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When I started at Infiniti Graphics in May last year I was very fresh to the idea of Digital Marketing with very little knowledge of how it worked. Now, I can happily chat with potential clients about what I can offer them, run clients through their reports to discuss and explain what the report content means for the campaign, as well as our future changes to the campaign. I now run Google Ads campaigns for clients along with SEO services.

My journey has been packed full of knowledge, experience, personal development and much more, and below I will be looking back at some of my highlights as to how I got to where I am today with Infiniti Graphics!

The first major event I attended was the Ely Hero Awards 2018 at the end of June. This was a great first hand experience on one of Luke’s larger projects. Unfortunately, I hadn't started when all of the preparation was underway, but to see the whole thing come together at the ceremony at the Maltings was great! The ceremony was moving for everyone in the room and had everyone leaving with a feel good feeling.

I was tasked with the photography of the event which led to my photos being featured in the local newspaper. To be able to work on an event like this within my first month as an apprentice gave me a huge sense of achievement.

Preparations are well under way for this year’s Hero Awards, with the ceremony taking place on 1st July - and this year, I’ve been able to help from start to finish.

Another big achievement for me was working on my first website. I have always thought of the process as being daunting and complex (which it is) but after a few weeks of training and  shadowing Luke and Greg, I soon started to grasp how it works. I was then soon able to work on whole sections by myself! You can find the finished website here.

Since starting as the Digital Marketing Apprentice in May 2018, Infiniti Graphics started to offer two new services. These are Google Ads and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) campaigns. Working on these new services were another big step for me as an apprentice. I now have first hand experience with customer relations and running client’s Digital Marketing campaigns with some great results!

Infiniti Graphics attended the East Cambs Careers & Skills Fair in October 2018, held in the magnificent Ely Cathedral. The event brings together schools, businesses, networking organisations and public sector partners to an exciting Careers & Skills Event. The aim of the event is to raise the aspirations of local students and provide them with food for thought on the type of careers available on their doorstep. Businesses were invited to showcase their industry to ensure East Cambridgeshire’s young people have the skills needed to support the district’s economic development in the future.

The event allowed us to meet over 800 Year 5, Year 11 and Sixth Form students from 12 local schools across the district and around 60 other local employers. I was very pleased to see that one of the students had a very detailed interest in digital marketing and knew about all the key areas that a digital marketer covers. I had also created a game of Kahoot for the students to play which went down very well. I loved being able to talk to the students about what we do and what I am learning as an apprentice.

In October 2018, Soham Village College was on a curriculum breakdown day in which they get involved in lots of different activities relating to social, economic, career/employment, and personal topics. We were invited by Nick Oakhill, Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance Manager, to be involved in the Year 8’s Enterprise Day, in which they were given a ‘problem’ within the school (such as littering, revision and bullying) and had to devise a solution within their ‘companies’, coming up with a plan and a marketing strategy to promote it. We took part in a fair where the students visited each other’s stall to provide feedback, and were amazed at the ingenuity and forward thinking of their plans! One of our favourite business ideas was a computer game for revision. It was a Space Invaders-esque game where you shoot zombies instead of UFOs, and throughout the game, asked topical based questions that you had to get right or the zombies would get closer.

For the last half an hour of the day, I spoke in front of 140 Year 8 students about apprenticeships and my journey as an apprentice within Infiniti Graphics. My presentation explained the benefits of learning while earning, my practical skills development and why I chose an apprenticeship. This was my first time ever speaking in front of such a large audience and it went down a treat, and at the end I gratefully received a round of applause.

The East Cambs Business Boost 2018 held at The Hive Leisure Centre in Ely was another great networking event I attended with Luke. Guest speakers included Ash Read from Buffer and Sally Gunnell OBE. Ash gave an insight into how Buffer manage and develop their blog posts and Sally spoke in depth about her journey through life and how she stayed motivated throughout her career to keep her on track to win the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in the Women's 400 metre hurdles.

I particularly enjoyed the talks from Ash and Sally, learning about both Buffer’s upcoming updates and blog tips, as well as career motivation. I also enjoyed having the opportunity to mingle with lots of other local businesses.

At the start of 2019, Infiniti Graphics moved offices to 82b St Mary’s Street, Ely. This had been in the pipeline for a while, so it was great to finally be in the new office for the new year! We held an open afternoon to celebrate moving into our perfect new creative space, and welcomed more than 50 local business clients, friends and Mayor of Ely Mike Rouse.

The Grade II listed building has more space and room to expand in the future, with a street-facing office and separate meeting room, situated above Snip’etts hairdressers. It's the perfect creative space with a huge amount of character and quirkiness! The decision was made to move from Cambridgeshire Business Park as the location is better suited to our work.

We absolutely loved welcoming our clients and friends into our new office, to celebrate the success they are a massive part of. It was a big decision for us to move out of the incubator type office space we were in, but it’s already proving to be a great move for us. We love the creativity and history to the building, and it’s great being so close to town where a lot of our clients are located.

We were lucky enough to be invited to the grand re-opening of Oliver Cromwell's House after their recent revamp. This former home of the Lord Protector of Ely, and perhaps its most famous historic resident, received a complete makeover of the Civil War Exhibition, with impressive interactive displays and interpretation.

The official launch was opened by Earl Spencer, Mayor of Ely Mike Rouse and Tracey Harding. We were treated to a glass of fizz, canapés and a guided tour of the house - which we thoroughly recommend! We'll be back soon for the Escape Room! It’s great to have the opportunity to be invited along to local events like this, even more so when they are our new neighbours.

Our first networking event of 2019 was the Ely Cathedral Business Group Celebration of Business Exhibition in Ely Cathedral. First held in 2012, the annual Celebration of Business in Ely Cathedral has grown to be one of the region’s biggest and grandest business exhibitions. Over 100 different organisations exhibit, giving representation to a diverse range of business sectors including several not for profit social enterprises, and ranging from small local enterprises to large national and international companies.

This was the second event held in the Cathedral that I have attended with Infiniti Graphics, the first having been the East Cambs Careers & Skills Fair last year. This time round, having been an apprentice for almost a year, I knew lots of lovely local businesses so could go round and catch up with these contacts. I could really see the difference a year has made in my confidence and being able to chat face-to-face with people.

Earlier this year, we were so excited to announce Infiniti Graphics has reached the SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards Final 2019 in two categories! We're in the running for Business of the Year Less Than 50 Employees and Website of the Year.

Now in its third year, the SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards offer a credible opportunity to support and share in the vision to raise the profile of industrious, hardworking and enterprising SMEs. SME stands for 'Small Medium Enterprise'. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are businesses whose personnel numbers are 250 employees or less, with the abbreviation “SME” being used in the European Union. SMEs are also said to be responsible for driving innovation and competition in many economic sectors.

As you can see, the last year has seen lots of exciting developments for both me and Infiniti Graphics, including all the events I’ve attended, working on new services, and moving office location into the heart of Ely's City Centre. It's such an achievement for us to reach the finals of the SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards, and we can't wait for the Awards Ceremony on the 4th July, held at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. This date will also mark Infiniti Graphics’ 5th year in business, so it may well be a double celebration!