Campfire, the Social Media Marketing Agency, welcomes three new hires to the business to work on global TikTok campaigns, expanding paid social plans and increasing influencer scope.

Sophie Angell, previously of The Hut Group, joins as Account Director taking charge of key accounts such as The INKEY List, Missguided and Myprotein as well as overseeing the accounts team and driving further new business.

Alex Ighalo joins the agency from Mediacom and Custard Digital as Account Manager, coming on board to manage all SMB clients with the focus of expanding the category even further.

Chloe Millward who was Influencer Executive for Bella Design & Marketing will be responsible for handling all influencer relationships for new and potential clients, with particular focus on the global TikTok campaign for The INKEY List.

Joe Gradwell, CEO, says: “Both Alex (CCO) and I are absolutely thrilled to witness the expansion of the agency; we pride ourselves on the talent in our team and their capabilities. It’s also particularly exciting watching our growth continue during what we would have anticipated a difficult period due to the current climate.”

Alex Brown, CCO, adds “Getting the right people with the right knowledge and experience is so important in a young company like ours. They’re the people that help lay the foundations for your business and culture. We’re incredibly excited to have people join that have such an extensive wealth of knowledge and experience in different facets of our industry, sharing the same vision as Joe and I.”

Campfire stated a previous revenue target of £400,000 at the beginning of 2020 which the agency surpassed by May. Due to expansion, the team have now challenged themselves by almost doubling its target to £1,000,000 with further hires on the agenda.

Craig Walker has joined green initiative In the Circle, which is hosting a conference in Manchester in the spring, as sales director.

With a 25-year track record working in a range of sales and management roles, Craig has experience in a variety of sectors including automotive, home renovation products and construction. In his new role, he will be responsible for attracting sponsors, exhibitors and delegates to In the Circle’s three physical and virtual sustainability conferences that are being held next spring.

The series of regional events, sponsored by Music Magpie and Squire Patton Boggs, has been designed to help businesses of all sizes to move towards becoming part of the circular economy and to demonstrate the business benefits this will deliver.

The inaugural In the Circle conference will take place on Wednesday 24th February 2021 in Leeds, with conferences also scheduled at the NEC in Birmingham on Tuesday 9th March 2021, and at Manchester Central on Thursday 22nd April 2021. Delegates will be able to attend the conferences, either in person or via live streaming and each event will bring together more than 30 speakers and 50 exhibitors, showcasing best practice plans and initiatives to help all businesses build and develop their own sustainability policies and programmes.

“While the COVID-19 outbreak initially disrupted our plans, we are now finding that the crisis has made many companies re-think their priorities and the desire for sustainability has moved higher up the business agenda,” explains Alec Walton, chief executive of In the Circle. “With his solid experience of developing sales and working across diverse industries, Craig will be a real asset to the team, helping us to connect with delegates, exhibitors and sponsors across Yorkshire, the North West and the Midlands.”

Craig commented, “Sustainability is an issue I feel very strongly about. Many people still don’t appreciate the scale of the damage being done to the planet and this is an exciting opportunity to raise awareness and educate companies about sustainability. The conferences will bring people together to learn from some of the leaders in the field about how they can incorporate sustainable practices into their own businesses and the commercial benefits this will bring.”

The three regional conferences are expected to attract hundreds of business leaders, directors, managers and sustainability experts from across the UK.

Unique Venues of Manchester (UVM), established in 2013, was set up with a clear vision to offer a collaborative community and a platform to promote high-quality event spaces and facilities in some of the city’s most exceptional and inspirational settings. Since then, it has grown to offer services for unique venues in both Liverpool and Leeds.

Beccy joins Mathew Jayne as a director, as they plan ahead for the next 12 months. Together they have already been working on a number of projects including a ‘soon to be launched’ re-brand.

While continuing to support Manchester’s most exciting and unique venues for conferences and events, such as the People’s History Museum, Royal Northern College of Music, Contact Theatre and Halle St Peters, they are now planning for a rollout in further cities, including Newcastle, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cardiff.

Mathew, founder of Unique Venues of Manchester Ltd says;

‘Beccy is an incredible talent, so I’m absolutely delighted that she has agreed to join, and at a point where we are really starting to move forward with the development of Unique Venues as a brand and as a community. This will include the delivery of Unique Venues of Great Britain, as the umbrella site to our city regions.’

Unique Venues of Manchester promotes venues through a variety of marketing activities – from listings and articles to social media features, special offers, direct mail and networking. They provide venues, hotels, restaurants, bars and industry suppliers with a simple and cost-effective tool to market. They encourage collaborative marketing opportunities and shared presence at industry exhibitions such as CHS and Venues + Events Live.

Beccy says;

‘I’m delighted to officially come onboard and drive the Unique Venues brand forward into new markets across the UK. I’ve known Mathew for a while now, and I think our skills complement each other’s’ brilliantly. Exciting times ahead as we complete the rebrand process and build additional websites, and with this, communities’

Beccy also runs a hospitality and events marketing & PR agency, Tempt and is on the national board for The Female Hospitality Network.