2016: A Review of the Year

For many, 2016 will go down in history as a blip. It was the year when politics took a mind of its own (e.g. BREXIT, Donald Trump and U.S. Presidential Elections) and the pollster couldn’t get anything right. Then there is the loss of cultural and media icons (e.g. from David Bowie and Alan Rickman to Victoria Wood and Terry Wogan). On the bright side, Andy Murray became world no. 1 and we had tremendous success at the Olympics.

Things at Onyx Health haven’t been quite as dramatic; however, it has been a year of change and growth for us.

Here are some of our top highlights:

EU Medical Education Programme

We started the year with translating three training modules from a medical education programme we developed in 2015. Translations included 5 different languages: Italian, French, German, Flemish and Dutch. This took a lot of hard work and understanding of the different regulatory codes of practice for each country. However, after months of hard work and a mammoth effort by the team, we managed to work our way through nearly 500 slides.

Sales Support

This year saw significant growth in our sales support programme, which kept our MD Karen Winterhalter very busy. Karen is currently managing sales for a medical diagnostic company in the UK. We have also developed lead generation programmes for other clients combining both sales and marketing activities to help clients grow their business.

Bright Ideas Awards 2016

In June, the team attended the Bright Ideas in Heath Awards at the Hilton Hotel Newcastle Gateshead.  For the second year running, Onyx Health sponsored the SME Innovation Category, where regional companies were invited to showcase the development of their innovative technology, design or process that has produced a major improvement to either business performance, end user benefit or patient care, with this year’s winner being Femeda.  We are proud to be part of such established celebrations and will continue to support innovation in healthcare in the future.

New Faces

Between April-July, we made three new hires, boosting our healthcare offering. Trevor Pill, formerly Marketing and Design Manager at leading nutrition brand Pharma Nord joined as Client Campaign Manager. Out of towner, Alex Gandhi from London based Red Door Unlimited moved up to the North East to take up the role of Client Account Manager, while Ryan Gibson joined as a Graduate Designer.

Healthcare Packages for SMEs

In August, we launched a range of service packages, which will allow us to work with healthcare businesses on budget-friendly projects. This spans across branding to lead generation, marketing strategy to medical education, digital communications to media relations, and the list goes on. These can also be tailored to suit individual needs.

EXIT (or not)

In September, we decided to take on Volatile Laboratories at EXIT Newcastle (a live escape game). We found ourselves trapped and infected in a top-secret laboratory that was sent into lockdown. Through a series of clues, puzzles and codes, we were given the challenge of finding the antidote and earn our exit. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite escape within the allotted timeframe (another 5 mins and we would have done…honest), but the key takeaway from the activity if we ever had one, was the importance of good communication, which is very fitting for a communications agency. With our pride a little wounded, we managed to dust ourselves off with a few beers and some food.

NETPark Support

Our relationship with NETPark members continues to thrive. It was great to see Angela Davidson and her invention ‘Tinkleguard’ be part of the innovation showcase at Venturefest North East and Innovate Tees Valley. We created a short video show reel for visitors to understand the journey of Tinkleguard from idea to reality. Previously in September, we hosted a breakfast meeting around the theme of ‘Building a brand’. We got some great feedback by those in attendance who went away with the knowledge of how branding can help to define a business, which is particularly crucial to SMEs and Start-Ups beginning their journey in the world of commercialisation.

PolyPhotonix Website

In October, we launched a new customer-focused website for PolyPhotonix. We provided the client with a new parallax scrolling site, using cutting edge technology. This displays key information in a more polished, creative and engaging way – featuring high resolution and interactive content.

Attended GIANT Health Event

In November, we attended the GIANT Health Event on the Southbank in London. Over 3 days, across 3 lecture halls, 1 exhibition hall, and numerous presentations, we joined over 6000 of the world’s most creative thinkers, innovators, global corporates and entrepreneurs, sharing ground-breaking ideas and insights in the world of health.

The team at Onyx Health wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!