Blakeney has won further recognition for the campaign #LetTheMusicPlay that it ran last summer with its client LIVE. They received the award for “Best proactive lobbying campaign on a cause or issue” and were highly commended in the “Best campaign to actively form or shift Government policy” category.

The campaign urged help for the live music industry after lockdown in March, focusing on mobilising the public to influence government. The campaign, which helped the UK live music industry to win crucial political and financial support during COVID, was chosen by a panel of senior public affairs judges.

The judges, who were a panel of senior public affairs professionals said #LetTheMusicPlay was “An excellent and powerful campaign delivered quickly and effectively. I particularly liked the empathy behind it and the common ground with the Government they tried to find."

Blakeney also received a high commendation in the award “Best agency for public affairs”. The challenges of 2020 demonstrated the value of strategic, creative, public affairs, and they are proud to be supporting their clients through unprecedented times.

Blakeney was formed to bring creativity to Public Affairs, and their work in 2019/20 has exemplified that approach. Their commendation in this award was recognition of their work, which included: supporting Andrew Lloyd Webber to save British theatre during COVID; securing political support to get planning permission for a new arena in Manchester; getting Cher and The Rolling Stones involved in Public Affairs to help secure 1.57bn for British Live Music; and helping Octopus Energy change the UK's energy market for the better.