Weber Shandwick Wins Northern Ireland Election Battle

The Electoral Commission, the independent regulator for elections in the UK, has appointed Weber Shandwick’s Northern Ireland office to handle its public relations activities in the area.

The appointment came following a competitive tender process involving four locally-based agencies.
The budget, which is for a period of two years, with the option of extending by a year, is worth an estimated £120,000.

The Electoral Commission’s Northern Ireland office was looking for an agency to develop a public relations programme promoting voter registration and raising awareness of issues pertaining to all relevant elections in Northern Ireland and including UK parliamentary elections, as well as its role on the regulation of party and election finance.

“The Electoral Commission Northern Ireland has an excellent and longstanding relationship with local politicians, stakeholders and the media and this new contract will serve to strengthen these links even further,” Conall McDevitt, Managing Director of Weber Shandwick in Northern Ireland, said. He continued: “The team has put a huge amount of time and effort into this tender and we relish the opportunity to get stuck in and ensure that that the Commission’s communications objectives are not only met but exceeded.”

The Commission’s Northern Ireland office, based in Belfast, has responsibility for delivering the corporate aims of the Commission in the context of Northern Ireland. The office ensures that the Northern Ireland dimension is fully represented in the strategic thinking and operational planning of the Commission.
The Commission has similarly established offices in Edinburgh, Cardiff and in the English regions.