On 15 August, we stood still at the heart of the Nation’s 80th anniversary commemorations of VJ Day (Victory over Japan) and the end of the Second World War at the National Memorial Arboretum.
The national Service of Remembrance, hosted by Royal British Legion in partnership with the government, was attended by 33 veterans of the Far East and Pacific campaign as well as Their Majesties The King and Queen, military personnel, senior politicians and 1,500 guests.
The ever poignant two-minute silence was a moment of reflection, calm and remembrance at the end of an extremely busy few weeks working closely with the marketing team at the Arboretum and their PR colleagues at Royal British Legion to help enable their delivery of landmark media coverage of this extraordinary event, which was also broadcast live to the Nation on BBC One on VJ Day (15 August).
The team at TALA has 18 years of experience working with the Arboretum team to manage media at high profile and VVIP events, from co-ordinating between The Royal Household, Number 10 and national broadcasters to juggling last-minute media requests, positions and interviews.
With our intimate knowledge of the 150-acre site and personal relationships with many of the national journalists based in the region, we worked our hardest to support the Royal British Legion’s PR team during this enormous event.
And by the end of VJ Day, they had secured over 4,000 items of branded coverage in national and international print, broadcast and online media. The event was an enormous success and we’re still seeing mentions of the Arboretum on VJ Day in our clippings now.
When an event is this big, this complex and this high profile, it is easy to get lost in the detail, trying to keep on top of all the demands. It’s the same in so many aspects of all our lives today.
So, when we’re invited to pause, reflect and remember the sacrifices that our parents, grandparents, extended families and communities made for us, we’d always encourage you to embrace the opportunity. And the National Memorial Arboretum is a truly fitting place to do it.
We’re already looking forward to the next big event we’ll work on together!
[Photo: Royal British Legion]
