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A Flocking Great Time At Chester Zoo

When I first joined CIB, I realised very quickly that each day would be very varied, which was what excited me about working for an agency.

However, over six years ago (time flies when you’re having fun!) when I first stepped foot into the northern office, I did not think that one day I would be taking a trip to Chester Zoo with one of my clients to meet 21 Caribbean Flamingo chicks…and what a day it was!

My client, Forbo Flooring Systems, has a wide range of solutions available, with one of them being the unique Flotex flocked floor covering, which combines the hard-wearing durability of a resilient floor covering with the comfort of a textile finish – it’s pretty impressive!

So, when Chester Zoo realised that they would need to hand-rear the 21 Flamingo chicks, they did a lot of research into floor coverings that would be suitable for a new special enclosure and came across Flotex. Although Flotex is usually installed in commercial interiors, Forbo very kindly donated the floor covering to the UK’s most visited zoo. Consequently, they were invited along to meet the chicks and learn more about the incredible, charitable work the zoo does. AND…I was invited along too!

As you can imagine, we were all very excited when we arrived at Chester Zoo to see the new arrivals and Flotex in action, but little did we know that we would actually end up meeting the chicks and the penguins in person! With lots of fluffy feathers and long pink legs the Flamingo chicks were very cute, and it was brilliant to learn from the zoo keepers how much they were loving Flotex and how its minimal maintenance meant that they could spend more time with the chicks, as they were required to be fed four times a day at regular intervals and needed special attention.

After we met the chicks, we also got the honour of meeting the waddling penguins up close too. We were taken into their exhibit and were allowed to hand feed them some fish. Overall, the day was one that I won’t ever forget.

However, there was a reason for me being invited along. I was there to get as much information as possible, in order to draft social media posts for all of Forbo’s platforms and a press release, which would be distributed to its target trade press. Once the release was drafted, I liaised with the marketing department at Chester Zoo to gain approval and to understand when we were allowed to distribute it. The release has now been distributed and I’m looking forward to seeing what coverage it receives, which I’m sure will be a lot as it’s a great story!!

If you have any special projects that you’re working on and you want to tell the industry, why not get in touch and see how we can help you.

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