From starting out in 1996, Mapa PR has grown into a trans-Humber business.

We started out in late 1996 at 2nd Star on the Right & Straight On 'til Morning, Land of Green Ginger, Hull – an unusual address that involved endless explanation. But it was a beautiful building that got us talked about.

Computers were big and ugly then, no Google and smartphones still years away. Mapa was mostly about producing printed publications, such as newspapers, brochures and annual reports, and our main clients were Northern Foods and Hull City Council.

As a sideline, we were also involved in sports journalism, and showing how the tide has turned in football in this region, Hull City was rock bottom, looking up the football ladder to the distant Lincolnshire clubs. Equally, Hull's famous rugby league teams, KR and FC, failed to qualify for the first year of Super League.

Our employee publications showed how it was done. We produced them for household name companies and twice won gold for the UK's best in-house newspaper, along with other awards for a variety of clients, such as KCOM and Smith & Nephew.

Through organic change, our focus gradually switched to public relations, design and marketing, which had always been part of our offering, as we evolved into the present full service agency, including expertise on social media's value to business.

Despite the rapid advances in technology, some things never change, such as the importance of clear writing and design, whatever the medium.

Print remains a valued part of our PR and marketing mix – proving the point, we have also crossed the North Sea, contributing to a Scandinavian dairy company's global publication that appears in seven languages. Using all mediums effectively is our aim.

We can cite experience in marine and offshore business pre-Mapa through one of our directors getting to know the Hull and Grimsby docks working for the fishing industry's Trawling Times.

What else happened in 1996...

• Google was founded 
• Only 4% of people had internet access
• First clamshell flip mobile phone (Motorola StarTAC) went on sale
• The first version of Java programming language was released
• George R.R Martin publishes ‘A Game of Thrones’, the first in his series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’
• The Spice Girls’ first single ‘Wannabe’ is released
• Number 1 singles include: Fast love, Earth Song, Killing Me softly, Return of the Mack, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Don’t Look Back in Anger
• Film releases include: Independence Day, Scream, Twister, Jerry Maguire, Space Jam, 101 Dalmations, Matilda, Dragon Heart, Romeo & Juliet, The Cable Guy and James and the Giant Peach
• US president was Bill Clinton
• Sir John Major was the Prime Minister
• DVD’s were invented GB brought home just one Olympic gold medal from the 1996 summer Olympic games in Atlanta