy VIP reception along with other well-known celebrity chefs from The Fat Duck, Umu, Maize and Rhodes Twenty Four.
It was a busy week for Michelin and Seal’s consumer team, headed by PR director Lucy Kemp as following the chefs’ event and centenary celebrations, the 2011 Michelin Guide and Stars were officially announced.
Glynn Purnell, who has recently launched his new restaurant The Asquith, said: “The 100th centenary event was a fantastic evening, spent in the company of great British culinary talent.
“It was a rare treat to have so many chefs together in one room and we were still on a high from the event, so when the announcement came through that we had retained our Michelin Star for another year, the feeling was electric.
“It is such an achievement and I am extremely proud of the team that works alongside me, it is a true reflection of the hard work which goes into making the restaurant such a success.”
Seal’s Ms Kemp added: “We’re extremely proud to work with Michelin and have formed a strong agency/client relationship working closely with them over the past two years.
“Last year we picked up the CIPR award for best campaign under £10,000 for our work with Michelin I-Spy, and the team has worked tirelessly over the past month to deliver some high impact on and offline results for the launch of the Michelin Guide to Great Britain & Ireland.
“The launch of the Guide receives a huge amount of media attention as it is such an important feature in the ‘culinary calendar’, however this year was an even bigger story with the centenary of the Guide itself.
“It’s a great opportunity for a Midlands agency to demonstrate first class media relations skills, and this campaign played to the strengths of the Seal team – a mixture of big brand experience, strong media contacts and above all a fresh approach to gaining coverage and nurturing client relationships.”
