“We are really grateful for the long term support we have received from London Communications Agency who have been instrumental in supporting our work programme over a six year period. Initially this involved helping us manage a complex communications programme around the infrastructure development and the Royal opening event itself. More recently they have also been extremely successful in promoting the station as a destination in its own right, delivering a wide range of innovative events with excellent supportive press coverage.”
LCA has been working with High Speed 1 Ltd – the operators of the UK’s first high speed railway and international stations along the route, including St Pancras International – since 2005. Using an imaginative mix of traditional media, new media, direct to consumer marketing, a variety of events and filming, LCA promotes the station as an iconic landmark – a place to meet, eat and shop … as well as a train station!
Our focus has been on creating Europe’s first ‘Destination Station’, a core part of this has been our ‘misplacement strategy’ – putting St Pancras International in publications and media where you would not usually see a station, so introducing it to a new audience. Alongside regular high profile coverage in news pages and on TV, we have featured in publications such as Autocar, Grazia and Monocle. We have also sought contact with location scouts and production companies, offering St Pancras International as a backdrop.
By proactively holding events, including ‘The Station Sessions’, ‘Foodie Fortnight’ and ‘Christmas Under One Spectacular Roof’ we are achieving the goal of turning St Pancras International into a place to visit in its own right.
The station goes from strength to strength. Research shows that at peak times, up to 25% of the people in the station have no intention of getting on a train, the station’s income over the last 12 months has grown 20% and it expects to achieve retail turnover sales of over £98million in 2010.