Case Study - eema

"I often work remotely, so it’s great to have an enthusiastic PR team that offers constructive discussion and comes up with new ideas. Other agencies I’ve worked with have depended on me to provide all the input, but I can always rely on MCC to be proactive."

Head of Special Projects at eema, Roger Dean

The Mission

eema is Europe’s leading independent, non-profit e-identity & security association. Its remit is to educate and inform around 160 member organisations on the latest developments and technologies. As the work produced by the association is funded by membership subscriptions and fee-paying events, eema constantly needs to find cost-effective ways of attracting new members and event attendees.

The Solution

A targeted business-to-business PR campaign run by a team of professionals with a heritage of experience in the security and technology industries.

The Result

eema benefits from a consistently high profile for all conferences and initiatives, including press coverage in multi-national media. This has lead directly to an increase in subscription applications. Its flagship annual event – ISSE – always attracts a large number of journalists, and keynote speakers receive substantial exposure as a result.

For 20 years eema has been Europe’s leading independent, non-profit e-identity & security association, working with its members, government bodies, standards organisations and interoperability initiatives to further e-business and legislation.

As the work produced by this association is funded by membership subscriptions and fee-paying events, it is important for eema to maintain a high profile, continuously raising awareness of initiatives to attract new members.

Marketing is a vital part of eema’s development, but as a not-for-profit organisation, budgets are tight. Every penny must be invested efficiently to secure the association’s future, so eema’s directors have always utilised PR to deliver powerful results from editorial coverage.

"We’ve worked with several different agencies over the years," explains eema Executive Director, Roger Dean. "But we often found there was no continuity. Our account teams would keep changing so we couldn’t build productive relationships."

eema embarked on a new European search for PR support during the summer of 2002. After considering pitches from a number of agencies, Roger appointed MCC International to manage the campaign.

"It was clear from their proposal that MCC had the right skills base and experience in security and technology to hit the ground running. I also felt that the team would be easy to work with, and I’ve been proved right."

MCC has done an excellent job in promoting eema and industry issues that it is involved with. Our monthly meetings are particularly productive. I often work in remotely, so it’s great to have an enthusiastic PR team that offers constructive discussion and comes up with new ideas. In the past, agencies have depended on me to provide all the input, but I can always rely on MCC to be proactive."

One of MCC International’s main responsibilities in eema’s calendar of events is to coordinate all media attendance for the flagship annual conference ISSE - from inviting journalists to arranging travel, hospitality, and running an on-site press room.

"It’s such a weight off my mind to know that all media will be managed by the MCC account team," says Roger. "I can concentrate on other things, safe in the knowledge that journalists will be kept well-informed and happy throughout the event."

Even though MCC has been working with us for five years now, they constantly think up new ways to keep things fresh. For instance in 2006 they introduced video streaming, filming interviews with exhibitors and keynote speakers to reinforce marketing activities."

"It’s always difficult to measure the tangible value of PR, but I believe in it 100%. MCC International’s services are very cost effective and worth every penny," concludes Roger.

Testimonials