Government Business Volume 18.1

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk | VOLUME 18.1

HEALTH & SAFETY

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

CONTACT CENTRES

STRESS MANAGEMENT Dealing with pressure and causes of stress

MONEY MATTERS – The risks and benefits of investing in money market funds

Government Business | Volume 18.1

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Dear Reader,

www.governmen

tbusiness.co.uk

| Volume 18.1

Welcome to a new year with Government Business.

I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year.

We begin this issue and this year with the Institutional Money Market Funds Association explaining the reasons why a money market fund should be one of the first products that is considered when investing short-term cash surpluses (page 9).

HeAlTH & SAFeTY

We also have the Energy Services and Technology Association looking at how the comprehensive spending review will affect the opportunities for savings (p.15), the Electrical Contractors’ Association discussing the importance of portable appliance testing (p.29), and an article examining what occupational stress is and what employers should be assessing (p.58).

BuIlT eNVIRoNmeNT

CoNTACT CeNTReS

STReSS mANAGemeNT Dealing with pres and causes of sure stress

Enjoy the issue. moNeY mATTe RS – The risks and ben

efits of investin

g in money mar

ket funds

Sofie Lidefjard, Editor editorial@psigroupltd.co.uk

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE If you would like to receive 12 issues of Government Business magazine for £95 a year, please contact Public Sector Information, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055, Fax: 020 8532 0066, or visit the Government Business website at: P NEWS P FEATURES P PROFILES P CASE STUDIES P EVENTS P AND MORE

8 www.governmentbusiness.co.uk PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED 226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Fax: 020 8532 0066 EDITOR Sofie Lidefjard ASSISTANT EDITOR Angela Pisanu PRODUCTION EDITOR Karl O’Sullivan PRODUCTION DESIGN Jacqueline Grist PRODUCTION CONTROL Reiss Malone

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MORE THAN JUST FOOTBALL...

• CONFERENCE & EVENTS • EXHIBITIONS • AWARDS DINNERS • TRAINING SEMINARS • PRIVATE PARTIES • CHRISTMAS PARTIES

C O N F E R E N C E A N D E V E N T S For more information please call 0871 334 1919 (Opt 2) or email conferenceandevents@leedsunited.com www.leedsunitedvenue.com. Elland Road, Leeds, LS11 0ES.

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CONTENTS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS 18.1

06 NEWS 09 MONEY MATTERS What are the risks and benefits of investing in money market funds, asks Gail Le Coz, chief executive of the Institutional Money Market Funds Association

15 BUILT ENVIRONMENT The Energy Services and Technology Association discusses the latest when it comes to reducing energy costs and carbon emissions Ecobuild will showcase the future of design, construction and the built environment

29 HEALTH & SAFETY Portable appliance testing is an important part of any health and safety policy, says the Electrical Contractors Association Join over 2,000 health and safety professionals for two days of in-depth learning, critical discussion and unrivalled networking opportunities at IOSH 2011

37 SOCIAL CARE RECRUITMENT There is a need for well-trained social workers armed with both current knowledge and the latest best practice, says the Association of Social Work Employment Businesses

39 CONFERENCES & EVENTS Modern, unique, traditional, academic – Leeds, Bradford and West Yorkshire offer a mixed bag of conference venues to suit your needs Confex brings together the world of event organisers with an array of colourful venues, destinations and event support services Preview of The Conference & Hospitality Show taking place in Leeds, 17 March Meet face-to-face with 50 representatives from diverse and quality venues in London at The Westminster Collection’s Early Bird Venue Showcase NewcastleGateshead offers a huge choice of state-of-the-art venues, cutting-edge cultural facilities

53 EVENT PRODUCTION The Event Production Show is the annual meeting place for everyone involved in selling and sourcing products and services which make fantastic events

Andrew Baird, lecturer in Ergonomics at the University of Derby, explains what occupational stress is and how it should be assessed

61 PARKING & TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Traffex 2011 is the international meeting place for anyone involved in traffic management, road safety, highway infrastructure and Intelligent Transport Systems

64 CONTACT CENTRES The Professional Planning Forum’s Paul Smedley uncovers examples of recent customer contact success in the public sector and investigates what role technology played

65 SECURITY Counter Terror Expo is the highly specialised event for those who are tasked with delivering a robust defence against the threat from international terrorism

56 STRESS MANAGEMENT Ann McCracken, Chair of the International Stress Management Association, looks at ways to cope with stress in these tough socio-economic times

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NEWSINBRIEF County council publishes three-year budget plan Rather than the usual annual budget process, Lancashire County Council is seeking to give clarity about its future by setting out plans for a £71.7m saving in 2011-12, followed by a further £50m in 2012-13 and another £57.4m in 201314 – a total of £179.1m over the next three years. The plans also include new investment in improving the road network and road safety.

The county council element of council tax would be frozen next year, with any increases in the following two years limited to a maximum of 2.5 per cent.

Following consultation over the next month, the budget proposal will be brought back to the Cabinet meeting in February. Cabinet members will then agree a final budget recommendation to go to the full meeting of the county council for approval.

Beat the petrol rise blues by car sharing Leeds City Council are encouraging motorists to visit a car sharing website that could see them save hundreds of pounds a year. www.carshareleeds. com was launched in 2003 with over 3,000 members signed up to date.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council executive board member with responsibility for development and regeneration said: “Car-sharing can make a huge difference to your wallet, and also to traffic and congestion in the city centre but there are still many drivers who are unaware of how easy it is to find people to share with.”

Luton rent arrears at all time low A positive approach to rent arrears recovery has paid off, resulting in the lowest ever arrears for Luton Borough Council.

The council's Housing Income Team has changed the way in which they handle rent arrears by proactively contacting council tenants as soon as they fall into arrears, offering more affordable payment plans rather than a traditional demand for money. The team's early intervention has helped tenants to stop arrears from building up and has slashed rent arrears to just under £554,000, compared to £748,000 the previous year.

Cllr Waheed Akbar, portfolio holder for housing, said: "Most organisations are seeing debts soar but the council is bucking this trend, this demonstrates what fantastic results can be achieved when we work more closely with our customers."

The reduction in rent arrears has also allowed the council to save money and resulted in fewer high-cost legal action to recover outstanding debts. It also results in more money being available to spend on services such as improved living conditions and repairs for council tenants.

NEWS

Fighting poverty top of the agenda in Cumbria

umbria County councillors have approved a new anti-poverty strategy to build on the work carried out since the council's first anti-poverty strategy was launched two years ago.

Four key pillars will underpin the new strategy to tackle inequalities in health, wealth and opportunity, namely: Financial exclusion, to ensure everyone in Cumbria has access to financial services and information; Work and skills, for Cumbria to have one of the fastest growing economies in the UK; Child poverty; and Fuel poverty and

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affordable warmth, to reduce the number of fuel poor households in Cumbria.

Cllr Oliver Pearson, Cumbria County Council's Cabinet member responsible for communities, said: "The council wants to focus its efforts to avoid people becoming trapped in poverty: the spiral of debt, loan sharks, damage to education and future prospects that can be so hard to get out of. In the current economic climate it is more important than ever that we target our efforts and resources towards those who need us most."

Easy-to-use accessibility map of Wimborne town launched he East Dorset Disability Advisory Group has compiled an easy-touse accessibility map for Wimborne town centre. It includes, for example, where to find toilets for the disabled, the location of dropped kerbs, and suitable seating.

The Disability Advisory Group, which is run

by East Dorset District Council and is made up of residents with disabilities and carers, advises the council on disability issues relating to its services. The group, together with young people from the Victoria Education

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Centre and Sports College undertook a survey of Wimborne and, in liaison Wimborne Chamber of Trade, produced the new map.

Jenny Clarke, chairman of the Disability Advisory Group, says: “This map will greatly assist disabled people, and those with pushchairs and mobility scooters, when they visit Wimborne. It is an excellent example of the commitment which East Dorset District Council and the retailers of Wimborne have to making our town more attractive to residents and visitors alike.”

Price freeze on leisure in Cardiff guaranteed for life ardiff Council’s Frozen for Life promotion is offering people the opportunity to commit to paying the same price for their Active Leisure membership for as long as they remain members of the scheme.

By becoming a committed member, the council is guaranteeing that the price will never increase and will remain the same every single year. The promotion aims to reward both loyal and new

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customers by promising that their membership rate will remain the same every month from the day they sign up.

Executive member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nigel Howells, said: "The Frozen For Life promotion is an excellent way to save money and encourage people to take up an active lifestyle. By committing to the scheme people can get the most for their money regardless of future price increases.”

Western Leisure Centre

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£1 million for Aberdeen affordable warmth ore people will soon have access low-cost, low-carbon heating thanks to an extension to the Aberdeen district heating scheme.

The Scottish Government is pumping £1 million into the scheme, which is already cutting emissions and helping to tackle fuel poverty for people living in multi-storey flats.

Energy Minister Jim Mather said: "District heating provides greener energy, reduces fuel costs for both domestic and public properties and helps meet our ambitious renewable heat targets.

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"The Aberdeen district heating scheme is already a success, serving 850 flats and eight public buildings. This funding will enable more housing and council buildings to be served by the scheme in the future, bringing low-cost, lowcarbon heating to more people."

District heating uses a central plant to heat a number of buildings through a network of pipes. Aberdeen Heat and Power, a locally based not-forprofit company, will develop and manage the extended scheme.

New disability awareness test for Carlisle taxi drivers nder new rules set out by Carlisle City Council, as the local licensing authority, anyone applying to be a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire driver will have to pass a new disability awareness test before they get a licence.

The new test will ensure that drivers are aware of their responsibilities to disabled passengers. Information, drawn together by the council’s licensing team, Carlisle Access Group and Cumbria County Council’s Social Services, will be sent as part of the application

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pack. They will then need to sit an exam to ensure that they have read and understood it.

The two-page document sets out what support should be offered to disabled passengers e.g. ask whether they need any assistance with their seat belt or entering/leaving the taxi.

Also, how to provide support to visually impaired or blind passengers, as well as those who are hard of hearing or deaf, autistic, wheelchair users or passengers with learning difficulties.

NEWSINBRIEF Celebrating effective business practices The 2011 Government Business Awards will celebrate the many shining examples of operational and business excellence taking place in local and central government.

The event recognises local authorities and central government departments that have demonstrated sound business judgement and operational expertise in a range of areas, including environmental practices, finance, housing, security and training.

Taking place at Twickenham Stadium on 17 February, the Awards will be presented by BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull. For more information please see www.gbawards.co.uk

Recycled Christmas trees help animals Manchester City Council has encouraged residents who bought real trees to have them recycled – either by leaving them outside to be collected or by taking them to special recycling centres set up in the city's parks.

Chippings from trees taken to Heaton Park will be used to provide tracks for animals such as rabbits, alpacas, ducks and geese at the park's animal centre, as well as trails for horses and donkeys at the park's stables.

Residents can also leave their trees next to their green bins or green kerbside food caddies during their normal January collection days and it will be collected before being turned into fertiliser for farms and allotments across the North West.

Offenders serve snow patrol time

Parking made easy with phone payments in Ealing Council otorists in Ealing, London, are now able to pay for parking using their mobile phones thanks to a new council service.

To use the system, motorists need to register their details with PayByPhone online at www.paybyphone.co.uk or by calling 020 81270999, and then they can use their mobile phone to pay for parking. The parking fees will be charged to their registered credit or debit card.

With this system, users can also

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More than 1,450 hours of snow clearing was carried out by offenders on Community Service Orders in Edinburgh during the recent severe weather.

Councillor Paul Edie, health and social care leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: "The city experienced its worst snowfall for over 40 years and the council had to use all the resources at its disposal to keep essential services open.

"The whole purpose of community service is that offenders repay the community for their crimes and that's exactly what they were doing over this period.

"We took them off their routine duties and identified priority areas outside care homes, medical and social work centres and the homes of our most vulnerable people."

The figures were published by the City of Edinburgh Council's Criminal Justice Service, which runs the community service programme for offenders.

choose to receive reminder texts so they always know when a parking session is about to end.

Later in January, residents will also be able to use their phones to pay for visitors to park inside their Controlled Parking Zone. The account will be linked to a phone number, whether it be mobile or landline, registered to the resident’s address.

Pay and display machines will continue to be available.

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MONEY MATTERS

LIQUIDITY INVESTING POST THE 2007-2009 CREDIT CRISIS BlackRock, one of the world’s leading providers of investment, advisory and risk management solutions looks at the changes in the international money market funds industry resulting from the 2007-2009 credit crisis AS A MEMBER of the Institutional Money Market Funds Association (IMMFA) and one of the largest providers in the money market funds industry, BlackRock is well placed to comment on the impact to BlackRock and the wider industry as a result of the 2007-2009 credit crisis.

The crisis certainly tested the resilience of the industry, however, while there is no doubt that there were bumps in the road along the way, we believe it proved its value and passed the most severe tests possible in a very successful manner. While the industry has remained strong there has been sufficiently large impact to participants that some players have left the market, and with recent low rates exerting pressure on asset managers’ profitability, change is likely to continue and we believe there may be further consolidation. Additionally, we expect regulatory amendments will continue to have a direct and indirect impact on the business model so overall we expect changes to continue.

WHAT IS A MONEY MARKET FUND? Money market funds are mutual funds that invest in short-term debt instruments and maintain a constant net asset value (CNAV) per share in a fund’s reference currency of 1.00. They allow investors access to a diverse and high quality portfolio while managing some of the key risks from investing in short-term debt including changes in securities’ values associated with credit, interest rates, spread levels and market liquidity. Diversification allows investors to avoid the risk of holding all of their money in a single deposit account and therefore having all of their credit exposure tied to one financial institution.

IMMFA has introduced a number of revisions to the Code which have been made to strengthen the Code’s framework for credit, interest rate and liquidity risk management. The changes took effect from 1 January 2010, including those related to: • Credit Risk – funds must have a weighted average final maturity (WAFM) of less than 120 days • Interest Rate Risk – a fund’s weighted average maturity may not exceed 60 days • Liquidity Risk – funds must maintain a minimum of five per cent in overnight securities and 20 per cent maturing within a week • Investor disclosures – funds must advise investors of their WAM, WAFM, liquidity ladder and performance data on a monthly basis and must make available the percentage of the fund held by the top ten shareholders upon request

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BlackRock welcomes IMMFA’s amendments, many of which are less stringent than the limitations we apply through our own risk controls and investment practices.

LESSONS LEARNED FOR INVESTORS Know your asset manager. Understand their credit and risk processes and talk in detail to make sure you as an investor feel comfortable. On the face of it, the CNAV product may lead investors to believe that liquidity funds are almost identically managed.

They are not: asset managers employ different risk management and credit analysis processes, they also have varying degrees of resourcing, scale and experience levels.

The events of late 2008, in particular in the United States, showed very clearly that money managers utilise differing levels of risk in managing liquidity. BlackRock navigated the 2008 crisis with no issues in its money market funds. We continue today to manage our investment process in the same way as we did prior to the credit crisis. Our resources, whether in portfolio, relationship or risk management, are committed to the same conservative investment philosophies today as they were prior to 2008.

THE FUTURE OF THE SECTOR The global money market industry is facing regulatory change, an environment of historically low yields with the potential for more changes to come. The events of the recent crisis highlighted the potential risk inherent in money markets and the expertise required to manage these funds. As a result, some providers are considering exiting or outsourcing their cash management business.

The international market for liquidity and money market funds can be confusing. The IMMFA market is made up of asset managers offering CNAV products to their clients, whereas the European money market funds industry, in particular in France, continues to follow a variable net asset value (VNAV) model for money market funds. There is no common definition of a liquidity or money market fund in the international market and no single regulator enforcing standards across the various European Union jurisdictions.

The Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR) responded to the credit markets difficulties in 2007 to 2009 by setting out to create a harmonised set of rules and a common definition for money market funds across the European Union.

TWO-TIERED APPROACH CESR’s guidelines create a two-tiered approach for European money market funds – shortterm money market funds and money market funds. Essentially the difference is defined by the weighted average maturity (WAM) and weighted average life (WAL): the short-term money market funds have shorter WAM and WAL limits and are the more conservative product that members of IMMFA provide.

The guidelines apply to collective investment undertakings or UCITS and therefore apply to BlackRock’s liquidity funds which are Irishdomiciled UCITS. Some of the key points are that sponsors will need to point out the differences between investing in a fund and a bank deposit, and that an investment in a liquidity fund is not guaranteed.

In its most simple terms, the CESR guidelines will require a CNAV fund to be a short-term money market fund, whereas a VNAV fund can be either a short-term money market fund or a money market fund. The guidelines will take effect from 1 July 2011, and there is a grandfathering period of six months once the guidelines are introduced after which all European money market funds must be compliant.

IMMFA and the European Funds and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) have both welcomed CESR’s guidelines, which require all European Union countries to enforce a common definition of a money market fund in their domestic regulations.

BlackRock also supports CESR’s guidelines where the short-term category reflects best practice around managing interest rate, credit and liquidity risk. This is the approach that we have taken for some time as a leading member of IMMFA. However, care should be taken if vehicles categorised as money market funds are being considered. These are enhanced investment products that may not be suitable for the management of liquidity or working capital.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Address: 33 King William Street, London EC4R 9AS Tel: +44 (0)20 77433187 E-mail: cashmanagement@blackrock.com Web: www.blackrock.co.uk/cash

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MONEY MATTERS

A SOUND INVESTMENT Gail Le Coz, chief executive of the Institutional Money Market Funds Association explains the risks and benefits of investing in money market funds MONEY MARKET FUNDS are a type of collective investment. They pool investors’ money to purchase high quality and short duration assets, with each investor effectively owning a pro-rata share of the underlying assets. These funds allow investors to participate in a more diverse and high-quality portfolio than if they were to invest individually.

Money market funds are designed to provide security of capital and liquidity, but as investment products, they have associated risks. For a money market fund, there are three principal risks: interest rate risk; credit risk; and liquidity risk. It is important to understand how these risks are managed and how you can compare these funds.

INTEREST RATE RISK All fixed income assets are impacted by changes in interest rates. When interest rates

go up, the market value of a fixed income asset falls. The interest rate payable on that asset is lower than the rate which could be obtained in the market by purchasing a new bond. Conversely, when interest rates fall, the market value of a fixed income asset rises. For these reasons, it is important that a money market fund manager closely manages his exposure to interest rate risk.

Fund managers use the weighted average maturity (WAM) as a measure of interest rate

risk. The longer the WAM of a fund, the greater the impact of any change in interest rates on that fund. The fund manager will construct the portfolio based upon his view of when interest rates are likely to change. He may be prepared to take more interest rate risk if he considers that there will be no change in interest rates for some time. Money market funds regularly publish WAM data, allowing investors to compare funds and identify those which have more susceptibility to interest rate risk.

For a money market fund, there are three principal risks: interest rate risk; credit risk; and liquidity risk. It is important to understand how these risks are managed and how you can compare these funds

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MONEY MATTERS

assets in the market to generate cash. If a fund is unable to sell assets in the market for whatever reason, it will have to rely upon the repayments received from maturing assets.

A money market fund will manage liquidity risk in a number of ways. Key to this risk management will be a close relationship with the investors to understand their liquidity needs and when they are likely to need access to cash. In addition, and to offset any unexpected redemption requests, all funds within the membership of the Institutional Money Market Funds Association (IMMFA) will hold no less than five per cent of assets in securities which mature on the next day, and 20 per cent of assets in securities that mature within a week.

The fund manager will then review whether these minimum amounts are appropriate in relation to his investors’ needs, and the liquidity of the market. Investors can assess how liquid a fund is by enquiring about the liquidity breakdown of the fund. A more liquid fund will have a greater percentage of short dated assets.

CREDIT RISK Credit risk is the risk that an investment will not return the original amount. For a money market fund, credit risk crystallises when the fund has purchased assets issued by a company that is unable to pay back the initial investment. A money market fund will seek to manage credit risk by only purchasing high quality assets, thereby reducing the chance that any asset will default. The credit rating awarded to an asset by one of the independent credit rating agencies is an indication of credit quality. Investors can review the credit ratings breakdown of a money market fund to see the credit quality of the assets in the fund.

Another measure of credit risk in a money market fund will be the Weighted Average Life (WAL) of the fund. The WAL provides an indication of how susceptible the fund is to changes in credit quality; the longer the WAL,

the greater the impact of changes in credit quality. Investors can review and compare the WALs of different funds to help identify a fund which has an acceptable level of credit risk.

Investors can also enquire about government money market funds, or funds that only purchase government debt such as gilts. These funds should have lower levels of credit risk than a money market fund which purchases a wider range of assets, but their return will be also be lower as the risk is less.

LIQUIDITY RISK In a money market fund, investors have sameday access to their cash. Liquidity risk arises in a money market fund if the fund is not able to provide this access. In order for the fund to be able to return cash to investors, it must either have a regular supply of maturing assets (‘natural liquidity’) or be able to sell

REGULATORY AND INDUSTRY CHANGES As well as understanding the risks associated with a money market fund and how these are managed, there are a couple of important industry developments that investors should be aware of. Historically in Europe there has been no single definition of a money market fund.

This has seen a plethora of funds being referred to as a money market fund. Commentary about money market funds could then relate to any number of different products.

This will all change in 2011. In May 2010, the European securities regulators (CESR) issued guidance which defines a money market fund.

The definition introduces two sub-groups – short-term money market funds and money market funds. There is a clear differential in risk between the two sub-groups with shortterm money market funds – including funds represented by IMMFA – having shorter durations and higher credit standards.

The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals HE CIPP is the only membership body for payroll professionals in the UK and currently has in excess of 5,000 members enjoying a range of benefits. In addition, the CIPP is the UK’s leading provider of qualifications, training and consultancy for payroll, and has a Pensions Faculty responsible for delivering qualifications and membership services to those responsible for public sector pensions.

The mission statement of the CIPP is: Leading payroll and pension professionals through education, membership and recognition.

The CIPP is working hard to increase

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recognition towards the importance of payroll in business achieved Chartered status in November 2010. The policy team are now representing members’ views at over 60 government consultation forums which highlights that HMRC and other government departments recognise the important part that payroll and pensions plays in the UK economy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0121 7121000 Fax: 0121 7121001 E-mail: info@cipp.org.uk Web: www.cipp.org.uk

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Deutsche Bank Group DB Advisors

DB Advisors: A Leading Global Manager of Money Market Funds We understand the challenges facing money market investors, including the need to generate competitive returns while preserving capital and providing liquidity.

With a global investment platform and deep research resources, we have the capabilities to support our clients’ cash and short-duration investment needs in all market conditions.

www.dbadvisors.com

Issued in the UK by Deutsche Asset Management (UK) Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. This material has been provided for information purposes only. The information should not be constructed as advice to either buy, retain or sell a particular investment in any jurisdiction or in any circumstance that is otherwise unlawful or not authorised. This document is a “non-retail communication” within the meaning of the FSA’s rules and not intended for and should not be relied upon by a retail client. Copyright 2010.

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MONEY MATTERS

The introduction of this definition throughout Europe should provide much needed clarity to investors, by ensuring that only those funds which have security of capital as their principal objective are capable of being called a money market fund. By limiting the money market fund name to specific funds, the potential for confusion to arise when comments are made about the product should disappear.

This guidance will be introduced by national regulators, such as the FSA in the UK, by July 2011. After this date, only funds which adhere to the definition will be capable of calling themselves a money market fund.

CODE OF PRACTICE The money market fund industry has also taken action to improve the resilience of the product by introducing additional obligations that funds must follow. Those funds that are represented by IMMFA all follow a Code of Practice. This Code is designed to deliver best practice standards in the management and operation of a money market fund, and was amended at the end of 2009.

Under the revised version of the Code, IMMFA members are required to provide additional disclosures, allowing investors to better

compare and contrast funds. IMMFA funds are also required to operate a formal liquidity management policy as well as having minimum amounts of overnight and one week securities.

These requirements are more onerous than any European regulatory standards. If you are considering investment in a money market fund, enquiring about IMMFA membership should be one of the questions you ask the fund manager.

Money market funds, like all collective investments, provide the benefit of risk diversification. When you invest in a money market fund, your investment is pooled with numerous other investors, and used to purchase a range of assets. Funds are legally required to diversify their investments, and hold many assets at any point in time. As a shareholder in the fund, your investment equates to a proportion of each underlying asset. If any individual asset were to lose value, the impact on the value of a share in the fund should be small. This is notably different from placing cash in a bank deposit.

With bank deposits, you are exposed to only one entity – the bank. And if that bank were to fail, you could lose all of your investment.

Diversification is a key mitigant of credit risk, and should always form part of any investment strategy. In addition to this

benefit, money market funds provide other important advantages. By investing in a fund, you will have access to the professional cash management capabilities of the fund manager.

These will include extensive credit research resources and dedicated fund managers.

POWER IN NUMBERS You will also benefit from the bargaining position of these professional cash managers who, because of their size, are able to secure deals which would not be offered to smaller investors. The combination of this buying power, resources and experience provide a facility which could not be achieved by individual investors without significant cost and resource implications. This can be accessed for relatively small fees by investing in a money market fund.

Finally, money market funds are separate legal entities. The assets held in the fund are held independently of the fund management company. This provides an additional layer of security which again would not be available if you invest directly in a deposit with a bank.

For all of these reasons, a money market fund should be one of the first products that is considered when investing short-term cash surpluses.

Mewburn Ellis LLP – helping you to strike a balance between IP protection and budget EWBURN ELLIS LLP is one of the UK’s largest firms of European Patent Attorneys, European Trade Mark Attorneys and European Design Attorneys, with offices in London, Bristol, Manchester and Cambridge. Our work covers a wide range of technologies and a significant amount of our work comes from clients in the UK, both large and small.

We work closely with our clients to file and prosecute patent, trade mark and design applications in the UK and across Europe, and to manage portfolios of applications around the world. We also handle contentious matters, including oppositions at the UK-IPO, the European Patent Office and OHIM, the office that administers EU trade marks. We do not carry out instructions passively, but seek actively to make additional contributions using our special expertise. This distinctive approach often leads to beneficial changes in a proposed course of action, especially as we treat our clients’ intellectual property rights not in isolation, but as part of their legal, commercial and industrial environment.

The tougher economic climate that businesses have faced recently has brought spending on patents and other forms of intellectual property into perspective. Even large multinational companies are seeking value for money

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approaches to intellectual property spend and for small and medium sized enterprises the decisions are more difficult still. However, with wise planning and good knowledge of the protection options available, even the smallest of businesses can adopt an intellectual property strategy that strikes a balance between protection for the key assets of the business and available budget. We see our role as working with clients to develop an appropriate strategy.

Having invested the time and effort required to focus your intellectual property strategy on the key assets, it is all too easy to rush ahead with patent or trade mark filings without stopping to ask perhaps the singularly

most important question there is; are these assets yours to protect in the first place?

The laws governing ownership of intellectual property rights are far from straightforward and all too often businesses fall into the trap of assuming that if they have borne the cost of developing something they must necessarily own the outcome of that development. We have an expert team who can help you to understand the ownership position and put in place the necessary agreements to ensure that you own the IP coming from development work you are paying for.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.mewburn.com

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Telephone 01707 278666 email heating@meuk.mee.com or visit www.mitsubishielectric.co.uk/domesticheating

Energy - Find your way …at the aM&T conference & exhibition Legislation

Smart meters

Active energy management

Security of supply

Energy procurement

Carbon reduction

Whatever direction your energy management needs to go… …start with automatic Monitoring & Targeting The ninth national aM&T conference & exhibition Thursday 3rd March 2011, E.ON Lounge, Ricoh Arena, Coventry

REGISTER NOW FOR YOUR FREE PLACE AT www.esta.org.uk

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT

OPPORTUNITIES TO CUT ENERGY AND CARBON COSTS Alan Aldridge, executive director of the Energy Services and Technology Association, looks at how the comprehensive spending review will affect the opportunities for savings ONE-DAY CONFERENCE To find out more about the opportunities afforded by automatic Monitoring & Targeting (aM&T) systems, you can participate in ESTA’s free one-day conference. The ninth annual aM&T conference will be held on Thursday 3 March 2011 at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry. Register today at www.esta.org.uk or by telephone at 01268 569010.

THE PUBLIC SECTOR has to “lead by example” in reducing carbon emissions. But in these difficult times, how can that be achieved?

Since the present government took power there have been several announcements about key energy initiatives. While these may change the route taken by energy policy, the overall goals and drivers remain the same. The UK still has legal obligations to cut carbon emissions (both under EU Treaty and UK Statute) and we face an increasingly volatile fuel import situation that is unlikely to ease in the foreseeable future. So security of supply and climate change will continue to provide the context within which energy policy is framed.

Existing regulations, notably some derived from EU Directives, give the public sector a leading role in improving the energy

performance of buildings. The government estate has been subject to internal improvement targets over recent years as well. Yet over the coming months and years substantial savings will have to be made from departmental budgets following the comprehensive spending review (CSR). At the same time, the cost of energy is due to rise – indeed, widely quoted figures suggest an increase of up to 40 per cent over the next decade. In such circumstances, with less resources but greater costs, how can the circle be squared? And how do the decisions of the CSR alter the opportunities and risks associated with energy?

THE CONTEXT The Climate Change Act requires the UK to cut carbon emissions by at least

80 per cent by 2050. The Committee on Climate Change has been tasked with recommending the level of cuts to be made in specified periods. Their recommendation for 2020, accepted by the government, is to reduce our emissions by 34 per cent by that date. That target remains in place.

Now we are well within the target savings we need to achieve under our obligations with respect to the Kyoto Protocol – a reduction of 12.5 per cent on 1990 carbon emissions. Yet it is significant that in 2009, for the first time, UK industry started buying carbon allowances to meet its obligations under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

This suggests that industry is finding it more expensive to achieve savings than to buy carbon allowances. The consequence is that in order to drive low carbon investments, the carbon price needs to be higher. The government is currently consulting on the idea of a carbon floor price or minimum price for carbon allowances within the UK in order to encourage investment (not least in new nuclear power stations). The Energy Services and Technology Association (ESTA) believes that this will need to be at least £40 per tonne of CO2 to stimulate those capital investments. However, that will drive up fossil fuel prices quite steeply which will impact on all consumers.

THE CRC ENERGY EFFICIENCY SCHEME The CRC EES (still widely known as the Carbon Reduction Commitment) was designed to encourage large (but non-energy-intensive) organisations – including all government departments – to take a relatively low risk approach to saving energy and trading in carbon. All the funds raised through buying carbon allowances were to be recycled to participants, thereby minimising the impact on profitability and service levels. However, the scheme has now been radically altered.

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www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Visit the website to view the categorised product finder

Wireless sensors enable cost, productivity and compliance control DAPTIVE WIRELESS SOLUTIONS LTD specialises in industrial and commercial monitoring solutions using wireless sensing systems. We offer a full range of products and services from individual system elements to complete solutions tailored to your requirements.

Wireless mesh sensor networks are starting to revolutionise the way industrial and commercial organisations monitor, manage and understand their processes and environment. By cost-

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effectively collecting, evaluating and analysing more relevant data, companies are able to: • reduce operating costs • improve productivity • more readily comply with regulatory requirements.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel +44 (0) 870 8507997 Fax: +44 (0) 1494 865992 E-mail: dlaurence@ adaptive-wireless.co.uk Web: www.adaptivewireless.co.uk

World Biofuels Markets – 22-24 March 2011 HE 6TH ANNUAL World Biofuels Markets is Europe’s largest biofuels congress and exhibition.

Head over to Rotterdam in March to hear first hand experiences of 250 experts, including 50 CEOs and Presidents, who are driving the future development of biofuels. For more information and to download the full programme visit www. worldbiofuelsmarkets.com This year features top keynote speakers including Tim Yeo, who is a Member of Parliament for South Suffolk in the UK. His previous role was the Minister of State for the Department of the Environment including responsibilities for climate change and energy efficiency policy.

Gain over 25 hours of networking and hear in-depth analysis on biofuels policy 20 20 20, EU sustainability policy, implementing the renewable energy directive, advanced biofuels, aviation, algae, trading, finance, energy

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crops, biorefineries, biobased chemicals and more.

This is your chance to meet the entire biofuels world in just three days, including representatives from oil majors, biofuels producers, chemical companies, agribusiness and energy crops, vehicle manufacturers, airline industry, traders and brokers, investors, utilities, algae biofuels, industrial biotech and next generation biofuels, policy makers, process engineering, inspection and testing, storage and testing, storage and logistics, consultants and more.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Register your place online at www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com

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A new generation of wireless mesh sensors allows you to easily install,configure and manage networks for energy monitoring - electricity, water, gas. Ideal where existing meters need to be monitored without the expense of wired solutions To find out more contact Adaptive Wireless Solutions Ltd on: 0870 850 7997 email: sales@adaptive-wireless.co.uk or online at: www.adaptive-wireless.co.uk

• Industry Leaders: Hear first hand experiences of 250 experts, including 50 CEOs and Presidents, who are driving the future development of biofuels • Market Insight: In-depth analysis on advanced biofuels, aviation, algae, trading, finance, energy crops, biorefineries and biobased chemicals • Networking: Connect, exchange ideas and do business with 2000 leading biofuels executives, corporate partners and investors • Exhibition: Interact with the market leaders showcasing their latest technological developments • Awards: Celebrate with the industry front-runners at the 3rd annual Sustainable Biofuels Awards reception

Visit www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com

16

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR GOVERNMENT

Tim Yeo Member of Parliament UK Government Environmental Audit Committee Ruud Lubbers Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Jeremy Rifkin Founder and President Foundation of Strategic Thinking Philip New Chief Executive Officer BP Biofuels Heikki Malinen President & Chief Executive Officer Pöyry PLC Andrew Owens Chief Executive Officer Greenergy Jan Ernst de Groot Board Member KLM PLEASE QUOTE GOVBUS WHEN REGISTERING

Government Business | Volume 18.1

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT

First, the funds will now go to the Treasury so it has now become effectively a carbon tax.

As originally envisaged, the CRC EES incentivised action to reduce emissions. All participants were ranked in a league table by the improvements in energy performance they made during the year. The position in the table determined how much money was recycled to them, with those performing best receiving more money back than they had spent on allowances (and those doing worse getting less). In other words, good behaviour was incentivised. Early action, such as the installation of automatic Monitoring & Targeting (aM&T) systems or participation in third party accreditation schemes such as the Carbon Trust Standard of the BSI’s Kitemark, enhanced league table positions.

The league table will remain but as a reputational driver rather than one that rewards participants financially. And those that did invest in early action may justly feel aggrieved that the government has moved the goalposts so late in the day.

A further change to the scheme is the deferral, from 2011 to 2012, of the date at which participants start buying allowances.

Also, the arrangements for Phase 2 – when full carbon trading was due to begin – are now to be reviewed in order to simplify the scheme. The timetable for the scheme is therefore beginning to slip when actually, we desperately need to start making emissions reductions now if we are to have any chance of hitting our 2020 targets.

That having been said, ESTA believes that the fixed price of carbon allowances in the first phase – £12 per tonne – is unlikely to sufficiently incentivise action. Instead, building operators should look at the amounts to be made from savings to consumption. To purchase the energy associated with one tonne of emissions would cost around £170. So although energy represents a small fraction of a typical participant’s operating costs, carbon – at £12 per tonne – is very much smaller

from savings on consumption – which are, according to the Carbon Trust and European Commission, typically between 15-20 per cent.

Another energy tax, the Climate Change Levy (CCL), which adds a very small amount to all energy bills, is also to be reviewed as it is not having any significant effect on public attitudes to energy saving and carbon reduction.

THE GREEN DEAL AND THE GREEN INVESTMENT BANK The details are now becoming clearer on how the Green Deal and the Green Investment Bank will operate. These will be the two main routes for channelling government funds for stimulating a low carbon economy. It has become evident that the GIB will be focused on large projects, mainly to do with the supply side (new infrastructure, generation technologies, etc) although larger demandside projects may also be considered. For most consumers though it is the Green Deal that will offer most opportunities.

When first proposed the Green Deal was aimed at the domestic consumer but the government has now accepted the argument put forward by ESTA and others that there are large, fairly easy to achieve, carbon savings to be made within the non-domestic sector.

The idea is that consumers will be able to invest in a range of energy saving technologies and have them installed without having to spend the money on them upfront. The outlay is recouped over time through the energy bill. Yet because of the impact of the energy saving measures there is an immediate drop in bills anyway – the Golden Rule.

The first installations under the Green Deal will probably be seen towards the end of 2012, however, there is no need to wait till then. Energy investments typically have quite short payback periods and a relatively high Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Net Present Value (NPV). As such they make attractive investments for third party finance.

The government estate is very low risk for such investments as well. A number of ESTA members specialise in this type of financing so this is an area worth considering in the period before the Green Deal comes into being.

MEASURING THE CHANGE The key to any energy/carbon saving is working out where the energy is being used and tracking improvements – in other words monitoring and targeting consumption.

Nowadays, automatic Monitoring & Targeting (aM&T) systems can do this effectively without taking up a great deal of managers’ time. A number of these systems can also produce the annual Display Energy Certificates (DECs) which are currently required for large buildings within the government estate. Due to recent EU legislation, DECs will soon be required on virtually all non-domestic buildings, so their employment makes even more sense now.

In addition, ESTA has proposed that government considers using DECs as the vehicle for rating buildings within the CRC EES. This would make DECs even more important – in fact a cornerstone of nondomestic energy policy and would simplify policy by integrating differing aspects.

While the CSR may have changed some of the instruments of government policy, the goals remain the same: combat climate change and achieve security of supply. The two are being tackled together through the transition to a low carbon economy. There are opportunities as well as risks for government organisations.

The key is to seize the opportunities.

The Energy Services and Technology Association (ESTA) represents over 100 major providers of energy management equipment and services across the UK.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.esta.org.uk

CRC and energy management specialists IRST, TWO IMPORTANT questions on energy management. Does your organisation have a plan to reduce cost through energy and/or carbon conservation?

If yes, are you confident the cash savings stated will be delivered to the balance sheet?

There has never been a more important time to address energy management. Energy costs are set to rise significantly over the coming years, especially for those in the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. Equally, there are opportunities to invest in new technologies that deliver funds into the annual budget, helping to mitigate price increases, preserving jobs and service delivery.

Many organisations have identified and

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implemented some easy wins but the quality of implementation is diverse. A carbon or energy strategy doesn’t guarantee a pot of gold on the balance sheet. The BS EN16001 and Carbon Trust standards provide a framework but the key challenges still remain as: providing a coherent

pan-organisational approach to energy and carbon, good quality data and targets, effective staff engagement, finance and resources.

If you can answer yes to the two questions then congratulations.

However, if you cannot you are like the public sector organisations that Camco helps in energy and carbon reduction, delivering real savings through our expert knowledge of policy, technology, and strategy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01225 816851 E-mail: steven.heape@camcoglobal.com Web: www.camcoglobal.com

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Government Business | Volume 18.1

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT

CARBON COUNTER – ONE YEAR ON In 2010 Landmark Information Group launched a new online service to help prepare organisations for the CRC Scheme. One year on David Mole, deputy managing director of Landmark UK Property, looks at how Landmark has helped organisations get to grips with the legislation 2010 WAS QUITE A YEAR for the CRC scheme. It was the year when organisations had to understand their obligations and fully register with the scheme. However, towards the end of the year the government also proposed significant amendments to how the scheme might function in the future. Despite industry fears that there would be many who failed to meet the registration deadline, a high number of registrations were recorded.

Landmark has worked with a wide range of organisations to help them understand the CRC. At the start of 2010 Landmark launched its online data management software, Carbon Counter (www.carboncounter.co.uk), which has helped numerous organisations by bringing clarity to the complex reporting process required under the scheme.

Using Carbon Counter organisations can save time and ensure that their data is fully compliant with the legislation. It is designed to ensure that participating organisations provide the right information in a format appropriate for the Evidence Pack required by the EA. The tool also acts as a secure repository of information, so in future years organisations can refer back to older data to quickly draw useful carbon emissions comparisons.

WHO HAS BENEFITTED? Almost half of the organisations currently signed up to Carbon Counter are made up from public sector organisations, such as district councils, county councils, police authorities and NHS trusts. Organisations such as city and district councils are often responsible for administering electricity, gas, oil and biomass on multiple sites so maintaining a clear evidence pack and audit trail is vital. Carbon Counter was designed with complex organisations in mind as it enables them to assign energy consumptions across each aspect of its organisation.

Perth and Kinross Council wanted to avoid the financial risks and penalties involved with non-compliance and needed to find a robust solution to deliver more than just their existing monitoring and targeting (M&T) software.

Gordon Dick, energy officer at Perth and Kinross Council, said: “We needed to deliver data, registration and compliance for CRC so finding the right solution was critical. By considering an application that was designed specifically for CRC we decided that Carbon Counter could complement our existing M&T software.

Filtering out relevant information means we

can create evidence folders and reports.”

John Sinclair is energy manager for London Borough of Sutton and has responsibility for managing the purchasing of Sutton’s energy requirements for its operational property portfolio.

Sinclair commented: “We hold a large quantity of energy data in the form of selfread meter readings held in individual spread sheets (one for each building). In some cases this data goes back to 1998. We see it as being essential to have all our energy data in one place and Carbon Counter offers this with the added benefit of being web-based which means it is backed up and secure.”

THE FUTURE OF THE CRC There is much uncertainty amongst participating organisations about the future of the CRC. In the recent Comprehensive Spending Review it was announced that the Government would be keeping revenues raised from the CRC, instead of recycling the money back to the organisations taking part. This was shortly followed by Chris Huhne’s announcement that the scheme as a whole will be delayed, with the first sale of permits to cover energy use now taking place in 2012 as opposed to next year.

For many the CRC is too complex so the government has also pledged to make the process simpler, and has since launched a consultation to address this. The consultation,

which closed on 17 December, will use stakeholder feedback to review the operation and design of the scheme. The findings, which are still yet to be announced, should hopefully address the uncertainty amongst participants and offer some clarity for the future.

The fact remains that CRC is a legal obligation for eligible organisations so it is important that participants continue to record and deliver the necessary data as efficiently as possible. It should also be remembered that CRC could still yield financial rewards. Performance in the CRC league tables will impact on reputation and in the long term this can have a positive impact on the bottom line. What’s more, identifying areas of high carbon use can help to identify potential areas where cost-savings can be made. Despite the changes to the scheme there are still clear benefits available to those organisations sharp enough to maximise the opportunities ahead.

FOR MORE INFORMATION To find out more about Landmark’s Carbon Counter service, visit www.carboncounter.co.uk

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Barrisol® Lumière® MaXXI Museum - Roma - Italy

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Crédit photo Zaha Hadid Architects © 2009 - photographer : Roland Halbe

These exceptional projects have one thing in common WORLD LEADER OF STRETCHED CEILING

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Barrisol® Mediacite Shopping Center Liege - Belgium

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Government Business | Volume 18.1

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT

SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT The conference at Ecobuild focuses on emerging issues, new thinking and challenging ideas surrounding sustainable build and design TAKING PLACE 1-3 MARCH 2011 at London’s ExCeL, Ecobuild is the world’s biggest and most successful event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment.

‘Rock star’ physicist, Professor Brian Cox will ask ‘Can science save us?’ on Wednesday 2 March in one of a series of lectures delivered by highly regarded commentators, including scientist Baroness Susan Greenfield, human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger, and Tim Smit of the Eden Project.

Visitors can expect a comprehensive exhibition of sustainable construction suppliers. Every product and technology is represented at the Ecobuild exhibition, from micro-renewables to water management systems, and energy efficiency products to the latest materials. Hundreds of exhibitors will be unveiling new and innovative products, meaning you’ll be the first to experience many of the solutions on display.

Ecobuild’s conference and seminar sessions create a context for the wealth of products you’ll see, and put you in touch with expert

speakers, whilst dozens of interactive attactions and special events give you the chance to get hands on experience of the very latest products and techniques.

IN A NUTSHELL Ecobuild 2011 is bigger than ever before with • over 1,300 exhibitors – from the biggest names in the business to innovative start ups • more than 130 seminars – Future energy, Energy in buildings, Sustainable architecture, Regulations revealed and more • dozens of attractions including Solar hub, Renew, Water wise, Extreme timber and Ecobuild installer

• an expanded conference programme – now three streams: Making sustainable construction happen; Beyond construction: achieving a sustainable future; and Design, architecture and sustainability • 600 inspiring speakers including Professor Brian Cox, human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger, Baroness Susan Greenfield, and government construction advisor, Paul Morrell CONFERENCE The Ecobuild conference focuses on emerging issues, new thinking, challenging ideas, and the new policy priorities of the coalition government responding

Ecobuild 2010 was a huge success with more than 1,000 exhibitors, over 41,000 visitors, and dozens of new attractions, initiatives and special events. Ecobuild 2011 is set to continue, if not surpass, this trend

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PUTTING oUr eNerGY INTo reNeWAbleS Expert advice

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Government Business | Volume 18.1

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

to the need for budget cuts.

For 2011, there is much to assess and debate, including: • the progress made in putting sustainability at the core of construction and the built environment • the future direction the sector needs to take • how a new government with new priorities will affect the direction and speed of change • how sustainability will fare in an age of austerity.

The Ecobuild conference in 2011 comprises three streams and examines the key issues surrounding sustainability, construction and the built environment, from big picture debates, such as international political cooperation, global economic models, behaviour and psychology of climate change, and the role of science, through to more domestic challenges such as the how the UK construction sector needs to change, how to refurbish the existing stock, decarbonising electricity generation, the impact of localism and the big society on planning (and in particular the housing sector).

A new conference stream for 2011 will look at sustainability from the perspective of architecture and design, and debate topics such as the role of architects in a resource stressed world, how designers can

help change behaviour, what a sustainable community looks like, how ecologically successful cities can be created, and how sustainability and art can be combined.

SEMINARS In an expanded programme for 2011 – Ecobuild’s biggest yet – more than 130 seminars cover the most pressing issues for built environment professionals. Topics include: future energy; energy in buildings; regulations revealed; simplifying standards guides and tools; refurbishing Britain; sustainability and the city; sustainable by design; sustainable small projects; from grey to green; sustainable architecture & design; beyond construction; installer business; and installer skills.

With the emphasis on practical and applied information, each seminar is carefully structured to provide key learning points, supported by case studies, analysis, and examples of best practice.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Ecobuild hosts an exhibition featuring sustainable construction suppliers, with many exhibitors unveiling new and innovative products for the first time.

Exhibitors cover a comprehensive range of products and services, including:

• renewable energy and micro generation • water management and efficiency • building services and management • external works • substructures • building structures • building completion • building systems • building materials • professional services • finishing products and materials • fittings • special activities and requirements Ecobuild’s new online itinerary planner allows you to list all the exhibitors you’d like to meet, all the products you’d like to see, and create a timetable of all the seminars, conference sessions and other events that you’d like to attend – register now and start planning your visit straight away!

Ecobuild 2010 was a huge success with more than 1,000 exhibitors, over 41,000 visitors, and dozens of new attractions, initiatives and special events. Ecobuild 2011 is set to continue, if not surpass, this trend.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.ecobuild.co.uk

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The Glass and Glazing Federation – raising standards

New enhanced grip timber decking and cladding by Hoppings

HE GGF is a trade association representing companies that make, supply or fit glass and glass related products.

This includes replacement windows, energy efficient windows, doors, conservatories hardware for these products, and all aspects of glass, including double glazed units, safety glazing, fire resistant glass, emergency glazing, decorative glass, secondary glazing, and solar control applied films and sealants.

Glass and associated glazing products provide a fantastic construction material; no matter what scale of operation, from replacing one window in a house to a fully glazed high rise block,

OPPINGS NEW Q-GRIP Strip is an elegant retro-fit slip resistant decking solution that is simple to fit to specific Q-Deck decking boards and provides great design versatility.

Our existing Q-Grip slip resistant softwood decking is ideal for slip sensitive areas on commercial decks such as schools, outdoor smoking areas and public places in general. Q-Grip® is a combination of selected softwood timber and slip resistant injection applied aggregate strips. Q-Grip is supplied as FSC certified as standard and comes with a 15 year warranty against fungal decay. It is readily available ex-stock and now also available to order in bespoke species such as certified hardwood or large timber sections for large commercial applications.

New Q-Clad pre-painted timber weatherboarding is available in both white and

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the glazing solution will have an impact on the building and is users.

GGF members are required to protect consumers’ deposits, and to raise standards in the industry and offer independent arbitration should the need arise. The GGF membership is happy to supply products to the general public, to architects and specifiers and other Members.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Glass and Glazing Federation Address: 54 Ayres Street, London SE1 1EU Tel: 020 79399100 Fax: 0870 0424266 E-mail: info@ggf.org.uk Web: www.ggf.org.uk

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black, in barn effect or rebated.

The white is designed to be over painted with your choice of colour and thus has many applications. Q-Clad is supplied as PEFC certified as standard and comes with a ten year warranty against fungal decay. It is also readily available ex-stock.

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information or details of your nearest supplier of our timber products, call our ‘Q’ Hotline on 0800 8496339 or visit www.timber-cladding.co.uk or www.anti-slip-decking.co.uk

Aeromax Plus – the total heat pump package PPL Training helps you meet carbon reduction targets PL TRAINING LIMITED is a specialist training company within the construction industry.

We have been at the forefront of renewable technologies training as well as delivering fully accredited courses in plumbing and electrics.

As one of the UK’s longest established renewable energy training companies, PPL has a wealth of knowledge and experience that can efficiently guide you through the maze of legislation and training, getting your organisation up to speed in no time at all.

We have worked with a variety of companies, from major PLC’s to micro businesses; our mission is to offer up-to-the minute advice based on government legislations and to deliver quality training. We have centres throughout England and Scotland and also offer onsite training.

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PPL is accredited by nationally recognised awarding bodies such as City & Guilds, NICEIC, bpec and Logic; we have an array of MCS approved courses on offer, as well as tailor made courses for companies requiring a bespoke package.

Let PPL complete a free training needs analysis for your company – call or e-mail us.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0845 2600966 E-mail: info@ppltraining.co.uk Web: www.ppltraining.co.uk

INGSPAN RENEWABLES has strengthened its portfolio of leading renewable energy solutions with the launch of its new Aeromax Plus Air Source Heat Pump. Specifically designed for use in UK housing applications in northern European climates, these highly efficient heat pumps can supply up to 100 per cent of space heating and domestic hot water all year round and can extract heat from temperatures as low as -20˚C. They also have low running costs and can reduce energy costs by as much as 50 per cent.

Aeromax Plus forms part of Kingspan’s Ultimate Air Source Heat Pump package, and is optimally partnered with Albion Aerocyl Heat Pump Only or Heat Pump & Solar Input cylinders – specifically designed for use in conjunction with a heat pump as the main or additional source of energy. Custommade to suit the needs of each application, this unique package is suitable for both new builds and refurbishment projects.

Aeromax Plus Air Source Heat Pumps collect and utilise thermal

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energy from the outside air to heat the home and provide Ddomestic hot water, ensuring the desired temperature is reached quickly and maintained without fluctuations.

The range is available in three outputs (6kW, 8kW and 12kW) to suit individual requirements, and operates to optimum performance all-year-round, providing water temperature up to 60˚C for both radiator and domestic hot water applications.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01924 376026 Fax: 01924 385015 E-mail: sales@kingspanrenewables.com Web: www.kingspanrenewables.co.uk

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Easing the burden of

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ENSELOGIX is an innovative provider of low carbon technology which is supported by the Carbon Trust and whose award winning, energy reduction solution for the workplace and education environment, EnergyLogix, has received national acclaim for innovation in green products and services.

EnergyLogix provides the ability to manage PCs, IT peripherals, appliances, and equipment in the same system. It is also a single portal from which to analyse, manage, communicate and report on energy use, carbon emissions and cost, down to user level.

The modular system consists of a scalable metering solution; a range of energy management devices that meter and control energy down to user/socket level; a PC and IT power management solution that enables

HE WORLD-FIRST Daikin Altherma Flex Type high temperature air-to-water heat pump provides affordable, efficient renewable heating and hot water for apartment buildings, multi dwelling developments and high density housing. It allows independent control and billing of heating and hot water systems within each individual dwelling, with the whole building system powered from communitybased outdoor units, each of which can serve up to ten individual dwellings. It can achieve COPs of up to 3.5 and includes individual hot water cylinder, as well as optional cooling through heat recovery technology.

Daikin Altherma Flex Type is a high temperature heat pump system, so it’s ideal for retrofitting in apartment buildings. The

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the management of PCs and peripherals and server monitoring solutions; a user friendly webbased energy dashboard to promote energy efficiency; and a suite of real time energy and carbon reporting tools that can operate on demand and be scheduled for automated reports.

EnergyLogix is an end-to-end energy reduction solution designed purposely to retrofit into existing buildings, specifically offices and education facilities, in order eliminate electrical waste, reduce energy use, lower carbon emissions, and save money; making positive change happen in the workplace.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: David Hall - sales and marketing director SenseLogix Limited Tel: 0845 5193070 Web: www.senselogix.com

Combining technology and aesthetics for a unique interior space S THE WORLD LEADER of stretched ceilings, Barrisol® presents more than 40 years of solutions to decorating and renovating interior and exterior spaces, combining technology and aesthetics. Creadesign® is one of its innovations, providing a unique interior space.

Barrisol® Créadesign® membranes open new perspectives in design, thanks to the patterns in relief that bring a visio-tactile perception to the design. The flockage process offers the possibility to apply patterns, standard or personalised, in brushed suede finish onto the Barrisol® membranes. The harmonious design result confers a unique design element in every interior space. This process offers the possibility to apply more than seven patterns.

The design and the finish of the Barrisol® CreaDesign® line offers unique result for every interior space.

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system can be used with existing heat emitters such as radiators as it is able to provide water flow temperatures of up to 80°C without immersion heater. As connection between outdoor and indoor units is made by small diameter refrigerant piping, only a small utility shaft is needed to accommodate the system’s connections, making it suitable for most retrofit situations.

This innovative solution brings all the benefits of a renewable energy heat pump to large scale multi dwelling developments, making it ideal for developers and social housing providers as a genuinely feasible alternative to community heating solutions such as biomass and CHP.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.daikinheating.co.uk

Ecobuild focus will be on both retro-fit and new build ITSUBISHI ELECTRIC

M is using Ecobuild (1-3

March, ExCeL, London) to highlight the energy saving potential of advanced heating, cooling, ventilation and power generating equipment, whether for new build or retro-fit.

The company’s stand (S2030) will show off the latest developments in domestic and commercial heating, with the Ecodan® range of products that can help achieve renewable energy targets, cut fuel bills and provide reliable, renewable heating for almost any building.

Also on the stand will be advanced Photovoltaic (PV) Arrays, which can not only lower overall power consumption but can also help generate an income through the government’s Feed In Tariff (FIT) by selling excess energy back to the grid.

As our homes become more energy efficient and air tight, ensuring appropriate ventilation is increasingly important and the company will be showcasing

its DC Lossnay heat recovery ventilation system which addresses the need to provide energy efficient ventilation to well-insulated modern homes.

“We all know the importance of reducing energy use and the impact this can have on cutting fuel bills and there is a real potential to tackle the problem of existing buildings using advanced energy saving equipment,” explains Donald Daw, Mitsubishi Electric’s commercial director.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01707 278666 E-mail heating@meuk.mee.com Web: www.mitsubishielectric. co.uk/domesticheating

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR GOVERNMENT

27

In-company training - a step up for your staff Your employees are your biggest asset so ensure they are working to the highest standards.

The IET, home of electrical excellence and experts in the wiring regulations, offers professional training courses, on your premises and tailored to meet your company’s needs.

Our training courses save you money in your training budget and travel/accommodation costs will motivate and upskill your workforce can be designed to match the skills and abilities of your workforce are flexible enough to cater for small classes or large groups

Courses and exams include: BS 7671 (C&G 2382 and BTEC) PAT Testing (C&G 2377) Inspection & Testing (C&G 2392, 2391 & PIR) Electrical safety and maintenance Bespoke courses to suit your needs

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HEALTH & SAFETY

MOVEABLE OBJECTS AND A COMMITMENT TO SAFETY Giuliano Digilio, head of Technical Services at the Electrical Contractors’ Association, discusses the importance of PAT testing ABOUT THE ECA

The ECA represents the interests of 3,000 member companies involved in electrical installation work. Collectively, the member companies have an annual turnover of more than £5 billion, employ over 30,000 operatives and support 8,000 apprentices in craft training. The role of the ECA is to provide a focus for the electrical industry in terms of safety, training, qualification, technological development and industry performance.

HEALTH AND SAFETY plays a vital part in office life. In large buildings and businesses, its importance is magnified by the vast number of people who work within – or for – them. Due to the potentially fatal consequences of poorly maintained or damaged electrical equipment, keeping on top of this type of equipment’s functionality is a key priority for landlords, building owners and senior managers everywhere.

PAT testing, or portable appliance testing, is an important part of any health and safety policy. With figures from the Health and Safety Executive stating that 25 per cent of all reportable electrical accidents involve portable appliances, it is important that proper measures are in place to keep workers safe.

EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITY The Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) place a legal responsibility on employers, as well as employees and self-employed persons, to comply with the provisions of the regulations, and to take reasonable and practicable steps to ensure that no danger results from the use of portable equipment, this includes everything from kettles to photocopiers. This requires putting a systematic and regular programme of maintenance, inspection and testing in place.

The level of inspection and testing

needed for portable equipment depends upon the risk of the appliance becoming faulty, which in turn depends upon the type of appliance, the nature of its use and the environment in which it is used.

What, exactly, does PAT testing involve, who should do it and how should it be managed on an ongoing basis?

QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS Needless to say, the potentially dangerous nature of electrical equipment means that tests on portable appliances cannot be done by anyone other than a competent electrical professional. PAT testing is something that many ECA members are qualified to do as a matter of course; and are competent to do.

When an inspection is carried out, the equipment being inspected is checked for signs of visible damage or malfunction. A thorough review is made of the equipment itself, its connecting lead and plug. If the check reveals signs of damage, poor electrical standards, inadequate or temporary repairs to the equipment, lead or plug, it should be withdrawn from use and clearly labelled to indicate that it must not be used. This also applies to extension leads and associated plugs and sockets. Any equipment so labelled should be recorded on a log sheet.

A contractor qualified in PAT testing will use the correct test equipment; this is of the utmost importance, as the safety of the equipment can only be ensured if the appropriate range of tests has been carried out. It is likely that the contractor will have instruments that undertake a series of tests on portable equipment, and where a large number of tests are to be carried out, the use of such instruments would seem the most sensible option considering the saving in time – and potential cost to an organisation – that could be made.

These tests should not be considered as definitive, however. Some items of equipment may, for one reason or another, require certain additional tests which must be assessed, by a competent person, at the time of testing.

These include flash testing, ground bond testing and insulation resistance testing.

FLASH TESTING Flash testing evaluates whether the electric insulation section of an electric equipment or part is strong enough to cope with the working voltage. Flash testing is also called dielectric withstand test or hipot test.

Much equipment available today contains electronic components susceptible to damage when subjected to high voltages. Dielectric or flash testing should, therefore, only be carried out when the equipment has been extensively repaired and then only after the manufacturer has been consulted.

The earthing systems test performs a measurement of resistance to determine that the equipment remains safe in the event of internal live conductors touching the external case of the device under test. This test ensures that the earth or ground conductor can carry sufficient current to cause the supply protective fuse in the plug top, or protective device (e.g. circuit breaker), to blow before the case rises to a hazardous voltage.

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HEALTH & SAFETY

INSULATION RESISTANCE The insulation resistance test involves applying a voltage – specifically a highly regulated, stabilised DC voltage – across a dielectric, measuring the amount of current flowing through that dielectric, and then calculating (using Ohm’s Law) a resistance measurement.

Items of equipment that, from a visual check, appear to be acceptable but subsequently fail this test require further investigation.

It is important to remember that all electrical equipment deteriorates with age, so the use of a portable appliance tester, which has a pre-set value of insulation resistance acceptable for testing a new appliance, may be unduly onerous for an older item of equipment. A typical example of this is the table top type of cooker, which although not typically associated with office work, can be present in many employee kitchens so that they can bring in their own food for lunch etc. This can have a value of insulation resistance lower than the pre-set level and may therefore be deemed to have failed the test.

FREQUENCY OF TESTING Organisations should determine the intervals between both inspection and testing by assessing the risk, i.e. the likelihood of danger arising. This will vary with the type of equipment, usage, as well as the nature of the environment in which it is used. Also, the age of the equipment and previous test results need to be considered. The frequency of inspection can be determined by experience and will generally be more frequent than testing.

More demanding conditions will mean that more frequent inspection and testing is needed, while less onerous conditions – and good inspection and test results – can lead to a reduced frequency.

IT EQUIPMENT Many organisations do not realise that PAT testing should also be undertaken on IT equipment. However, many items of

equipment typically found in the modern office environment contain electronic components that may be damaged if connected to a portable appliance tester, so great care must be exercised when dealing with this equipment; another reason for calling in a professional with PAT testing qualifications.

Your electrical contractor will know that most IT equipment is sensitive to changes in voltage levels applied to it, and that such equipment contains circuitry to minimise the effects of these fluctuations. This circuitry may lead to erroneous readings when the equipment is tested, indicating that the equipment has failed due to too low a reading, e.g. insulation resistance. If experienced, the tester will be aware of this possibility and may have to substitute the earth leakage test for an insulation resistance test if this situation arises.

AFTER THE TEST After completion of the tests, the organisation’s responsible person – in charge of the testing – should make sure that the contractor has individually marked each item of equipment tested indicating whether it passed or failed the tests, the date of the test, and the date a re-test is due.

It is also recommended that the contractor records details of the tests and results onto a log sheet kept by the organisation. A check should be made to ensure that the details entered on the test label, fixed to the equipment, tally with those entered on the log sheet.

It is of paramount importance that a record of maintenance, including test results, is maintained throughout the life of each item of equipment. The provision of these records will demonstrate that testing has been carried out to an adequate standard, and any difference between subsequent tests can be noted. Should these tests show deterioration in any part of the equipment, remedial action is necessary to ensure that danger does not arise.

It is worth noting that some of the more advanced portable appliance testers can store the

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Giuliano Digilio joined the ECA in 1992 from Emcor Drake and Skull, where he was engineering manager working in design management. He benefits from extensive experience in the electrical engineering building services industry, covering a broad range of areas including technical design, construction, project management and the commercial aspects of various electrotechnical installations and systems.

Giuliano sits on numerous technical Committees for both ECA and industry.

He is also Chairman of the AIE (European Contractors’ Association) Home & Building Electronic Systems Task Force, and a member of their Policy Co-ordination Committee.

In addition, he is a Fellow of the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology), an Associate Member of CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) and also belongs to the Light & Lighting Society. information in their own memory. This information can be transferred into the organisation’s database for record keeping purposes and analysis.

Finally, if the equipment tested fails any of the inspection or tests, the organisation must immediately withdraw it from service until the fault has been rectified. Further investigation of the reason for failure will normally be required.

After repair of the fault, the equipment should be retested before it is returned to service.

It may seem complex, but with help from competent electrical professionals, PAT testing is a painless procedure for organisations, but one that is vital to ensure the running of a healthy and safe office.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.eca.co.uk

PAT testing services from CAD Facilities Ltd AD FACILITIES LTD provide PAT testing services nationwide for small to large enterprise offering a 24 hour, 7 days a week schedule offering businesses and organisations a flexible solution in order to meet their requirements to carry out period safety testing of portable appliances in the workplace.

Around 2,000 reported workplace fires a year are caused by faulty electrical appliances, as are a high proportion of electrical related workplace accidents. Such accidents can arise from a variety of problems such as damaged appliances.

Legislation requires employers to control risks arising from the use of portable appliances.

All portable appliance test performed by CAD Facilities Ltd are carried out by qualified PAT testing engineers who have been CRB checked and hold a minimum three years experience in electrical safety testing industry providing a low cost and efficient service. All inspections include free minor fixes, fuse changes and inventory report.

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Due to the serious consequences of electrical accidents, proactive maintenance initiative should be in place rather than reactive procedures that only take action after an accident. Records of electrical equipment should also be maintained with evidence of the inspection and testing programme.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Address: 157 St John Street, London EC1V 4PY Tel: 020 77540057 E-mail: info@cadfaciities.com Web: www.cadfacilities.com

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Government Business | Volume 18.1

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HEALTH & SAFETY

RISING TO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY CHALLENGE IOSH 2011 offers you an extensive exhibition of leading companies showcasing their latest innovations, as well as advice and guidance on best practice and compliance TAKING PLACE 15-16 MARCH at ExCeL London, the IOSH conference and exhibition returns in 2011 to help professionals rise to the challenge of health and safety. Already established as the key date in the health and safety calendar, the event will offer visitors and delegates the most expansive programme in its history. This will include an unparalleled conference programme consisting of 55 expert speakers, 35 conference sessions and networking receptions; a brand new Core Skills+ programme offering topical workshops; and more than 100 industry leading exhibitors plus 17 hours of free educational content.

The conference, the theme of which is ‘Health and Safety: Rising to the challenge’, will be split into four separate tracks: ‘Managing legislative change’, ‘Striving for safety excellence’, ‘Responding to economic uncertainty’ and ‘Developing healthy working lives’. The tracks will provide delegates with a varied programme and ensure they walk away with answers to the most pressing issues facing health and safety practitioners today. Keynote addresses, interviews and discussions will also take place before and after the track sessions.

VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS Delegates will also benefit from ‘Virtual connections’ this year. This exciting new initiative will allow delegates to network through the IOSH conference and exhibition website in the run up to the event, allowing for discussion and debate prior to attending the event.

Broadcaster and journalist Justin Webb, current presenter of the Today programme, will chair the conference with numerous top-level presenters speaking over the two days, including: • Judith Hackitt CBE, chair, Health and Safety Executive • John Armitt, chairman, Olympic Delivery Authority • Lesley Calladine, Health, Safety and Environment director, Crossrail • Steve Enright, director of Health, Safety and Security for Europe, Stansted Airport • Paul Farmer, chief executive, MIND • Naveev Quamar, Health and Safety director, First Group • Colonel Michael D Edmonson, deputy secretary of Public Services, Department of Public Safety Services, and Superintendent, Louisiana State Police • Karolien Debusschere, deputy coordinator, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordination Office

Steve Granger, president elect of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), said: “This year’s conference is highly interactive and addresses the topics that really matter to those practising in the health and safety industry. As the largest and most comprehensive health and safety conference in the UK, IOSH 2011 is a fantastic opportunity for not only sector professionals but also any person who is responsible for the health and safety of others to keep up-to-date with developments in the industry, network and share ideas. Through extensive research with IOSH members and occupational health and safety professionals we have been able to create a conference that meets the needs of the industry. I am looking forward to personally meeting colleagues and friends as well as making new ones.”

Adrian Newton, portfolio director for Safety and Building Management at UBM Live, organisers of IOSH 2011, said: “Having been away from the capital for four years now, we are delighted to bring the IOSH conference and exhibition to London for 2011. Not only does the region contain almost 30 per cent of the IOSH membership, there are fantastic transport links around the country so all IOSH members can benefit from the unparalleled conference programme and extensive exhibition. We are currently witnessing a record number of delegate registrations and exhibitors signing up so this is an event not to be missed by anyone concerned with occupational health and safety.”

EXHIBITION FEATURES The extensive exhibition running alongside the conference will offer visitors the opportunity to source solutions from a comprehensive cross section of health and safety manufacturers, distributors and suppliers, including Ansell, Draeger Safety, JSP, Moldex and Sypol.

In addition to the wide range of exhibitors, visitors will have the opportunity to take advantage of an array of features. Complimentary seminars within the spotlight presentation theatres, hosted by a plethora of industry luminaries, will allow visitors to walk away completely up-todate with the latest industry developments.

Representatives from Access Industry Federation, BlueChip Technologies, Matrix, NQA and Taproot are amongst those presenting.

The IOSH main stand and lecture theatre will also host presentations demonstrating online CPD and IPD, training courses and products, campaigns and online resources. Finally, the IOSH Networks lounge and theatre will inform visitors about IOSH branches and groups as

well as providing networking opportunities.

New for 2011, the Core Skills+ programme will offer delegates a varied programme of one-hour workshops, each focusing on a different topic area. With the option of purchasing individual sessions or a full day’s programme, these bite-sized seminars have been designed to help delegates develop their knowledge and skill in a specific area or simply refresh their memory. The eight sessions will focus on topics including culture and behaviour, musculoskeletal best practice, lone working, road risk, health interventions and setting up your own consultancy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION For further information on the event, to register for a conference delegate pass or to purchase delegate passes to the Core Skills+ programme, please visit www.ioshconference.co.uk

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR GOVERNMENT

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Health and safety:

Rising to the challenge 15 – 16 March 2011 | ExCeL London

Visit the free IOSH 2011 exhibition to meet more than 100 industry-leading manufacturers, suppliers and distributors, and access the latest health and safety products, training solutions and guidance. You’ll also have the opportunity to attend free seminars, demonstrations and advice sessions at the IOSH stand and spotlight presentation theatres.

Exhibitors include: ■ ■ ■ ■

JSP Safety4Business Scafftag Ansell

■ British Red Cross ■ Draeger ■ Institute of Occupational Medicine

■ NEBOSH ■ RRC Training ■ Casella

Highlights ■

Get training advice and practical demonstrations at two spotlight presentation theatres, sponsored by NQA and AIF.

■

IOSH Networks theatre. Attend seminar sessions and discover how you can get involved with branch and group activities.

■

IOSH stand. Get training advice, best practice guidance, membership information and online demonstrations.

■

Media and internet zone. Pick up copies of industry publications and stay connected with our online facilities.

Register for your free exhibition entry badge now at www.ioshexhibition.co.uk/SM1.

To find out about exhibiting or sponsorship at IOSH 2011, contact our team today on +44 (0)20 7921 8183 or email dominic.pinfold@ubm.com.

If you want even more out of IOSH 2011, why not attend the conference too?

Register now at www.ioshconference.co.uk.

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SETA Training to meet your needs and workforce development ETA Training & Advisory Services have been delivering safety and technical training since 1966. Based in Stockport on the south edge of Greater Manchester.

We offer courses training and qualifications in three main areas; health and safety, engineering/technical disciplines, and the recruitment and training of engineering apprentices. We are an active member of Group Training Association (GTA) England.

SETA is a registered NEBOSH, IOSH, NVQ and City & Guilds centre. Courses include NEBOSH General Certificate, NVQ4 in Occupational Safety and Health and City & Guilds 17th Edition Electrical Regs.

We offer courses in Welding and Electrical skills. We are able to deliver training programmes, particularly in safety and company premises, and work flexibly to adapt courses to meet customers dates and requirements.

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SETA will attend the Safety and Health Expo at the NEC in May. Please visit our stand and meet Russell Prince and Hayley. We look forward to seeing you there.

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University of Strathclyde safety and risk management HE UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE in Glasgow has been running its highly successful postgraduate programme in Safety and Risk Management for the past decade. Due to its flexible online distance learning format this programme has drawn students from across the United Kingdom and overseas.

Participants enjoy a fascinating range of topics written primarily by health and safety practitioners, providing a very practical approach to the subject. Students benefit from individual guidance and feedback from tutors with academic and practical experience across a wide range of work environments.

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british

social work jobs.com with social workers at heart

Britishsocialworkjobs.com is the fastest growing niche job board for Social Workers in the UK. If you’re fed up of paying agency fees but still want quality, qualified candidates then we can provide a great platform to source staff quickly.

Who are we and what do we offer?

Britishsocialworkjobs.com is one of 10 niche medical, health and social care job boards under the umbrella site britishmedicaljobs.com.

We build our CV database through extensive SEO work and interaction through Facebook, Twitter and our popular blog. This has produced number 1 Google rankings for many top search terms including ‘Social Work Jobs’, ’Social Worker Jobs’, and ‘Social Care Jobs’ .

Unlike many job boards we offer a personal service tailored to your needs.

To find out how we can help please visit: www.britishsocialworkjobs.com, Telephone: 01395 22 44 86 or email us at: info@britishmedicaljobs.com.

Britishsocialworkjobs.com, part of

Government Business | Volume 18.1

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SOCIAL CARE RECRUITMENT

COMMITTING TO THE HIGHEST SAFEGUARDING STANDARDS There is a clear need for temporary staff to be able to access high quality training, says the Association of Social Work Employment Business

THE ASSOCIATION of Social Work Employment Businesses (ASWEB) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. It is a voluntary members organisation of employment businesses all committed to upholding and promoting standards in social work.

The main aims of the ASWEB are to improve social work practice through offering training and continuing professional development to social workers; to promote social work as a profession; and to support the improvement in recruitment standards in UK social work.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASWEB was set up in 2007 by a committed group of specialist social work employment businesses as a vehicle to safeguard the professional development interests of their locum social workers (locums). The catalyst was the winding down of the Greater London Post Qualifying Consortium (GLPQ) which had arranged post qualifying training (PQ training) for qualified social workers in the London area. With no central body to organise training for the thousands of temporary social workers who required help, it was decided to set up an association to address their needs.

Initially ASWEB aimed to maintain the impetus created by GLPQ and take forward the issue of PQ and continuous professional development training (CPD) for temporary social workers. However, it quickly became evident to the members that there were other areas of common interest – specifically, raising the overall standard of recruitment

and safeguarding candidates, which would benefit from an organised approach. It was agreed the remit of the organisation should be broadened to include these.

TRAINING FOR TEMPORARY WORKERS Temporary social workers are faced with a challenge. Professionally required to commit to CPD and PQ, they are not entitled to any of the benefits that permanent staff have, including, most pertinently, ongoing CPD/PQ. In addition, in a time of increasingly scarce resources, many councils do not feel able to invest their training budget in an individual who may be gone in a couple of months.

The upshot of the above is that highly qualified and experienced social workers find it hard to access proper training to improve their skills. So although their permanent colleagues may be receiving up to date training, the temporary workers may well receive none. The significance of this cannot be understated in a field that is so dependent on the professional judgement, skills, and teamwork of all practitioners. The last few years’ high profile failures in child protection procedures only go to illustrate the complexity of the area and the need for well-trained individuals armed with both current knowledge and latest best practice.

There is a clear need for temporary staff to be able to access high quality training – something which ASWEB provides for social workers registered with its member companies. ASWEB now runs regular monthly training courses open to social workers of all its members at minimal, or nominal cost. We will be looking

to expand this offering in the future.

All members of ASWEB are committed to the highest safeguarding standards to ensure that any social worker on their books has been thoroughly interviewed and checked.

This means that registration is preceded by a face-to-face interview to test competency and experience. ID checking is comprehensive and uses original documentation only.

In addition, all temporary social workers must provide full five year’s references and explain any gaps in their work history.

We believe that these are the toughest standards in temporary social work recruitment, and routinely pass scrutiny with the most demanding of clients. Records are held in comprehensive databases and candidate files are routinely updated and monitored. We plan to raise the bar still further with a requirement that all registration interviews will be conducted to a ‘Warner’ standard: “The aim should be to achieve a full and rounded picture of the candidate, providing more detailed and complete information than is possible with the traditional application form – interview system.” (Choosing With Care 1992).

STANDARDS AUDIT ASWEB members are rightly proud of the fact that they are measured by their peers. In a profoundly competitive marketplace such as recruitment, this willingness represents the clearest possible statement that ASWEB members are prepared to stand up and be counted as upholders of standards.

To ensure that standards are applied and maintained, all members of ASWEB have agreed as part of their membership to be independently audited on a yearly basis to ensure that they are recruiting to the highest standards in the sector. This is also a pre-requisite for gaining membership.

The audit involves a day long visit by the independent auditor who selects files at random, and is able to speak to the registered worker whose file is being audited to check what has been written down has actually occurred.

Any member who fails has a fixed period to improve standards before being re-audited.

Another failure can lead to expulsion.

FOR MORE INFORMATION For further information on ASWEB and what we are aiming to achieve please visit the website www.asweb.org.uk or e-mail andrew@backstop.org.uk

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6861 MIL Tweet In Leeds Ad 175x125mm:Layout 1

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Tweet inLeeds.

Meet in Leeds offers some of the best conference and events facilities around. Being at the cutting edge, we believe in making it easy for our customers to communicate with us, and to see what we’re up to.

Find out what we’re saying about our brand new swimming pool and fitness suite, award winning catering, superb meeting facilities, corned beef hash, broccoli and much more! Or even download a video to your mobile.

Follow us on www.meetinleeds.co.uk twitter.com/meetinleeds meetinleeds.blogspot.com youtube.com/MeetInLeeds meetinleeds.co.uk/news/subscribe.php

Online Videos

Virtual Tours

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TIGHT BUDGET?

THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE Our Conference and Banqueting facility is a unique, ultra modern venue set within an equally impressive location, the historic “Odsal bowl” is the “Distinctly Different” venue of choice for every occasion, whether you’re organising a corporate presentation, business meeting or family event such as a wedding or birthday party.

TRY OUR EXCELLENT VALUE MEETING ROOMS FROM JUST

£15PP*

Holiday Inn Leeds - Garforth at a glance: • FREE car parking • FREE wireless internet access • Fully equipped meeting rooms from 2-400 delegates • NEW Simply Uplifting menus and buffet alternatives among choice of dining options • Triangle Heath & Fitness Club • Restaurant and bar • Large public areas • Accessible areas

• The first venue ever to

host the new government cabinet outside of London.

• Excellent conference

facilities for exhibition, meeting or event venue.

Call Vanessa NOW on 01274 762312 or visit www.bradfordbulls.co.uk Bradford Bulls, Odsal Stadium, Bradford, BD6 1BS

To book please call 0113 286 6556 hileedsgarforth.com Holiday Inn Leeds - Garforth Wakefield Road, Garforth, Leeds, LS25 1LH *Prices subject to change and availability, new bookings only.

Lead price based on ½ day meeting per delegate.

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS

WEST YORKSHIRE: THE PLACE TO DO BUSINESS Leeds and surrounding West Yorkshire have enjoyed a surge in development, making the area a great choice for conference venues that suit all requirements and budgets CONFERENCE LEEDS, the super convention bureau for Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Calderdale, recently held on to its number five position in the top ten cities rankings for conferences, again beating off competition from the likes of Glasgow and Nottingham.

THE VENUES Conference Leeds represents over 280 venues and has a selection of almost 10,000 bedrooms to ensure organisers are spoilt for choice.

Venues in Leeds include Leeds Town Hall, the University of Leeds and more than a dozen city centre hotels, such as the Queens Hotel, the Mint Hotel, and the Met Hotel – winner of the Best Business Hotel Award at the 2010 Yorkshire Business Insider Tourism Awards.

In the wider region, unique venues include the National Media Museum, the National Coal Mining Museum for England, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. In addition, the Bureau’s portfolio includes stunning country house hotels including Rudding Park, which was recently named TripAdvisers Hotel of the Year.

FIND VALUE IN WEST YORKSHIRE Bradford is a diverse conference destination which offers a wide range of venues from traditional to contemporary – all at excellent value for money. The city has something for every type of conference and event organiser.

For example, the fantastic National Media Museum offers five floors of spectacular galleries, two auditoria and the IMAX experience, while the ALCC, Bradford’s largest venue, offers a modern facility with state of the art auditoria and contemporary interior design for up to 1,850. The city centre’s Midland Hotel offers all residential delegates a new ‘Stretch & Go’ package which shows guests how to look after their body first thing in the morning to ensure they feel good for the rest of the day.

Conference organisers can also take advantage of venues for every kind of event, including the multi-award-winning Rose Bowl to the most recent additions, Carnegie Pavilion, Cloth Hall Court and Broadcasting Place – the building which has just been awarded ‘The best tall building in the world’. Well Met Conferencing offers these venues at breathtaking value with day delegate rates starting from £25+VAT.

Rose Bowl

Millenium Square

THE PLACE FOR EVENTS The Leeds and West Yorkshire region attracts a wide range of high profile conferences and events. Bradford University recently played host to 400 international delegates at the

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS

on the £80 million Leeds Arena, which will have a capacity for over 12,000.

Leeds, Bradford and West Yorkshire have a fantastic location in the heart of the UK, located just off the M1 and the M62. Leeds is only two hours away from London by train and there are an ever increasing number of scheduled flights coming in to Leeds Bradford International Airport from all over the UK and Europe.

Royal Armouries Museum

10th IEEE International Conferences for Scalable Computing and Communications.

Likewise, the Royal Armouries International in Leeds hosted the Lions National Convention, the 5th International Carers Conference and the 4th National Infection Prevention Conference for dentists. Across the city the Rose Bowl has hosted an international Global Events Congress and the Local Government Communications Conference.

CONSTANT INVESTMENT With the popularity of the region being at an all time high for conferences and events, the venues are constantly refreshing and developing their venues to provide the most up to date facilities for delegates. The recently promoted Leeds United Football Club has completed a £2 million transformation of its conference and events centre to produce a facility double its previous size. The 2,000sqm newly titled

Centenary Pavilion can cater for 1,600 delegates and has already seen a significant amount of interest for conferences and events.

Investments and developments ensure the region remains firmly on the business tourism map as an ideal location for conferences and events. A new 200 bedroom Jurys Inn hotel has recently opened in Bradford giving guests not just an excellent hotel experience with fantastic rates, but it is also a perfect starting point for exploring one of England’s largest and most vibrant cities.

UNDER DEVELOPMENT The success of Leeds and West Yorkshire as a conference desination is partly due to the surge in development offering a great choice of meeting venues at a price to suit most budgets.

Developments from around the region include the recently opened New Ellington Hotel in Leeds and construction has begun

HELP IS AT HAND Conference Leeds provides a Convention Bureau for Bradford ad West Yorkshire – a team of dedicated professionals who are on hand to provide friendly advice to help conference organisers manage an event every step of the way. From an initial enquiry through to post event follow up – the team offer a range of free services to make event planning as easy as possible. Services include: • An impartial venue finding and booking service, giving access to over 200 venues across West Yorkshire, the free venue finding service will provide organisers with full accurate event costings including the main venue, accommodation and support services • Accommodation booking: Easy to book accommodation for delegates – with preferential rates from venues • Site visits: The Conference Leeds team are happy to organise and host a tour of potential venues and accommodation • Assistance with sourcing experienced providers of transport, technical equipment, and entertainment • Travel advice • Advice on social programmes and partner activities • Provision of delegate information packs

Put the magic into every occassion RAMATICALLY SET into the hillside at Grattan Stadium lies the modern structure of Yorkshire’s premier Conference & Banqueting facility.

The Coral Stand commands inspiring views of the ground and is flooded with natural light through the glass frontage. Curving around the South end of the ground, the facility’s arch creates a diverse interior which can be segregated or opened to cater for either small or large functions.

Each Conference & Banqueting package can be tailored to your own personal, individual requirements. One of our management team will be assigned to liaise with you on the lead up days before your

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event and will be with you on the day to ensure the smooth running of your function.

Coral Stand has two levels. Level One has four rooms which can fit different sized groups ranging from 20 up to 300 guests.

Level Two has three rooms ranging from 20 up to 100 guests. Coral stand is also an ideal venue for exhibitions and roadshows.

FOR MORE INFORMATION To fully gain from our experience, please contact Vanessa Brown, Bradford Bulls Conference & Banqueting coordinator on 01274 762312 or at vanessa.brown@bradfordbulls.co.uk

Visit the website to view the categorised product finder

Leeds United – more than just football S ONE OF THE UK’S leading Conference & Events venues, our World Class Conference & Events team understand the importance of making your event a success.

With over 100 years combined experience, our dedicated team will take care of every detail, providing support and expertise throughout the planning and delivery of your event. That’s why our events team has won a host of awards in recognition of their professionalism.

We have over 40 flexible and diverse suites, excellent in house catering and hundreds of complimentary car parking spaces making us the perfect choice for all your events.

Located adjacent to the M621 motorway, ten minutes drive time from Leeds train station and only forty minutes from Leeds Bradford International Airport.

We host a large array of events from exhibitions, training seminars, gala dinners, conferences, fashion shows and small meetings. Our function

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Weetwood – where good value meets quality and innovation ONFERENCE and meeting organisers are continuously surprised about the sustained level of investment that Weetwood Hall Conference Centre and Hotel puts into its services and facilities to ensure its place as one of the leading conference and meeting facilities in the North of England.

Weetwood Hall was the first hotel in north England to achieve the AIM gold accreditation from the Meetings Industry Association and is the first hotel in Yorkshire and the Humber to attain Investors in People (IIP) gold status, the most recognised accolade in the UK for business improvement through people. Achieving gold status positions Weetwood Hall in the top one per cent of UK organisations recognised by IIP. Weetwood Hall’s facilities include an innovative web data conferencing suite, which uses SMART technology to deliver a new breed of meetings. It allows participants to easily communicate with their colleagues around the

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suites range in size to cater for up to 2,800 standing and 1,250 for a seated dinner. In addition we have a large selection of smaller suites suitable for all events.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0871 3341919 OPT 2 Fax: 0113 3676520 E-mail: conferenceandevents @leedsunited.com Web: www.leeds unitedvenue.com

Newark Showground

world via SMART board and web cams, creating joint documents and sharing reports as if they were in the same room.

This facility has been complemented with the installation of a complimentary fibre optic Internet connection that provides the fastest speed of any conference centre and hotel in Leeds.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Weetwood Hall Conference Centre & Hotel, Otley Road, Leeds LS16 5PS Tel: 0113 2306000 Fax: 0113 2306095 E-mail: sales@weetwood.co.uk Web: www.weetwood.co.uk

Choose good value, quality and innovation for your next conference in Yorkshire …

Every day’s different...

Home of... > LAMMA > The Notts County Show 14 & 15 May 2011 > Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show 12 & 13 November 2011

Newark Showground is THE place for events With over 120 acres of land, 12 fully flexible buildings and parking for up to 10,000 cars, you can hire our purpose built pavilions for your special event or celebration.

Call: 01636 705796 www.newarkshowground.com

Weetwood Hall Conference Centre & Hotel Otley Road | Leeds | LS16 5PS e: sales@weetwood.co.uk t: +44 (0) 113 230 6000

www.weetwood.co.uk

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Visit the website to view the categorised product finder

a great team

big advantages

27 days a year, we are a world class racecourse offering group bookings, exclusive hospitality and sponsorship opportunities. For the remainder of the year our fabulous facilities are available for consumer & trade exhibitions,

massive possibilities

conferences, small meetings, training, team building events and parties. If you are looking for an attractive venue for an event, odds are we’ve got it! Call our team today on 01372 46 43 48 or visit www.sandown.co.uk

NOWHERE ELSE COMES CLOSE

A2 poster

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HE UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS has been making strong efforts to put in place facilities and services that match growing customer requirements in a competitive market, and which address the needs of both the student and the conference markets. With this in mind, the appeal of the conference facilities at the University of Leeds has recently been propelled into the premier division with the completion of two new and exciting developments.

Storm Jameson Court is a hotel-style residence at the heart of the campus, built to world-class specification offering 460 high quality en suite double bedrooms with a 24-hour reception. The building was finished in time to host a large conference in September 2010, after which the organiser wrote “the accommodation was of the highest standard I have personally seen in University student halls”. Forward bookings

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2011Conference Offer Need to book a meeting or conference, then why not try the fantastic Barony Castle just south of Edinburgh in the small village of Eddleston DAY DELEGATE RATE OF £25.00 INC VAT per person inclusive of the following: Main Meeting Room Hire, 1 Syndicate Room (Max 8 Pax), Trainers Tool Box, Pads, Pens & Free Wi Fi, LCD Projector, Screen, 2 Flip Charts, TV & DVD, Unlimited Tea, Coffee, Fruit & Biscuits, 3 Course Buffet Lunch & Free Car Parking 24HR DELEGATE RATE OF £115.00 INC VAT per person inclusive of the above plus the following: Three Course Dinner Accommodation & Full Scottish Breakfast Use of our Leisure Facilities The offer is valid for bookings taking place within 2011, so all you need to do is call the Barony Sales Team quoting PA Exchange/Conf on the number below.

Now isn't that a deal to think about!

To book call 01721 730 395

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of Storm Jameson Court are very strong and Richard Handscombe of the University of Leeds says: “This facility is attracting new events to Leeds; it has filled a vital gap in our portfolio in a rather spectacular way.”

Also launched was The Edge, a state-of-the-art sports facility with a 200-station fitness suite – the largest at a British university – complete with a swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms, squash courts and climbing wall – all totally free for delegates

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.meetinleeds.co.uk

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH INSPIRATION International Confex 2011, 1-3 March will be bigger than ever before – free seminars, keynote sessions, advice centres, CV clinic and a whole host of networking opportunities make this year’s show the key to transforming your event in to something amazing international level, and is the place to contact for anybody planning an event in Germany.

Its 250 members include leading hotels, convention centres and destinations, car hire firms, event agencies and service providers of the German meetings and conventions industry.

The GCB is an interface between organisers of meetings and conventions and suppliers of the German meetings market, offers advice and support for planning and organising events, and provides contacts and addresses.

OVER 1,000 EXHIBITORS will take their place on the show floor at International Confex, ready to help visitors with their event needs. A mixture of established and returning features, all of which have been designed to leave visitors inspired and with knowledge that can be implemented in their day-to-day role, will offer visitors a huge variety of content.

One of the major developments has been the creation of a new simplified floor plan split into three areas – Location, Logistics and Something Special – which will aid navigation around the show.

Event director Jonny Sullens comments: “We invested significantly in research to ensure that we were delivering above and beyond what our exhibitors and visitors wanted, and the floor plan was highlighted as an area for improvement. By the very nature of the show, its influence and dominance has seen it grow substantially, which is why we have stripped back the layout to three key areas. After all, buyers wanting to find a location for their next event want something that ticks all the right boxes and by over segmenting, visitors may have missed seeing all the available options to them.”

One of the most substantial and awe-inspiring new features that visitors will find hard to miss is the Media 10 Marina. Located at the heart of the show, this floating networking area and bar is just one of the ways in which International Confex is adding the wow factor.

If you want to get a feel for what this year’s event will offer, read on for our roundup of some of the show’s quirky and inspirational exhibitors.

A FIVE STAR EVENT Set in leafy Kensington, Royal Garden Hotel (Stand P140) boasts some of London’s most stylish and flexible conference and events spaces.

The 5-star business venue recently transformed its key conference and banqueting facilities as part of a £3.75 million refurbishment programme.

The Palace Suite underwent the most dramatic renovation, which included a considerable upgrade to its AV facilities. With its pillar less layout, the suite is the perfect location for hosting anything from large-scale conferences, to a reception or dinner dance for up to 550 guests. The Royal Garden Hotel also provides a dedicated events team of experience experts, making it easier for organisers to deliver truly engaging and memorable events.

CROSSING THE SEAS Tourism Ireland, the international wing of Irish tourism, representing all business tourism members and venues, will be promoting the destination at on stand B141.

Going further overseas, the GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. markets Germany as a destination for conventions, meetings, events and incentives both on a national and

LONDON CALLING Unique Venues of London (UVL), the marketing consortium consisting of some of the most iconic and unusual event spaces in London, will be showcasing its five new members at International Confex. With a vast portfolio, UVL comprises venues such as the Science Museum, Hampton Court Palace, the Natural History Museum and Tower Bridge. UVL can be found at stand LA200.

Situated in the heart of the West End, minutes from Covent Garden and Charing Cross underground station, the Strand Palace Hotel is at the centre of the capital’s finest attractions. Club Rooms afford fantastic accommodation to the experienced business traveller, while its enviable location near world-famous cultural and architectural landmarks is always a hit with leisure guests.

The Strand Conference and Events provides a multipurpose facility comprising individual meeting rooms and event space with the largest able to host up to 200 delegates.

Set in the heart of London’s Piccadilly, Café de Paris has been a dazzling and opulent venue since it opened its fabled doors in 1924. Now a Grade II listed building, Café de Paris is superb for hosting all types of events and parties.

Café de Paris is the perfect venue for corporate entertaining as well as private parties. From lunches, sit down dinners, canapé receptions and film premiere parties to product launches, award ceremonies, live music showcases and private parties.

Christmas is a spectacular time to host celebrations at Café de Paris, giving a real feel of luxury to the festive season.

QUIRKY EVENT SOLUTIONS Ice Angels has been brought to you by the company behind the very successful Havana Miss Cigar girls. All aspects of ice cream service have been stylishly made over to enhance any size or type of event. The company uses

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award-winning ice cream makers Maison des Sorbets and the latest technology in portable freezing to enable the safe transportation of ice cream anywhere in the country.

JuteBag provides eco-friendly jute, cotton and JUCO (a mix of jute & cotton) products to be used again and again. All bags can be printed with a company logo and carry a positive environmental message about your brand. As one of UK’s first specialist suppliers of eco-friendly shoppers, the company has been supplying bespoke bags to clients large and small for over six years. Its close attention to customer service, as well as the manufacturing process, sets them apart from their competitors.

Recently described by one of the world’s largest investment banks as “the perfect party planners” Crafty Arty Parties have a reputation that precedes them. Whether it’s a family fun day, Christmas party, product launch or promotion Crafty Arty promises to cut out the middle man so clients can make savings without having to compromise on quality or service.

Having won Best Stand award at Confex countless times, visitors are always drawn to seeing what the team at Crafty Arty

come up with every year, which is always bigger and better than before.

Leisure Skate has a tremendous amount of experience in the leisure industry, from running event arenas, through building real outdoor ice rinks and now supplying and installing synthetic ice rinks. The company’s rinks can go inside or out and have been used in stately homes, race courses, garden centres, shopping centres, leisure centres, and are a great way of bringing the community together.

INSPIRED INCENTIVES DestinAlp is a leading destination management company specialising in incentives, conferences, conventions, product launches and any corporate events. They are members of Site, MPI and Eventia.

Their area of operation comprises the whole of Switzerland, the French Alps, the Northern Italian lakes region and Milan. The company offers everything from city hotels to country retreats, unusual restaurants and classic villas to exclusive palaces and castles, all carefully researched to ensure the finest quality and provide the perfect solution to your brief.

Every programme is tailor-made to be imaginative, flexible and to reflect the best that the destinations have to offer. They do not have set programmes and pride themselves on custom-designing the most creative and unique event for clients.

Drum Cafe UK’s interactive drumming and team building programmes are powerful ways to unite or energise any meeting, whether you have 50 or 5,000 delegates.

The company gives every delegate a drum to create an interactive drumming orchestra for an experience of unity delegates will never forget.

Music and rhythm are universal languages that become valuable tools to harmonise and lead groups of people, which is why it’s a great way of team bonding and making your event memorable. The team can even count having performed for Nelson Mandela as part of his 90th birthday celebrations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more details on the show visit www.international-confex.com or follow the team on Twitter @IntlConfex

Barony Castle – 24 hour conference rate of £99.00 plus VAT

Sandown Park – a leading conference venue in the South East

EHIND THE IMPRESSIVE stone facade of Barony Castle lies a modern hotel and conference centre set in 25 idyllic acres of gardens and mature woodland. The castle offers magnificent views over the surrounding countryside and is the perfect base to hold that important event. It is located just 35 minutes (17 miles) south of Edinburgh on the edge of the Scottish Borders.

De Vere can provide just what you need. Inspirational locations, impeccable service and the professional expertise that thinks of everything – leaving you to relax and enjoy the most productive time you’ve ever had.

Whether it’s an intimate one-to-one meeting, a training course, conference, or a premier launch ceremony; we will create a conducive environment for thought and with every detail, however small, taken care of, we think you’ll appreciate the De Vere Barony Castle difference.

ANDOWN PARK, Surrey’s historic racecourse, has built an enviable reputation as one of the leading event venues in the South East. Only 15 miles from London, the picturesque Esher venue offers outdoor event space as well as flexible indoor facilities with ample parking.

Sandown Park is experienced in hosting both corporate and private events and plays host exhibitions, conferences, meetings, company dinners, Christmas parties, product launches, training, and team building events,

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• Bedrooms: 78 en suite, TV with Sky Channels, DDI telephones, tea and coffee tray • Meeting & Syndicate Rooms: 7 meeting rooms and 7 syndicate rooms with main rooms offering natural daylight and a maximum capacity of 200 • Leisure-time: indoor pool, mini gym, spa bath and sauna, 5-a-side football pitch, rope course • Food & Drink: restaurant & bar, free flowing cappuccinos, lattes and green tea stations • Techie: free internet access throughout, LCD, plasma and audio-visual equipment • Outdoors: lots of space and fresh air to enjoy team building • Parking: 100 spaces

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activity days and celebrations.

As well as its award winning cuisine and stunning racecourse views, this unusual Surrey venue offers a golf course, go karting, skiing, parking for 3,000 vehicles and even has its own hotel accommodation on-site. If you are looking for an attractive venue for an event, odds are we’ve got it!

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01372 464338 E-mail: sandown.events@ thejockeyclub.co.uk Web: www.sandown.co.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Kieran Whyte, general manager Tel: 01721 730395 E-mail: kwhyte@ deverevenues.co.uk

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RAISING THE PROFILE OF LEEDS AND WEST YORKSHIRE Following the success of the 2010 Conference and Hospitality Show, organisers are looking to add even more value to both exhibitors and visitors alike in 2011 THE CONFERENCE and Hospitality Show is the North’s leading event for event organisers, showcasing some of the UK’s best venues, destinations and support services all under one roof. The one-day show offers organisers inspiring event ideas, practical solutions to event planning and down to earth advice that Yorkshire people are renowned for.

The 2011 Conference and Hospitality Show promises to be bigger and better than ever before with additional floor space, new exhibitors and fresh ideas. It is being held at Savile’s Hall, the Royal Armouries Leeds on Thursday 17 March from 9.30 am until 4pm, and attendance is free.

GREAT IDEAS Show organiser Emma Cartmell of Event Management 360 said: “This event has quickly become as a must-see exhibition for organisers who want practical advice

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and great ideas for their next events. We understand that these are challenging times economically for all sectors – particularly the public sector – so we are ensuring that the 2011 event focuses on practical, hands on ideas for making budgets work harder.”

The show, which is the biggest event of its kind in the North of England, is expecting to attract a record number of visitors in 2011 with its variety of venues, strong seminar programme, demo zone and hospitality hour.

Exhibitors include big brand hotel chains like De Vere, Marriott and Radisson Blu, as well

as exclusive country estate retreats such as Harewood House and first class university accommodation with the University of Leeds.

VENUES ON OFFER Yorkshire has seen a surge of developments across the region over the last three to five years – offering a huge variety of meeting rooms including city centre hotels, county houses, sporting and unique venues, all of which will be represented at the show.

The venue for the event, Saviles Hall at the Royal Armouries Museum is one of Yorkshire’s

The 2011 Conference and Hospitality Show promises to be bigger and better than ever before with additional floor space, new exhibitors and fresh ideas

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2010 TripAdvisor® Travelers’ Choice Awards, which honour the world’s finest hotels.

The show, which is the biggest event of its kind in the North of England, is expecting to attract a record number of visitors in 2011 with its variety of venues, strong seminar programme, demo zone and hospitality hour largest venues, capable of hosting up to 1,500 delegates. The hall takes its name from legendary DJ and charity worker Sir Jimmy Savile who was born in Leeds and is a proud Yorkshire supporter. The hall forms part of the £200 million Clarence Dock development, which includes executive apartments, bars and restaurants and plans for a stylish new casino. In a breathtaking riverside location delegates can be entertained amongst some of the worlds greatest museum collections.

The University of Leeds is showcasing

its new Storm Jameson Court, which is taking conference bookings from July 2011 onwards. Named after former student and prolific author Margaret Storm Jameson, the iconic £27.1 million building will have 459 bedrooms and looks set to be the benchmark by which university campus accommodation will be measured.

Award winning independently owned Rudding Park Hotel near Harrogate is also exhibiting.

This luxury country house hotel was recently named ‘Number One Hotel in the UK’ in the

AT THE EVENT The Conference and Hospitality Show has been designed with busy conference organisers in mind and is offering: • a packed one-day programme • the chance to meet face to face with over 40 exhibitors attending from chain hotels, independent venues and suppliers to the meetings industry such as Savile’s and the R&B Group • an exciting demo zone where visitors will be treated to demonstrations on how to make their events that bit more special and memorable for clients • a critical seminar programme – focusing on innovative ideas for making the most of organiser’s budgets. The show’s seminar programme will feature some of the industry’s top speakers to address the current economic climate head on and offer some practical, sound advice on keeping ahead of business in the new decade • the show also supports education, with a unique volunteer programme for Leeds Met Event Management students who can participate and gain vital industry information.

Guest speaker and recognised industry expert on exhibitions, John Blaskey has added his support to the show saying: “Whilst major national events are suffering and operating at the levels of 1992, regional shows offer individuals and businesses the opportunity to take advantage of the very conditions which are threatening their bigger brothers. And they are generally organised by far more dedicated stake holders who, unlike the global organisers, are investing their own time and money.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION Register online or for more information visit www.conferenceandhospitalityshow.co.uk

Lift everyone’s spirits at your next event HE HOLIDAY INN LEEDS Garforth is just seven miles east of Leeds city centre and close to the M1 and M62. We have free car parking for over 250 cars on site with Leeds Bradford airport just 17 miles away and excellent public transport links right on our doorstep, making us accessable from anywhere in the country.

The hotel has 19 meeting rooms each with individual heating and air conditioning, Wi-Fi accessibility and come equipped with a screen, flipchart, pads, pens, confectionary and mineral water. Each room has flexible set up styles making it the perfect venue for your meeting, presentation, workshop, interviews or conference for 2 to 350 delegates.

faxing and photocopying, and we are on hand for any last minute changes and amendments.

We can create your meeting your way with delicious dining and refreshment packages available, and residential packages in one of our 144 guest bedrooms which include full use of our Triangle health centre.

We look forward to welcoming you at the Holiday inn Leeds-Garforth for your next event.

T

FOR MORE INFORMATION Our dedicated business centre reception will meet and greet all organisers and delegates on arrival and is the one point of contact for your event. Support services are available such as

Tel: 0113 3853780 Fax: 0113 2868326 E-mail: eventsmgr@hileedsgarforth.com Web: www.hileedsgarforth.com

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Visit the website to view the categorised product finder

Gift vouchers and gift cards from Charity Gift Vouchers really are a true “Flexible Friend”

F

ROM THE EARLY DAYS, gift vouchers were the ideal present, giving a choice of goods and retailers, as previously some of us would purchase the wrong colour or size present. As the gift voucher market matured the customer choice expanded with even greater choice offered by the multi-store gift vouchers.

This choice and flexibility made the gift voucher ideal as a retiring or leaving present, and the company Christmas bonus. The issuing of a gift voucher was a simple procedure and market research companies and competition operators chose giving gift vouchers as a preferred option to cash. With the growth of staff and customer reward programmes the gift voucher was ideally placed to fulfil these programmes with inspirational products such as balloon rides, holidays, high street shopping and the luxury goods that would not normally be purchased.

Gift vouchers were seen as a personal treat rather than cash, which easily disappeared into the household budget. With almost every purchase experience covered by gift vouchers the value of the reward or incentive programme was enhanced by the feel good factor of the reward. Gift vouchers have also been used to encourage difficult sections of the community such as teenagers and smokers to enrol into programmes that not only help themselves

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but reduce the long term cost to the nation.

With the development of the gift card and associated technologies new areas became available with gift malls opening wherever the public had access. These new technologies have allowed reward programmes that are able to top-up the value of the gift card as performance is achieved, giving quicker access

to the rewards and a greater satisfaction to the customer or staff member.

Recent technologies have been able to reduce the administration costs of reward and incentive programmes, and reduced the delay between achieving the reward and actually receiving the gift voucher or gift card. By the use of a secure code, which is issued to the staff member and an associated secure website, staff members can activate and select from a vast range of gift vouchers to the value of their secure code, giving the greatest choice possible and as quick a delivery as possible.

Gift vouchers and cards can now provide an almost instant reward, incentivising where necessary, rewarding for achievement and as a thank you. And let’s not forget their original purpose, as a gift for Christmas or birthdays.

Many of those working abroad or with the British Forces find sending a gift voucher with the word of sentiment the most satisfying method of sending gifts to family and friends.

The level of choice, variety of values and methods of delivery really do make gift vouchers and cards the true “Flexible Friend”.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01323 848686 E-mail: info@vouchers4charity.org.uk Web: www.vouchers4charity.org.uk

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Written by By René Dee, CEO, The Westminster Collection

LOOKING FOR A LONDON VENUE? The Westminster Collection’s Early Bird Venue Showcase will allow event organisers to meet face-to-face with 50 representatives from diverse and quality venues in London IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A VENUE in the capital, make a date with The Westminster Collection (TWC) who will have over 50 representatives from diverse and quality venues ready to meet and talk to you at their annual Early Bird Venues Showcase. The event takes place from 4pm to 7.30pm on 8 February at the spectacular One Whitehall Place, in Westminster.

TWC venues range from private member’s clubs to purpose built convention centres; historical palaces to bijou hotels; superbly furnished and equipped traditional venues to luxury boats on the Thames; versatile exhibition halls to intimate meeting rooms; sumptuous banqueting facilities to unique venues of character. We have them all and they are listed here for you to see before you come.

CATERING FOR EVERY EVENT TYPE If you are planning for those spring and summer events – whether they are large conferences, small meetings, AGMs, training sessions, accommodation, anniversaries, product launches, exhibitions, fairs, banquets, garden rooftop functions, river boat hire, examinations or receptions – look no further.

The Collection’s venues spread from Belgravia to the West End, the Strand to Bayswater, Parliament Square to Cavendish Square, Knightsbridge to Northumberland Avenue, and Pimlico to Portland Place. So if you have to source and choose venues in the course of your job, our Early Bird Showcase is for you.

This is TWC’s ninth Showcase and each one has been a great success for the buyer, who is not faced with a disparate variety of products to navigate before getting to the venues themselves. Our event is a pure and simple venues showcase.

THE VALUE OF FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS Finding a venue on a website is one thing, and you can certainly do so. However, if you really want to find out if your venue is right for your event you need to have a face-toface conversation with the venue manager, when you can ask all the pertinent, awkward and difficult questions, and get more than an electronic answer back. When you have the opportunity to meet with over 50 of the very best selection all in one room with the ability to have a face-to-face conversation, that’s nothing less than satisfaction guaranteed.

Investing two to three hours of your time at the showcase will pay you dividends.

A great number of our buyers come back each year because we keep adding

The Lib Room

new and exciting venues each year. So it makes sense to revisit and review.

EXHIBITING VENUES Exhibiting Venues and Members of The Westminster Collection are as follows: • 116 Pall Mall - Home of the Institute of Directors • 76 Portland Place • 8 Northumberland • 86 St. James • BAFTA • Banqueting House • Bateaux London • British Academy • Broadway House • Cavendish Conference Centre • Central Hall Westminster • Chandos House • Church House Conference Centre • Churchill War Rooms • Cinnamon Club, The • Grange Rochester Hotel • HQS Wellington • IET London:Savoy Place • Kent House Knightsbridge • Mint Hotel, Westminster • Naval and Military Club • No. 4 Hamilton Place • No. 11 Cavendish Square • Number 45 Millbank • One Birdcage Walk

• One Great George Street • One Queen Anne’s Gate • One Whitehall Place • One Wimpole Street - The Royal Society of Medicine • Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre • RICS • Royal College of Surgeons • Royal Courts of Justice • Royal Horticultural Halls and Conference Centre • Royal Institution of Great Britain • Royal Institute of British Architects • Royal Society • RSA House • Sixty One Whitehall • St Martin-in-the-Fields • St. Stephen’s Club • The Caledonian Club • The Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel • The Commonwealth Club • The Goring • The London Library • The Private Rooms at 51 Buckingham Gate • The UK Supreme Court • Victory Services Club

FOR MORE INFORMATION Register to attend at: www.thewestminstercollection. co.uk/showcase_registration.html

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DESTINATION WITH A DIFFERENCE Creative conferencing can be found in NewcastleGateshead with world-class festivals and attractions at its heart A REDUCTION IN BUDGETS has been a familiar story across the conference and meetings industry in recent years, yet the value of meeting colleagues, clients and stakeholders to discuss everything from strategy to staff training has never been more vital, and with this the need for creative solutions and value for money is perhaps more in demand than ever before.

NewcastleGateshead is a vibrant cultural destination with world-class festivals and attractions at its heart. As a growing destination catering for meetings and conferences of up to 1,700 delegates, it offers top-quality conference spaces and service providers at competitive rates, competing with established brands across the UK and Europe.

SPECTACULAR VENUES As well as a mix of museums, galleries and theatres, the compact destination is home to some of the country’s most spectacular creative, historic and unusual venues, including an international centre for music in The Sage Gateshead, unique contemporary art gallery with BALTIC, and

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the Art Deco Tyneside Cinema; all offering a range of experiences for delegates and unusual spaces to hold the perfect event.

The bustling urban heart lies just minutes from coast and countryside, and provides meeting organisers with a range of options for delivering high-quality events with that little something extra. Add 2,000 years of history, the famous Geordie welcome, and an award-winning Convention Bureau to the mix, and you’re left with a destination with a difference, an inspiring place set to animate and stimulate brilliant minds.

IT’S ALL ABOUT EXPERIENCE Spanning the life-blood of the destination, Newcastle and Gateshead are stitched together by seven magnificent bridges over the River Tyne. In the last decade the destination has built an impressive reputation for delivering high-quality and high-profile corporate, association and public sector events, these have included the three main political parties in England with Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats all choosing the destination

for their spring conferences, as well as the leaders of tomorrow with the National Union of Students in 2010 and 2011.

NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau offers free advice and guidance to a range of national and international clients, their local knowledge helping to save conference organisers time and deliver experiences that go above and beyond what is expected from the average conference destination.

Famous for its open and welcoming nature, “friendly” hits the top spot for words used to describe the destination in the Convention Bureau’s most recent delegate survey; one delegate even used the phrase “Crème de North!”

Just 20 minutes from Newcastle International Airport and less than three hours from London by train, the convenient and well developed infrastructure combines to deliver exceptional events. The compact city centre is well signed with easily accessible mapping making NewcastleGateshead a walkable destination; 95 per cent of those surveyed said the destination was easy to get around, largely thanks to

Millennium Bridge – © Graeme Peacock

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frequent Quaylink and Metro services.

Major developments in the creative sector have seen the arrival of international music and art facilities alongside the growth of smaller venues all poised to deliver a unique experience for business and leisure visitors alike.

The depth, breadth and variety of activities open to meetings organisers mean that every event can have that little something extra: a staff away day topped off with a drumming workshop at The Sage Gateshead; a training programme with a theatrical presence at Northern Stage; a medieval banquet in the UK’s oldest dining room at Blackfriars; or a grand evening dinner set within the beautiful late Victorian former Co-operative Wholesale Society Headquarters, Discovery Museum.

Its Great Hall is a site to behold and an inspiring setting for a magnificent evening.

The destination’s rich history is evident on every corner; delegates can enjoy state-of-theart facilities and venues set against the backdrop of wonderfully preserved and reinvented post-industrial landscapes, a concentration of Georgian and Victorian architecture in Grainger Town, which is home to 244 listed buildings, and of course, the iconic Quayside. With its seven bridges this stretch of the River Tyne acts as a monument to the twin cities magnificent engineering feats demonstrated throughout the ages, including the present day with the award winning Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

This mix of historic presence, cultural reinvention and openness has seen both the leisure tourism and the conference and meetings industry boom across NewcastleGateshead and North East England.

The twin cities attracted 19.28 million visitors in 2009, a 3 per cent rise on the previous year.

PLACE FOR BUSINESS When considering an unusual space or creative venue a lack of associated bed space can cause concern. Yet NewcastleGateshead has a wealth of accommodation offers that is set to grow with planned hotel developments from top international brands across 2011 and 2012. Already home to brands including Jurys Inn, Malmaison and Hilton, plans include proposals for Sandman Signature, Sleeperz, Euro Hostel and Crowne Plaza hotels.

Taking a chance on an unusual venue can be very rewarding, especially in a destination like NewcastleGateshead where the meetings industry works together to ensure fantastic service right from arriving into the destination, through to checking in at the hotel, and finally, saying farewell to colleagues and new-made friends.

THE CASTLE GATE The Castle Gate is a uniquely historic and impressive facility built in 1902 to generate the power for the tram network in Newcastle and Gateshead. After extensive refurbishment, it is now an inspiring venue for

conferences, events, meetings and training.

A wide selection of rooms is available catering for up to 500 delegates. The impressive Turbine Hall is the venue’s stand-out space; the striking 18m high vaulted ceiling is truly awe inspiring.

The open floor plan makes it the ideal space for exhibitions and larger conferences.

NORTHERN STAGE Northern Stage is one of NewcastleGateshead’s best loved arts venues, celebrating its 40th birthday last year. It offers a range of spaces to host meetings and conferences in a creative yet business-like environment.

The venue also provides performance spaces capable of presenting anything from poetry readings to awards ceremonies and the efficient and friendly team is equipped to tailor-make packages to suit individual needs up to 440 delegates.

TYNESIDE CINEMA Set in Newcastle’s historic Grainger Town, the Tyneside Cinema is your first stop for a stylish and original event. The Tyneside has held a place in the heart of the region for over 70 years as a newsreel cinema and as the city’s main independent cinema; in 2008 it reopened its doors after an award-winning £7 million restoration.

All of the cinema’s spaces are filled with possibilities to deliver brand messages across a range of mediums, to host a training workshop or even if it’s just to celebrate. A stylish and exciting venue, it can cater for up to 260 people, and really adds some cinematic magic and Art Deco grandeur to all it delivers.

SEVEN STORIES: CENTRE FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS Recognised as a new national home for children’s literature, Seven Stories celebrates the nation’s best loved children’s books, with an exploration of creativity, literature and art.

Housed in a multi-award-winning converted grade II listed Victorian mill in the heart of

the Ouseburn Valley, Seven Stories is just a stone’s throw from Newcastle’s famous Quayside in the heart of the city. Step into a storybook setting, in a unique venue that offers an inspirational location for corporate hire. From small gatherings to larger tailormade events, the team offers fresh and home cooked catering accompanied by friendly and professional staff for up to 100 delegates.

RIVER ESCAPES With a fleet of three luxury equipped vessels, the River Escapes Latis, the River Escapes Fortuna and the River Escapes Coventina, a trip down the iconic River Tyne will not only invigorate up to 180 people, it will provide a memorable setting for any event, delivering changing sights of the River Tyne from the best vantage point in the city – the river itself!

WANT TO KNOW MORE? A convention bureau should always be the first point of contact for anyone looking to organise a conference, particularly in a place they are unfamiliar with. NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau is a one stop shop offering impartial, unbiased advice and unrivalled local knowledge about the whole destination.

The team offers a wide variety of services, all completely free of charge, including: help to identify the most suitable conference or meeting venue; organisation of site visits; negotiation of rates and securing accommodation; provision of an online delegate booking service; and advice on local suppliers, partner programmes and making the most of the destination.

FOR MORE INFORMATION NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau will be at International Confex 1-3 March at Earls Court, London; visit them on stand B220, or to learn more about the destination go to www.NewcastleGateshead.com/Meet or e-mail conventionbureau@ngi.org.uk

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EVENT PRODUCTION

YOUR PASS TO THE PERFECT EVENT The Event Production Show is the annual meeting place for everyone involved in selling and sourcing products and services which make fantastic events – whatever their size or nature WITH THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS, royal wedding, Diamond Jubilee, 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 Rugby World Cup in the pipeline, now isn’t the time for Britain to feel coy about its place under the global spotlight. The UK’s live event suppliers are certainly excited by the upcoming ‘decade of events’, which will begin with a bang at the 2011 Event Production Show.

Taking place from 2-3 February at Olympia’s Grand Hall, the Event Production Show has become recognised as the pre-eminent showcase for professionals involved in Europe’s live event sector, and is on target for the largest number of exhibitors in its 20-year history.

The exhibition attracts the wide scope of companies that make up the live event sector; from contractors and the supply chain, to public sector events festival organisers, concerts, exhibitions, corporate events and experiential marketing through to televised spectaculars.

ACCESS SESSIONS The Event Production Show’s Access Sessions offer thought leadership and insight for organisations involved in the live event sector. Keynote presenters lined up for 2011’s Access Sessions include Harvey Goldsmith, Wayne Hemingway, John Probyn and Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts.

“We’re getting ready for a decade that will see many of the UK’s events on a global stage, from the Diamond Jubilee and Olympics through to the Commonwealth Games and live music events that the UK is synonymous with,” said Nic Howden, Access Sessions organiser. “It is therefore only fitting that we have brought under one roof some of the best creatives involved in the live event sector.”

2011’s speaker programme draws on emergent trends in the market and will reflect the value and contribution that festivals, experiential marketing, exhibitions, corporate events and spectaculars make to the UK economy.

The unprecedented level of diversity at this year’s Event Production Show is set to attract an expansive cross section of visitors from corporate event planners to festival organisers. Companies specialising in sports stadia feature prominently and are led by prolific De Boer Structures, which revamped the Harris Garden at Lord’s cricket ground and Qdos Event Hire, and is officially appointed supplier to the 2010 Ryder Cup. Other confirmed exhibitors for 2011 include Ascot Structures, 360 Creative Events Services, Elliot Event Hire, Soundstage One and AA Signs. The highly targeted visitors and their associated buying power have meant a raft of exhibitors such as Sunbaba, National Radio

Bank and Star Events have remained loyal exhibitors to the show year after year.

“The Event Production Show helps us meet clients both existing and new and gives us the opportunity to talk about new projects and see them within a short period of time,” said Paul Jones of event production company Ethix Management, who will be exhibiting at the show for the third time.

2011’s Event Production Show will build upon its strategy of offering event professionals a specialist forum to discuss best practices and to preview progressive technologies and services for the industry.

Projected demographics for 2011 feature a higher number of visitors at senior management level, as well as the Event Production Show’s core visitor base of event managers, event producers, local government representatives, corporate event agents, marketing agents, PR companies, exhibition organisers, conference organisers, events departments, charities and associations or societies.

Anyone involved in festivals, product launches, corporate events, award ceremonies, sporting events, fashion shows, charitable events, agricultural shows, local authority events conferences, exhibitions, is set to benefit from the show.

Specialist interest zones and a covetable speaker programme will draw attendees responsible for the planning and execution of some of the UK’s most prolific events and have previously included Imagination, Jack Morton,

RPM, Live Nation, Coca-Cola and Wembley.

TECHNOLOGY ZONE This year the Technology Zone will see live event production specialists compete to place their products as the next big thing in the market.

Product launches and experiential showcases will populate the floor of the Technology Zone as AV, sound, security and communications leaders vie for the attention of powerful buyers and influential members of the media.

Many exhibitors are keeping their new products under wraps until the show itself, including Qdos Event Hire, a forward-thinking temporary event accommodation company.

Managing director Neil Hickton was happy to divulge: “This exciting feature has never before been seen in the event industry but has been sought after by event organisers.

We have spent the past six months in design and development and are looking forward to unveiling this new and impressive feature at the Event Production Show.”

Concurrent with the increasing uptake of the UK standard for sustainable events, BS8901, the Event Production Show will provide a platform to more companies with a CSR bent thanks to a new wave of confirmations.

The Event Production Show’s Sarah Brownlee commented: “Going green and CSR are at the top of the agenda, subsequently our visitors are looking for solutions across the event spectrum; be it tickets, marquees, toilets or catering.

As the exhibition is targeted directly to event producers, we are encouraging sustainable

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EVENT PRODUCTION

products to get involved as we get ready for one of the UK’s biggest decades in live events.”

2010’s exhibition was spearheaded by festival organiser Michael Eavis, who has consistently developed Glastonbury into a leading light for sustainability in events. And 2011 will also see CSR high on the agenda at both the Access Sessions and amongst the range of new suppliers showcasing their green credentials.

The Access Sessions will feature the hotly anticipated John Probyn vs Harvey Goldsmith ‘Transformers’ debate. Live Nation COO, and Access Sessions ambassador John Probyn will ask Harvey Goldsmith CBE for his take on the bureaucracy behind live events, ticket touts, legislation, cashless festivals and much more besides. With the likes of Live Aid, Live 8, The Who, all things Hyde Park, Download and Radio 1’s Big Weekend between them, the candid discussion is sure to unleash some topical comment.

Later on day one (2 February), Jamie Oliver will introduce his Fabulous Feasts team, before managing director of the business, Glen Chadwick, and commercial director, David Hornby, detail its ambitions and USPs ahead of season 2011.

Noon on day two (3 February) sees the Access Session led by Wayne Hemingway MBE, co-founder of Red or Dead and a fashion designer who went on to set up Hemingway Design which specialises in affordable and social design. In 2009, he launched Vintage at Goodwood, a summer event celebrating British music and fashion whilst injecting glamour into the festival circuit.

Hemingway has been brought in to provide a first time take on how he teamed up with Lord March and company to realise his latest dream, from designing the filmic High Street to organising the sell out catwalk shows. Hear about the curators and the contractors, the clubs, pubs and rock ‘n’ roll, the pros and cons of Glamping, appeasing

the locals, and the plans for 2011.

Not content with putting together the Access Sessions’ star-studded line-up, the Event Production Show will also offer a seminar programme based on the floor of the exhibition.

After a phenomenal response from public sector visitors, the popular Spotlight on Local Authority seminar will again be hosted by the National Outdoor Events Association on day two.

Rob Gutterman of Big Fish will be on hand to provide attendees with an insight into the partnerships he has forged between big brands and music. Alignments between Virgin Media and V Festival, and Strongbow and the Isle of White Festival are among the noted projects on Gutterman’s resume.

Looking ahead to the show, he said: “In an attempt to deliver an understanding of both sides of the story, the panel aims to bring together key players from the live music event promoter world, and brands operating within the music space. Reviewing the space in which we are currently operating in, and considering how the future will be shaped, this panel will aim to deliver a compelling understanding of the challenges faced by both sides.”

IN-EXHIBITION CONCERT Entertainment will not be confined to the rostrum, as for the second consecutive year Live at the Grand will be an in-exhibition concert featuring the UK’s leading hireable musical acts.

In 2010 BRIT Award winners Blake appeared along with world dance champions Flawless ahead of their new film called Streetdance 3D which was released worldwide in May. The spellbinding ten-person dance troupe was one of the hits of the 2010 show, jam-packing the area with visitors.

Event Production Show organisers have hinted that this year’s Live at the Grand will feature a number similarly spectacular in-demand acts. Live at the Grand will take advantage of the 1,500 sq metres increase

in space after the show moved to the Grand Hall to the National Hall in 2010.

THE BAMBOO BAR New for 2011 is the Bamboo Bar, a networking hub which will be central to the show’s reputation as the annual meeting place for the event industry. Visitors, exhibitors, speakers and media figures will mix with new and existing contacts in the area provided by Ascot Structures.

The company has developed and manufactured the UK’s first series of environmentally friendly structures – Bamboo Tents. Offering a cost effective solution, Bamboo Tents are made entirely from recyclable and sustainable materials.

“The number of event suppliers with green credentials at this year’s Event Production Show is a real testament to the importance of sustainability in today’s market,” said Dan Owen, director of Ascot Structures. “Being able to showcase our Bamboo Tent to the country’s premier event organisers is vital to our on-going commitment to leading the way in sustainable solutions for the event industry.”

HOT NEW PRODUCTS Acsot Structures provided the tent for Keith Prowse’s VIP hospitality area at 2010 Cartier International Polo, wowing celebrity guests and corporate high flyers with the attractive setting. But the new wave of impactful products which will be showcased at this year’s Event Production Show are not just confined to the rich and famous. This is a chance for event professionals in the public sector to stay one step ahead of the game.

Even more than any previous edition, the 2011 Event Production Show will be the key to the hot new products and trends which will emerge over the next decade of events.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.eventproductionshow.co.uk

Innovative and creative table centrepieces N THE CURRENT CLIMATE there are some factors most companies want to consider when planning their next event. Whilst still wanting to create a stunning effect, they need to keep within a limited budget and also consider the environment.

Table Art is the UK’s leading table centre hire company, holding a stock of over 40 different designs. You can transform an event with these beautiful self-lit centrepieces. Lit in the colour of your choice or fading through the spectrum, our table centres can be individually radiocontrolled from one central point, enabling us to create amazing effects such as rippling, dimming, flashing, and so on. This cuts down the need for expensive room lighting and props.

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Table Art is very aware of the harm to the environment that some power busting event lights can cause. We charge all the batteries used for our centrepieces with solar energy enabling us to provide a stunning bright effect in an eco-friendly way.

We design and manufacture all our products in-house meaning we can usually cater for bespoke requests even with short notice. Therefore adjusting one of our designs or adding your own logo or message is not a problem.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0845 5211234 Web: www.table-art.co.uk

Visit the website to view the categorised product finder

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Outdoor and indoor activity equipment

PT568 – the new IP65 rated portable radio

IGHLINE ADVENTURE delivers dynamic mobile outdoor and indoor adventure activities for events, organisations and schools. All activities are suitable for six-year olds and above, including climbing, using a nine metre high climbing wall and a seven metre spider mountain, bouldering, canoeing, skate boarding, archery, mini-fencing, problem solving/team building and orienteering, all of which promote personal development and working together.

The portable nature of the activities means a convenient, fully supervised, cost effective event can be delivered direct to your venue for an exciting, hassle free day. We bring our range of risk-assessed and liability insured activities operated by fully qualified staff to your site.

One activity can be brought to your location or a multi-activity programme can be put together to your specification, designed to meet your requirements. This choice of programmes applies equally well to leisure centres,

ED RADIO, UK and Eire distributor for Kirisun Electronics since 2004 is proud to announce the latest portable in the Kirisun range of professional two-way radio products.

Aimed at security, fire services, outdoor event workers and the construction industry, the PT568 is rated at IP65 for dust and water ingress, which allows it to be suitable for the harshest of environments. It is available in VHF and wideband UHF bands, and has 16 channels with voice annunciation.

The unit is compact and ergonomic, weighing <270g and measuring only 111mm (H) x 52mm (W) x 32mm (D), and beats many of its competitors in

H

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community and corporate events.

Highline Adventure mobile equipment can be used effectively indoors or oudoors depending on customer requirements and our activity programmes are designed for groups of around 20-25 people per activity. Our aim is to give you a reliable, top quality experience for all participants that is easy for you to achieve at an affordable price.

the sound stakes with a punchy 1 Watt of audio thanks to a balanced output which almost doubles the sound level making it ideal for noisy environments and the powerful Li-Poly battery gives a good days usage.

The PT568 also has a number of inbuilt additional features including a panic alarm, which can be activated either by the top mounted emergency button or through a programmable lone worker alarm function, allowing safer operation in higher risk areas.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Further details and full catalogue from Red Radio Tel: 01582 481114 E-mail: sales@red-radio.co.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0845 4091303 E-mail: info@ highlineadventure.co.uk Web: www.highline adventure.co.uk

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Government Business | Volume 18.1

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

STRESS MANAGEMENT

COPING WITH EXTERNAL PRESSURES How can we take a positive attitude to the current socio-economic climate we are experiencing? Ann McCracken, Chair of the International Stress Management Association looks at ways to cope with stress in these tough times THE ICY WINDS ARE BLOWING and the government and the governed are feeling the chill. Most have overspent and we are all used to a level of affluence only dreamed of 50 years ago in Britain. The speed of change in our society over the same period is dramatic – socially, experientially, technically, psychologically, and globally. 50 years ago no one talked of stress, PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) or depression. Instead the words were, so very tired, exhausted, shell shocked and ‘bad with nerves.’ Every one coped but many died much younger than we do today.

WHAT IS STRESS? Stress has always been with us. It is a human reaction to excessive amounts of pressure that we try to manage in some way or another.

Stress is ill health – both body and mind.

In the chronic stage it is: heart disease, respiratory problems, skin conditions, some cancers, irritable bowel, ulcers, diabetes, migraine, musculo skeletal conditions, anxiety, depression, suicidal feelings, burn out/breakdown.

All of these conditions can be an outcome of constant or chronic amounts of perceived pressures or these can be exacerbated if they are already part of an individual’s life.

In the acute stage it is: feelings of panic, body tenseness, coughs, colds, flu, shortness of breath, memory loss, irritability, angry outbursts, over/under eating, and withdrawn behaviour. This is all caused by the body being in a constant state of arousal creating imbalanced body chemicals, reducing the effectiveness of the immune, endocrine and nervous systems.

WHERE DO THE PRESSURES COME FROM? The pressure which creates changes in our mind and body is both external and internal.

Internal pressures come from individual perceptions of life and expectations of outcomes. Henry Ford said: “If you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right!”

This clearly highlights the power and energy of self belief. Negative thinking patterns reduce mood and wellness creating inactivity.

Positive thinking patterns create energy, enthusiasm and activity (Seligman 2002).

The great news is that thinking patterns can be changed if there is a will to do so. A negative approach can be retrained into a more positive attitude resulting in a

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Stress has always been with us. It is a human reaction to excessive amounts of pressure that we try to manage in some way or another. Stress is ill health – both body and mind realistic and more optimistic outlook. This energises an individual to take control of the pressures they are experiencing and create a plan to minimise the risk to their health and achieve a satisfactory outcome for all concerned – the ideal win/win scenario.

External pressure is usually perceived as a situation an individual has no control over, for example, the death of a partner, close friend or relative, an accident, divorce, or moving home.

But, aren’t all these experiences dependant on how we as individuals perceive them? I believe that we also have quite a lot of input into many of these external pressures. Given

that death is the one happening we can all expect, and accepting that the loss of a loved one is an intensely personal experience, there is still a choice as to how we deal with the outcome. Queen Victoria chose to go into mourning for 40 years with attendant effects on the UK, whereas others have celebrated the life of their spouse by changing or creating empowering laws, raising money for charity etc. We definitely have some input into most of the other situations listed above and therefore can choose how we respond and manage the situation in a negative or positive manner.

This approach could also relate to the

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STRESS MANAGEMENT

current socio-economic climate we are all experiencing in the second decade of the 21st century. News papers (in the shops and online), television (terrestrial and satellite), radio (analogue and digital), magazines (business and pleasure) all tell the population various tales of woe about the fact that as a nation and as individuals we have overspent. The articles use letters to describe the amounts of money we are paying in interest to service the UK debt – apparently around £70bn so we seem to have a serious problem.

The coalition government has therefore set some good economic brains to come up with answers, and we now need to get a consensus and get to work to pull in our national belt. People are becoming anxious as there are bound to be changes afoot which will touch all of us.

We are already seeing the result of national anxiety in riots and strikes. Individual anxiety is showing itself in both public and private sector employees, many of whom fear for their jobs resulting in the behaviour known as ‘presenteeism’ where people go to work, even though they are infectious, de-energised or physically/mentally ill. Such people are unable to work effectively and can even become a hazard.

In Personnel Today (2010), the Work Foundation indicated that the cost of presenteeism could match or account for one-and-a-half times more working time lost than the estimated £13bn annual cost of sickness absence.

A POSITIVE APPROACH To summarise – we have problems and potentially more are looming. How can we take a positive attitude in this situation? As a nation and as individuals we are going to have to learn to do things differently.

In the workplace if an employee indicates they are not coping with the job, they can assess themselves or be assessed against the six work related risk factors: Control; Support; Demands; Relationships; Role; Change. Of these, at the moment, control is probably the factor employees feel they are lacking most – the further down the pecking order you are, usually, the less control you have over the way you do your job. We do, however, have control of the way we think and the way we choose to react to situations. You could say: “What’s the use of doing my best, I bet I’ll be the one to be made redundant” or “I’ll carry on doing my best, discuss with someone what my

transferrable skills are as well as seeing if they are going to outsource my work and then I can approach the company that gets the contract.”

Which one of these individuals is going to feel able to move forward, be more employable and less likely to become stressed/ill?

I believe that we are about to experience significant social and economic change.

Research has shown that people who are materialistic, selfish, celebrity obsessed and envious do not have a happy, fulfilled life (Frey 2008). Lord Leyard, the government’s ‘Happiness Tsar’, talks of finding values of integrity, trust, respect, humility, courage and tolerance which help people to achieve a healthy, energised, balanced life where work and life are not excessive but enjoyable, productive and satisfying.

This may have the effect of making individuals and organisations review their priorities and look within for qualities which have been buried for a long time.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01179 697284 Email: stress@isma.org.uk Web: www.isma.org.uk

Take the pressure off Managers – the you and your team now antidote or cause of workplace stress?

W ITH OUR SUPPORT you can develop the competencies to build resilience to stress and manage pressure in environments of constant change and demand.

We are mindful of the added responsibility and accountability placed on employees at all levels. We understand that training often comes down to money and with the cuts in funding, that we need to cater for this. We create bespoke workshops, briefings, talks or oneto-ones that engender confidence and offer inspiration to your workforce to suit any budget.

Here are a few areas of our expertise that we can tailor to support you and your budget: developing resilience and managing pressure, stress risk assessment for managers, managing conflict and performance, organisational change, lone working and managing aggression, assertiveness.

With over 20 years experience

RE MANAGERS in your organisation the victims or the cause of workplace stress?

Workplace stress results in poor performance. Poor performance means higher costs at a time when budgets are decreasing.

So why not invest in your people to reduce cost? MRD will give a language to help understand of what is happening and then build strategies for lasting performance improvement. For many years MRD has worked with clients, such as NHS and the commercial sector at all levels, to produce sustainable results. At M R Dynamics Ltd we focus on transformational leadership and team work to lower stress, and improve business performance, productivity and profitability. ”It gave me a new perspective...I can see a way forward where there did not appear to be one before,” commented one NHS project manager on MRD programme.

Good leaders run high performing teams; they lower stress

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of working with local government and the public sector, our extensive knowledge will develop your individuals and teams in this increasingly challenging climate and within your budget.

Get in touch now for a free, no obligation consultation with Denise Rose, senior consultant, Indepth Training and Consultancy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Mob: 07779 923259 Fax: 01902 700287 E-mail: indepth.rose@ btinternet.com Web: www.indepthtraining andconsultancy.com

and enhance productivity. Effective leaders recruit and develop the right people building lasting team relationships. In all these areas MRD has proven expertise to help you reduce stress and improve outcomes. The unique MRD blend of UK and international experience and our personality based approach using Insights Discovery, ensures learning is memorable and is then applied. Contact us.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01279 835947 Mobile: 07747 848690 E-mail: richard@ mrdynamics.com Web: www.mrdynamics.com

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STRESS MANAGEMENT

FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE What is occupational stress and what exactly should employers be assessing?

Andrew Baird, lecturer in Ergonomics at the University of Derby, investigates STRESS APPEARS TO BE SOMETHING of a modern plague, affecting thousands and costing the UK economy billions. The term stress is widely used in lay language and it is not unusual to see headlines like this one from the Daily Mail: “Stress costs more working days to be lost than 1970s strikes.” Such articles tend to promote a bleak picture with comments like “but today a more modern problem – work-related stress – is proving more costly than industrial disputes did back then.”

It would be easy to conclude from some media reporting that this widespread problem is something principally associated with work, but the same newspaper also ran an article with the headline: “Parents find family holidays more stressful than work” and it was suggested that “two thirds of parents admitted that they think going on holiday with the kids is more stressful than being at work.” It appears clear therefore that this thing we label stress has an impact upon life both in and out of work.

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE? The initial response to any health and safety issue tends to be a cry of “risk assessment”, but how does that work with something like stress? Can we hazard spot as we would with trip hazards? We’d ideally like to tackle the problem at source but where is the source and what might constitute primary prevention in this case? To answer these questions and indeed to understand court rulings on stress claims, we need to look at what stress actually is.

We tend to use the term stress without much thought, but if you take a second to think how it is used, you’ll see it used to describe both a stimulus and a response, and both a state and a process. Often it’s explained as a physiological response whereas at other times it is viewed from a psychological perspective. We even see it described as a disease when it clearly should not be.

Broadly speaking there are three perspectives on stress – engineering, physiological and psychological. Engineering models are the most basic – in simple terms, if you push us too far we snap. This idea of being pushed to breaking point is a common analogy, but people are much more complex than steel girders or concrete pillars. There is no universal dose-response relationship – individuals vary dramatically and indeed, a single individual may react very differently to the same situation at different points in their life. These models would work very well with traditional risk assessment, but they don’t explain the complex problem of stress amongst people at work.

Next are the physiological models and it is

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rare to see a popular reporting of stress which doesn’t mention the fight or flight response.

Whilst it is certainly true that physiological changes can occur, the notion of a simple, non-specific response to a threat doesn’t explain the complex and typically longterm problems we see in the workplace.

STRESS MODELS These days therefore, psychological models dominate our understanding of, and response to, stress at work. These models can be broken down into two types – interactional models and the more complex transactional models. The key difference between the two lies at the very heart of the stress problem and is perhaps reflected better within appeal court rulings than HSE guidance.

Perhaps the most commonly discussed interactional model was developed in the 1970s

by Robert Karasek – the Demand–Control model. This simple, but fairly effective model proposed that strain from work was associated with the interaction of these two key factors, with high demands and little control resulting in ‘high strain.’ This model was later developed to incorporate ‘support’ and could be said to encapsulate perfectly the situation behind the first successful stress claim in the UK – Walker v Northumberland County Council.

John Walker was a social worker who flagged concern over his case load, but could exert no control over it and was not offered any support from his superiors. Whilst interactional models have proved useful, they have a fundamental flaw – what we have realised is that reality doesn’t matter in these situations, it is the individual’s perception of reality that counts. It doesn’t matter whether the demands placed on an individual are objectively high, but whether they are perceived to be high. It doesn’t matter whether individuals actually have control, but rather whether they think they have control.

TRANSACTIONAL MODELS True transactional models of stress are the antithesis of engineering models – the focus is not so much on the environment, but on how the individual reacts. Fundamental to transactional models are the concepts of appraisal and coping. Appraisal is described as the evaluative process that gives meaning to the person-environment transaction. Primary appraisal draws attention to the presence of a problem, and secondary appraisal defines what the individual can do about it.

Transactional models were initially championed

by Richard Lazarus who made the comment: “In my view, stress itself as a concept pales

in significance for adaptation compared with coping.” In rather crude terms, transactional models can be seen as a function of balance.

Note that the balance point is not fixed – it will vary between individuals and within individuals at different times or in different circumstances.

SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO? It could be said that the answer to stress is quite simple – understand people and manage them well. That’s very easy to say and very difficult to do. Managing people well comes down to two key issues – competence and systems. Competence is vital at all levels, but particularly amongst managers. The key role of management competencies has been highlighted by recent HSE research which concluded that “stress management is a part

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STRESS MANAGEMENT

of normal general management activities.”

This is now reflected in a HSE competencies questionnaire for managers. Managing people isn’t easy and it shouldn’t be considered an everyday skill that people will simply possess independent of training. Managers are likely to face a very tough time over the next few years and managers who lack appropriate skills and lead poorly will be cruelly exposed and their staff will suffer. HSE has produced Management Standards in relation to stress and a quick look will show that the issues described relate to good management and could be argued to be as applicable to organisational performance as to ill health. If the issues covered – demands, control, support, relationships, role and change

– are not engrained in an organisation’s systems and processes, the organisation needs to reflect on how well it is being managed.

Part of effective management is also the production of effective procedures and reporting systems – organisations will typically have a wealth of data which could indicate a developing problem (e.g. IT complaints, nonspecific sickness absence, well-being initiatives, other risk assessments, etc.) and it must be ensured that such data is acted upon.

UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE However, whilst the above may sit with an organisational problem requiring an organisational solution mindset, we must

When organisations think about assessing in relation to stress they need to start with an assessment of the competence of key personnel and the effectiveness of existing systems

not lose sight of the first element of our overall aim – to understand people.

Ultimately, stress is an individual experience.

In a sense this is recognised by HSE as each of the Management Standards areas is associated with the phrase “systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns.” Actions at the individual level are often essential (particularly in relation to competence) and if addressing appraisal, they are effectively primary prevention activities.

It is quite appropriate to aim for hardy, resilient and competent employees, but this cannot be relied upon to prevent harm – an outstanding employee, apparently able to cope with anything, may crumble completely following a bereavement or messy divorce.

The work situation won’t have changed, but the individual’s ability to cope will have. Work systems must be able to pick up these changes such that interventions can be made before health and/or performance suffers significantly.

ACTING ON THE PROBLEM In many ways, stress problems could be said to be well captured in the landmark Appeal Court ruling (Hatton v Sutherland) which stated that “there are no occupations which should be regarded as intrinsically dangerous to mental health” rather than about individual reactions. The ruling made it clear that whilst it was difficult to predict problems, employers must act decisively once they become aware of them. Initially, it was considered that this recognition was likely to be a first break down, but the subsequent Dickins v O2 PLC ruling suggests that the date of knowledge could be the first time a problem is raised by an employee. So if a manager becomes aware of a struggling employee, they must be competent to act appropriately. Equally, organisations must have processes in place to ensure prompt action, particularly where a manager is seen as the main problem.

So when organisations think about assessing in relation to stress they need to start with an assessment of the competence of key personnel and the effectiveness of existing systems. If the management standards are not engrained in day to day operations, then the organisation has to fundamentally review its management approach and systems. Ultimately, stress problems will not be solved by periodic audits, as they need to be addressed as a function of day to day management. In other words, understand people and manage them well.

Andrew Baird is lecturer in Ergonomics at the University of Derby and registered member of the Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.derby.ac.uk Web: www.ergonomics.org.uk

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P009_HW_NOV10

T: 020 7053 1400 E: info@vincentknight.co.uk

For more information

vincentknight.co.uk

TQ Exel Ltd specialise in the delivery of training and assessment programmes for the Highways Industry.

Accredited by Lantra Awards, City & Guilds and Construction Skills our courses include:

n New Roads and Streetworks n Winter Service Operations n Temporary Traffic Management (Sector Schemes 12ABC & D) n Vehicle Restraint Systems n Health & Safety (SSSTS/SMSTS) n First Aid

Contact our team on 01934 750066 or email training@tqexel.co.uk

Visit our new website for further information about our services: www.tqexel.co.uk

10% off your first order when you quote “GBM11 Offer”

10/1/11

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PARKING & TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

VISIT THE KNOWLEDGE HUB OF THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRY FOR FREE Traffex 2011, the leading international trade exhibition for traffic management, road safety and highway infrastructure professionals, is offering a free threeday seminar programme of industry briefings and expert discussions RETURNING TO THE NEC BIRMINGHAM from 29-31 March, Traffex will see a wide range of exhibitors showcasing the latest developments as well as hosting a free seminar programme, organised in partnership with ITS UK, the Highways Agency, Department for Transport, and the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, covering a wide range of topics and offering insights from the transport industry’s leading experts.

THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORT Visitors will have access to the leading authorities on transport from around the world and the opportunity to learn about the future of transport, key developments, cutting-edge transport technology and pressing matters faced by transport

users and planners today, such as: • MFS2 (Manual for Streets 2) • Traffic Signs Policy Review • Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO): Amendments and changes to regulations – what will they mean to you?

• CIHT Awards Winners

• Review of the National Guidance Framework from The Highways Agency • Information now and in the future • UTMC – what’s next?

• Embrace Life – a case study from the Sussex County Council • Shared Space

Visitors will have access to the leading authorities on transport from around the world and the opportunity to learn about the future of transport, key developments, cutting-edge transport technology and pressing matters faced by transport users and planners today

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PARKING & TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

• The Travel Information Highway (TIH) Steve Norris, president of ITS UK, highlights the importance of companies learning and sharing information: “The 2010 EU Directive on ITS sets minimum interoperability standards for traffic and travel information. If the UK gets this right it should open the door to British companies being able to compete throughout the EU on better terms than at present. If we get it wrong – or worse still, don’t act quickly enough to tie down these complex technical and commercial issues – commercial information providers in the UK could see their businesses suffer as the public sector competes with free product from abroad.”

KEY ISSUES Bill Butler, event director, commented: “It’s been an enjoyable process working with all of our content partners and I feel that this year’s seminars are likely to stimulate real debate and address some of the key issues facing the industry. Look out for more details coming soon.”

The event has also secured Siemens Mobility and Mouchel as partners for 2011.

Matthew Vincent, deputy sales & marketing director, Siemens Mobility, Traffic Solutions, said: “Once again, we’re delighted to be an event partner for Traffex as it is undoubtedly the key traffic exhibition in the UK for Siemens, our customers and everyone involved in the transport industry.”

Keith Jackson, managing director of Mouchel’s highways business, commented: “Mouchel has recognised the value of the Traffex event for a number of years and we are delighted to be attending in 2011 as an event partner.

We consider Traffex a foremost opportunity to communicate with existing and potential clients both in terms of showcasing our products and services and listening to their questions and feedback on our work. I fully expect that Traffex 2011 will be every bit as valuable to the industry as in the past and we are happy to be a part of its success.”

PARKEX In 2011, Traffex will once again run alongside Parkex – Europe’s largest dedicated parking exhibition – and Street Design, the leading event for urban design in the public realm. The three shows will offer visitors an opportunity to meet over 400 UK and international exhibitors from the transport, parking and street design industries showcasing their latest products and services on the 24,000sqm exhibition floor space.

Hundreds of visitors have already registered to attend the combined Traffex, Parkex and Street Design event. To secure your free pass, visit the website.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.traffex.com

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The 2010 EU Directive on ITS sets a minimum interoperability standards for traffic and travel information. If the UK gets this right it should open the door to British companies being able to compete throughout the EU on better terms than at present – Steve Norris, President of ITS UK

Visit the website to view the categorised product finder

TQ Exel to showcase its product range at Traffex 2011 UR MAIN AIM at Traffex 2011 is to communicate our new brand image, promote our expanding range of services, and to inform both existing and prospective clients about our recently re-launched website.

As one of the market leaders in the provision of training, development and assessment services, we have built our reputation on the quality of our highways related training courses and excellent customer service.

We are always looking to deliver more to our clients, so we have made some significant business improvements and expanded our portfolio of services by teaming up with like-minded organisations, enabling us to offer competitively priced Health, Safety and

O

Management System consultancy.

Since Traffex 2009 we have introduced new training programmes in order to maintain our position at the forefront of the industry. These programmes include the Construction Skills ‘Site Safety Plus’ courses that have just completed a highlysuccessful first year in operation.

We are currently seeking approval for a range of additional courses within the Highways Electrical sector – look out for news of these courses on our website soon and visit our stand at the exhibition to discuss your requirements.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact our team on 01934 750066 or e-mail training@tqexel.co.uk

Everything you need to know about asbestos ITH OVER 28 years’ hands-

W on experience in asbestos

management and remedial work Yani Montoya brings a wealth of relevant anecdotes and real-life experiences to his asbestos awareness seminars.

Having acquired solid experience as an analyst, surveyor, surveying manager, quality manager, technical manager, training manager and auditor a broad perspective is brought to the training seminars and even the most searching of questions can be dealt with on the day.

No stone is left unturned in presenting the required syllabus.

Yani’s engaging personality and style ensures that even the most cynical and reluctant delegates leave the training seminars with commitment and a clearer understanding of their responsibilities. Yani tells it like it is – warts and all!

Over the last three years Yani has presented asbestos awareness

seminars throughout the UK and Ireland, Europe, Australia and New Zealand and is widely regarded as a “safe pair of hands”.

Training can be customised, where required, to clients’ particular needs, times, policies and circumstances and can be delivered 24/7.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 07590 455941 Fax: 0115 9191050 E-mail: ymconsultants@live.co.uk Web: www.ymconsultants.co.uk

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Vincent Knight – transport data collection INCENT KNIGHT has been a leading provider of traffic and transportation surveys for over 20 years now, with our first client commission secured in 1987. Since that time we have built, and maintain today, a strong reputation in the transport industry for a high standard of delivery at competitive prices.

Our service covers all types of traffic and transport surveys and research, including the most contemporary and most popular high-tech solutions. For example we offer the fast becoming industry standard Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), a technology which has now come of age in terms of meeting expectations, we offer Digitalised Video Surveys, and also the combination of GPS/ Video for amongst other things analysis of vehicle journey times and parking etc.

Our scale of investment in video and other technology enables us

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to deliver survey challenges of any magnitude and complexity, for example we have 57 ANPR and 80 standard video cameras. However, we also maintain a nationwide pool of fieldworkers to meet any manual or multi-disciplinary survey challenge. Our case studies bear testament to the scale of projects we have the capability to deliver, with our clients trusting us again and again to deliver their major requirements.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 020 70531400 E-mail: info@ vincentknight.co.uk Web: www.vincentknight.co.uk

Recycled rubber highway products by Rosehill Highways YFLEX is an innovative range of recycled rubber highway products specifically designed and manufactured

by Rosehill Highways, part of Rosehill Polymers Ltd. The unique range includes one and two piece bolt-down speed cushions, full thickness tactile paving, table tops and bumps, all of which are manufactured in-house using recycled rubber from UK vehicle tyres.

Ryflex is considered to be the preferred environmental and economical choice for the future, with no excavation required, fast installation times and less disruption to traffic.

In addition Rosehill offers a full range of Jislon crash friendly pole cones and bollards that are fully flexible and quick and easy to install.

Their intention is to expand the range further by adding more versatile products to aid traffic flow issues within mainland England and Europe.

Refuge islands, lane separators and anti trespass panels are currently in design and on trial

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to compliment the range further, maintaining the ethos behind their thinking of large, single unit modules which are quick to install and re-locatable.

Highway product manager, James Hopkinson comments: “I am proud to be part of a progressive company that is committed to creating environmentally friendly products that serve the community and infrastructure. Ryflex supports a thinking which recycles the past to improve the improve the future.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01422 839456 E-mail: james.hopkinson@ rosehillpolymers.com www.rosehillhighways.com

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CONTACT CENTRES

THE TRUE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN DRIVING DOWN COST Paul Smedley, executive director of the Professional Planning Forum, uncovers the secrets of five recent successful customer contact stories and finds that it’s not the technology but how it’s used that makes the critical difference FOLLOWING THE COMPREHENSIVE spending review, it’s clear that all public sector services are going to need further and deeper plans to drive efficiency, delivering more with less. In this new world, technology appears again and again in transformation plans and budgets.

Equally it’s clear that the technology alone doesn’t drive down costs. As David McElhinney, acting chief executive of Liverpool Council, said at our recent Public Sector seminar on 23 November, just buying new laptops never saved a penny, but getting people to work differently does.

Public sector managers need to get clever about how to work differently and understanding where technology is a key enabler and where it actually isn’t necessary.

Putting the customer at the heart of the decision is one key factor that sets apart the best – with a focus on simplicity and processes re-design.

SHARING BEST PRACTICE Five recent success stories – all shortlisted for the Customer Contact Innovation Awards 2011 – all demonstrate the scale of impact that can be achieved when there is a vision and commitment, together with the skills and resources to make change happen.

One project at Liverpool that’s made a dramatic difference is the ground breaking Careline service, which uniquely offers full 24/7 social care support by telephone for vulnerable children, adults and families throughout Liverpool.

Highly skilled call-handlers now assess all new cases in this extremely sensitive area of work, supported 24-hours by trained social workers within the team. Costs are down 23 per cent, with 20 per cent more calls answered and fewer cases passed to area social work teams – and employee survey scores for communication are up 26 per cent.

Social care is a brave area for innovation in the public sector, with high risks and huge consequences if the wrong judgements are made. What’s significant at Liverpool is that work in this area was able to build on the wider infrastructure – of technology and business process experience – which already exists in Liverpool Direct ltd. Furthermore once the concept has been proven successful it can now be offered to other authorities looking to achieve a similar transformation.

A totally different approach can be seen at Wokingham Council, where smart working

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was introduced, using flexible hours and home-based agents, with the aim of making council-wide savings of £1 million.

Taking a different approach to resourcing services is key to delivery of real benefit – whether cost reduction or service improvement.

The council also merged the front and back office operations of council tax and benefits.

Breaking down silos has delivered budget savings of £100k, cut e-mail response time from ten days to one day, and reduced abandonment rates from 40 per cent to under five per cent.

A major lesson at the council is the use of technology such as cloud computing, webchat and SMS to make contact quick, cheap and easy for customers – in particular cloud computing can be a cost-effective way of introducing new technology and changing processes.

WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT At the NHS Business Services Authority, resource flexibility and efficiency has been massively improved, by implementing a preference-based scheduling and workforce management system. This saved £150k in year one, with further savings of £250k expected, through full union consultation.

While preference-based scheduling is a more complex approach, its introduction has increased flexibility, improved work/life balance for employees and allows better planning of training, recruitment, meetings, reviews and coaching. It has even freed up time for 45 employees to complete their NVQs. And all this was achieved in just three months.

Another authority famous for transforming customer service is Surrey County Council, commended at the European Call Centre Awards. They developed a new model contact centre to successfully streamline processes, halve complaints, and raise colleague satisfaction to 72 per cent – all while saving £400,000 for the tax payer. Working with customers, front-line staff and other departments, the council drove improvement projects that have reduced the number of calls coming in by 11.5 per cent.

Thanks to a holistic channel strategy and setting up a web service team within the contact centre, problems are identified as soon as they occur and cost per contact has been reduced by 28 per cent.

HUMAN FACTORS In these inspiring models of change, we see that technology has a major role to play, but that none of these successes have been led

SIX TOP TIPS TO SUCCESSFUL CUSTOMER CONTACT • Start with the customers – does it make their life simpler?

• Change the thinking in your own organisation • Engage your front-line teams so that they feel listened to • Good planning creates a framework for engagement and continuous improvement • Measure the impact – and check you are delivering what you plan • Learn from others; there is such a lot of good practice out there already by the technology itself. What drives change is a vision, careful planning and a belief that a real difference can be made – together with close attention to what the customer wants and to the needs of employees.

Portsmouth City Council provides a valuable example of a different kind of approach which is even less reliant on technology.

Here we can discover what happens when an organisation changes the thinking that drives service design and delivery.

Portsmouth transformed the housing service and halved the cost of repair, by applying Vanguard’s Systems Thinking methods and uncovering what creates true customer satisfaction. Repairs are provided at the specific time/day requested by tenants – 75 per cent within 48 hours – and completed to a high standard on the first visit. Most managers would argue that it couldn’t be done or would be massively expensive. In fact, focus on people and value, rather than cost and process, has cost less – with £2m annual savings, fewer properties left empty and double the grounds maintenance at no cost.

All these organisations are speaking about how they achieved their success at Contact Centre Planning 2011 in Birmingham on 11-12 April. Special one-day rates are available for public sector employees.

This material is copyright Professional Planning Forum 2010.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0333 123 5960.

E-mail: paul.smedley@planningforum.co.uk Web: www.planningforum.co.uk

Government Business | Volume 18.1

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

SECURITY

THREAT LEVEL HIGH IN RUN UP TO COUNTER TERROR EXPO 2011 Counter Terror Expo 2011, the world beating annual event for professionals tasked with the complex role of addressing the challenging terrorist menace, takes place against the backdrop of an increasingly potent threat to public safety WITH THE INTELLIGENCE community signalling an intent or desire amongst extremist groups to target crowded places as well as the international transport network, the two-day Counter Terror Expo 2011 event sits at the epicentre of the global effort to disrupt or deter such attacks.

Stockholm became the latest European city to be targeted, when a lone extremist set off a car bomb in a busy shopping street minutes before triggering a suicide belt in late December. The perpetrator, Iraqi born Taimur Abdulwahab al Abdaly, had strong connections to the United Kingdom. In some fundamental respects his attack mirrored that of the Pakistan born Time Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, who was captured fleeing the United States scant minutes before his Emirates flight to Dubai took off.

A disturbing aspect of both these attacks is that the two men were naturalised citizens in their target countries – Abdulwahab al Abdaly held a Swedish passport whereas Shahzad held an American passport – thus they were able to travel freely.

SHARING OF INFORMATION EU Counter-Terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove, made a prescient call for better sharing of information to stop potentially dangerous travellers in August. “What is worrying us the most is extremists entering Europe, people who were born here or who have one of our member states’ passports, who can therefore slip under the police and intelligence radar,” he told the Euronews television channel at the time. He added that while Europe has agreements in place for tracking financial transactions, it really must have a similar system in place to collect information on passenger movements.

Gilles de Kerchove’s comment came in the wake of the US government and others warning citizens of the possibility of terrorist attacks in numerous European countries.

Travellers were warned of the threat to transport networks and public spaces and told to be on their guard. The warning has been renewed, albeit in lower key fashion, following receipt of intelligence described as credible from Iraqi government sources in the aftermath of the events in Stockholm.

Protection for public spaces and mass transit systems, present the counter-terrorism and law enforcement communities with an enormous challenge. This conundrum has been explored in depth over a long period of time and the risk based approach remains

the only operationally viable and publicly acceptable solution, but supported by advanced surveillance and target hardening techniques that enhance safety but don’t impede on the every day lives of the public.

‘Preventing & Combating Global Terrorism – 10 years on from 9/11’, is the principal Counter Terror Expo 2011 conference theme exploring many of the issues that these two events have exposed publicly.

‘Achieving Homeland Security In The Face Of The Terrorist Threat’ is a core Counter Terror Expo 2011 theme examining strategies adopted in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Other key conference themes focus in on the primary methods adopted to

effectiveness of regionally deployed explosive detection capability, when faced with carefully packaged and concealed threats.

The Counter Terror Expo 2011 ‘EOD & IEDD’ seminar brings valuable insight to the detection, deactivation and disposal of such dangerous weapons, through major presentations of the latest technologies to counter and contain such threats.

CYBER SECURITY At the end of the decade the cyber security issue also gained significant prominence.

Wikileaks exposure of a quarter of a million secret and restricted US diplomatic dispatches, has placed computer security, particularly within governmental and military circles, firmly

At the end of the decade the cyber security issue also gained significant prominence. Wikileaks exposure of a quarter million secret and restricted US diplomatic dispatches, has placed computer security, particularly within governmental and military circles, firmly at the top of the agenda deliver the maximum public protection in public spaces and across the transport networks.

Last year’s news reports were also dominated by the near successful attempt by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to down two cargo flights over the United States eastern seaboard with two powerful improvised explosive devices (IEDs) concealed in airfreight.

Both were being transshipped from the Yemen.

The device discovered at East Midlands airport had already flown on two cargo aircraft, whilst the one found at Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates had been shipped there as belly-hold cargo on two passenger jets.

AQAP has become notorious during the past 18 months, for their audacious left of field attacks primarily against the international transport networks. In attempting to transship powerful explosive devices through the airfreight network, they were exploiting long known weaknesses in the security regime and could very easily have succeeded in their ultimate goal.

It is instructive that the device discovered at East Midlands airport, was only identified as a credible and potent threat following a second examination prompted by additional information from overseas. This fact has spurred some searching questions about the

at the top of the agenda. The series of deeply embarrassing disclosures prompted an allegedly US government inspired but commercial entity driven backlash against the whistle-blower website. This resulted in a mini cyber war, with distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, against the likes of US headquartered companies such as Amazon, Paypal, Mastercard and Visa, which withdrew services to Wikileaks.

Other cyber attacks have also taken place during the past year, including the release of the sophisticated Stuxnet computer worm, which specifically targets certain industrial plant control systems. Computer experts say that Stuxnet is so sophisticated, that it could only have been launched in the wild by a governmental entity.

Cyber security has been identified as a first tier threat in the recently published UK National Security Strategy (NSS) and Cyber Security & Electronic Terrorism is a dedicated conference theme at Counter Terror Expo 2011. Counter Terror Expo 2011 will be held within the Grand Hall of London Olympia from 19 -20 April.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Please contact Nicola GreenawayFuller on +44 (0)20 85429090.

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ADVERTISERS INDEX The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service Adaptive Wireless Solutions

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Almary Green Investments

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Barrisol

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Hoppings Softwood Products

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PPL Training

ICAEW

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The Franchise Show

Blackrock Investment Management UK

66

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Indepth Training and Consultancy

57

RB Services Group

32

Camco

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Institute of Credit Management

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Red Radio

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Charity Gift Vouchers

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Institute of Payroll Professionals

11

Ryburn Rubber

60

Cineworld Cinemas

44

IOSH 2011

34

Scottish Power

30

Cordtape Environmental Services

18

Graham

22

Senselogix

23

Counter Terror Expo

66

Job Board

36

SETA

32

Daikin

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Jockey Club Racecourse

42

The IET

28

DB Advisors

12

Kingspan Renewables

23

TQ Excel

60

De Vere Venues

42

Landmark Information Group

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Deb Group

30

Leeds United Football Club

Energy Services and Technology Association

14

London Pat

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32

Event Production Show

University of Leeds

38

31

University of Strathclyde

32

Mewburn Ellis

28

Vincent Knight

60

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Glass and Glazing Federation

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MR Dynamics

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Yani Montoya

63

Green Thinking Services

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MRN Mediation

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Zap Events

54

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