The event was great fun to work on and a total success picking up the UEFA KISS Award 2011 for fan engagement. If you still haven’t done so check it out here!

2500 tickets were available which could be applied for by those who had purchased England tickets for the game within the family enclosure. An initial e-mail was sent out inviting those eligible to apply which then took them to a series of hosted web pages to enter their details and finally, if successful, print off their ticket.

The results from the initial e-mail send out were extremely positive with an industry average busting 51.73% unique open rate and 30.73% click through rate. It’s no surprise that all 2500 tickets were snapped up within a week and the event itself was a huge success which looks to be repeated for England’s forthcoming international match against Belgium in June.

The event also gained recognition from UEFA in which it won the UEFA KISS Award 2011 for fan engagement.

Mock up screens of the e-mail send out and web pages can be seen below as well as the branding in action.

To start with here’s London’s effort recorded in 1080p High Def courtesy of the BBC.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai

Sydney

New York

Rio de Janeiro

Following the huge success of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight comes the third film in the trilogy starring Christian Bale, The Dark Knight Rises. Christopher Nolan again takes the reigns as director which instantly fills you with a sense of relief, if it works, don’t fix it! In-between directing these he’s also been a part of other smashes such as Inception and The Prestige so there’s not many other people you’d want on the job. Lets face it, most comic book conversions are generally crap, mediocre at best, so to get two or even potentially three films of this calibre is very rare.

To cut it short the final film is set 8 years on from the previous in which the terrorist Bane arrives in Gotham City causing the usual havoc and pushing the police force to its limits. After taking the flack for Harvey Dent, Batman is forced to resurface and rise once again (hence the name) and save the day. Whilst the trailers admittedly don’t fill me with as much excitement as for The Dark Knight it does look like we’re in for a treat. The final film is always going to be difficult due to the stellar performance by Heath Ledger in the previous, and the fact that he played Batman’s most notable enemy. Taking that into account I think we’re looking at something on Batman Begins proportions which definitely isn’t a bad thing as it will still be one of 2012′s biggest films. Just a shame we’ll have to wait until July 20th!

Check out the two official trailers after the cut and head here for the official site.

Check out the video after the cut which takes you through all the new features in detail or if you don’t have the time head here for a list of whats new.

Read on to check the video…

The video features players of the moment Wesley Sneijder, Alexandre Pato and Gonzalo Higuain showing off their shooting skills however it’s the great uses of type, cut scenes, change of pace and soundtrack that really steal the show. Working together they create a very absorbing viewing experience with each second bringing something new to the table thus encouraging you to want to watch it until the end. You’ll be hard pressed to find something as visually exciting as this video in the sports industry at the moment! Check it out below:

Overall the work received some great feedback and played its part in many describing these awards as one of the best yet.

Unfortunately I have to head off to work on what is a very sad day so can’t share my thoughts just yet. I will leave you however with the Apple and BBC press release plus two videos of Steve doing what he did best in presenting the iPod in 2001 and inspiring others at Stanford’s graduation ceremony in 2005.

Rest in peace Steve. You’ll be missed by everyone.

Apple press release:

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate to know and work with steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com

BBC press release:

Former chief executive and co-founder of US technology giant Apple Steve Jobs has died, the company says. He was 56.

“Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve,” Apple said.

Jobs announced he was suffering from pancreatic cancer in 2004.

Microsoft boss Bill Gates said Jobs’ “profound impact” would ” be felt for many generations to come”.

Mr Gates added: “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honour. I will miss Steve immensely.”

US President Barack Obama also paid tribute: “Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it…. The world has lost a visionary.”

And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that “America lost a genius who will be remembered with Edison and Einstein, and whose ideas will shape the world for generations to come”.

‘The face of Apple’

In the statement Apple said: “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being”.

“Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”

Jobs had built a reputation as a forthright and demanding leader who could take niche technologies – such as the mouse and the graphical window-based interface – and make them popular with the general public.

He introduced the colourful iMac computer, the iPod and the iPhone to the world. His death came just a day after Apple unveiled its latest iPhone 4S model.

In 2004, Jobs announced that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer and he had a liver transplant five years later.

In January, he took medical leave, before resigning as CEO in August and handing over his duties to Tim Cook.

In his resignation letter, Jobs said: “I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.”

However, Jobs stayed on as Apple’s chairman.

More than almost any other business leader, he was indistinguishable from his company, which he co-founded in the 1970s.

Apple – whose market value is estimated at $351bn (£227bn) – is now the world’s most valuable technology company. Only oil giant Exxon Mobil is worth more.

As the face of Apple, Jobs represented its dedication to high-end technology and fashionable design.

And inside the company he exerted a level of influence unheard of in most businesses.

Despite a high profile, however, he remained fiercely protective of his private life.

He married his wife Laurene in 1991, and the couple had three children.

Jobs also leaves a daughter from a previous relationship, and as an adult discovered that he had a biological sister, US novelist Mona Simpson.

The unveiling of the iPod which many credit with saving Apple all the way back in 2001.

Finally a video from Steve making a commencement address in 2005 at Stanford University.

Anyway, the pictures (all 27 of them!) really will do all the talking with this post so check them out after the cut and feel free to comment!

What I like most about the site is there’s nothing there to impress you ie unnecessary new web tech, swanky graphics, not even a gradient in sight! Everything has a function and is presented in its most simple form. The site is simply split into 6 areas which are all customisable in terms of what content you wish to see. At the top we have the weather and time which is set locally to you as you’d expect, nothing new here but the second and third section is where the magic starts. Here we have all of the main top content the BBC has flagged up for your viewing on a three slide carousel. Now for the clever yet so simple bit, if you want to view more entertainment, lifestyle, or sport and so on, you simply click a button at the bottom of the carousel and the content then changes based on your selection. Brilliant. It’s all relevant to you therefore keeping you interested and on the site, job done! Finally at the bottom we have the final sections showing what’s on tv, radio and online, what’s most popular, and other areas of the BBC you might wish to explore which are all expandable which in turn will again give you more of what you want to see.

As you can probably tell I’m quite impressed with the direction taken here and not just because of the homepage itself but also because of the insight as to what lies ahead with the changes to all the other areas of the site. The BBC has raised the bar again!

If you haven’t checked out the new site go here, BBC beta home page, and of course if you’re viewing this on an iPhone and iPad it’s fully compatible, what did you expect?

Click on the image above to zoom in.