Collaboration, Creativity, and Cybersecurity: Our Third Year with Nineteen Group

Written by Melanie Johnson-Holliday, Senior Account Director at Eskenzi PR We’ve, once again, been shortlisted for the ‘Best Use of PR’ category at the EN Marketing Awards, alongside our trusted partners in (ahem) cybercrime…or should we say, cybersecurity? The partnership actually took home the trophy in this category in 2023, and we’re excited to be in the running again. It’s hard to believe we’re now in our third year working with Nineteen Group. We’ve had the privilege of helping them create an amazing buzz around their flagship event, International Cyber Expo. Our mission? To raise awareness, generate excitement, and firmly position the event as a must-attend on the cybersecurity calendar, ensuring it’s on the radar of every influential cybersecurity professional, both in the UK and beyond. Our focus has always been on crafting creative, attention-grabbing content designed to engage key industry figures—CISOs, CIOs, Heads of Information Security, and other influential decision-makers from enterprises, government bodies, critical national infrastructure sectors, and public organisations.  Our strategy combined several key tactics: rapid response (or “newsjacking,” as others might call it), article placements, press releases, and regular commentary from the event’s advisory council, which is made up of some of the most respected experts in cybersecurity. We also worked closely with speakers, exhibitors, and attendees to produce compelling video content, helping to amplify the event’s reach across social media and online platforms. A crucial part of our rapid response efforts involved distributing breaking news to key spokespeople for the show. This led to widespread media coverage for Advisory Council member Simon Newman and the International Cyber Expo itself. Simon’s insights and the event’s name were featured in prominent national and top-tier publications, including Raconteur, The Daily Mail, Yahoo News, The Sun, and Fast Company. One standout moment came when a powerful quote from Simon, shared through PA Media, was picked up by The Independent and syndicated across major platforms like Yahoo News, MSN News, and regional outlets. The result was an impressive opportunity-to-see figure of over 19 million—demonstrating the massive impact of strategic, timely media engagement. To generate headline-grabbing stories, we developed a survey exploring the British public’s views on modern warfare and trust in global IT providers. This led to two press releases with unique angles. The first highlighted concerns after the July 2024 CrowdStrike IT outages, with 78% of UK respondents worried about reliance on IT systems. The second revealed 72% believe cyber warfare is the next phase of modern combat. This strategy captured media attention and provided timely insights, generating 26 pieces of coverage in various target trade and security press.   For us, it’s not just about working with the vendors who are exhibiting at the event—it’s about actively engaging with the wider community that supports and drives the cybersecurity industry forward. Leading up to the International Cyber Expo, we were proud to collaborate with Inclusive InCyber, an organisation dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusivity, and professional growth in cybersecurity, while also championing gender equality. As Inclusive InCyber prepared to host a panel and networking session on the event’s opening day, they faced some challenges with registration numbers. That’s where Eskenzi stepped in. By leveraging thought leadership, writing blogs, and boosting visibility through targeted social media efforts, we helped raise awareness for the session. The result was a significant increase in registrations, and the panel session was filled to capacity, amplifying the group’s reach and impact. The results of our PR campaign speak for themselves. To date, we’ve secured an impressive 209 pieces of coverage (and counting) to promote International Cyber Expo 2024. Of these, 43.6% (88 pieces) have appeared in major national outlets, including The Independent, The Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mail, MSN, and Yahoo UK News. The PR activity helped the show increase visitors by 16%, attracting over 7,500 attendees from 90 countries.  We’ve always taken great pride in working with Nineteen Group. They’re more than just a client, they’re true partners. This collaborative approach is at the heart of what makes a PR relationship successful. It’s not just about working together—it’s about sharing ideas, fostering creativity, being open with information, and working closely with all the people who make these events so valuable to the cybersecurity community.