Ireland
UK
USA
Canada
Australia
Asia
South AfricaFreeman Acquires The SO Group
Posted in News on 02 April 2013The Freeman Company (UK), Ltd., (Freeman) and SO Group announced today that Freeman, the premier provider of integrated marketing solutions for live engagements, has acquired the business and assets of SO Group, one of the leading event services firms based in the United Kingdom.
Freeman emerged as the successful bidder for the business and assets of SO Group in an accelerated sales process following administration.
Matt Ingram, Joint Administrator, Duff & Phelps, the leading global financial advisory and investment banking firm, confirmed Freeman as the successful bidder, stating: “From the outset of the administration process Freeman has demonstrated a real commitment to see the transaction concluded. I am delighted that it has been successful in its bid as it provides a positive result for over 350 employees and offers a much enhanced outcome from creditors than any other realistic proposition.”
The combined business will form the industry’s foremost experiential marketing solutions provider. As of today, the business and assets of SO Group, and its subsidiary 360 Creative Event Services, will be incorporated into the Freeman family of brands and the business will operate under the trade name “SO Group, a Freeman Company.”
“For eighty-six years, Freeman has focused its business on responding to the specific needs of each client,” said Joe Popolo, CEO of Freeman. “Our customers are increasingly looking for strategic partnerships that provide seamless service beyond North America, and this acquisition positions us to answer that call. We are extremely excited to bring these two businesses together.”
Like Freeman, SO Group has a history of innovative leadership driven by engaged and empowered employees. The acquisition will expand each business’ geographic scope, and more importantly, the breadth and depth of capabilities and expertise to deliver the most creative and strategically innovative face-to-face marketing engagement solutions.
“The two businesses share a similar culture, complementary services and a shared commitment to delivering exceptional customer experience,” said David Walley, CEO of SO Group. “We are excited about what this acquisition by Freeman means for customers in North America and the UK, and we look forward to a smooth integration that brings the best of both operations under one brand.”
Both companies chose to not disclose financial information related to this transaction.
Event Management Assistant
Posted in Jobs on 28 March 2013
Description
The intern will gain practical experience in Corporate Event Management. The intern will receive formal/informal training in the following: client service, purchasing, sponsorship acquisition, event production, supplier management, billing, invoicing. On completion the intern will have attained skills in event concept development, production, financing, sponsorship, sales and implementation.
Skills Requirements
Problem solving; Innovative; Self motivated; Enjoys dealing with people; Not afraid to take on difficult situations
Please Note:
This is an Internship. An allowance of €50 per week will be paid in addition to your current Social Welfare payment.See eligibility criteria above.
Department
Events Department
Mentor
The Organisation will assign a mentor to support you during the Internship.
Duration
6 Months
Number of Positions
1
Contract Type
Other
Days, Hours & Start Date
Days per week: To be Advised
Hours per day: Not specified
Hours per week: 40
Start Date: TBC
Experience Required:
No Experience Required
Education Requirements:
Third Level - The Intern will have a minimum of a primary degree from a recognised third level institution.
Corporate Events Executive
Posted in Jobs on 28 March 2013
The intern will gain practical experience in project work through the development and delivery of corporate events and Board meetings, providing support to the management of corporate governance requirements.
The intern will receive formal/informal training in the following - event management and training programmes through the development and delivery of Induction and Training Programmes for Board members.
The intern will receive formal/ informal training in Adobe Pro and any other relevant software packages.
On completion the intern will have attained skills in publication of corporate reports, gain experience in data collection and analysis and on completion will have attained skills in supervising both staff and specific projects.
Skills Requirements
Ability to work on own initiative and to prioritise workloads. Ability to work as part of a team in a group environment. Highly organised with strong attention to detail. Strong interpersonal skills. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal. Good analytical skills. Proven supervisory skills. General knowledge of appropriate ICT and database systems.
Please Note:
This is an Internship. An allowance of €50 per week will be paid in addition to your current Social Welfare payment.See eligibility criteria above.
Department
Corporate Services & Human Resources
Mentor
The Organisation will assign a mentor to support you during the Internship.
Duration
6 Months
Number of Positions
1
Contract Type
Other
Days, Hours & Start Date
Days per week: To be Advised
Hours per day: Not specified
Hours per week: 35
Start Date: TBC
Experience Required:
No Experience Required
Education Requirements:
Leaving Certificate Ordinary -
Third Level is desirable but not essential. Applicants must be able to demonstrate well developed interpersonal, communication and IT skills and be prepared to undertake additional duties from time to time and as required by the Medical Council.
Applicants should send an up to date cover letter and curriculum vitae to Ms.Lisa Molloy, Head of Corporate Services & HR at lmolloy@mcirl.ie
Flipboard Update allows Users to Create Own Magazines
Posted in News on 28 March 2013Those who dream of publishing their own magazines can now do so thanks to popular news-reading app Flipboard.
Flipboard has released an update enabling its readers to create magazines with content that interests them using Web content from around the world.
The new Flipboard really has three purposes: to allow readers to fashion their own publication based on hobbies or personal interests that they can share with friends and family; to allow readers to collect articles, data and information to help them in their career or business; or, for publishers, to share archival content, publish collections or package together stories for their clients, customers or readers.
All magazines are public (unless the creator makes it private) which means they can collect an audience, be shared, liked and commented on. Flipboard users can even subscribe to magazines that interest them. When someone interacts with a magazine, the owner will receive a Flipboard notification.
“With more than 50 million users, Flipboard is used every day as a place to catch up on the things you care about,” said Mike McCue, Flipboard CEO in a press release. “But starting now, it’s also a great place to share opinions, save favorite stories, and express your point of view. This is our biggest release ever and one that we think will open an entirely new experience for our readers.”
Flipboard for iPhone
Collecting Content
There are two ways to collect content for a magazine: by using the new + button to grab items found in Flipboard or by using the new Flipboard bookmarklet to choose content from the Web.
Using the + Button
To get started tap the ‘+’ button on items within Flipboard, then select ‘create magazine.’ Next, give the magazine a title, add a description and select a category.
Items can still be added even after the magazine is created. Attribution back to the source is preserved for each item added. If the content is from a social network such as Facebook, comments and likes are also reflected.
Using ‘Flip It’ Bookmarklet
The Flip it bookmarklet, which is available at share.flipboard.com, is similar to Pinterest’s ‘Pin it’ button.
In Firefox, make sure the bookmarks bar is visible — go to ‘view/toolbars’ in the Firefox menu and verify there is a check mark beside ‘bookmarks bar.’ Once the bar is visible, drag and drop the ‘Flip It’ button in the bookmarks bar.
To install the button on an iPad or iPhone, click here for instructions.
Managing Magazines
There are several tools that enable users to manage and share their magazines. To change the cover of a magazine, tap and hold an item in the magazine to ‘promote to cover.’ To delete a magazine or make it private, use the ‘edit’ button on the cover of the magazine. Also on the cover is a ‘share’ button so the publication can be shared via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.
Flipboard for iPad
Content Search, accessible at the top of each page, “lets readers find anything being shared on Flipboard, with search results laid out in Flipboard’s familiar format — essentially creating a whole new magazine just on that search term,” the press release reads.
“To get inspired or discover new magazines, readers can use Flipboard’s Content Search to find great content by topic, person or #hashtag. By selecting Flipboard’s search results, readers get an instant magazine of everything being shared on Flipboard.”
Magazines by both people and publishers will consistently be featured in Flipboard’s content guide under ‘new & noteworthy’ and ‘by our readers.’
Other features and functions:
(The following is an excerpt of a list from Flipboard)
• A tap on the red ribbon opens a new visual content guide that gives readers a view into everything on their Flipboard — showing ‘my magazines’ as well as all of the content they subscribe to on Flipboard under ‘my subscriptions.’ This new view allows readers to rearrange or delete sections by tapping and holding, or quickly switch between section of interest.
• New side bars within magazines surface related magazines and sub-sections of content so it’s easy to find more interesting sources and topics.
• Recommended reading suggestions appear throughout Flipboard. For example, in cover stories the ‘more for you’ module gives readers an easy way to explore a variety of content related to what their friends are saving into magazines and the sources they subscribe to on Flipboard.
• Now integrated with Facebook, people can share content from Flipboard to their timeline and create a Facebook section full of the magazines they are curating and stories they are collecting.
Flipboard is available for free for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users at Apple’s App Store or www.AppStore.com/Flipboard. A version for Android is on the way.
Internet Slows Worldwide Due To Largest Cyber-Attack in History
Posted in News on 28 March 2013
An online battle between a spam-fighting group and a Web hosting company has slowed the Internet around the globe today, security expertstold the BBC, describing the incident as the most significant cyber-attack of its kind to ever occur.
The fight between the two sides — anti-spam fighting group Spamhaus and the Dutch Web host CyberBunker — has set off retaliatory attacks affecting widely-used online services such as Netflix. According to the BBC article, security experts are concerned banking systems and e-mail services could soon be affected.
The attacks are currently under investigation by five cyber law enforcement groups.
Spamhaus is an international non-profit organization that tracks spam operations and sources, often working with law enforcement to pursue spam gangs worldwide and to lobby governments for effective anti-spam legislation.
To filter spam, the agency maintains a number of blocklists that are “responsible for keeping back the vast majority of spam sent out on the Internet,” according to the Spamhaus website.
Spanhaus’ recent blocking of Cyberbunker’s servers instigated the unofficial war.
“Spamhaus apparently does not approve that ‘CyberBunker offers anonymous hosting of anything except child porn and anything related to terrorism.’ Of course this almost ‘anything goes’ is classified by Spamhaus as: spam, phishing and malware,” reads an article on the Cyberbunker website.
“According to Spamhaus, CyberBunker is designated as a ‘rogue’ host and has long been a haven for cybercrime and spam. Of course Spamhaus has not been able to prove any of these allegations.”
Spamhaus CEO Steve Linford told the BBC his organization has been under attack for more than a week due to a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. Such attacks inundate the intended victim with vast amounts of traffic to render it inaccessible.
“But we’re up — they haven’t been able to knock us down. Our engineers are doing an immense job in keeping it up — this sort of attack would take down pretty much anything else,” he was quoted by the BBC.
Spamhaus posted on its blog March 20 that is was first hit by a large-scale DDoS attack March 16-17, which extended in to last week and beyond.
The following is an excerpt from the blog post by staffer Quentin Jenkins:
Although this site and our mail were knocked down for awhile, our data systems continued to work normally throughout the attack. At this time the main Spamhaus website is back up (that’s what you are reading!) and we’re bringing other public systems back up as this goes to press. Due to the unpredictable nature of DDoS attacks, we can’t provide an estimate of that progress, but we want those systems up as much as you do.
What we can tell you is that we are aware of the many people who have fixed their infected systems, and ISPs which have solved spam problems, and need to have IPs and domains removed from our lists (SBL, XBL/CBL, PBL and DBL). Those removal systems are being fixed as this is typed, and we will continue to provide updates as they come back online, in this blog article or in a newer one. Our best advice to you is to follow normal removal procedures, to re-try as needed (every hour or so) and to watch this blog for updates. Thanks for your co-operation as we ride out this attack.
The overall affect of such an attack is a global slowdown of services, cybersecurity expert and University of Surrey professor Alan Woodward told the BBC.
“If you imagine it as a motorway, attacks try and put enough traffic on there to clog up the on and off ramps,” he told the BBC. “With this attack, there’s so much traffic it’s clogging up the motorway itself.”
Final plans in place for Dynamic Events 2013
Posted in News on 21 March 2013The second Dynamic Events conference is taking place in Dubai this weekend. With an impressive number of delegates already registered to attend from all over the world, there are now only a few places remaining, and the organisers are hoping for a capacity audience, announcing that it will be possible to ‘turn up on the day’.
The focus of the conference will provide insight into how complex one-off mega events – for a live audience and for broadcast to a global audience, are orchestrated by the backstage production teams.
The keynote on the second day of Dynamic Events will be given by David Atkins, DAE Global.
“Given the calibre and status of the attendees and my fellow speakers, The Dynamic Events Conference will clearly have a significant influence on the industry and I am very excited to be taking part in this most prestigious event,” says Atkins.
Alongside David Atkins are other industry experts including Piers Shepperd, Hamish Hamilton, Dave Crump, Peter Milne and Safwan El Roufai who will be sharing the experiences of their pivotal roles in the production of recent large-scale events, and looking to the challenges of future event productions. The conference will provide a unique networking and learning platform for all attendees to debate and discuss issues and learn from their industry peers. A highlight will be the gala dinner on the middle night, with guest speaker H.E. Laila Suhail, CEO of Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment.
Dynamic Events has themes for each day – Day 1 will be focussing on technical and production topics and will include a presentation on London 2012 from Piers Shepperd, Technical Director for the London 2012 Ceremonies, and Hamish Hamilton, MD of Done & Dusted. This highly anticipated session will give attendees first-hand accounts of how to best deal with the creative and technical challenges that automatically come with putting together the largest and most celebrated production event in the world. Other Day 1 sessions will include an audio session, a presentation on the challenges of communication infrastructure and video and lighting panel debates.
The focus of Day 2 will be ‘Creative & Broadcast’. Following David Atkins’ keynote at the start of the day, there will be sessions including a debate on ‘Stage Vs Screen’. At a time when major events now form part of a country’s legacy, the debate will ask whether what is seen on screen should take precedent over what is seen by those in the stadium. Those taking part in the debate will include Hamish Hamilton and Bill Morris. The final session of the day will be ‘Questions for Organising Committees’ and will provide advice for organising committees on how to create a world-class event that will also leave a legacy in their country for the future.
Dynamic Events boasts an impressive line up of sponsors, all of whom will have representatives attending the conference, including Sennheiser. Comments Sven Boetcher, Marketing Manager Pro Audio for Sennheiser, “Dynamic Events is a truly unique conference that succeeds in bringing together all of the technical aspects of large-scale events under one roof. It provides audio, video and projection professionals with the opportunity of networking and gaining an enhanced understanding of each and every element involved in a production. Following last year’s conference, we received valuable insights and are very much looking forward to the 2013 event. In particular, we feel that the organisers deserve special praise for once again putting together such an impressive group of high-profile speakers.”
Sunderland’s Stadium of Light is so much more than a football stadium.
Posted in News on 21 March 2013A place of worship for 49,000 faithful on a Saturday, since opening its doors in 1997 the home of Sunderland AFC has fast-established itself as one of the premier conference and events venues in the region.
It has become a multi-function venue, hosting everything from University Graduations, national conferences, outdoor funfairs to major music concerts.
And with over half a million music lovers having enjoyed the biggest live music events ever held in the north east over the last four years, with the visits of Take That, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen, the stadium has quickly become one of the major concert promoters preferred venues for large scale music tours.
Whether it’s business meetings, conferences, exhibitions, social gatherings, weddings, party nights or other celebrations, the stadium’s versatility makes it the perfect venue. A range of modern, stylish suites can accommodate anything from 10 to 1,000 guests and the first-class food and beverage options, specially created by a team of top chefs, make the Stadium of Light a venue unrivalled anywhere in the North East. Events are tailored to suit the individual requirements of individuals and businesses and the dedicated and professional staff manage the day to make sure everything runs smoothly.
And it is this perfect combination of superb facilities, first-class service and top flight football that make matchdays quite simply in a league of their own. Boxes with awe-inspiring views of the pitch, stunning suites and relaxing bars are all complemented by the finest cuisine and five-star service, making it the perfect environment to do business in.
A range of sponsorship opportunities also give businesses the chance to align themselves with the world’s most exciting league and deliver their brand message to a wider sporting audience.
Event Planners Rejoice as a New Type of Event Staff Provider Launches in London
Posted in News on 21 March 2013Event and account managers across London will be excited to discover that they will finally have a service that supplies the very best event staff around. Finding reliable, professional and experienced temporary staff to service events onsite is notoriously difficult, but the brain behind Event Protocol, Jugita Sandhu, believes she has spotted a niche in the market.
After working as an events manager for London’s top tier investment banks for several years, Jugita was all too familiar with just how difficult it can be to source experienced event staff for some of the most prestigious gatherings, events and promotional campaigns in London. It was those experiences that inspired Jugita to set up the company: “I realised there was a gap in skills, experience and professionalism from agency to agency and that there was scope for another agency offering highly experienced and professional event staff. This led me to set up Event Protocol”
There are other providers of event staff in the capital, but Jugita’s own first-hand experience of events management makes Event Protocol an exciting and unique venture:
What Makes Event Protocol Different?
Whilst there are other event staffing agencies offering similar services, the Event Protocol team will go that extra mile. Think exhibition staff who will not only “man your stand” at a trade show but will also partake in lead generation to drive sales. Imagine promotional models who apart from looking the part will also engage your target audience and spur interest in the product or service you are promoting. Or consider conference hostesses who won’t merely usher guests to their seats but will converse with your delegates in an articulate manner and make them feel welcomed at your event. At Event Protocol, their stringent recruitment process means that only those with experience within the industry are invited to be part of the Event Protocol team. Historically, this type of work is often undertaken by inexperienced students looking to make a quick buck. However at Event Protocol, many of their staff do this job as a living and not a fill in job, they take their work very seriously!
Other agencies will simply send staff to an event based on their availability; however, Event Protocol staff are individually selected for specific events based on their experience and unique set of skills.
Such is this company’s commitment to providing the most appropriate staff to the right event, their services have been divided into corporate, promotional and hospitality event staff; a distinction rarely made by other event staffing providers.
Event staff are the public face of the companies they serve, so staff onsite at events or promotional campaigns must be professional, immaculately groomed and highly personable and no one understands this more than the team at Event Protocol.
West Country Hotel voted Devon Wedding Venue of the Year
Posted in News on 21 March 2013Outstanding reviews have helped a West Country hotel win one of the most important accolades it could hope for from one of the most discerning audiences in the UK. Recent brides and grooms who held their wedding at The Horn of Plenty in Tavistock made their views clear when they voted it “Devon Wedding Venue of the Year” in the keenly contested 2013 West Country Wedding Awards.
Coupled with the customer service, quality of the venue and great value for money, The Horn of Plenty also has fantastic views across the Tamar Valley which help to make it the hotel of choice when it comes to choosing where to get married in the West Country.
Owner Julie Leivers says: “We’re incredibly proud of this Award, which is based entirely on the feedback of recent brides and grooms. Everyone who voted for us was invited to allocate scores based on the quality, service and value for money we provided on their wedding day. Each couple then had the opportunity to write their comments. It’s true to say that we have won the Award based on genuine guest satisfaction!”
The hotel prides itself on providing outstanding food, service and accommodation within a romantic country house setting. There is also the added bonus of the beautiful backdrop of the Tamar Valley for those all-important wedding photos.
Thanks to the hotel’s wedding breakfasts, it seems that The Horn of Plenty is quickly becoming the chosen venue for many Chefs’ weddings! Julie says, “Head Chef Scott Paton and I meet with each couple to design their own bespoke wedding breakfast menu, based on food the couple really love, sometimes we introduce a wedding theme and of course will always take seasonality into consideration. The couple are then invited back prior to the wedding to sample their menu free of charge…. this means that on their wedding day, they don’t need to worry about the food because it’s already been tried, tested and approved.
Julie comments, “We also have strong organisation skills and a genuine “can do” attitude which takes a lot of the stress out of a wedding day. It’s great to see our hard work being recognised, and I’d like to thank the team who work so hard every day to deliver outstanding food and service.”
This award is the latest in an impressive list of successes in recent months. Last autumn the hotel was awarded “Best Fine Dining Restaurant” by Food & Drink Devon. It also received two Bronze awards in the Devon Tourism Awards: “Hotel of the Year” and “Taste of Devon.”
Exactly What Is The Best Bridal Material?
Posted in News on 21 March 2013When it comes to bridal dresses, fabric should also be considered. This is because the entire beauty of the attire can be decided based on the texture on which it is made. When shopping, if a bride could know the difference between different textures, it will be easier for her to decide on the selection to be made according to her desire. Wedding attires are available in a wide range of silhouettes and styles. Some materials like taffeta and satin offer more structure as compared to others like chiffon and Georgette. Understanding why some particular materials are used for creating some marriage gowns can enable the bride to select the right gown for her wedding.
Soft and structured: There are two major categories being structured and soft materials, when it comes to differentiating between the different bridal fabrics. Each of these types can create a crucial part in the fashion of nuptial. Some of them are made out of mixed fabrics like stronger materials are used in some specific areas like underskirt, while the external portion is made out of soft material to add an air to the romance part of the marriage gown. Also, soft fabric in the external portion enables addition of embellishments and other accessories.
Satin: When it comes to popular materials, satin is widely used and this material is also referred to as Duchess satin. The full body of this material allows it to remain in place as it is decorated. Wedding attire made out of this material looks great irrespective of whether it is plain or beautified with lace. This would be suitable both for formal and semi formal wedding ceremonies.
Taffeta blend and silk taffeta: Both these fabrics can enhance the elegance of the wedding attire. They are available both in light weight and heavy weight variants and when used in marriage attires, these fabrics are generally designed in gathered format. However, brides should be careful about the selection of bridal dresses with these fabrics as their shiny appearance can make the photographer’s work difficult due to its glare appearance. If brides hate noise, it is better to avoid dresses made out of these two fabrics because they can create rustling noise when they are moving. There are also other variants like organza, silk charmeuse, Georgette and chiffon. So, brides can select the one they feel will be comfortable for them to move around on their wedding
Rina DiMontella Wedding Dresses are perfect choice for fashionable brides. She is the most popular fashion designer of Bridal dresses, Mother of the bride gowns dresses, Cocktail dresses and Special occasion dresses. To browse the newest looks from fabulous collection of Rina Di Montella Bridal dresses on line, please visit http://www.rinadimontella.com/