Government Business Magazine issue 18.12

ECOBUILDThe construction industry gets a green make-over

Business Information for Local and Central Government

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk | VOLUME 18.12

GRAFFITI REMOVAL

ROAD SAFETYSTAFF INCENTIVES

CONFERENCES & EVENTS – International Confex connects event organisers with venues and destinations

BUILT ENVIRONMENT MONEYMATTERSReducing the administrative burden on payroll departments

WASTE MANAGEMENTThe government’s review of waste policy

GREEN IT – Is it greener to replace or re-use old IT assets?

LEARNING

TECHNOLOGIESDATA CENTRES OUTSOURCING

GOVERNMENT

TECHNOLOGY INSIDE

Dynamic Voltage Regulation Optimises your electrical usage, reduces consumption and carbon foot print – energy savings are typically 15% per annum

3 Increased Return on Investment3 Reduced Energy Bills3 Reduced Carbon Foot print3 Reduced Maintenance Costs

Powering ProfitsPrimary Source Management – Secondary Source Generation

Ashdown Energy – UK Manufacturing – Protecting Jobs, Protecting Margins, Protecting the Future

[email protected] www.ashdownenergy.com

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

It’s that time of year when council’s brace themselves for the winter months and put in place measures to keep the country moving during severe weather.

Learning from last year’s bitter cold spell, the recent Local Government Association’s annual ‘Winter Readiness Survey’ shows that councils are better prepared than ever to deal with winter weather, with a stockpile of 1.4 million tonnes of salt – more than was used through all of last winter.

Other measures include new gritters, more salt bins, snow wardens, as well as special Twitter accounts and Facebook pages set up to give updates on weather, gritting routes, school closures and bin collections.

With the Met Office forecasting a possible white Christmas in some parts of the country, following recent snow fall in Scotland and northern England, let’s hope that these measures mean that councils and highways agencies are successful at keeping the country moving over the festive period and beyond.

ecobuildThe construction industry gets a green make-over

Business Information for Local and Central Government

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk | Volume 18.12

GRAFFiTi RemoVAl

RoAd SAFeTYSTAFF iNceNTiVeS

coNFeReNceS & eVeNTS – International Confex connects event organisers with venues and destinations

BUILT ENVIRONMENT moNeYmATTeRSReducing the administrative burden on payroll departments

WASTe mANAGemeNTThe government’s review of waste policy


LEARNING

TECHNOLOGIESDATA CENTRES OUTSOURCING

GOVERNMENT

TEchNOLOGy INsIdE

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© 2011 Public Sector Information Limited. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial content the publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. ISSN 1362 - 2541

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Angela Pisanu,Acting Editor

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Volume 18.12 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Contents

CONTENTS07 NEWS

11 MONEY MATTERSThe Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals discusses the administrative burden caused by income tax and National Insurance Contributions being administered independently

In the current financial climate, cashflow is crucial. But why is it that some organisations still fail to grasp the fundamentals of credit management?

17 WASTE MANAGEMENTDr Andrew Craig from the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee assesses the state of play following the government’s review of waste policy

21 GRAFFITI REMOVALWhat are the best methods for effective graffiti removal and prevention? Stan Atkins from the British Institute of Cleaning Science investigates

25 ROAD SAFETYHow can highway authorities make sure they use the right products to ensure road signs are clear and well-lit to prevent accidents?

29 BUILT ENVIRONMENTFollowing the first league tables for the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, ESTA’s Alan Aldridge examines recent developments in energy performance

The National Insulation Association discusses recent developments in the government’s Green Deal

We preview Ecobuild – the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment – on 20-22 March 2012

49 LANDSCAPING & GROUNDSCAREWe preview the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition, part of Harrogate Week

55 FACILITIES MANAGEMENTFacilities managers cover a wide range of areas that ensure the smooth running of your operation, writes the BIFM

59 INCENTIVES & REWARDSThe UKGCVA discusses how to develop and operate a successful reward scheme

63 SECURITYWe preview Counter Terror Expo 2012 – the critically acclaimed, highly specialised event for those tasked with delivering defence against terrorism

64 REFRIGERATION & AIR CONDITIONINGFind out what’s happening at the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (ACR) Show 2012

67 CONFERENCES & EVENTSWhat do the two West Country cities of Bath and Bristol offer the conference organiser?We highlight an abundance of diverse conference and event venues in the West MidlandsFind out why Manchester is fast becoming a leading business tourism destinationInternational Confex connects event organisers with an exciting range of venues, destinations and support servicesView the products and services that help to create fantastic events at the Event Production Show

91 NEWS

93 OUTSOURCINGThe National Outsourcing Association examines the skills gap that needs to be bridged if the public sector is to change the way it outsources services

95 GREEN ITZahl Limbuwala explores the question of whether organisations should sweat their IT assets or dispose of them when more energy efficient models arrive

We look at research unveiled at Green IT Expo which examines the UK’s progress in IT sustainability

99 DATA CENTRESIT professionals can hear about the latest data centre trends and technologies at Data Centre World Conference & Expo

103 IT STRATEGIESThe FAST Annual Conference covered a range of topics, from cloud computing to security

This year’s Gartner Symposium/ITExpo gavedelegates the rare opportunity to probe today’s most compelling IT concepts

109 IT SERVICE MANAGEMENTFind out what happened at this year’s itSMF UK Conference and Exhibition

111 LEARNING & DEVELOPMENTThe Learning Technologies Exhibition and Conference focuses on the technologies used in workplace learning


LEARNING TECHNOLOGIESDATA CENTRES OUTSOURCING

05



New

s

NEWS IN BRIEF£1 million extra funding for local authorities to tackle air pollution Local councils in England are set to benefit from over £1 million of additional government funding to tackle air pollution. This is in addition to the £2 million Environment Minister Lord Taylor announced in October for a range of projects designed to reduce the levels of air pollution in towns and cities. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will be talking directly to local councils to identify which projects could benefit from the extra funding to help reduce Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) emissions. Eligibility for these new grants is limited to English local authorities with one or more Air Quality Management Areas for NO2 or those authorities where the government’s national air quality assessment in 2009 identified a high level of NO2 emissions in their area.

Rural councils and farmers urged to collaborate to deliver new homes Communities Minister Andrew Stunell has called on farmers and rural councils to “think outside the box” to deliver more affordable housing. The average house price in rural areas is £250,000, yet the average salary is only £21,000 a year, meaning many local people struggle to get on the housing ladder. Stunell wants to see farmers identify disused farm buildings that could be converted into new affordable homes for local people, and wants councils to look favourably on their planning applications. Stunell highlighted a scheme run by Harrogate Borough Council that requires developers to make provision on the site for affordable housing, resulting in 34 extra affordable homes across 19 sites.Harrogate’s approach is in the spirit of the “Home on the Farm” idea, championed by Stunell, which promotes conversion of disused farm buildings into new homes.

Bristol awarded £2.2m to help manage energyBristol has been awarded £2.2 million for a pioneering low carbon project to help mange energy in homes, schools and workplaces. The electricity regulator Ofgem has awarded its Low Carbon Network funding to a joint project between Western Power Distribution and Siemens, working closely with Bristol City Council. Project BRISTOL, considered by Ofgem to

be ‘highly innovative’, will test a number of areas to develop an optimum energy management solution for the city, such as battery storage, demand response and direct current networks within schools, homes and offices. Siemens is contributing energy efficient ICT equipment for social housing, schools and Bristol City Council Offices, including intelligent low energy, direct current lighting.

07 Volume 18.12 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Councils better prepared for winter weatherAs temperatures plummet, the Local Government Association’s annual ‘Winter Readiness Survey’, shows town halls have stockpiled about 1.4 million tonnes of salt – more than was used through all of last winter. The survey shows that 51 per cent of councils have more salt for the start of this year’s winter gritting season than last year’s, with 48 per cent aiming for the same amount. Councils have on average about 4,900 tonnes of salt in stock, 1,500 more tonnes than this time last year. Nearly a third of councils have invested in new gritters and 99 per cent of councils will be updating their websites regularly. Councils across England and Wales have invested in new fleets of GPS-tracked gritting trucks, snow ploughs and specialist vehicles for narrow and hilly streets. Some are also using new types of salt and methods of spreading it to make supplies last longer. Thousands of new grit bins have been placed in estates and side streets, residents have been given their own bags of salt along with salt spreaders in some neighbourhoods, and arrangements have been made with parish councils, farmers and community groups to grit hard-to-reach areas.

WINTER PLANNING

WASTE & RECYCLINGScotland’s recycling performance improves, recent figures show

Figures released by Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) show that more is being recycled in Scotland than ever before. From April to June 2011, 719,204 tonnes of household waste was created, of which 313,258 tonnes were recycled or composted, representing 43.6 per cent. This latest set of figures coincide with a new and improved method of collecting and presenting Scotland’s household recycling performance. The new definition excludes non-domestic properties which were previously counted, and is now aligned to the waste hierarchy. Categories now include recovery, recycling/composting and landfill. The previous methodology looking at municipal solid waste would still show a rise in this quarter, at 39.1 per cent.

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT... www.governmentbusiness.co.uk/n//026

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT... www.governmentbusiness.co.uk/n//025


DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE......YOU’RE MISSING SOMETHING?

New

s

Marble Arch replica made from West End rubbish illustrates litter problemA replica of Marble Arch has been built from litter collected from the streets of Westminster, eclipsing the original iconic Arch. Renowned artist Miguel Romo, who has 10 years of producing world class art projects involving recycling and reclaimed objects, built the mini arch over the course of a day and it will now remain on public view for 10 days. Westminster City Council, with the help of partners the New West End Company and Veolia, commissioned the piece, at no expense to the taxpayer, to launch the Your Streets Campaign. The arch was completely made out of litter collected from Oxford Street, Regent’s Street and Bond Street in one day – a total of 120 bags. The key part of that initiative is to make people aware that the solution to litter is all about taking responsibility for their own actions.

The arch installation is designed to show how much litter is dropped everyday despite all the bins that Westminster Council provides, and the mess it would cause if it wasn’t for the hard work of street sweepers. Cllr Ed Argar, cabinet member for city management, said: “Clean streets have always been one of the key priorities for Westminster City Council, and will always remain so.“The council is committed to helping people do the right thing. We have a top quality street sweeping service, but it is time for fresh thinking about how we can all play a part in adopting a more environmentally responsible and financially sustainable approach.”

WASTE & RECYCLING

HOUSING

NEWS IN BRIEFDisabled people asked to shape future policyDisabled people and their organisations are being invited to help shape future policy and develop a new cohesive cross-government disability strategy. This will be a key part of the government’s commitment to breaking down the barriers to social mobility and equal opportunities faced by disabled people in Britain. Following a three month engagement period, the government will publish its new, co-produced strategy in spring next year.

Brighton & Hove investigate ‘cashless parking’The introduction of a cashless parking system is being investigated by Brighton & Hove City Council. The council will soon be going out to tender for the city’s parking services contract and has asked bidding companies to include cashless parking information as part of their offer, such as ‘pay by phone’ facilities. Cashless parking is already well established in London and around the UK. It has the benefits of reducing maintenance of machines and cash collection, allowing customers to top up paid parking time if running late. Reducing the number of parking machines can also help to de-clutter and improve the appearance of the streets.

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT... www.governmenttechnology.co.uk/n/027

Boris to boost library servicesThe Mayor of London Boris Johnson has announced that he wants to recruit 2,000 ‘Library Champions’ under a new Team London programme designed to help local communities get even more out of their local library through new services and activities. £100,000 is being invested to develop the Team London ‘Love Libraries’ scheme, which will see people recruited over the next six months to help provide a range of library based activities in at least ten boroughs. This includes supporting Londoners of all ages with reading and literacy, helping to set up reading groups and people to get online, including for help with job searches, skills and education. Libraries throughout the capital have been using volunteers to provide these services for a number of years already. The Mayor’s new scheme will build upon this innovative practice.

TO READ MORE...www.governmentbusiness.co.uk/n/029

MPs show interest in Birmingham’s innovative house building schemeMPs from the Communities and Local Government (CLG) Select Committee have met with Birmingham housing chief John Lines to look at the city council’s innovative housebuilding model. MPs including Clive Betts, Heidi Alexander and Bob Blackman met with the local authority to discuss its council housebuilding programme, Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust (BMHT), a similar model to the government’s proposed ‘Build Now Pay Later’ scheme. Cllr John Lines, Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “I’m encouraged by this visit, as I’m sure this fact-finding exercise shows that BMHT is an excellent programme to replicate. It’s an innovative housing model with principals that deliver high quality homes for rent and sale.”

TO READ MORE...www.governmentbusiness.co.uk/n/028

09



Written by Diana Bruce, senior policy liaison officer, Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals

PAYROLL

The incompatible regulations governing income tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) have long placed administrative burdens on payroll departments and employers. Alignment of the two processes has been looked at by the government in previous reviews but no changes have ever been implemented. In July of this year HM Treasury published a ‘call for evidence’ to gather information from employers on the impact they consider the current systems to have. For decades, the UK has operated income tax and NICs as two fundamentally different systems with different periods and bases of charge. The resulting anomalies impose

costs and complexity on employers, and cost the taxpayer through the administration burden on HMRC. The government believe that greater integration of the two systems has the potential to remove economic distortions, reduce burdens on business, and improve fairness across individual earners. The government does recognise that income tax and NICs were introduced for different reasons, and believe that they continue to have different rationales. As stated within the Budget earlier this year, the government will maintain the contributory principle that underpins the NI system and ensure that this will be reflected in any proposed reforms. In addition, they will not

extend NICs to individuals above State Pension Age or to pensions, savings and dividends. This table on page 13 is from the call for evidence document and in simple terms shows just how different the two regimes really are. However, let’s look at them in more detail.

INCOME TAXIncome tax is paid by individuals on the basis of their total annual income including earnings, pensions, and income from savings and investments. Every individual is entitled to a personal allowance which is exempt from tax and there are also other exemptions and reliefs. The vast majority of income tax is collected by employers or pension providers through the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system. This income tax is then calculated on a cumulative basis and offers a certain amount of flexibility because it spreads the individual’s personal allowance across the tax year. Employees also pay income tax on benefits in kind from their employment. These benefits and certain expenses are E

The clear message coming from respondents is to keep it simple, with a number stating that income tax and NICs should be combined. Some suggested that NICs should be cumulative and that the tax code could disappear.

INTEGRATING INCOME TAX AND NI OPERATIONAdministered independently, income tax and NICs result in anomalies, costs and complexity for employers, and costs to taxpayers via the HMRC administration burden. Could integration of the two remove economic distortion, reduce burdens on business, and improve fairness for individual earners?

Money M

atters

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Money M

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E generally reported through the P11D process which requires the employer to provide details to HMRC and to the employee after the end of the tax year. The liability is then paid by the employee through a system of self assessment and/or adjustments to the amount of tax they pay in the following year.

NATIONAL INSURANCENICs are paid by individuals on earnings, with each employment considered separately. NICs are assessed on earnings in each earnings period, with a threshold in each period below which NICs are not due. Unlike income tax, NICs are not paid on all types of income. NICs on earnings are collected through the PAYE system. As NICs are not calculated cumulatively no account needs to be taken of earnings in other pay periods. As well as the employee’s liability for NICs, the employer has a separate liability for employer NICs. This is calculated in the same way as employee NICs, but is charged at a single rate collected through the PAYE system. Employers are also required to pay NICs on the benefits in kind that they provide to their employees. These are collected annually through the P11D process.

REAL TIME INFORMATION At the end of the tax year employers report the earnings they have paid and the deductions they have made to HMRC and almost all employers are now required to file this information online. Progressively, from April 2013, there will be significant changes to employer payroll processes with the introduction of Real Time Information (RTI). Instead of requiring information at the end of the tax year employers will be required to submit information whenever they pay their employees, such as weekly or monthly. As well as reducing the burdens of operating the current end of year processes RTI will improve the flow of information between employers and HMRC when people start and leave employment. This in turn should enable the correct amount of tax to be paid in-year in more cases. While RTI will reduce the administrative burdens of operating payroll, the differences between the tax and NICs structure outlined above continue to place administrative burdens on the employer.

THE COMPLEXITY OF PAYE AND NICSThe CIPP Policy team created a member survey to provide HM Treasury with valuable feedback about the burdens of the current regulations. The survey asked which legislation, PAYE or NICs, was the more complex to operate. Interestingly of those who separated them, NICs was by far the more complex at nearly 48 per cent of respondents compared to just 6.5 per cent for PAYE. However, almost 46 per cent responded by saying that PAYE & NICs are equally complex schemes to operate. When analysing some of the supporting comments, reasons for complexity included the recent changes to childcare voucher

assessment of earnings, aggregation across PAYE schemes when having more than one job with one employer, director’s NICs calculations, and finally benefits in kind, which comes of no surprise. The responses and also previous research from the CIPP makes it clear that rather than the calculation of NICs and PAYE being the biggest burden, it is in fact the issue of trying to understand what is taxable and what is subject to NICs. The results show that if income tax and NICs were to be integrated, 42 per cent of members believe this will have a significant impact on economic distortions. Nearly half feel that, if integrated, the reduction of burdens on business would be very significant, and finally over 40 per cent believe that it would impact very significantly on the fairness of the tax system. Although acknowledging most people do not have complicated tax affairs, CIPP respondents felt that government departments could do more to explain the tax system to customers. Aligning the thresholds and removing the upper NI threshold, but reducing the contribution rate for NICs was suggested as an option to provide transparency to the general public. As expected a number of comments were requesting that benefits in kind be processed via the payroll, and benefits simplified. The clear message coming from respondents is to keep it simple, with a number of members stating that income tax and NICs should be combined, although this is not within the scope of this paper. Some members suggested that NICs should be cumulative and that

the tax code could disappear. With just one allowance that would mean earnings are not subject to tax or NICs up to a band and then you could apply the percentage rates for all. Nearly 70 per cent of respondents feel that considerable time is spent trying to understand HMRC’s requirements, legislation and guidance and identified issues such as share scheme payments to leavers, graduate students, employees not completing the P46 correctly, aggregation of earnings for NICs and the time required to process P11Ds.

CONCLUSIONBased on the responses received, the CIPP supports the view that integration of income tax and NICs would improve the economic distortions, reduce the burden on employers and allow a fairer and simpler tax system for individuals. In our formal response to HM Treasury we recommended that consideration be given to processing benefits in kind through the payroll, offering NICs relief to Payroll Giving Schemes, the removal of Class 1A NICs, changing the NICs legislation to be cumulative and to ensure that any new legislation treats income in the same way. So now we wait as the government considers all the responses received from interested parties, and see what proposals are put forward in a formal consultation, which will be issued hopefully before the end of the year. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.cipp.org.uk

PAYROLL

INCOME TAXEMPLOYEE NATIONAL INSURANCE

Who pays? No age limit 16 to State Pension Age

What is it paid on?

On all income including earnings, pensions and income from savings or investments and benefits in kind.

On most earnings from employment, but not on most benefits in kind.

Period of assessment

Assessed on total annual income. Liability finalised following the end of the tax year.

Assessed on earnings in each earnings period. Liability finalised at the point that the earnings are paid.

Cumulative or non-cumulative collection

Earnings from separate employments aggregated (cumulative)

NICs liability calculated on each employment in isolation (non-cumulative)

Structure of charge

Above the personal allowance, tax is applied at three rates (rising as income rises) on different bands of income

Applied at two rates on different bands of earnings above the primary threshold with the rate for the higher band lower than that for the lower band.

Entitlements provided Funds general expenditureEntitlement to contributory benefits, such as State Pension; also helps fund the NHS.

13



Comparison of income tax and NICs paid by employees

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Outstanding accounts? Deciding on the best way forward?

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For those of us that consider ourselves credit professionals, it has always been our challenge to convince others that an investment in credit management, people and resources can actually be linked directly to an improvement in bottom line performance. To that end, if there is one good thing that is coming out of the current financial difficulties, it is that the government has finally woken up to the critical importance of cashflow, both to businesses and those operating in the public sector; because cashflow comes through good credit management. But how do we define good credit management, and indeed a good credit manager? How do we ensure we keep our heads when all around us are (seemingly) losing theirs? Modern credit managers do much more than simply defining the policies and practices organisations follow in collecting payments. Today they pro-actively and positively input to many departments, functions and procedures to improve business flow and customer service, as well as focusing on their main role of protecting their organisation’s investment in debtors and recovering debt.

VARIED REMITTheir remit of course varies from organisation to organisation, but it is increasingly becoming much more strategic, given that large organisations are known to have strategies for either non-payment to help their own bottom line profit, or at least significantly delaying payment causing the supplier to finance them at no cost. At its most fundamental, a credit manager will oversee the sales ledger function, including raising invoices in a timely and accurate manner, speedy cash posting and accurate allocation of that cash, agreeing invoice formats with larger customers/suppliers, and ensuring account management teams are capturing data accurately to prevent subsequent invoice queries. In times of crisis, as now, it is these fundamentals that become more important than ever. Credit managers may be assessing risk on new accounts and existing customers by way of credit information

providers, reading financial accounts and establishing trading histories, something that is becoming increasingly important. They may also be involved in the creation, maintenance and management of a full credit policy – internal documents that identify all set and agreed procedures and policies that govern the credit function. They may also be negotiating and agreeing terms of business with new and existing customers, including payment terms and setting up service level agreements and credit limits, and reporting to directors on age and profile of debt, potential risks of bad debt, and overtrading accounts.

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CASHFLOWSo why is it, given the importance of good credit management, that some organisations – including those in the public sector – still appear to fail to grasp the fundamentals of cashflow? Should, and indeed could, those involved in the credit industry do more to help small businesses gain greater access to the professional help they require in managing their finances? An ICM think tank – a group comprising some 25 experts from all aspects of the credit industry – was tasked with responding to that very same question and concluded that help is indeed available, but that it was not immediately apparent where they can go to find it. They concluded also that we need to think harder about how we can get the message across that good credit management and the ability to ‘get the cash in’ is the difference between success or failure. Whereas most agreed that approaching the banks (or indeed the government) are obvious starting points for financial advice, many were disinclined to do so, often fearful of revealing too much about matters they consider confidential. The biggest challenge, therefore, was in how to deliver support where it is needed most. More initiatives are not necessarily the answer. It isn’t that the training, advice or support isn’t there; it is sometimes that the support is insufficiently promoted. In 2008, the ICM and the Department

for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) combined to publish a series of ‘Managing Cashflow’ guides. Each of these provides a checklist and tips to give ‘at a glance’ advice to those working in credit departments. Some, such as negotiating payment terms, invoicing and chasing payments, may be bread and butter to the professional credit manager. But even professional credit managers sometimes benefit from an aide memoire on best practice, and a reminder of the more technical aspects of ‘credit’. Indeed the series has only recently been updated with a new guide produced in association with the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) and the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB) that provides tips on the financial assistance that is required for organisations looking to purchase new equipment.

IMPROVING PAYMENT CYCLESThe guides are an integral part of a much wider campaign spearheaded by the ICM and BIS around the issue of ‘Prompt Payment’ that led to the launch of the Prompt Payment Code (PPC). Signatories to the Code have grown steadily, notably among the FTSE, and especially within the public sector. Far from paying ‘lip service’ to the idea of prompt payment, the code has led directly to an improvement by the public sector in payment performance, with figures published earlier in the year suggesting that 19 out of 20 invoices are now paid within 10 days, and a similar number of local authority invoices paid within 19 days. No-one is suggesting that the occasional hiccough no longeroccurs, but what is evident is that the code and the wider prompt payment drive is creating a new culture within certain sectors that promotes paying on time as being good for business. Of course, there are still many challenges ahead. In the very latest survey conducted by the ICM and known as the Credit Managers Index (CMI), credit managers are growing increasing pessimistic as to their chances of collecting the cash, and confidence is at an all time low. The headline index to the end of September stood at 51.9, which although a tiny improvement in Q2 (51.8) still lags considerably behind the 53.7 score recorded in September 2010. Although DSOs were improving, the number of disputes was rising, perhaps suggesting that the payment landscape is getting tougher. Credit, in the future, is not going to be ours by right; we will all have to earn it. We are a long way from being out of the woods yet. What we do know, however, is that those who manage to keep a close eye on the cash – and who keep calm in a crisis – have every chance of emerging comparatively unscathed. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.icm.org.uk

CREDIT CONTROL

EMPLOYING THE ‘KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON’ MOTTOPhilip King, CEO of the Institute of Credit Management, discusses the need for accounts departments to keep a clear focus in order to navigate the current stormy seas of financial control

Money M

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Written by Dr Andrew

Craig, principal policy adviser, LARAC.

30-odd years ago, councils collected rubbish and took it to the local landfill site, often an unlined, worked-out quarry operating on the ‘dilute and disperse’ principle. Then, in 1977 the first bottle banks were opened, partnerships between the glass industry, who wanted the cullet, and local authorities. Supermarkets were sometimes happy to have these in a corner of their car parks. Soon paper merchants became aware that they could obtain an economic load by placing a skip on the same sites. Charities provided textile banks and the metal recycling industry organised ‘save-a-can’ banks. The obvious party to co-ordinate these early recycling centres was the local authority. So it came to pass that local authorities came to be seen as responsible for recycling. Up to the 1990s waste legislation (and public sector involvement) had been about safeguarding public health and protecting

the local environment. However the 1990 Environmental Protection Act also incentivised local authorities to increase recycling. Together with targeted government grants and borrowing facilities this spawned the first trial local authority kerbside schemes. The 1995 Environment Act transferred responsibility for protecting the local environment and public health through regulating waste management sites from local authorities to the newly formed Environment Agency.

STEPPING IT UPThe early to mid 2000s saw a huge increase in municipal recycling following a review of policy by the Cabinet Office which led to DEFRA’s Waste Implementation Programme (WIP) and the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) being established. Local authorities were set targets for household recycling and government funding was

directed towards supporting local authorities, much of it through regional programmes. The landfill tax escalator and landfill allowances (and, in England, the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) provided a strong incentive to local authorities to reduce landfill – providing a legislative ‘push’ working with the ‘pull’ of the WIP. Towards the end of the 2000s recycling targets ceased to be imposed on local authorities, the start of a move, continued by the Coalition Government, to increase local accountability and shift responsibility for sustainable wastes management (re-named ‘resources management’) back towards the private sector. In a similar vein, the EU’s revised Waste Framework Directive (rWFD), has moved the emphasis away from public protection towards broader environmental goals including reducing carbon emissions, reducing waste from production and cycling resources within the economy. The 1990s also saw mass burn Energy from Waste (EfW) coming of age in England. Tighter emission limits were imposed in the 2005 Waste Incineration Directive, so the risk to public health of these facilities is now vanishingly small. However EfW plants are expensive to build, so they have only happened on the back of long-term municipal contracts for residual waste, awarded to a small number of large waste management companies – often with a government subsidy in the form of Public Finance Initiative (PFI) credits. Other technologies have more lately been deployed, including Anaerobic Digestion (AD). These are less E

WASTE POLICY

WASTE POLICY: CHANGING VIEWS, CHANGING MINDSDr Andrew Craig charts the evolution of the UK’s improving attitude to waste and assesses the state of play following the government’s recent review of waste policy

Waste M

anagement



Waste M

anagement

19

WASTE POLICY

However, the sources of public funding that paid for surveys of commercial and industrial and other waste streams have gone. The private sector will not give priority to developing good publicly-available data, so public agencies will have to be resourced to continue this work – or else the good quality data and projections that we have at the moment – that can be used to inform supra-local waste planning – will soon become out of date.

LOCALISM AND COLLECTIONSLike the populist jargon ‘bin taxes’ that also crops up in this review, the idea that we need weekly residual (or ‘smelly’) waste collections isn’t taken from evidence or a concern for local accountability, but comes straight from the leader writers of the Daily Mail. It is disappointing to find this in the middle of a serious review of waste policy by a government aspiring to be the ‘greenest ever’, and seeking to deal with resources management as a significant economic and social issue. Because of this, household recycling rates may now stall, or even fall, a casualty of public sector cuts. For political reasons (not recognising that it might give for better environmental stewardship or would help to reduce public expenditure), the government has also set its face against the possibility of householders being charged separately for a waste management service in the way they are charged for every other utility. Why would it be unreasonable for a locally accountable and democratically elected body to decide to do this? The loss of enforcement power, very infrequently applied but still a potent last measure, the emasculation of civil sanctions by being made only to apply when there is ‘harm to local amenity’, and the loss of capacity to inform and engage the public are also setbacks in our quest to manage wastes more sustainably and return resources to our economy. I don’t think their effects have been taken into account in the government’s regulatory impact assessment that indicates that the EU targets for 2015 and 2020 will be achieved. In conclusion, in its review of waste policy, the government does well to focus on all society’s waste and not just the part that is managed by local authorities. Most local authorities realise that effective partnerships will need to be developed for its implementation. However they are concerned about its deliverability as it contains too little to ensure that the diverse private sector will take up its responsibilities for its implementation, or that local planning authorities will, in every case, be able to provide for the waste sorting and treatment facilities needed. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 01544 267860 www.larac.org.uk

in product design and manufacture; that thinking about waste & resources has to be extended to all sectors of the economy; and that explicit links have to be made with carbon and climate change policy. A national waste prevention plan is required under the rWFD. Nonetheless, the emphasis on waste prevention shows understanding that waste policy is about more than managing discarded materials. There are good sentiments about partnerships, the importance of good information and the need for local authorities to develop new models for procurement, joint working and service delivery. However the Achilles heel of the review is the government’s reluctance to impose targets or additional obligations on private sector organisations. We were disappointed that the government announced a moratorium on packaging recycling targets towards the end of last year, pending this review – and still will only commit itself to consult more on increasing recycling targets on packaging producers from 2013. Challenging packaging recycling targets are an essential element of not only increasing recycling and reducing carbon, but also helping user organisations to develop new supply chains out of plastics, cardboard and composite packaging – from materials that are currently going to landfill. Until the government gives a firm signal on this, these new supply chains will be harder to develop, especially in plastics. As well as packaging, electrical goods and cars, producer responsibility needs to be extended to other waste streams – nappies, tyres, textiles, and even food. The first Courtauld Agreement was quite successful at getting most of the large brand owners and retailers round a table to reduce packaging and make it less unsustainable. However the idea of ‘responsibility deals’ as the means of implementation of policy is naïve. Organisations that are accountable to shareholders – and to their customers – will seek to do different things, and will have different priorities to organisations that are accountable to an electorate. For such deals to work to society’s benefit there has to be at least a credible threat of some compulsion.

PLANNING AHEADThe government’s review of waste policy includes fine words about planning policy, but disappointingly little substance. Dismantling regional planning and replacing it with localism will lead to there being areas where local opposition will make it difficult to install the waste treatment facilities that are needed. Against the backdrop of reducing resources and therefore reducing capacity for strategic planning, the ‘duty to co-operate’ in the Localism Bill could easily just become a box to tick. The government is right to articulate the importance of good and up to date information and data. Some excellent work has been done over the last two years.

E capital intensive and inherently more flexible than EfW. However they are technologically less well developed, so seen as riskier – and they are still not always viewed as the first choice by the waste management company. As a means of waste disposal, mass burn EfW is favoured over landfill because it gets some ‘value’ out of waste, addressing a legitimate ‘resource depletion’ issue. However high CO2e emissions per MwH (higher than coal) make EfW a poor option in relation to global warming. The detriment is ameliorated if the plant generates heat that is used as well as electricity. However there are few signs that heat sharing and district heating (DH) schemes will be constructed, despite a number of incentives introduced by government – because the huge capital costs of laying pipes for hot water over any significant distance are prohibitively high. Loans from the proposed Green Investment Bank may help, but, even with strong local leadership, very few projects will get underway without significant public (grant) funding.

THE GOVERNMENT’S REVIEW OF WASTE POLICY –THE LOCAL AUTHORITY ROLEGiven the shifts in policy away from the public sector and towards ‘the whole of society’ local authorities should not be required to do more than ensuring that arrangements are in place for household (and commercial) rubbish to be collected as often as needed and that local planning frameworks allow for appropriate facilities to be made available for handling and treating waste. However, local authorities also have a great deal to offer – as facilitators and co-ordinators, depositories of local knowledge and communicators with the hard to reach – to other organisations working in partnership. Costs of subsidising collections for recycling or valorization as energy or compost should no longer be borne out of the public purse. Instead this burden should be borne by producer organisations and, indirectly, by the consumers of the goods that engender waste. As discarded materials become more widely recognised as economically valuable, their flows will be managed by (mainly) private sector organisations (with the community sector prospering in some niches). The government’s job is to address market failures and ensure that an appropriate regulatory regime is provided and enforced. The greatest challenge will be to ensure that organisations aren’t able just to ‘cherry pick’ the most easily accessible materials to the detriment of communities and individuals where more effort is needed. To a small extent the government’s recent review of waste policy recognises this. There’s a much greater appreciation than before that it must be about the whole of waste, not just the bit that is managed by municipalities; that waste prevention and better resources management is more important than local authority recycling figures; that waste relates to consumption so it needs to be addressed



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Written by Stan Atkins, group chief executive officer at the British Institute of Cleaning Science

The recent riots across the UK highlighted that no matter how well buildings are secured, maintained and kept clean, there are sometimes unforeseen events which can cause extensive damage to both building structures and the environment. One type of malicious damage which can have a negative impact on your business or service is graffiti. First impressions count in any business. Visitors such as customers, suppliers and staff expect premises to be kept in an immaculate condition and an unsightly office or shop could lead to a loss of business.

When malicious damage such as graffiti is allowed to remain on a property and is not promptly removed, it invites yet more markings and criminal activity creating an environment that deteriorates the quality of life further and fosters a general fear of crime. Experience has shown that dealing with damaged property quickly is the best way of preventing further malicious damage.

CHOOSING A REPUTABLE PROVIDERThe cleaning industry played a key role in the restoration of damaged properties following

the recent riots and can help businesses with on-going graffiti problems. Always ensure you use the services of a cleaning operative or company which has a level of accredited training. Not only will you notice much better results from a trained cleaning operative but it will also mean that cleaning tasks are safe for the environment, for themselves and for the users of the building. Cutting corners on standards is dangerous. Training routes are extremely accessible and cost effective. For instance, the Cleaning Professionals Skills Suite (CPSS), the improved assessment scheme for accredited training in the cleaning industry launched this year with a minimum requirement of three essential skills to ensure the safety of operatives, safety of users of the building and sustainability of the building. You should ensure the provider is a member of key industry bodies such as the British Institute of Cleaning Science, which has the principle aim of raising professional standards within the cleaning industry. Also, look for specialist companies that are members of The Anti-Graffiti Association. Whether graffiti is on a small or large scale, using the correct products and techniques is vital in its removal and prevention. There are several different techniques and products that can be used for indoor and outdoor graffiti removal. The main objective with removal is to preserve the condition of the area as much as possible and to prevent future vandalism. To ascertain the appropriate removal technique you need to identify, if possible, the type of product or instrument that was used to apply the tag or graffiti. You will also need to consider the actual structure of the area affected and the material of the surface. These are some of the most common techniques for graffiti removal:

PAINTINGPainting over graffiti is often considered to be the easiest solution for removal however there are some factors that you need to consider. It is recommended that you use a primer first as in many cases the graffiti will show through. One of the main obstacles when painting over graffiti is correctly matching the original paint colour. In surface areas where the colour can’t be matched, it may be better for the whole area to be repainted. This will help for spot fix ups should there be a recurrence but may end up being costly depending on the size of the area affected. Once the affected surface has been repainted it is advisable to also go over the area with anti-graffiti coating.

SANDINGSanding can be used to remove graffiti but it is not appropriate for many surfaces as this form of abrasive treatment can cause the material to wear down and damage the surface if the pressure is too hard. This method works best on outdoor fencing, E

INDUSTRIAL CLEANING

OFF THE WALL: GETTING TO GRIPS WITH GRAFFITIIn the aftermath of the recent UK riots, Stan Atkins, group chief executive officer of the British Institute of Cleaning Science, examines methods for effective graffiti removal and prevention

Graffiti




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safety data sheet highlights the hazards that the chemical presents, as well as emergency measures in case of accidents. It will also include instructions on how to correctly handle and store the product in a safe manner and note the previsions for disposal.

POWER WASHING AND ABRASIVE BLASTINGPower washing and abrasive blasting is one of the most effective techniques and is generally used for outdoor surfaces such as brick walls, fences, and concrete. It is highly recommended however that this method is only used by trained professionals, and not with DIY home kits, as too much pressure can wear down the surface. In many cases the runoff from the graffiti and from this technique is considered an environmental hazard as it can flow into water streams and drains.

GRAFFITI REMOVAL GELThis is recommended for more fragile areas such as glass, however, depending on the instrument or material used to cause the

vandalism, other forms of removal may be required such as gentle scraping.

GRAFFITI PREVENTIONPreventing is often better than curing. The most common method for prevention is by using specially designed anti-graffiti paint and products on surfaces. These protect and minimise the damage caused and can be used on most surfaces, however it is always important to check the guidelines as some surfaces are not recommended. Anti-graffiti coatings will allow for an easier removal of graffiti and in most cases it can be washed away with warm water and mild detergents. If graffiti is a recurring problem at your premises you should consider installing security lighting and CCTV cameras. You should also report the problem to the local community police as this identifies areas that are graffiti hot spots and will make them aware of the situation. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 01604 678710www.bics.org.uk

23

INDUSTRIAL CLEANING

E although it may leave the area vulnerable should the vandalism happen again.

SCRAPINGScraping is a method mostly used for internal areas on indoor surfaces such as tables, desks and toilet cubicles. This technique however is dependent on the materials that have been used to cause the graffiti. The scraping method can be effective on nail varnish and corrective fluid but spray paint and permanent markers will require a chemical based remover. Scraping may also cause damage to surfaces, especially if toilet cubicles are factory painted, as the paint is more likely to be removed.

DISINFECTANTS AND CITRUS BASED CLEANERSOrdinary disinfectants and citrus based cleaners can be used for situations where pencil, non-permanent pen markers and ink have been used. It is important however not to rub (ink especially) as this can spread and make the affected area worse. It is recommended that you neutralise with water and dab at the graffiti to remove.

CHEMICAL GRAFFITI REMOVERSThese are used for harder-to-remove materials such as spray paint and marker pens. It is vital for environmental and personal warnings to be displayed and ventilation to be considered when using chemical-based products. The chemicals can be harmful and the safety data sheet must always be referred to. The

Not only will you notice much better results from a trained cleaning operative but it will also mean that cleaning tasks are safe for the environment, for themselves and for the users of the building. Cutting corners on standards is dangerous.



Road

Saf

tey

Nordis specialises in the management and supply of roll-out corporate identity programmes on a fast-track or long-term basis. No matter what size your business, branding and the image you project are vital to differentiate yourself from the competition. Nordis can help you create a personality for your company; everything it does is geared towards providing you with the best possible service at the most cost effective price. As specialists in road signs, public sector signs and bespoke commercial signs, Nordis also offers a full design and installation service. Traditionally trained operators run the design studio on up-to-date equipment, supported by the latest software. The company has its own in-house facilities to produce, design and artwork, enabling it to maintain control of its strict quality ethic.

QUALITY ACCREDITATIONNordis Signs also has the facilities to handle customers’ own PC-formatted artwork. The business has attained and maintained ISO 9001:2008 including the Sector Scheme 9a accreditation, which reflects its proud commitment to quality, whilst the excellent value that Nordis offers is confirmed by the high proportion of repeat customers. As an equipment supplier, Nordis also prides itself on dependability. Registered in 1972, Nordis Signs (then

Nordis Industries) was created to provide meaningful employment to disabled people in the local area. Disabled people who can work and who want to work face a myriad of barriers – they have fewer opportunities to develop skills and experience, face practical obstacles, such as inaccessible transport, and often experience negative attitudes from employers. “We endeavour to help this disadvantaged group reach their potential; to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable them to fully participate in meaningful and sustainable work. Our recruitment process prioritises disabled people,” says office manager Lindsey Bosson. With a large proportion of the workforce having a disability, Nordis Signs continues to be registered as a Supported Business. Its commitment to its staff has also been recognised with an ‘Investors in People’ accreditation since December 2001. This IIP accreditation is under the May Gurney umbrella and is re-assessed every three years. Graphic and sign technician Nathan Houghton believes there is public stereotyping in relation to mental health and disabilities, such as the idea that disabled people ‘can’t do stressful jobs’. Nordis wants to transform the lives of disabled people and those who experience

complex barriers to work by providing sustainable employment opportunities. Nordis believes that work is a key element of an independent and fulfilling life, and that everyone has skills and abilities to offer. Accordingly, it works extensively with people to help them to identify, develop and make the most of those abilities.

NATIONWIDE COVERAGENordis has a sister sign shop in East Sussex which provides signage across the South of England and into London. Opened by May Gurney in 2006, the business has developed rapidly from a local contract level to a national supplier of traffic and corporate signage. “It is May Gurney’s intention to develop the East Sussex business in line with our Northampton signs business and encourage the employment of local disabled people,” says general manager Steve Wright. “Offering a full design, build and install service to our clients places us in an excellent position in the market. With May Gurney’s background as a service provider to local authorities our skills base and staff are well able to deal with signs ranging from the smallest health and safety sign, to motorway gantry signs. With a product range including posts, clips and other sign accessories we are a ‘one stop’ supplier. Nordis Signs is a real pleasure to manage and with our design and manufacturing skills we can satisfy all our clients’ signage needs.” L

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25

Written by Brian Lyus, general secretary, ARTSM

The House of Commons Transport Committee’s report, ‘Out of the jam: reducing congestion on our roads’ and the new DfT Policy Paper, ‘Signing the Way’ both look to address the issues around congestion and seek to improve the environment on our roads today and in the future. This, combined with recent statistics showing an increase in deaths on British roads of around six per cent, challenges suppliers within the sector to come up with innovative products to meet these needs. Signs need to be bright at night so that drivers can both see them and read them. Sometimes there is no realistic alternative

to direct lighting to ensure this, but in many cases, modern retroreflective sheetings will be an acceptable substitute, where the Traffic Signs Regulations allow. DfT plans to relax lighting requirements for signing, and the increasing practice of turning off street lights to reduce energy costs and environmental impact, also come with the risk of increased danger on the roads. A clear understanding of how to specify the correct products for different applications is key to reducing the risk of accidents. The best microprismatic sheetings can be much brighter than traditional beaded types, and signs

may be adequately bright under headlamp illumination alone. However, especially on lit roads or for direction signs, it is important that high-performance sheeting is specified. WATER HAZARDOne of the drawbacks of retroreflective sign faces has been their tendency to black out when dew forms on the surface. This can reduce the retroreflective properties to such an extent that the sign can become illegible to the driver. Dew resistant protective overlay films can make a huge difference to the effectiveness of a sign. These films alleviate the problem by attracting water droplets together to form a membrane across the sign surface allowing normal retroreflectivity to return. At the same time, the water running down the sign has a self-cleaning effect, which also reduces the need for maintenance. However, the location of many signs is such that retroreflection cannot provide adequate brightness. This might occur where a sign is presented at a large angle to oncoming traffic, for example a No Entry sign, and retroreflection no longer works. Other signs might be mounted high above the road, where little light from headlamps reaches them. In these cases, direct lighting will still be necessary. Concerns about the energy consumption of direct lighting have been addressed by ARTSM members, who can offer a range of low-energy solutions using LED and other technologies. These help meet energy-reduction targets whilst maintaining safety for road users. Advanced lighting systems have reduced energy consumption by two thirds, and also offer greater reliability and low maintenance costs. These systems can also be retro-fitted to existing sign units.

SAVINGSAn example of the saving achieved is the traditional two-lamp sign light consuming 29 watts. The equivalent LED lamp consumes just 10 watts, and saves up to 138kg of CO2 emissions per annum. Similar reductions can be made with internally-illuminated bollards, where the use of LEDs cuts power consumption and CO2 emissions by half. Multiply these by the hundreds of thousands of lighting units on our roads, and the potential saving is clearly huge – all without compromising the effectiveness of signs or the safety of road users. Safety of road users is of course a primary concern for all highway authorities. Although vehicles are incomparably safer than they were not so long ago, the consequences of a collision with road-side furniture can be severe, and attention has increasingly turned to the idea of passive safety – accepting that such collisions will inevitably occur, but seeking to minimise their severity. Passively safe sign posts were used in Scandinavia as far back as the 1980s, as part of a wider concept of designing the whole highway environment E

ROAD SIGNS

HIGHLY VISIBLE IDEAS MAKING UK ROADS SAFERA clear understanding of how to specify the correct products for different applications is key to reducing the risk of accidents, writes the Association for Road Traffic Safety and Management

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Road Safety

most accurate information can make the best decisions on routes and travel time to ease congestion wherever possible. With capital budgets under severe pressure, the cost of implementing such systems on a permanent basis can be prohibitive. However, temporary solutions allow local authorities and contractors to trial a system and understand its effects and benefits prior to making a large investment. Portable variable message signing,

queue detection, variable speed limits using existing loop data, journey time managed with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), ice detection systems and CCTV integration can all be purchased or hired to provide real time data which can help improve the UK road network for the benefit of everyone. L

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ROAD SIGNS

E to reduce the risk of fatalities. The first passive sign mast in the UK was installed on the A4 in London in 1996. This mast from Norwegian manufacturer Lattix AS was soon followed by a couple of installations in Cheshire but it was not until the beginning of the new decade that Lattix was used in earnest on the A34 Towcester bypass, a road with a notoriously poor accident record. The installation was a great success in terms of accident reduction and was also hailed for its cost effectiveness as the implementation of the Lattix masts removed the need for expensive crash barriers and therefore reduced the cost to the contractor and the Highways Agency. PASSIVE SAFETY BUILT-INSince that initial scheme, passive safety has grown year-on-year not only in sign supports but also in street lighting, which has the second largest number of fatalities after trees (sign posts being the third). Today the need for passive safety will be assessed for all new roads, particularly high-speed, and most will include it for signs and street lighting unless a safety audit determines otherwise. The success of passive sign posts can be measured in ‘successful non-injury accidents’ and SignPost Solutions, the company that first introduced the Lattix mast into the UK have recorded 198 such successful incidents in collisions with the Lattix mast, proving that passive safety really does work. The passive safety concept has also been extended to the ubiquitous traffic bollard. Various designs are available, from ‘spring-back’ types to deformable products that regain their shape after impact. These not only reduce the risk of injury to vehicle occupants, but also reduce maintenance costs as the self-righting design means that the highway authority doesn’t need to visit the scene to reinstate displaced or damaged bollards. Many designs also offer substantial energy savings by eliminating the need for direct illumination or by substituting solar-powered LEDs for conventional light sources. A serious safety issue at road works is the need for operatives to cross live carriageways in order to change the signing as work progresses. A development which greatly reduces the need for carriageway crossings is the rotating prism sign. These are remotely operated with a hand-held controller and are ideal for changing lane-closure layouts without exposing the workforce to danger from passing traffic. Carriageway crossings in one Highways Agency area have been reduced by almost 50 per cent. SEEKING MORE EFFICIENT ROADSBoth the DfT policy paper and the House of Commons Transport Committee report are concerned to provide road users with better information. Smart systems, often referred to as Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), aim to inform motorists about current road conditions. Drivers with the

With capital budgets under pressure, the cost of implementing permanent systems can be prohibitive. Temporary solutions allow local authorities and contractors to trial a system and understand its effects and benefits prior to making a large investment.



28

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Munters is a global leader in providing energy efficient air treatment and dehumidification solutions across a wide range of industries. From preserving our history to protecting information for our future, Munters’ knowledge and experience from over 300,000 air treatment systems installed worldwide ensures assets are kept safe and dry for years to come.

ARCHIVES AND STORAGE The use of dry air to preserve and protect items from decay has been in practice for thousands of years; the Egyptians have long used the dry desert climate to store their national treasures. However, unlike Egypt, the UK has one of the most humid environments in the northern hemisphere which can leave our own national treasures at risk from moisture-related damage, such as mould, bacterial growth and corrosion. Using our unique desiccant rotor technology, Munters systems dry the air within an archive or storage area to a temperature and humidity level that will significantly preserve the life of the item. This humidity level, also know as relative humidity (RH), varies depending on the product. In the case of colour photographs, their life can be increased from just 25 years to 1,000 years by ensuring temperature and humidity levels that were previously 24°C and 50 per cent RH are reduced and maintained to 2°C and 40 per cent RH. Similarly, paper life can be extended

from 50 years to 200 years by reducing the temperature and RH from 20°C and 50 per cent RH to 16°C and 25 per cent RH. At the Danish State Archives, Munters systems keep 3.5 billion documents safe from humidity-related damaged in much the same way. The 70,000m3 archive facility, which is equal to a staggering 370km in length, is maintained to a constant temperature of 14-18°C and 30-50 per cent RH all year round by Munters dehumidifiers. This ensures a comfortable environment for both staff and documents while fully complying with guidelines from the Heritage Agency of Denmark. As well as humidity control in archives and storage areas, Munters also has a long history of preserving assets in museums and galleries including the Louvre Museum in Paris where the Mona Lisa, one of the worlds’ most famous paintings, is housed. And the world’s first metal hulled ship, SS Great Britain, is preserved through Munters innovation and knowledge of specialist environmental conditioning. Plus, Munters packaged dehumidification systems typically uses around 25 per cent less energy when compared with heating or cooling alternatives, making it a cost effective, energy efficient way to safeguard your asset and the environment, too.

LEISURE CENTRESWhen Oldham Community Leisure (OCL) built the new Chadderton Wellbeing Centre they

recognised Munters PoolAire™ as the ideal system for creating the perfect indoor pool environment. One of Munters’ most innovative designs, PoolAire balances comfort, humidity control and energy efficiency beautifully. Utilising the high moisture absorption capability of Munters rotors as required for such a wet atmosphere, PoolAire ensures condensation is significantly reduced, resulting in lower maintenance costs and prolonging the life and fabric of the pool building. Ian Flint at Chadderton Wellbeing Centre says “If PoolAire is not operational we cannot see through the pool windows because of the condensation on walls – staff become uncomfortable and shifts are reduced [from 30mins on/off] to 15mins on/off. PoolAire means the pool climate is always warm and refreshing.” PoolAire is designed to reduce ventilation energy costs by up to 30 per cent and reduce CO2 emissions. It is completely CFC free making it the perfect solution for any pool. Munters also provides air treatment solutions for leisure centres, ice rinks and indoor tennis courts.

DATA CENTRES From bank account records to personnel records, protecting data from harm is critical. The IT industry is responsible for over two per cent of the world’s carbon emissions and data centres are the fastest growing part of the footprint. Focus is shifting towards more energy efficient ways to safely store our information. That’s where Munters Oasis™ Indirect Evaporative Air Coolers are the solution. These incorporate patented heat exchangers to give minimal air filtration and enhanced supply temperatures. Using as little as 25 per cent of the cooling energy required by conventional cooling systems, Oasis Indirect Evaporative Air Coolers achieve the recommended air temperature for computer rooms as per ASHREA Thermal Guidelines for data processing environments 2009 giving Energy Efficiency: Evaporative Cooling ESEER’s in excess of 45. This reliable and proven technology reduces CO2 emissions and provides safe year-round operation, enabling Power Usage Effectivness (PUE) capability for data centres of ≤ 1.2. Globally Munters have cooled 60MW of rejected heat in existing data centre installations. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTo find out more about how the experts in temperature and humidity control can help you, call us on 08708 505 202, email [email protected] (quoting ref: GOV0112) or visit www.munters.co.uk. Alternatively, visit us at the ACR Show (stand J11), 13-15 March 2012 at the NEC Birmingham.

AIR TREATMENT

ENERGY SAVING PRESERVATIONMunters provides energy saving preservation where it matters most



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With the publication of the first league tables for the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, it might be thought that everything was now in place and that energy managers now had it planned into their activities. However, as most organisations in the public sector

know, the scheme is anything but settled. Except of course, that it has been turned into a pure energy tax rather than an incentive to improve energy efficiency performance. The recently-completed consultation – we await the government’s response – is the

fifth set of proposals. It begs the question: how difficult is it to effectively encourage large non-intensive energy users to save energy? If the economic framework is right, then the ability to cut consumption and save money should be a ‘no-brainer’. The first league tables, published in October, are based solely on the two ‘early action’ metrics. Although the scheme has now been operating for over a year, the consumption reporting has not been used for this first table. The two measures that count towards the final position are: the installation of automatic monitoring and targeting (aM&T) systems; and membership of the Carbon Trust Standard (formerly known as the Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme, developed by ESTA) ‘or similar’. The launch of the BSI Kitemark scheme based on the Energy Management Standard BS EN 16001 offers an alternative to the Carbon Trust scheme. The performance league table is a shadow of what was originally envisaged. The main point of the table was to decide the amount of funds to be recycled to each participant from the pot of money raised through sales of emissions allowances. With the Exchequer retaining all those funds, the table is, by the government’s own admission, a ‘reputational driver’. Well, this first table tells us little about reputation since actual performance figures are not included. Some organisations are arguing for the table to be dropped completely. E

As most organisations in the public sector know, the scheme is anything but settled. Except of course, that it has been turned into a pure energy tax rather than an incentive to improve energy efficiency performance.

AN INCENTIVE TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY?ESTA’s Alan Aldridge examines the meaning of the first CRC Energy Efficiency league tables and whether the scheme is enough to spur action to become energy efficient

Built Environment

ENERGY EFFICIENCY



Built Environmentelectricity or natural gas to emit that amount

of carbon an organisation is likely to pay in the order of £140 to £200. By switching to renewable energy you may save £10. However, reduce consumption equivalent to one tonne of carbon and you will save around £150. The emphasis should be squarely on performance improvement and therefore reduced consumption, not on switching fuel sources.

PREPARING FOR AN UNCERTAIN FUTUREThat is not to say that renewable energy is not important, particularly in the context of the move towards a low carbon economy. It is merely to point out that to minimise exposure under the CRC the focus has to be on energy efficiency. In addition, by cutting consumption an organisation can

reduce the capital outlay when it comes to investing in on-site renewables since the energy footprint of the site will be smaller. Yet this confusion between carbon and energy persists. One of the suggestions for reform of the CRC is to have a differential price of emissions allowances for energy from different sources. So grid electricity would attract a cost of so much per tonne, gas a lower amount (because of lower carbon content), for example. ESTA’s view is that the CRC is complicated enough and that the focus has to remain on overall energy consumption, not on the specific fuels being used.

As was mentioned earlier, the latest exercise was the fifth consultation on the shape of the CRC. Will this be the last one? Who knows? But one thing is certain: this continual tinkering with the scheme does not allow participants to plan properly. Even so, certain parameters do seem fairly definite. Energy costs show no sign of coming down. Indeed, given the rapidly increasing demand for fuel from the industrialising nations and the increasing global population – we reached seven billion inhabitants on this planet a month ago – the law of supply and demand surely indicates further rises in costs. Security of supply will remain an issue, at least for the next few years. New nuclear stations will not come on stream until the beginning of the next decade. The same goes for newer renewable technologies and wind power still has to overcome the problems of intermittency. That will add to price volatility. INTERNATIONALLY-AGREED APPROACHSo users need to be able to build an energy management programme that can adapt and respond to changes in supply and policy. With the launch of ISO 50001, we now have an internationally-agreed approach to systematic energy management (and ESTA members were closely involved in the development of this standard). Adopting this template should help energy and facilities managers in the public sector cope with fluctuating political and economic influences on energy usage. The Energy Services and Technology Association (ESTA) represents over 100 major providers of energy management equipment and services across the UK. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 01268 569010Fax: 01268 [email protected]

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E There is, after all, no differentiation between sectors or types of organisation. However, a table would likely be unworkable with too much detail. As the scheme incorporates more performance data, it will help organisations differentiate themselves from others in the same sector. As such, it can provide a spur to further action. The government also seems committed to its retention. THE PURPOSE OF THE SCHEMEThere is a continuing potential for confusion about the whole purpose of the scheme. The main intention is to reduce energy consumption by improving performance efficiency. However, it does this through taxing carbon emissions. Even the name does not help. It is formally the Carbon Reduction

Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme, yet it is universally known purely as the CRC. It is easy then for the focus to switch away from efficiency and onto carbon-avoidance. So more renewable energy becomes the priority rather than overall reduction in consumption. That would be the wrong approach. In general, renewable energy still costs more than energy from conventional sources. There are short term incentives like the feed-in-tariffs but recent experience shows that these cannot be relied upon for medium to long term planning. An emissions allowance for emitting a tonne of carbon costs £12. To buy sufficient grid

SmartLIFE Low Carbon is a joint venture between Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridge Regional College that will support businesses looking to adapt to a low carbon economy. It will teach the workforce skills needed for building low carbon homes and installing renewable energy solutions, and deliver new jobs and reduce the impact of carbon dioxide emissions locally. There will be 925m2 of skills and training facilities for low carbon qualifications in six technology areas: photo-voltaic, solar thermal, ground and air source heat pumps, rain water harvesting, advanced gas, and solid wall insulation. Organised events will be held for

home owners, SMEs and others, to learn about sustainable refurbishment and retro-fitting renewable energy systems to existing properties. There will also be 289m2 of dedicated business support facilities for low carbon enterprises. Events and advice will be available to help

local businesses be competitive in the transition to a low carbon economy. The SmartLIFE Low Carbon training centre was opened by Greg Barker MP, Minister of State for Energy & Climate Change on 31st October 2011. The minister described the project as ‘blazing a trail’ during his visit and congratulated Cambridgeshire County Council on the partnerships it has forged with the education sector, ‘it really is at the front of the game’ he added.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONContact: Davina FrostTel: 01223 [email protected]

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Users need to be able to build an energy management programme that can adapt and respond to changes in supply and policy. With the launch of ISO 50001, we now have an internationally-agreed approach to systematic energy management.

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New and additional government funding of £200m will be made available to provide a special time-limited introductory offer to boost the early take up of the government’s Green Deal energy efficiency scheme. With bills rising because of rocketing global energy prices, the government wants to see as many people as possible benefiting when the Green Deal hits the high street next year. Whilst the NIA has welcomed the cash boost, it has also identified additional actions it says

are needed to maximise the effectiveness of the funding. The association’s comments came following the November publication of the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) consultation document. NIA chief executive Neil Marshall said: “Over the past few months we have identified a number of key areas that need to be addressed to ensure the success of the Green Deal. One of these was the need for additional customer incentives and we

are therefore pleased that government has acted on this advice and we look forward to working with them in deciding how best to utilise the funds to maximum effect.”

COMMUNICATIONSMarshall went on to say that whilst the £200m funding is a very positive move it needs to be supplemented by a high profile customer communications campaign and a number of additional actions are needed to ensure success. These include support and funding from government for skills and training to support the tenfold increase in Solid Wall Insulation (SWI) supply chain capacity that will be required under the Green Deal. He also highlighted the need for additional support for Cavity Wall Insulation (CWI) and Loft Insulation (LI) to maintain sensible volumes under the Green Deal and ECO. Based on the current proposals CWI and LI volumes are expected to reduce dramatically after the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) ends on 31 December 2012. This would have serious implications for the industry in terms of jobs and the transition that is needed to SWI and result in lost carbon savings from low cost CWI and LI measures, says the NIA. The legal framework for the Green Deal was set in stone when the Energy Act recently became law, and part of this was the government’s commitment to energy efficiency and insulation. THINKING BIGThe Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO), together have the potential to transform the energy efficiency of the UK’s entire housing stock. Marshall says there are a number of key areas that need to be addressed in order to maximise their success. These include a high level consumer awareness and engagement programme, and additional incentives to drive the take-up of cavity wall and loft insulation. Under current proposals, cavity wall and loft insulation will not be subsidised for the able-to-pay sector under the Green Deal and ECO as they are under the current Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT). The industry predicts that this could result in a significant fall off in up-take until the Green Deal is fully established which could compromise carbon savings and the Industry’s ability to ramp up for Solid Wall Insulation (SWI) in the early years.

INSULATION TAKE UPUnder the Green Deal there is expected be a 10 fold increase in SWI installations, which will require an associated ramping of industry capacity. The NIA and the Solid Wall Guarantee Agency (SWIGA) are therefore working together to develop a new quality assurance infrastructure and framework for SWI to enable capacity to be ramped up in a controlled manner. This will include a new independent 25 year guarantee for SWI. E

INSULATION

A BOOST FOR GREENER HOMESThe National Insulation Association has endorsed a government cash injection to boost early take-up of the Green Deal, but says that more action is needed to ensure the success of the scheme

Built Environment

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Cavity Wall and Attic Installersn Housing Re-generation through External Wall Insulationn Insulation Manufacturers and System Designers for Bonded Beadn Insulation Technologies and Packaging Innovatorsn Energy Advisory Service

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INSULATION

E Marshall says that success could also be maximised through the development of a plan with government to insulate the housing stock and support the transition from lower cost cavity wall and loft insulation to higher cost SWI. This will need to include support and funding for skills and training for SWI. The organisation says it is looking forward to continuing to work with government in preparations and implementation of both the Green Deal and ECO.

GETTING HOUSEHOLDERS TO ACTWith the news that all major energy companies have now increased the cost of gas and electricity by 14.2 per cent on average, adding £161 to the typical household fuel bill, and many householders needing to save money, the NIA is urging consumers to act now and take advantage of the various schemes available to reduce the cost of installing home insulation. The Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) which is operated by the energy suppliers is a current scheme operating in England, Wales and Scotland which offers householders funding towards the cost of installing insulation measures. This scheme offers large subsidies and it could even be free for those people aged over 70, or on qualifying benefits. Marshall said: “Householders should arrange to have their homes insulated through CERT as soon as possible so that they can immediately benefit from a warmer home and reduced fuel bills. By simply installing cavity wall and loft insulation, a saving of around £255 per year can be made.” This is based on adding cavity wall insulation (saving around £110 per year) and loft insulation of 270mm (saving around £145 per year). This was worked out based on an uninsulated three bed semi detached gas heated house. The savings are even greater for insulating solid walls and lofts, around £520 per year. This figure is based on adding solid wall insulation (saving around £375 per year) and loft insulation of 270mm (saving around £145 per year). This worked out based on an uninsulated three bedroom semi detached gas heated house. Marshall goes on to say: “The CERT scheme is due to finish at the end of 2012 and so householders should act now to ensure that they do not miss out.”

SEEK ADVICEThe NIA also advises that for complete peace of mind householders should contact its members for a free quotation and advice on the best type of insulation suitable for the home. Not only are they fully qualified installers who are bound by a strict Code of Professional Practice, but are also able to advise on the range of grants and subsidies available and how to apply. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 01525 3833113www.nationalinsulationassociation.org.uk

What is the Green Deal?The Green Deal is a new initiative implemented by the government to facilitate the retro fitting of energy saving measures to millions of homes across the UK. It has been designed to revolutionise the energy efficiency of properties throughout the UK. Under the scheme, households and businesses will be able to improve the energy efficiency of their properties by taking out loans to have their properties made more energy efficient. Householders and businesses would pay back the loan over the course of 25 years through additional charges to their energy bills. The savings on bills will overcome the additional cost. A framework will be established which will allow private firms to offer consumers energy efficiency improvements including energy efficient boiler replacement, cavity wall insulation, double glazing and loft insulation to their homes, community spaces and businesses at no upfront cost. Private companies will be drafted in to finance the up-front cost of the installation and will recoup their cost through the savings made by the resulting reduction in household energy bills.

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Call us now on 0117 9559091 or email [email protected] / [email protected] Uinversal Aluminium Systems, Universal House, Pennywell Rd, Bristol, BS5 0ER

www.universal-aluminium.co.uk

During the last few years, Universal Aluminium Systems have been actively engaged in the design and development of a number of revolutionary and innovative fenestration systems for the window and door industry. The introduction last year of the ‘DESIGNER DOOR’ at Eco Build received wide acclaim and unparalleled success. Made entirely of aluminium, this door not only looks like wood, but feels like wood. The construction characteristics enable multiple design options to be achieved, together with strength, durability and total security.

The ULTRASLIDE 138 Patio Door System is a major leap forward in sliding door technology, with the capability of effortlessly moving huge glazing panels of up to 300kg over a length of 19 metres. The MU4200 Curtain Wall series introduces both frameless structural glazing and seamless minimal framework to provide a new dimension to building design and construction. The MU2075 ‘Elite’ Window and Door Suite, with a host of advanced design features, giving superior acoustic and thermal performance and a capacity for 65mm glazing units. Universal Aluminium Systems, have a well established reputation for progressive research and innovative design. This years exhibit at Eco Build promises to bring you a wide variety of unique and exciting systems. We look forward to seeing you there.

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ECOBUILD 2012 PREVIEW

Ecobuild is the the leading event in the world for sustainable design, construction and the built environment. Back at London’s ExCeL on 20-22 March, this year’s event is bigger than ever. Over 1,500 suppliers will be exhibiting, creating the biggest showcase of sustainable construction products you’ll see anywhere. From big names such as Saint-Gobain, BASF Construction Chemicals, Kingspan, Vaillant, and Worcester Bosch, to up-and-comers in Ecobuild’s Green shoots entrepreneurs’ zone, you’ll be able to see the latest products, from building materials to micro-renewables, from rainwater harvesting systems to interiors.

TIME WELL SPENTEcobuild puts all these innovative products in context through its vast information programme, making a visit exceptionally

good use of time. There’s the three-day, three-stream conference, sponsored by the UK Green Building Council, that tackles macro themes such as achieving a sustainable future, making sustainable construction happen, design, architecture, and sustainability. Renowned commentators, including Sir John Beddington,

Monty Don, Janet Street Porter, Greg Dyke, Tony Juniper and Angela Brady will cover topics as diverse as how social enterprise can help restore society, people and the planet, as well as collaborative consumption. More applied is Ecobuild’s seminar programme which delivers practical E

Making the existing stock energy efficient is one of the most important challenges on the journey to a low carbon built environment. Its importance is underlined by government initiatives such as the Green Deal and, more recently, adjustments to the Feed-in Tariff.

DEVELOPING PLANET FRIENDLY BUILDINGSEcobuild – the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment – is back at London’s ExCeL on 20-22 March 2012

Built Environment



Built Environment

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ground and air source heat pumps and biomass. Plus there will be the opportunity to view example installations of these systems on the RHI, providing exact calculations and benefits of being on the scheme, which will be officially announced in early 2012. The demonstrations will be accompanied by talks on how to benefit from the RHI, delivered by key industry groups, such as the Micropower Council, the Heating and Hot Water Industry Council (HHIC) and the British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers Association (BEAMA).

ACHIEVING ENERGY EFFICIENCYMaking the existing stock energy efficient is one of the most important challenges on the journey to a low carbon built environment. Its importance is underlined by government initiatives such as the Green Deal and, more recently, adjustments to the Feed-in Tariff which strengthen the link between installation of micro-renewable technologies and energy efficient buildings. Renew, sponsored by Knauf Insulation, provides practical advice on achieving one of the most important aspects of achieving E

bale construction, lime rendering, rammed earth, clay plasters and carpentry. Elsewhere on the exhibition floor Renewable Heat Focus, sponsored by Vaillant, gives daily talks and one-to-one advice on how best to benefit from the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) plus a showcase and working models of the latest technology, including solar thermal, biomass and heat pumps. Interactive demonstrations of renewable energy products will provide visitors with the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of renewable systems, such as solar thermal,

E advice from experienced practitioners through over 130 sessions, including energy and innovation in buildings, BIM, buildings in use, future energy and sustainability through design.

LIVE ATTRACTIONSVisitors looking to get their hands dirty can do so at a dozen or more live attractions. This is literally the case at Ecobuild’s ‘Natural, traditional…sustainable’ which demonstrates a wealth of natural, traditional and sustainable materials and techniques including straw

Visitors looking to get their hands dirty can do so at a dozen or more live attractions. This is literally the case at Ecobuild’s ‘Natural, traditional…sustainable’ which demonstrates a wealth of natural, traditional and sustainable materials and techniques including straw bale construction, lime rendering, clay plasters and carpentry.



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Built Environmentsemi-integrated, to fully roof-integrated

products, as well as the latest technologies from leading modules manufacturers. IT’S IN THE FABRICFabric first, sponsored by Saint Gobain, will help visitors understand how building fabric improvements can interface with each other to achieve theoretical performance levels on site, not just meeting existing Building Regulations but future-proofing against the more stringent Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard (FEES) set out in the 2016 zero carbon homes policy. Using existing construction materials, Fabric first will feature six typical new build residential external fabric solutions and through a series of live demonstrations, will demonstrate how best practice installation and simple changes to building techniques can result in significant improvements in energy performance, including overcoming cold bridging challenges.

Another attraction of the show is ‘Practical installer’, sponsored by Plumb Centre, which is designed to help installers take advantage of the growing demand for micro-renewable technologies through a series of daily live demonstrations covering everything from how to install solar thermal and PV systems, filling and flushing a solar system, understanding rainwater harvesting systems and – new for 2012 – retrofitting heat pumps.

MEANINGFUL TOPICSOn Tuesday 20 March, there will be an eye-opening session entitled ‘Green and clean: the great future energy debate’. Formulating a 21st century energy strategy is at the heart of the enormous challenge of dealing with CO2 emissions and global warming. The Fukishima disaster caused a fresh debate about nuclear, to such a degree in Germany that it will phase out all 17 of its reactors in 12 years, with a goal of getting E

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E an energy efficient building – a highly insulated, air-tight building envelope. Daily live demonstrations will cover:making hard to treat buildings more energy efficient; solid wall insulation; internal wall insulation; insulating lofts and floors; party wall insulation; and cavity wall upgrades.

GOING SOLAR Installation of solar PV offers attractive rates of return via the UK Feed-in Tariff, but adjustments to the government’s incentive scheme mean that it’s even more important to understand the options and implications of installing solar PV systems. Through a series of talks and presentations, plus one-to-one advice, Solar hub, sponsored by Solarcentury, will give practical guidance on how to specify the most appropriate system for the best results, maximise the return on investment, reduce carbon emissions and mitigate rising energy costs. Solar hub will also showcase a range of solar innovative systems from on-roof, to semi-integrated, to fully roof-integrated products, and feature the latest technologies from leading modules manufacturers. It will also include product demonstrations for large agricultural or industrial buildings, and systems for flat roofs. Visitors will also be able to take in a range of solar innovative systems, from on-roof, to

Through a series of talks and presentations, plus one-to-one advice, Solar hub will give practical guidance on how to specify the most appropriate system for the best results, reduce carbon emissions and mitigate rising energy costs.





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Built EnvironmentE 35 per cent of its power from renewables

by 2020. France meanwhile generates 80 per cent of its power from nuclear. In the UK, the government could be regarded as ambivalent about nuclear, and half hearted about renewables. As is true of the rest of the world, the race to reduce reliance on burning fossil fuels is on. How can the UK combine future energy security with sustainability, and at a cost the country is prepared to afford? Jonathon Porritt, co-founder of Forum for the Future, will host the session with speakers including Jeremy Leggett, founder and chairman of SolarAid; Steven Cowley, chief executive of the UK Atomic Energy Authority; and Ian Fells, emeritus professor at Newcastle University.

THE GREEN DEALAlso on 20 March, there will be a conference entitled ‘Green expectations: is the Green Deal the real deal?’ The much anticipated Green Deal is crucial to the government’s policy on energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. It will allow homeowners and building owners to take out loans to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, including for insulation, heating and lighting. The loans are to be attached

to the property and will be paid back over a fixed period through the savings made on energy bills. However, with a CBI survey showing that three-quarters of the public do not even consider the energy efficiency of a property when buying or renting a home, the government needs to persuade consumers to buy into the concept, and thus ensure there is a market for the businesses that will deliver the scheme. The property sector awaits the detail of the financial package. So will the Green Deal be the ‘real deal’, and will it prove to be the key which unlocks the refurbishment of the nation’s ageing building stock? Speakers include Paul King, chief executive of the UK-Green Building Council, and Rt Hon Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change at the Department of Energy and Climate Change. In the afternoon of the 20 March, there will be a conference on ‘Creating an energy efficient property sector’. Improving the energy efficiency of our existing property is vital if the UK is to meet its carbon budget targets by 2020. Responsibility falls to the government to find incentives and to mandate the refurbishment of the worst performing buildings – domestic and non domestic – in both the public and private

sectors. But the government reversed plans to make DECs mandatory in commercial buildings in the Energy Bill, (despite being backed by the CBI and BPF as an important step towards focusing on improving energy performance). So where is government policy on non-domestic buildings now? And is it all about the government? Can the property sector itself take a lead? Speakers include Francis Salway from the British Property Federation and Michael Newey Broadland Housing Group.

THE WORLD TODAYA conference entitled ‘The City After Now’ will look at the world as we know it and the problems it will pose for our cities. The world has just acknowledged the birth of its seven billionth citizen. It’s a fifty-fifty chance that this new resident of the planet lives in a city. And, if so, it’s also fifty-fifty that he or she will live in a slum. The world is urbanising at a rate of close to a million people every week and the pace is increasing exponentially: ours is truly an urban planet. Unfortunately, our ability to create humane and sustainable cities lags far behind the uncontrolled and dysfunctional growth we confront. The characteristic forms

of 21st century urbanism – slums, mega-cities, and sprawl – are not the answers but exacerbations of our problems. We cannot simply continue to pour population into these soul-destroying and environmentally catastrophic vessels. There is another way - designs and ideas that speculate about forms and strategies for creating cities that push the envelope of possibility, not by proposing extravagant or science-fiction alternatives but by consolidating and re-imagining what we already know but are too cautious or constrained to apply. Jay Merrick, architecture critic at the Independent will host the session and speakers will include Michael Sorkin, president of the Institute for Urban Design and a distinguished professor of architecture. The Olympic Games in 2012 will also be covered in a conference theme. Sustainability has been a key word throughout the design and construction of the Olympic site and building. From the methodology of the on site remediation through to the long term legacy of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Olympic Development Authority has been determined to deliver a Games that sets new standards for sustainable design. But how well have

they achieved their targets and what lessons can the rest of the industry learn? John Armitt, chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, amongst others, will cover these key questions.

SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION On 21 March, there will be a session on ‘Green construction: turning the strategy into reality’. The Low Carbon Construction Innovation and Growth Team’s final report identified the key challenges for a low carbon construction industry, and outlined the biggest change in construction since Victorian times. That report formed the basis of the Low Carbon Construction Action Plan, and its goals which, together with the work undertaken under the Strategy for Sustainable Construction, will now be delivered by the newly formed Green Construction Board (GCB), chaired by Mark Prisk, the Construction Minister and Dan Labbad, chief executive, Lend Lease. How will the GCB set about its task, what are its key objectives and timescales, and what can be realistically achieved in the current economic environment? Speakers include Dan Labbad, co-Chair of the Green Construction Board and Chairman of the UK Green Building Council; and Rt Hon Mark Prisk MP, Construction Minister at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. With so much to see, learn and experience, a visit to Ecobuild is a super-efficient way to make contacts and get up to speed with the latest issues and products. It’s all free to attend when you register at www.ecobuild.co.uk where you can also create your own itinerary using Ecobuild’s online planner. L

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Isover Architectural Design Competition

The Isover Architectural Design Competition this year challenges architectural students to design a sustainable community for 12 – 15 families within the Trent Basin area of Nottingham, UK to the principles of the Isover Multi-Comfort House. Entries will also take into account the wider regeneration of the neighbourhood, and the reutilisation of existing buildings to create workplaces, leisure and recreation facilities and the infrastructure to integrate the area into the city. The finalists will be announced at the beginning of February 2012 and go on to take part in the UK national finals live at Ecobuild, with three winners going on to compete in the international finals in Bratislava, Slovakia.

With so much to see, learn and experience, a visit to Ecobuild is a super-efficient way to make contacts and get up to speed with the latest issues and products.



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Urban Front is run by a young, enthusiastic team of designers. Born after a real struggle to find a simple contemporary door on the market, back in 2003, Urban Front embodies a passion for high quality doors, materials, design and service. It is proud to be a British manufacturer, through and through – with everything made and designed in England. It uses a steel reinforced anti-warping core with high insulation, plus high security locks, security keys, high grade stainless steel fittings, and 3D concealed and pivot hinges. In addition, it makes Pivot doors as standard production up to 2400 x 1200mm. Its doors come in six hardwoods: iroko, western red cedar, European oak, fumed oak, American black walnut and wenge. The company recently launched a new range of internal doors and a few new designs which you can see on its website.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONCall or email for a bespoke quotation.Urban Front, Unit 4, Chesham Business Park,33 Townsend Road, CheshamBuckinghamshire HP5 2AATel: 01494 [email protected]

Quality, contemporary doors from Urban Front

Upsolar designs and produces a variety of high-quality PV modules. The company’s renowned R&D capabilities and award-winning ‘Excellence at Each Step’ approach to manufacturing enable Upsolar to provide the best price/quality ratio available to customers around the world. The company continually secures strategic alliances with reputable and forward-thinking partners to incorporate the latest balance of systems solutions into its modules. Through its flexible manufacturing platforms, Upsolar can integrate these new technologies as they come to market and simultaneously implement multiple levels of innovation. With offices in place across

three continents, Upsolar’s sales and customer service teams work to gain a close understanding of the needs and challenges in each market. Additionally, the company’s proximity to its customers strengthens its ability to provide support in a timely manner. Backed by exceptional product warranties and comprehensive insurance programs, Upsolar can guarantee its customers are making reliable PV investments for decades to come.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONUpsolar United KingdomFairbourne Drive, Atterbury, Milton Keynes, MK10 9RG, United KingdomTel: +44 1908 760238Fax: +44 871 221 4753

Upsolar – producers of high-quality PV modules

The Stove Industry Alliance (SIA) was formed in 2008 to promote the benefits of wood-burning stoves and biomass appliances. Its chairman is Phil Wood of NIBE Stoves and the deputy chairman is Hugh Wells of Charnwood Stoves. It maintains an independently audited system to monitor sales trends in the UK and Ireland and promotes the benefits of member’s products and services and how to assess the quality, safety and efficiency of these products. With more than 35 members comprising of manufacturers and distributors of stoves and flue equipment, the SIA’s objectives are very much supported by government initiatives to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, many of the SIA members firmly believe that using a wood burning stove can offer a carbon neutral, wholly sustainable heat source – simply because trees (when they are growing) take in carbon

dioxide which sooner or later must be released when they die and either rot where they fall or their wood is burnt. The SIA works closely with HETAS which is a government recognised body for the testing and approval of biomass and solid fuel domestic heating appliances, fuels and services, including the registration of competent stove installers and servicing business.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONFor further information visit the SIA website www.stoveindustryalliance.com

The benefits of wood-burning stoves and biomass appliances

Boiler company Intergas UK has announced it will exhibit at this year’s EcoBuild exhibition. Intergas HRE boilers operate at up to 95.8 per cent efficiency for hot water heating – a market leading performance. Made by Intergas’ parent company – Intergas Verwarming BV – Intergas products have a 22-year track record of innovation and reliability. The boiler design has just 12 components and only four moving parts, and to date more than one million heat exchanger units have been manufactured without a single mechanical breakdown. Intergas boilers also benefit

from a number of unique features: they have the market’s only DHW self learning eco setting and are the only double condensing units that will condense for tap water as well as for heating. The boilers also have separate central heating and hot water circuits, providing engineers with the option of installing the hot water system first without the need to fit the central heating circuit.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONMore information about Intergas and its boiler range can be found at www.intergasheating.co.uk

Intergas UK to showcase its products at EcoBuild



Recticel, Europe’s biggest manufacturer of polyurethane foam, has launched Polygrow® – a complete new solution for green roofs. Developed as a substrate for the horticultural sector, Polygrow has already been running its course since 2005. In co-operation with a leading substrate company and more than 50 growers around the world, this product had been customised to the needs of this branch. Tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and eggplants can be cultivated perfectly on Polygrow. Today, Polygrow is also available as a 3 in 1 unique slab for green roofs that combines the advantages of currently-used multi-layer systems: it works as water buffer, substrate and drainage in one. Polygrow is very easy to install and covers only half the weight of traditional green roof systems. With its great water buffer, its thermal and acoustic insulation and its shape flexibility, Polygrow might

revolutionise the total branch. Especially for architects and landscapers Polygrow offers great opportunities to create several shapes like waves or pitching. What kind of plants to use? For typical extensive roof gardens, Polygrow can be combined with sedum and grass. Varieties of shrubs might enthuse the eyes on semi-intensive roofs. With Polygrow great vertical walls can be designed, too. Due to its good capillarity and stiffness it is perfectly adapted for this application.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: +44 7767 [email protected]

Polygrow – the unique 3 in 1 green roof system

Reflex Winkelmann has been supplying expansion vessels and pressurisation systems to the UK marketplace for many years. Based in Hampshire, the company’s dedicated team offers a complete customer service package, helping consultants, installers, architects and end users to understand and correctly install its range of products. Reflex Winkelmann will be demonstrating its Servitec vacuum degasser at Eco Build 2012. The Servitec vacuum degasser can have a dramatic effect on the efficiency of your system’s operations, helping to save power and cut costs. The Variomat pump-driven pressurisation unit, which will also be on show at Ecobuild, keeps system pressure at +/- 0.2 with atmospheric degassing and alarms suitable for BMS. The

Variomat can be used in heating systems up to 10mw and chilled water systems up to 24mw. To meet the high temperature requirements of some biomass boilers, Reflex Winkelmann created the Gigamat pressurisation unit which is suitable for use in temperatures of up to 160o. The Gigamat is also suitable for high pressure systems and systems with a large water capacity.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONVisit us at Ecobuild 2012 or contact Dan Testar, sales manager on 07590 079260.

Expansion vessels and pressurisation systems from Reflex Winkelmann

Schools, businesses and landowners are eager to install renewable energy in a bid to operate more sustainably. Today Evance has over 800 installations helping owners reduce energy bills and carbon emissions. The Evance R9000 will generate over 13,000kWh of energy in a windy site averaging 6m/s annually. This is equivalent to energy cost savings of up to £1,700, depending on electricity consumption and assuming a rate of 13p per kWh. With energy costs rising wind energy is a valuable asset. Exact location and final configuration determine the final cost of an installed wind turbine. As it can be a significant outlay Evance has partnered

with Moor Leasing to develop an affordable finance package to enable UK schools and local government organisations to benefit from wind energy. This finance package, which is dependent on site location and wind speed, offers free, green energy for 20 years. After an initial investment no further outlay is required as Moor Leasing will register for the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) income and once this has covered the full investment the FiT income will be shared. Without a doubt, the time for renewable energy investment is now.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 01509 215669www.evancewind.com

Harness wind power to reduce energy bills and carbon emissions

Soler & Palau Ltd is the UK subsidiary of the S&P Ventilation Group of companies. Established in 1951 Soler & Palau has been supplying a wide range of fan and air moving products to a diverse national and international client base. Now, after 60 years in business, S&P is the biggest manufacturer of fans and unit ventilation products in Europe. At EcoBuild 2012 Soler & Palau will be launching a number of new and exciting low energy ECOWATT and heat recovery ventilation products for commercial applications. Additions to the innovative SILENT range will also be on show for the first time. For the latest in energy-saving technology, demand control ventilation systems and ultra-low noise levels, make sure that you visit the S&P stand during your visit to EcoBuild. Soler & Palau Ltd takes pride in

the fact that its customers only receive the very highest standards of customer service and care. Its internal and external technical and customer services team is on-hand to provide professional and experienced application advice, so enabling its customers to apply specific products to their particular ventilation and air movement applications.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.solerandpalau.co.uk

Innovative ventilation systems from Soler & Palau

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It wasn’t that long ago when the speed was often more important than cost, but in these financially difficult times the cost is now often the deciding factor. Many projects are being ‘value engineered’ to meet tight budgets. For this reason many architects and specifiers have had to compromise and opt for cheaper and less prestigious materials. When manufactured using Zintek zinc, the Met-Seam MSPro standing seam roofing and façade system will give you a fast and cost-efficient standing seam system with all the prestige of using solid zinc. Zintek zinc is manufactured in Italy and exceeds EN 988. It comes in both a bright natural finish or in pre-weathered finish. Met-Seam also supplies complementary rainwater goods. When you specify MSPro and Zintek you can be confident, and know that Met-Seam will assist in the specification, design and detailing, and that the system

will be installed by fully trained contractors. Met-Seam will also carry out site inspections and issue a 10 year systems warranty. So whether you are harmonising with history, complimenting the countryside, making an architectural statement, bridging between the past and the present, building for the future or creating contemporary architecture, think of Met-Seam and Zintek zinc.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONFor more information contact Met-Seam on 028 3832 5757 or e-mail; [email protected] or visit www.metseam.com

If you think you can’t afford Zinc... think again

SunConnex has over twenty years of experience in the distribution of PV materials and project development. Founded in 1989 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, SunConnex quickly expanded its business to other markets. Through its local offices in several European countries, and further abroad, it offers a wide portfolio of high-quality brands of PV modules, inverters, mounting systems and other accessories. It has direct purchase agreements with all its suppliers, which enables it to offer a fast, reliable and competitive service to its partners. Its extensive technical knowledge and varied project experience makes SunConnex stand out as one of the major

players in the PV industry. It can advise you on and find a solution to your PV needs as SunConnex combines the different skills needed to develop and carry out large scale PV installations on industrial and residential roofs, and on open fields. SunConnex is active and present in the UK market. Its competent team is looking forward to working with you. Visit the SunConnex team at Ecobuild, London, 20-22 March 2012, on stand N3561

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel. 0845 094 1425Fax 0845 094 [email protected]

Over twenty years of PV at your disposal

Safequip is one of the leading suppliers of technical rescue equipment to the emergency services, utility, and resilience sectors in the UK and overseas. It offers a wide range of equipment and PPE for use in fire, water, and technical rescue environments, and have become the first choice supplier to many of the UK’s professional rescue services.

With the increased risks posed from terror threats, coupled with the increase in volatile weather patterns resulting in serious flooding, Safequip has developed many products that are widely used by the rescue services, providing the rescuer with the appropriate equipment

and protection they require to operate safety and effectively in these high risk environments.

Its customers include UK fire and rescue services, NHS trusts, police services, ambulance HART, maritime coastguard, RNLI, local authorities and many search and rescue and resilience organisations around the UK and abroad.

An area of business the company likes to pride itself on is expert advice and support it can provide to its customers, so that they can make the right decision when purchasing rescue equipment.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 01259 727835 [email protected]

First choice supplier for quality rescue equipment



Winner of the South East Renewable heating award 2005, Sunergy is a significant step forward in renewable heat technology. Combining the best of solar thermal and heat pump technologies, Sunergy’s building integrated hybrid system provides an intelligently-controlled heat source to householders, commercial developers and the building trade. By collecting solar and ambient energy, Sunergy’s system works even on the coldest, cloudiest days, as well as at night. BRE testing confirmed that the Sunergy collector is an effective solar collector up to 70°C from due south-facing, however even a three bed semi facing east/west still only had an annual heating bill of £240 using Sunergy! No ugly bolt ons and no need to face due south – just space heating and 44°C hot water on tap. With approval under SAP Appendix Q in the pipeline and

certification as an MCS product, Sunergy is finally getting the government recognition it deserves. Sunergy has spent years constantly refining and improving its technology, successfully integrating it into new and existing residential developments. Designed and manufactured in the UK, quality is at the core of its fix-in-and-forget-about-it system that works 24/7, all year.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 01922 [email protected]

Discreet pioneering solar thermal and heat pump technology

For over 25 years, Universal Aluminium Systems has provided the UK construction industry with consistent, high performance and innovative architectural glazing systems. Universal produces the highest quality aluminium system extrusions for use within the construction industry, in both commercial and domestic sectors. Its systems offer a unique combination of aesthetic appeal and innovative design coupled with optimum performance and reliability. The company’s suit of profiles are available for the manufacture of shop fronts, windows and doors, curtain walling, patent glazing, roof systems, and Louvre vents. It also manufactures a range of solar control and ancilliary profiles specifically designed for rain screen cladding and Brise Soleil applications. The recent investment into the fully automated Kasto system has enabled the company to become one of the largest stockists and distributors of aluminium

system profiles in the country. Within its extensive factory and headquarters in Bristol, Universal has its own automated trade manufacturing facility, employing state of the art machinery and an efficient highly trained workforce. This year’s exhibition at Eco Build promises to introduce some very exciting new developments and innovative systems that are guaranteed to provide a totally refreshing approach to building design and construction. Universal looks forward to seeing you there and be assured that you won’t be disappointed.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 0117 [email protected]@universal-aluminium.co.ukwww.universal-aluminium.co.uk

Innovative fenestration systems for the window and door industry

Established in 1990, Thermona spol. s r.o. is a Czech Republic-based manufacturer of all types of boiler, including condensing, gas and electric. Thermona produces more than 90 types of boilers for a wide range of applications. These include wall-mounted solutions, stationary units and solar powered systems. The products are available in a range of power capabilities, from five to 90kW. The company also supplies intelligent and flexible cascade boiler rooms, capable of producing between 50KW and 1.5MW. Thermona originally served only its domestic market but now exports into 20 foreign markets, too. It is quality assured to ISO 9001 by Lloyd’s Register, and its quality control programme guarantees its products are of the highest standard. The company uses only top quality components from

leading European producers including Grundfos, Giannoni, SIT, MUT, Wilo and Bertelli. Visitors to the Ecobuild 2012 exhibition can meet the Thermona team on stand N1802 where they will see its latest condensing boiler, the Therm 45 KD ECO.Thermona will also demonstrate its Therm 23 TCLN with through-flow DHW heating. It is an ideal solution for heating flats and houses, says Thermona. Internal temperature can be controlled using a room thermostat or regulator. ‘Quality is our tradition’ is Thermona’s motto.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel. +420 544500511Fax. +420 [email protected]

Quality producer of gas and electric boilersUniversity of Derby Corporate

(UDC) is dedicated to raising the skill levels of the UK workforce through work-based learning. It offers training and development solutions to organisations by providing expertise to match their needs. UDC helps clients develop their workforce through the creation of bespoke, accredited training programmes that deliver results. Its objective is to achieve a positive business impact on the organisation. UDC’s clients are wide ranging across the private and public sectors, both regionally and nationally. Programmes are produced with them, for example, for Derby City and Derbyshire County Councils. Page & Moy had a tailored management development programme delivered with most of it online, supported by coaching sessions and a series of half day workshops. Croda already places a heavy emphasis on the ongoing development of its employees.

The organisation had a significant number of training and development opportunities including the Croda New Manager Development Programme. It was therefore agreed that the best way to strengthen this offer was for the University of Derby to accredit it. UDC also has links with a number of companies which are international, for example Rolls Royce and Citibank. Its approach with companies such as Citibank was recognised in November 2011 when it gained the outstanding employer engagement award from the Times Higher Education magazine.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONAndy DowlingTel: 0800 678 [email protected]/corporate

Award winning staff development training

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The Super SevenThe Super SevenNew Spreaders from Supaturf

5 pedestrian broadcast spreaders, a tow-behind unit and a drop spreader

• Combiningqualitywitheconomy

• Achoicetomeeteveryneed

• Capacitiesfrom25kgto56kg

• Easycalibration;accuratecontrol

• Builttolast

For a copy of our new Spreader brochure call 01530 510060, email [email protected]

or visit www.supaturf.co.uk

...and they’re great in Winter

Effective and efficient salt spreading in icy weather. Ideal for keeping

paths, drives and parking areas clear and safe

Vitax

introduces

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The free-to-attend Harrogate Week encompasses The BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME), ClubHouse and the Continue to Learn education programme. The BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition is widely regarded as Europe’s leading showcase for turf and groundscare professionals and buyers. BTME at Harrogate Week offers a fantastic opportunity to browse and buy from over 150 of the top manufacturers and service providers across the world. With a large selection of products and services to equip your sports venue, a trip to BTME in Harrogate each January is essential. There is no better show for securing your crucial groundscare products and optimising the quality of your playing surface. The exhibition encompasses every product in the industry including artificial grass, course furniture, drainage, fertilisers, groundscare machinery and equipment, irrigation, mowers, soil biology, spraying, turf

and seeds, water, lake and pond management and wetting agents and so much more.

THE HEART OF THE INDUSTRYThe event takes place from 24 - 26 January 2012 at Harrogate International Centre, over three days in which Harrogate becomes the heart of the turf care industry. It’s advisable to pre-register for the week to prevent yourself from having to queue to get into the halls on show mornings. BIGGA will be hosting over 60 educational

workshops and seminars over five days in the Queen’s Suite, including Fringe Seminar presentations from exhibiting companies running alongside the main programme. Make the most of a trip to Harrogate Week and book a place on the Continue to Learn programme well in advance. With CPD points on offer, the Continue to Learn programme is unrivalled in Europe and by taking advantage of the workshops and some of the excellent Fringe Seminars, which have become a part of Harrogate Week in recent years, a career boost is often a consequence. “We are delighted at the rate at which the workshops are being booked. Attendee bookings are up on this time last year and I would urge anyone keen to attend to confirm as quickly as possible to avoid disappointment,” said BIGGA’s head of learning and development, Sami Collins.

EVENT PROGRAMMEThis year’s programme has been formulated using a combination of delegate feedback E

With a large selection of products and services, a trip to BTME in Harrogate each January is essential. There is no better show for securing your crucial groundscare products and optimising the quality of your playing surface.

EVENT PREVIEW

A GUIDE TO HARROGATE WEEKA trip to the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition will allow industry professionals to secure their crucial groundscare products and optimise the quality of their playing surfaces

Landscaping & Groundscare



Renowned innovator Trimax Mowing Systems combines the latest technology with high quality, hard wearing materials and a market leading three-year warranty. The result is a wide range of robust tractor-mounted mowers that are easily maintained, have lower operating costs and are both safety conscious and aesthetically pleasing. The company’s flagship, Pegasus S3, is a triple deck mower specifically designed for full time, commercial use in a wide range of demanding conditions. With reliability and easy maintenance engineered into the Pegasus S3 design this mower spends time mowing grass, not in the workshop. The StealthS2 has a strong reputation as a premium municipal mower. Trimax Mowing Systems says it offers easy maintenance and greater productivity with centralised grease points, automatic belt tensioners and a custom roller

bearing greasing with system. The ProCut S3 is a highly versatile roller mower, robust enough to withstand everyday use in the toughest commercial environments. User-friendly with low maintenance costs, this mower delivers a fine cut finish every time. Marketing manager Michael Sievwright has suggested that councils and mowing contractors are looking more carefully at the ongoing cost of their machinery, not just the initial price tag: “When considering life cost, repairs, maintenance and downtime, the value of a Trimax mower is easy to see”.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.trimaxmowers.com

High quality mowing systems from Trimax

PHM Philippe Morisse SAS is a French company that makes line marking equipment, such as paint, marking machines and accessories, including the PLiFiX® marker. Philippe Morisse, the founder of the company, invented the PLiFiX® marker to help groundsmen mark any natural grass playing fields. The PLiFiX® marker is a black screw shaped harpoon with coloured fibres inserted in the top of the screw. There are four different colours which have four separate applications. Groundsmen use the WHITE PLiFiX® to establish, as fixed reference markers, the dimensions of sports grounds. The markers are inserted at the intersections of the lines and show where to paint. They can be installed on football, rugby or cricket grounds and even on golf courses. They can also be used to mark out

car parks and campsites. BLUE PLiFiX® is used to locate underground water pipes and sprinklers, RED PLIFIX® is used to locate underground electrical cables or danger spots, and YELLOW PLIFIX® is used to locate underground gas tanks or on athletic fields. PHM is constantly looking for distributors worldwide.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONPHM PHILIPPE MORISSE SAS,Chemin de St Jacques 32200 GISCARO, France Tel: +33 (0)5 62 07 80 50 Fax: +33 (0)5 62 07 80 [email protected]

Eco-friendly line marking equipment from PHM Philippe Morisse SAS

European Turfgrass Laboratories Ltd (ETL), based in Stirling, Scotland, aims to provide the turfgrass and landscaping industries with a complete testing facility for all potential materials used in the construction and maintenance of sportsturf areas such as golf courses, rugby and football pitches, bowling greens, school playing fields and also landscaped areas. ETL is now in its 16th year of business and has tested for many of the world’s leading golf courses, football clubs, national stadiums and racecourses. Its clients range from golf course architects, agronomists, material suppliers, contractors, course superintendents and groundsmen to local authorities and government agencies. The laboratory’s services are used extensively during project planning to ensure that all materials conform to a project’s specifications. Choosing the right construction materials is paramount for the completion

of a successful project. The use of test results can provide a useful back-up in making the right decision for your project. Being on the USGA list of approved physical testing laboratories, and one of only 10 worldwide A2LA-Accredited laboratories in the field of Geotechnical (Putting Green Materials), ETL can provide an independent analysis of sand, gravels, soils, peat, rootzones and irrigation water. Contact ETL today to find out how it can be of help to you.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONContact: Sharon BruceTel: 01786 449195Fax: 01786 [email protected]

Independent analysis for the sportsturf and landscaping industries

Vitax Amenity has a range of turf care products that has been developed specifically to help turf professionals achieve optimum results with nutrient by combining the latest developments in turf technology with high efficacy and real value for money. The Supaturf brand has for more than 25 years been a world leader in the development and production of line marking machinery and liquids for use in every type of sports application. Our line marking machines and liquids are used in every type of sports venue, from international stadiums, including football and rugby world cup venues and Wimbledon, to local municipal and school sports fields. Whatever the application, Supaturf line marking products deliver the very best in terms of quality, visibility, brightness, reliability and longevity. The Supaturf range of line marking machines includes state-of-the-art, battery powered units and

reflects the latest developments in transfer wheel machines. All are factory produced in the UK under ISO 9001 quality control systems and are delivered with guaranteed warranties. Supaturf also has an extensive range of fertiliser and salt spreaders that has been developed to provide users with the perfect solution for applying granules and powders, whatever the application.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 01530 510060 Fax: 01530 [email protected]

Turf care products from Vitax Amenity




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EVENT PREVIEW

E from last year, whilst retaining some of the favourites from other years. This has been supplemented with ideas from BIGGA members along with the introduction of new subjects that are relevant to the industry. The education programme has no overall theme; the aim is to offer as much variety as possible to appeal to the widest possible audience, but everything in the programme is relevant to the industry, including topics related to new legislation. All aspects of maintaining the playing surface is covered. Social media is a topic that has been newly introduced this year. The use of social media is becoming more and more ingrained in everyday life and is seen as a relevant tool to any business, where it can be used for such things as recruitment and networking. Also new to the 2012 programme is employee engagement, IT administration skills, climate change and golf course photography, as well as the whole programme of workshops. Delegates will find variety and exposure to different ideas and ways of learning from established speakers, as well as new ones, like Dr Frank Rossi, from Cornell University. Rossi is a very charismatic and engaging speaker and will be presenting a one day workshop on Progressive Cultural Management Programmes. He will also speak at the Turf Managers Conference on Practically Sustainable Golf Turf Management and present a seminar session on Redefining. Meanwhile, if you are looking to further your career or just gain more advice on how you can improve your personal development then a visit to the Personal Development Zone is an invaluable resource for any sports turf professional who is looking for inspiration. To make sure you get the advice you require you can make an appointment prior to the show by contacting BIGGA HQ or you can drop by the Personal Development Zone.

EASILY ACCESSIBLEGetting to Harrogate cannot be easier. If you drive, you can take advantage of the Park and Ride Scheme, open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which enables you to park on the Yorkshire Show Ground on the outskirts of the town free of charge and take a free bus to the Exhibition Halls. It means you avoid having to pay parking charges in Harrogate. Even if you are staying in a hotel it may be worth considering as some accommodation now charge to leave a car in their car parks. From the A1(M) take the A59 towards Knaresborough. Follow the ring road to Harrogate. The ‘Park and Ride’ will be fully signposted. The journey in from the Great Yorkshire Showground (YEC) to the HIC normally takes around 10 minutes but does depend on traffic conditions.

NETWORKINGHarrogate Week is unlike any other event. It is your chance to meet and interact with E

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E decision makers, 24 hours a day. After the show closes there are endless opportunities to network in the Harrogate bars and restaurants with turf professionals. As you can imagine, Harrogate Week proves a busy time for the pleasant spa town. A stroll into town for a bite to eat is always an experience. Chatter in the bars and restaurants has a real agronomic flavour and wherever you look you will see familiar faces. With much to see and do, Harrogate offers fine cuisine and a lively nightlife along with a glamorous heritage, famous for its Turkish baths. Harrogate Week is the most inclusive of all events, much of what you take from attending is what goes on “après show”, in the bars and restaurants. No fellow turf professional is left to sit in the corner of a room alone, at least not if they don’t wish to be. However, an early night is a smart move if you will wish to

be on top form for the start the next day. With so much to see it is best to take a little time to sit down and plan your campaign. Use the map you are provided with either at the show or in your magazine and find out in which of the halls the companies you wish to see are located and plan the order in which you hope to visit them. There is a good chance the person you wish to see will be involved with someone else which can easily lead to you missing out a chunk of the show not going on to a stand you had originally intended visiting.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICESA show is the ideal opportunity to clinch a deal for a piece of machinery or product as often there are show deals available which can end up saving you quite a bit of the club’s budget. Seeing representatives at Harrogate is also an ideal opportunity to set up demos at your place of work for later in the year

when you will be able to see the machines operating in their natural environment. Harrogate International Centre itself sits right in the heart of Harrogate, within easy walking distance of around 4,000 bed spaces and over 100 restaurants and bars. Make the most of your visit and stay over at one of the many hotels.

PAST SUCCESSThere were 6019 attendees at Harrogate Week 2011, a rise of 2.3 per cent on last year, with the final day attracting 1035 visitors. “We are pleased that our overall attendance figure has turned out to be so strong and is actually higher than in 2010,” said former BIGGA chief executive John Pemberton. “Given the current economic situation, which places pressure on budgets everywhere, it demonstrates clearly the strength of the Harrogate Week as a commercial and educational event. “We have a loyal following of visitors who attend every year but we are also delighted that we have attracted so many people who came to Harrogate for the very first time,” he added. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.harrogateweek.org.uk

52

EVENT PREVIEW

Bayer is a global leader in providing innovative solutions to pest, weed and plant disease problems in the professional non-crop markets. This encompasses the turf and amenity sector, as well as professional and rural pest control, stored product protection, industrial vegetation management and horticulture. Bayer’s turf and amenity division offers a comprehensive and innovative range of products for greenkeepers, groundsmen and other professionals in the turf management industry. The product range consists of turf fungicides, insecticides and a range of herbicides with its well known brands Chipco® Green, Dedicate®, Scorpio®, Merit® Turf, Longbow®, Festival®, Finale® and CDA Vanquish®. Bayer’s pest control division offers an extensive product portfolio for professionals in the hygiene and pest control

fields in urban and rural areas. The key brands in this division include Maxforce®, AquaPy®, K-Obiol®, K-Othrine®, Ficam®, Quick Bayt® and Coopex®.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 00800 1214 9451Fax: 01223 226635www.pestcontrol-expert.comwww.escience.bayercropscience.co.uk

Innovative solutions to pest, weed and plant disease problems

Meeting with representatives at Harrogate is an ideal opportunity to set up demos at your place of work for later in the year when you will be able to see the machines operating in their natural environment.

Elmwood has been at the forefront of golf and greenkeeping education for more than forty years. Over that time the company has built up a number of courses to suit the golf industry’s needs including full-time, part-time, short courses and distance learning courses. It has also developed the curriculum from entry to degree level courses. Elmwood focuses on three strands of golf education: greenkeeping and golf course management; performance golf; and golf facility management. Courses include NC Greenkeeping; HNC/D Golf Course Management; NC Performance Golf; HNC/D Professional Golf; HNC/D Golf Facility Management; PDA International Golf Course Management; and PDA Golf Facility Management. BSc Performance Golf* aims to provide students who have

successfully completed HND Professional Golf with the opportunity to pursue degree level study. Subjects covered include performance analysis,

sport psychology, coaching pedagogy and motor control. The theoretical elements of these subjects will be contextualised to golf in small group discussions and practical sessions. BA Golf Management*aims to provide students who have successfully completed HND Golf Facility Management with the opportunity to pursue degree level study. Subjects covered include corporate finance, golf facilities management, services strategy, business research and relationship marketing. *Elmwood’s degree level provision is in partnership with the University of Abertay.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.elmwood.ac.uk

At the forefront of greenkeeping education



53

Bayer’s key brands in the turf and amenity division are Chipco® Green, Dedicate®, Scorpio®, Merit® Turf, Longbow®, Festival®, Finale® and CDA Vanquish®; and the company distributes these products through some 14 distributors within the UK and Ireland. Bayer’s product portfolio consists of turf fungicides, insecticides and a range of herbicides. While each one serves a valuable purpose to groundsmen and greenkeepers, it is perhaps its fungicides, Chipco Green, Dedicate and Scorpio which professionals in the turf industry will be most familiar with; particularly at this time of year.

PREPARING FOR THE FUSARIUM SEASONMost turf managers will be faced with outbreaks of Fusarium patch (Microdochium nivale) on greens from September through to April. Left untreated, recovery of the affected area is slow as grass is dormant and as a result the infected area can significantly hamper play on sports turf until strong growth recommences in the spring / summer. In order to combat disease outbreaks Bayer advises that turf managers use an IDM (Integrated Disease Management) plan. This should include: an aeration programme, a good fertility plan and surface moisture control. It should also include a fungicide programme that rotates different chemical groups to tackle the disease. This rotation approach is

important in order to avoid the overuse of a particular active ingredient but more importantly, overuse of a fungicide group. With this in mind, Bayer suggests a fungicide programme specifically using Chipco Green and Dedicate. These two products offer an all year round treatment programme and cover three of the five fungicide groups, giving turf managers the perfect IDM with good rotation. Chipco Green is the best selling contact turf fungicide in the UK due to its versatility. It can be used for preventative, curative and early eradicant disease control. It can be used all year round when the grass is not growing and is rainfast within one hour of application. Dedicate is the newest fungicide in the Bayer range and contains two active ingredients. It is a contact and systemic fungicide which offers long term preventative and early curative control of turf disease. Similar to Chipco Green it can be used all year round and is rainfast within one hour of application.

CHIPCO GREENChipco Green has been described by many as Bayer’s flagship turf fungicide. Over the years Chipco Green has made a name for itself thanks to it having the broadest spectrum label of any contact acting fungicide on the market and is approved for six of the UK’s most common turf diseases, namely Fusarium, Red Thread, Dollar

Spot, Leaf Spot, Anthracnose and Rust. Today Chipco Green is used on some of the most prestigious sports grounds and golf courses around the world, making the product a truly global solution. Since Chipco Green’s conception, many turf fungicides have entered the market and been tried by turf managers. However, they typically return to Chipco Green due to its unrivalled versatility and the fact that it is the only pure contact acting fungicide with curative and early eradicant activity. It is for this reason that even after 30 years in the market, it is still the number one choice for turf managers. Whilst Bayer does its utmost to satisfy its customers’ needs with all of its products, its efforts are always in line with the Bayer Group’s commitments to sustainable development. ‘Protecting tomorrow... today’ is Bayer’s vision which declares its contribution to global sustainability. It is the guiding principle on which its operative and cultural strategy is based. Bayer recognises that success is possible only by means of long-term commitment to protect sustainability. This concerns not only the products and services supplied, but also in directing behaviour throughout the company’s supply chain.

£300 MILLION R&D Bayer’s research and development activities are closely aligned to market needs and geared toward continuous improvement. Bayer’s own activities are supplemented by an international network of collaborations with leading universities, public sector research institutes and partner companies that continue to expand in alignment with the company’s main areas of research and development. This network allows the pooling of expertise, helping Bayer to rapidly translate new ideas into successful products. Even so, it can take up to 10 years, the analysis of 100,000 potential active substances and about £300 million to bring to market each new and innovative product that customers come to expect from Bayer. Bayer co-operates with the relevant associations and support events which enhance the quality of service in the world of turf and amenity. L

Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. Chipco Green contains 255g/L Iprodione. (MAPP 13843) (PCS 02714). Dedicate contains 200g/L Tebuconazole and 100g/L Trifloxystrobin. (MAPP 13612). Chipco and Dedicate are registered trademarks of Bayer. © Bayer CropScience 2011.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONBayer CropScience Limited230 Cambridge Science Park,Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 0WBTel: +44 (0) 0800 1214 9451www.escience.bayercropscience.co.uk

TURF MAINTENANCE

INTEGRATED TURF SOLUTIONSBayer is a global leader in providing innovative solutions to pest, disease and weed problems in both the consumer and professional non-crop markets


Fusarium Patch Disease



ORDINARY FM OR ARTHUR MCKAY FM?

Arthur McKay FM have offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London delivering fully integrated facility management solutions. In these times of austerity Britain the FM industry has a key role to play in providing our customers with cost effective sustainable solutions that allow them to concentrate on their core business whilst we operate and maintain their estate and buildings.

Arthur McKay FM are continuing to grow as a business with major FM contract wins in the local and central Government sector. By choosing Arthur McKay FM as your integrated Facilities Management partner you not only streamline your current cost base but see valuable cost savings within your business operations and have the peace of mind to know you have a partner who values your business and we will bring continuous innovation throughout the contract term whilst fully understanding the demands of Facilities Managers and procurement professionals.

If you are looking for a new FM provider or would like additional information on our company you can email us at [email protected]

“

“

Visit our website www.arthur-mckay.com

Edinburgh Office42 Dryden Road, Bilston Industrial Estate, Loanhead,Midlothian, EH20 9LZ Tel: +44(0) 131 440 6000Fax: +44(0) 131 44 6601

London Office Units B6 & 7 Poplar Business Park 10 Prestons Road,London, E14 9RLTel: +44(0) 207 531 7250Fax: +44(0) 207 531 7251

Glasgow OfficeCameron Court, Cameron Street, Hillington Park,Glasgow G52 4JG Tel: +44(0) 141 559 6500Fax: +44(0) 141 892 8888

Arthur McKay FM

Ordinary FM

55

“Facilities management is the integration of processes within an organisation to maintain and develop the agreed services which support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities.” This is the definition of FM provided by CEN, the European Committee for Standardisation, and ratified by BSI. Facilities management professionals are responsible for services that support business. Their roles can cover management of a wide range of areas including health and safety, risk management, business continuity, procurement, sustainability, space planning, energy, property and asset management. They are typically responsible for activities such as catering, cleaning, building maintenance, environmental services, security and reception. Facilities management encompasses multi-disciplinary activities within the built

environment and the management of their impact upon people and the workplace.

THE EVOLUTION OF FMSome key points in the development of facilities management include the cost-cutting initiatives of the 1970s and 1980s under which organisations began to outsource ‘non-core’ services, and also the integration of planning and management of a wide range of services both ‘hard’ (e.g. building fabric)

and ‘soft’ (e.g. catering, cleaning, security, mailroom, and health and safety) to achieve better quality and economies of scale. The formation of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) in 1993, followed by the development of specialised training and a qualification was also a key point, along with step-change with the Private Finance Initiative (now Public Private Partnerships), becoming an integral part of large-scale projects to manage, replace, and upgrade the country’s infrastructure and public service facilities. This new approach was swiftly followed in the private sector and abroad.

EFFECTIVE FMEffective facilities management, combining resources and activities, is vital to the success of any organisation. At a corporate level, it contributes to the delivery of strategic and operational objectives. On a day-to day level, effective facilities management provides a safe and efficient working environment, which is essential to the performance of any business – whatever its size and scope. Within this fast growing professional discipline, facilities managers have E

Facilities management encompasses multi-disciplinary activities within the built environment and the management of their impact upon people and the workplace.

ESTATES MANAGEMENT

PROVIDING A SAFE AND EFFICIENT ENVIRONMENTEffective facilities management is vital to the success of any organisation, says the British Institute of Facilities Management

Facilities Managem

entBUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk


Replacing earlier anti-discrimination law such as the DDA, the Equality Act 2010 requires employers and service providers to improve accessibility not only for their customers and service users with hearing impairments, but for their staff too. The ‘reasonable adjustments’ it requires will help those with hearing loss to work, live and communicate more equally.

Induction loops improve audibility for hearing aid users at counters and reception desks, and in public spaces such as theatres, airports, schools, residential homes, churches and conference centres. They ease communication and help to build better relationships between staff, customers and service users.

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knowledge. The sector definition continues to expand to include the management of an increasingly broad range of tangible assets, support services and people skills.

THE GREEN ANGLECarbon reduction and energy efficiency are now very much part of the role of a facilities manager. The results from the annual BIFM Sustainability in FM Survey 2011 reveal that 91 per cent of respondents believe their organisation now have sustainability policies in place; corporate image (98 per cent) is a key driver for such policies (was 59 per cent in 2009); and 90 per cent state that carbon footprint is a key issue in sustainability policies (was 48 per cent in 2009). The physical constraints of a building are still cited as the main barrier for sustainability policies. Launched in 2007 by BIFM and the University of Reading, the survey examines the key drivers, issues and best practices within FM. L


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ESTATES MANAGEMENT

protection in an era of heightened security threats.Successful organisations will approach FM as an integral part of their strategic plan. Those organisations that treat FM as a ‘commodity overhead’ will be at a significant strategic disadvantage.

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT TODAYThe FM sector is now large and complex, comprising a mix of in-house departments, specialist contractors, large multi-service companies, and consortia delivering the full range of design, build, finance and management. Estimates vary; market research suggests that, in the UK alone, the sector is worth between £40bn and £95bn per annum. The facilities management profession has come of age. Its practitioners require skill and

E extensive responsibilities for providing, maintaining and developing myriad services. These range from property strategy, space management and communications infrastructure to building maintenance, administration and contract management. Excellent facilities management can, amongst other things:• deliver effective management of an organisation’s assets• enhance the skills of people within the FM sector and provide identifiable and meaningful career options• enable new working styles and processes – vital in this technology-driven age • enhance and project an organisation’s identity and image• help the integration processes associated with change, post-merger or acquisition • deliver business continuity and workforce

About the BIFM

The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) is the professional body for facilities management (FM) in the UK. Founded in 1993, the Institute represents and promotes the interest of members and the wider FM community. The Institute delivers a range of services and benefits, including information, qualifications, continuing professional development, training and networking for over 12,000 individual and corporate members.

The role of the facilities manager

Facilities management professionals are responsible for services that support business. Their roles can cover management of a wide range of areas including: health and safety, risk management, business continuity, procurement, sustainability, space planning, energy, property and asset management. They are typically responsible for activities such as catering, cleaning, building maintenance, environmental services, security and reception.





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Our Preference reward solution is the perfect reward to give to your employees or customers. Preference opens up the reward choice for the recipient and removes the dilema you may face when selecting appropriate incentives for your employees or customers.

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59

Written by the UKG

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are not feasible, or to incentivise with an aim to create positive changes in staff performance, rewards can have a positive impact. Rewards are a highly effective way to ensure people feel valued and that the work they are doing is recognised. Andy Philpott, sales and marketing director at Edenred, comments: “A reward programme is a good way of driving desirable behaviour, be it good attendance, hard work or excellent results.”

A VARIETY OF REWARDSNaturally, in order to ensure that rewards have the ability to change behaviour, there will need to be certain elements in place, as Philpott explains: “A reward programme will not achieve its targets if the reward does not fit the requirements or lifestyle of the recipient.” Adrian Duncan, business development director at P&MM Motivation, explains: “I’m often asked what type of prizes work best in employee incentive schemes. While we receive regular requests for some unusual rewards, offering prizes which are too extraordinary may alienate some of the workforce. While it is important to get people on board by making incentive schemes exciting and interesting, the key objective must be to provide suitable incentives for the target audience. For this you need to know your people and give them as wide a choice as possible.” Philpott summarises: “When it comes to rewards, a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. Recipients have different requirements depending on their lifestyle, status and family situation and will respond better to a reward that matches their interests.” Within any setting, people will have different tastes and interests. For example, the particular needs and aspirations of a 24 year old trainee are usually poles apart from those of a 55 year old, yet both may be working under the same scheme. Rewards that appeal to many tastes and act as excellent motivators are well-being incentives and rewards, according to David Butler, general manager at National Garden Gift Vouchers. The popularity of this type of incentive is perhaps driven by the current economic climate, which means that staff may be expected to work longer hours and take responsibility for more work. “The demand for well-being incentives is being driven by both employers and staff themselves,” says Butler. “Making sure that everyone is fully engaged and committed is key to any education business success, whether in the public or private sector, which means that motivation and reward schemes, particularly short term or instant rewards, need to have a high-satisfaction level and well-being appeal. “Sometimes a simple voucher that promotes work-life balance and is family inclusive can be a cost effective and much appreciated incentive solution.” Most important is that the recipient feels they have an element of choice and control over their reward. It is not enough to simply E

STAFF MOTIVATION

In this article, experts from the motivation and reward industry discuss reward schemes within the public sector and explore how to ensure they are implemented successfully. Introducing engaging rewards solutions that offer incentives for achieving short term and long term goals is an excellent strategy within the public sector for

addressing issues such as underperformance, absenteeism and punctuality, as well as for recognising improvement. While the economy has forced a cautious approach to rewards and recognition, it is important that appropriate performance incentives are used to maximise results. Whether used to motivate staff when pay rises

Whether used to motivate staff when pay rises are not feasible, or to incentivise with an aim to create positive changes in staff performance, rewards can have a positive impact.

SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION Rewards can be highly effective in improving the performance of staff, especially during these difficult times. So what should organisations consider when embarking on a reward scheme?

Incentives & Rewards



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From the early days, gift vouchers were the ideal present, giving a choice of goods and retailers, as previously most of us had purchased 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, with many sections within the goverment sector using a variety of gift vouchers. 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 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 feelgood 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 but reduce the long term cost to the nation.

In the current economic climate many government sector departments are using gift vouchers and cards as staff rewards for recognition of service and performance. Numerous cost reduction, performance improvement schemes not only assist in improving the overall situation within the sector but give staff a tangible reward. Many of these programmes have been introduced as points-related rewards, which are collected under various programmes for achievements and can be converted to gift vouchers when the points levels are achieved. 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 also been able to reduce the administration costs of reward and incentive programmes and reduced the delay between achieving the reward and actually receiving of 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 even as they first developed as a gift for Christmas or birthdays. Many of those working abroad or with the British Armed Forces abroad 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 INFORMATIONwww.vouchers4charity.org.uk

Gift vouchers are the present buyer’s flexible friend

For over 35 years Hesley Group has provided specialist care, education and vocational services for people with complex needs, challenging behaviours and severe learning difficulties arising from autism. People placed within our services are valued and respected as individuals, are at the centre of everything we do and are always in receipt of personalised care and support. Over 50 local authorities, adult services departments and primary care trusts throughout the UK entrust the Hesley Group with placements. Children’s Services enable young people to realise their potential through individual care and physical and emotional plans to ensure they are well supported with their needs. Hesley Group’s two schools, Fullerton House and Wilsic Hall, have been recognised as ‘outstanding providers’ of care by Ofsted. Adult Services offers care

pathways that are based on the individual needs of each person. This enables each individual to work towards achieving a progressively independent life. Hesley Group’s Supported Living Service supports adults with autism and complex needs to live their own lives in the community of their choice. The services are based on individual needs and wishes. The company says it delivers the highest standards of service for the best possible outcomes.


Specialist support every step of the way



Incentives & Rewards

bear in mind is the delivery format of an incentive or reward. A gift voucher or card may be ideal for some recipients, whereas for others a digital voucher may be preferred. David Butler says: “In many rewards and incentive programmes, vouchers are still very popular because they are extremely flexible and often represent a more appropriate and thoughtful gift than cash bonuses and other incentives. Plus, the recipient can easily see the value of what they have been given, which is not always the case with a gift card.” For those who like the durability of a gift card, a pre-paid card is ideal. Duncan states: “Pre-paid MasterCards, such as the Spree Card, are another method which can be used to help participants accumulate funds, which are then paid onto a recipient’s card. This gives even greater choice and flexibility, allowing participants to build up funds and then spend them anywhere MasterCard is accepted. “Whether that’s a payment for a new laptop or text books, this method provides

branded cash in the participant’s wallet and provides great flexibility, ensuring points are spent, therefore reinforcing the action that generated the funds.” For others, a digital voucher may be a convenient way of receiving a reward. Gilles Coccoli, managing director of PrePay Solutions, says: “Prepaid MasterCard is an effective way for parents to give students a certain amount of money as student funding. It is flexible, secure and does not allow the person to go over budget. “Whilst gift cards and vouchers are an effective method of incentivising or rewarding, the impact is lost if the delivery does not match the needs or lifestyle of the recipient. A mobile voucher is an effective way of reaching out directly to the recipient, especially as a large number of people are smartphone owners. In the UK alone it is estimated that 11 million people currently own a smartphone, a figure that is set to increase as mobiles continue to develop and evolve. “A person’s mobile is connected to their world, both personally and professionally, and the use of mobile vouchers targets people on the move, whether teacher or learner, wherever they are. What’s more, the recipient is likely to always have their handset with them.”

David Pearson says: “A mobile voucher makes perfect sense. The mobile phone is a platform which typically remains with the user 24 hours a day, so what better channel to deliver a reward?”

A POSITIVE DRIVER Of course, given current budgetary constraints, and that people who become teachers often do so for altruistic reasons, then it would make sense to consider the concept of recognition in itself. Duncan explains: “Introducing a method for people to be recognised in a consistent and regular way will have great benefits in itself. There is a range of methods to facilitate this: online, on print and on smart phones. Recognition, when executed effectively, is an excellent way to improve performance, without costing the Earth. The recognition itself is the motivator, but small rewards can be given as tokens of appreciation which eventually accumulate so that recipients can choose something of real value. “It is also worth considering non-

monetary rewards and additional benefits as part of your motivation package, rather than pure reward. “In similar environments we have seen access to voucher discount schemes being given as a reward. For example, with rewards given via a Spree Card, employers can choose to allow recipients to load their own money onto the card and receive discounts at retailers. Only the cost of the card is paid for by the employer, whilst the recipient has the opportunity to save hundreds of pounds over a year. This can be a cost effective way to maintain motivation over an extended period.” As we can see, the type of reward to offer really depends upon the nature of the programme, its objectives, the duration of the programme and the intended audience. Duncan concludes: “Ultimately, we find that choice is key. The public sector encounters similar constraints and issues to those faced by commercial businesses and provided that a reward programme successfully produces measurable results, it can prove hugely powerful in encouraging positive behaviour.” L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.ukgcva.co.uk

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STAFF MOTIVATION

E hand out a gift card or gift voucher and expect this to have an impact as the reward must be relevant to the individual. Butler summarises: “In fact, rewards and incentives that allow choice, have a similar perceived value or ‘cash’ appeal as vouchers but at the same time encourage physical and holistic activities, are a favourite option.” Experiential rewards are also an effective motivator and rather than the recipient gaining a material keepsake, they will gain a memorable experience. David Pearson, director at Filmology, says: “Experiential rewards are particularly popular. Rewards and incentives that employees are able to enjoy, often with friends and family members, carry wide appeal due to their ability to create memories. “Film and cinema-based rewards carry widespread accessibility and universal appeal and are unusual in that they offer new choices every week. The demand for cinema vouchers as incentive rewards has been consistently high, quite simply because everybody enjoys a trip to the movies. The relatively low cost of offering cinema vouchers and the widespread popularity of film makes cinema an appealing proposition for employee rewards.” Philpott says: “Reward platforms that offer a vast range of incentive and reward solutions are particularly effective. For example, Compliments Select offers recipients the ultimate choice of single store vouchers and gift cards from 70 retailers, multi store vouchers and cards offering a choice from more than 160 retailers, an experience card offering 1,000 experiences, or a travel voucher.”

COMMUNICATION OF A SCHEME Vouchers and gift cards can be utilised as incentive tools for staff on all levels, and while the type of reward and the way it is introduced may differ, the importance of communicating the scheme to the targeted audience is instrumental to its success. Duncan explains: “The way in which a reward is presented is inherent to the success of an incentive scheme. The overall impact it has on boosting performance, attendance, behaviour and punctuality for example, depends largely on the quality of communication and how effectively and frequently it is conveyed. The communication must have the wholehearted support of senior managers to ensure they are fully aware and able to communicate the details and their commitment to staff. It is important to generate excitement and a buzz around a scheme so that people feel engaged and that it is applicable to them. Staff need to understand clearly what is expected of them in order to participate, and also feel that it is accessible to them individually and that whatever is expected of them is achievable.”

TECHNOLOGICAL MOTIVATIONWhilst the importance of offering a range of choice is a key factor, another point to

Vouchers and gift cards can be utilised as incentive tools for staff on all levels, and while the type of reward and the way it is introduced may differ, the importance of communicating the scheme to the targeted audience is instrumental to its success.

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ALARM RESPONSE & KEYHOLDING

WARD SECURITY

For a list of our accreditations, please visit

WIRELESS INTRUDER DETECTION SYSTEMIdeal for empty properties• No power required on site• Sends real time video• Portable, cost effective

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Multifire is a long established specialist company providing a nationwide fire alarm service to all industriesWe provide a full support package for our customers at every stage of project build, from the initial system design, including client/fire authority consultation, all the way through to the supply, installation, test, commissioning and ongoing maintenance of the fire alarm equipment specified.

Complying with the British Standard BS5839 Part 1, our dedicated maintenance team will arrange for an engineer to visit your premises four times or twice a year, normally once every three or six months, during which time 100% of your building will be tested to ensure all devices are working within the required limits.

Tel 01634 735 465 Email [email protected] web www.multifire.co.uk

MULTIfire MSL • Suite 2B Beta house • Culpeper Close • Medway City Estate • Rochester • Kent • ME2 4HU

Now in its fourth year, this widely-acclaimed and world-beating premier event is aimed at public and private sector professionals working at the sharp end in ensuring an effective and consistent response to the threat we face from terrorism. Counter Terror Expo remains the only event of its kind to gather experts and industrialists in a unique and secure environment designed to foster close cooperation in the complex and multi-faceted task of combatting terrorism at the transnational, regional and local level. It is being held at a time of great uncertainty in the world – the capture and death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is said to be proof positive that the decade-old campaign against terrorism is being won. Although hailed as a great success, the infringement of Pakistan’s sovereign territory by United States military assets has not played well and resulted in a difficult relationship with that country apparently becoming distinctly frosty.

Meanwhile, the tumultuous upheaval across great swathes of the Arab world has led to a shift in the balance of power regionally, which may present a significant danger on our own doorstep if the vacuum is not filled appropriately. While it is hoped that the ousting of hardline leaderships in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt will bring about greater stability, the power vacuum has been filled by interim military leaderships which appear reticent about letting go of the reigns in two of these countries. Thus public dissent is once again being heard on the Arab street. A CHANGING WORLDCivil unrest also continues unabated at the time of writing in Yemen and Syria. The former has proven to be a relatively safe haven for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which has been successful in launching potentially devastating attacks against Western targets over the past three years. The hardline leadership of the latter looks increasingly fragile as it strives to retain power against a backdrop of international

indignation at civilian killings and detentions. Syria’s leadership is said to have no appreciable opposition capable of holding the country together in the event that Bashar al-Assad eventually goes. Assuming a meltdown does occur in the country, it will likely give rise to significant danger on Europe’s porous Eastern borders. Bahrain has also been the scene of a crackdown on civilian opposition to the ruling elite with military support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia most recently introduced limited societal reforms in an effort to quell rising voices of dissent. The so called ‘Arab Spring’ could potentially be turning into the ‘Arab Winter’. Counter Terror Expo will be held at a time of deep governmental cost cutting as national economies globally strive to address issues gripping the financial markets. National defence budgets (including counter terrorism efforts) are not immune to such pruning. Irrespective

of deeply devastating acts of terrorism in the past, some of these national budgets are being slashed as a result of a perceived peace dividend. History has demonstrated previously that such a policy has a tendency to leave the gate open to future attack. It is incumbent on the military, security services, industry and academia generally to drive this point home, whilst engaging in dialogue and developing solutions that fit with the current world politic at an acceptable and achievable price point. Counter Terror Expo’s operationally critical and highly respected centrepiece conference has a well deserved reputation for its delivery of insight, analysis and perspective on the range of threats faced. The event gathers over 100 internationally recognised speakers in the field of counter terrorism together annually, to debate the issues faced, define the operational strategies, and help to shape future policy within the secure conclave of conference. Principal conferences include global counter terrorism; cyber security and electronic terrorism; protection of crowded places (including

designing out terrorism and emergency service response); critical national infrastructure protection, and tactical counter terrorism. Conference is held alongside a wide range of hands-on showcase events designed to highlight the capabilities of many of the technology solutions available to counter terrorism professionals today, as well as an extensive range of educational workshops presented by key experts from the industry sector. Counter Terror Expo will feature several new showcase events – here’s a flavour.

CBRNE PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENTThis event primary focuses on the needs of the military, police, emergency services, EOD and Hazmat teams responding to incidents and features. It includes live product demonstrations and scenario-based demonstrations including decontamination, detection and incident management. IEDD LIVE THEATREWith specific relevance to police, fire, military, transport security and other emergency responders, this event showcases ROV (remote operated vehicle) capability through scenario based demonstrations. It also demonstrates ancillary equipment such as hook and line, jamming and ground scanning, and highlights current generation suit mobility and maneuverability in extreme situations, including victim recovery. ACCESS CONTROL FOCUSAccess to potentially high risk buildings and facilities remains a key consideration in counter terrorism planning. This event highlights the substantial range of solutions available, circumstance-dependent deployment methodologies, and hands-on ability to assess current solutions. The event is supported by an extensive exhibition of hardware and software solutions from across the globe. Over 100 internationally-recognised speakers in the field of counter terrorism and over 400 leading industry technologists will debate the issues faced by the industry, define the operational strategies, and help to shape future counter terrorism policy. Evolving in line with global geopolitics, Counter Terror Expo remains the only show of its kind in the world today. It is the principal event in the calendar of industry professionals globally and will be held next at London Olympia 25-26 April 2012. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.counterterrorexpo.com/gb

EVENT PREVIEW

COUNTER TERROR EXPO 2012Counter Terror Expo returns to London Olympia 25-26 April 2012

Security

Counter Terror Expo remains the only event of its kind to gather experts and industrialists in a unique and secure environment designed to foster close cooperation in the complex and multi-faceted task of combatting terrorism at the transnational, regional and local level.

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With four months to go before doors open, the organisers have reported unprecedented interest in the new Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (ACR) Show 2012. It has been launched as a national showcase for innovation, networking and knowledge transfer for the industry and cooling equipment end users. The event takes place in Hall 19 at the NEC on 13 to 15 March 2012. It will enable visitors to see the latest products and technology coming on-stream across the commercial and industrial refrigeration and air conditioning sector. Three big-name sponsors are backing the show: LG is sponsoring one of the two seminar theatres; Panasonic is sponsoring the Heat Pump Arena, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is sponsoring the onsite visitor registration area. With a few months until doors open, the show is already three quarters fully booked. Visitors will also have free access to leading experts in three days of cutting edge seminars, which will run throughout the event in

twin auditoriums on the exhibition floor. The show is the only national event of its kind and launched with the backing of key organisations and companies. It will have a dedicated arena for heat pump technology, where visitors can see the latest contenders in the race to harness low-cost renewable energy. With energy costs rocketing, cutting running costs is a key issue for end users. Cooling equipment accounts for around 20 per cent of total UK energy consumption. This will be reflected in the high profile seminar programme, with practical presentations showing how the trade can help users reduce running costs and cut carbon emissions.

CORE THEMESOther core themes will be:• the impact of F-Gas legislation on

the trade and equipment users• how to respond to the imminent phase- out of R22 refrigerant – still one of the most common refrigerants in use• the latest developments in alternative cooling systems that don’t depend on high global warming HFCs.Visitors will be able to see the latest offering from well-known companies such as: AHT Cooling Systems, Bitzer UK, Danfoss, Dorin, Emerson Climate Technologies, Frascold, Fujitsu General (UK), GEA Searle, Gram (UK), Hoshizaki, HRP, Hubbard, J&E Hall International, Javac, Mexichem Fluor, National Refrigerants, Oceanair, Sabroe, Teknic Refrigeration, Thermofrost Cryo and Toshiba. SUPPORTThe show is being launched with the backing of leading industry organisations, including the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR), the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association (HVCA), the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA), British Refrigeration Association (BRA), Heat Pump

Association (HPA) and HEVAC Association. Miriam Rodway, secretary of the IOR, said: “The Institute of Refrigeration is pleased to be supporting the new ACR Show in 2012. The exhibition is a great opportunity for networking, and will bring together members of the IOR, Service Engineers Section and our new Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Institute at a high focussed industry event.” Jan Thorpe, event director, said: “The response of the industry to the launch has been fantastic. It has confirmed our belief that the air conditioning and refrigeration industry deserves its own show and that people will support it. “There are major challenges and opportunities facing the sector in terms of technology, legislation and the environment. The timing, being held in March 2012, provides an excellent national focus

to bring the industry and its customers together to catch up with the latest developments and share experience.”

F-GAS REGULATIONThose who own or operate air conditioning or refrigeration equipment have been urged to get to grips with new mandatory duties, following the implementation of the F-Gas Regulation. The new laws, which came into force this summer, require those who operate HFC-based refrigeration or air conditioning systems above a certain size to carry out regular checks to ensure equipment is not leaking refrigerant to atmosphere. Any leaks found must be repaired, and further checks carried out to ensure equipment is completely leak-tight. Failure to carry out the checks, or take action in the event of a leak being discovered, could result in prosecution and fines. The legislation came into force on 4 July 2011, and is part of a European-wide push to reduce emissions of HFCs, potent Global Warming gases in widespread use as refrigerants in commercial refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. “There are literally hundreds of thousands of refrigeration and air conditioning systems in use across the country that depend on so-called F-Gases. HFCs are by far the most common refrigerants in use in commercial cooling systems, and all are subject to the new requirements,” says Iona Spencer of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Show. “It is vital that everyone who uses this equipment gets rapidly up to speed with the new legislation. We understand the authorities are gearing up to take more concerted enforcement activity, and that prosecutions may follow.” The F-Gas Regulation also requires equipment owners to monitor and record all HFC refrigerant used to top-up their refrigeration and air conditioning systems. These records must be made available for onsite inspectors and regulatory authorities. GETTING UP TO SPEEDThose who operate refrigeration and air conditioning equipment can get quickly up to speed with the new requirements, and what they must do to comply, by attending a series of practical and informative seminars being staged alongside the forthcoming Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Show. The free presentations by industry experts will give visitors a clear overview of the new legislation, what it means for them and how to stay on the right side of the law. “The aim is to give equipment users a clear summary of how it affects them, and provide an action plan they can take back to their business and implement. We expect high demand for the sessions, which will be available to pre-book on a first-come, first-served basis,” says Iona Spencer. E

There are major challenges and opportunities facing the sector in terms of technology, legislation and the environment. The timing, being held in March 2012, provides an excellent national focus to bring the industry and its customers together to catch up with the latest developments and share experience.

EVENT PREVIEW

THE ACR SHOWThe countdown to new national showcase for refrigeration and air conditioning technology in 2012 has begun

Refri

gera

tion

& Ai

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ning BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk


Refrigeration & Air Conditioning

E In addition to seminars on the F-Gas Regulation, the programme will include presentations on how to reduce your cooling energy bill by simple no-cost or low-cost measures; the implications for end-users of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations (EPBD); and how to effectively manage your refrigeration and air conditioning contractor. The dedicated heat pump arena will give visitors an opportunity to see the latest heat pump technology coming onstream. With energy costs increasing, heat pumps are seen by many as one of the most promising technologies for harnessing renewable energy. They are able to harness free energy from the air, ground or water and use it to deliver low-cost heating for homeowners or commercial and public buildings. Today’s heat pumps can significantly cut energy costs by as much as 50 per cent, while ensuring high quality comfort conditions for building occupants. The heat pump arena is being sponsored by Panasonic, and will play host to companies who specialise in heat pump technology and services. Exhibitors include Box Clever Engineering, Charles Austen Pumps Ltd, Hydra Technologies, KR Associates, Oceanair (UK) Ltd, Primalec, Panasonic, SIKA Systemtechnik GmbH, DCI Refrigeration & Electrical and Jumo.

SKILLS CENTREThe show will feature a Skills Centre with training experts on hand to provide visitors with information on air conditioning and refrigeration courses and grants available. Sponsored by wholesaler HRP and located on the show floor, the Skills Centre is being supported by the industry key training bodies SummitSkills, City & Guilds and BEST (Building Engineering Services Training), with senior representatives available during the show. Chris Bailey from City & Guilds will be available throughout the show to give visitors advice on qualifications and details about the work of the organisation. Michael Reeves, development manager and project manager for the SkillMandE Competitions, will be on hand on Wednesday 14 March and Thursday 15 March to discuss qualifications, apprenticeships and much more. A training advisor from BEST will be available during the show to offer advice on the organisations ACR training courses. Visitors can now register online to attend the forthcoming Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Show, which takes place at the NEC from 13 to 15 March 2012. Among the end users who have already registered to attend are: Boots, Bolton Council, DHL, The Royal Navy, John Lewis Partnership, Gatwick Airport, Tesco, Kingfisher, Pepisco International, One Stop Stores. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONFor more details on exhibiting, contact Iona Spencer on 020 8651 7113, or e-mail [email protected]

For more details on visiting, see www.acrshow.co.uk

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With energy costs increasing, heat pumps are seen by many as one of the most promising technologies for harnessing renewable energy. They are able to harness free energy from the air, ground or water and use it to deliver low-cost heating for homeowners.





Bath’s Historic Buildings

Roman Baths & Pump Room Assembly Rooms Guildhall Victoria Art Gallery

Stunning and unique venues in the heart of a World Heritage City

Perfect for conferences, dinners, & exhibitions

www.bathvenues.co.uk [email protected] 01225 477782

Green Tourism Business Scheme Silver AwardCombining a central city location with superb transport links, flexible event space for 2 – 280 people, and a dedicated team of events experts, the Ramada Bristol City Hotel is the ideal place to bring people together for meetings, conferences, exhibitions or any other events. An AA four-star hotel and Green Tourism Business Scheme silver award winner, the Ramada Bristol City offers nine conference rooms, 201 guest rooms and a full technical support team. Both before and during your event, you’ll enjoy the peace of mind provided by having clear, continuous communications and a single point of contact thanks to our dedicated Summit Ambassadors. Budgeting is hassle free too, with our inclusive day delegate and 24 hour rates meaning there are no hidden extras to worry about, leaving you to focus on your guests.

LocationJust 500 yards from Bristol Temple Meads rail station, easily accessible from the M4, M5 and M32, and with excellent bus links to Bristol International Airport, the Ramada Bristol City Hotel is easy to reach from all corners of the UK.

ValueFrom just £32 day delegate rate or £115 for 24 hours, our great value rates include:n Dedicated Summit Ambassador to ensure everything runs smoothly and to meet and greet your delegates.n Choice of working buffet lunch or two course meal in our historic Kiln restaurant.n Free wifi in meeting rooms and bedrooms.n Free data projector and screen.n Plentiful free, secure parking on site.After a productive day, your delegates can also take advantage of specially discounted Government bedroom rates, relax at our health club, with fully equipped gym, heated indoor pool and sauna and steam rooms, or head into Bristol’s vibrant city centre. To arrange your meeting, conference or event or for more information, call 0117 926 0041, email [email protected] or visit www.ramada-bristol.co.uk

IT PAYS TO BE CONNECTEDGet together at the Ramada Bristol City Hotel

From £32 day delegate / From £115 24 hour rate Special Government rates available for accommodation!

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Bristol is the largest city in South West England and has undergone a spectacular 21st century renaissance. Mixing its rich maritime heritage with a contemporary, slightly alternative vibe, Bristol offers everything from the street art of Banksy and See No Evil, to the iconic designs of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s SS Great Britain and Clifton Suspension Bridge. Steeped in history and heritage, visitors enjoy wandering along cobbled streets of the old city and browsing Bristol’s many important churches providing reminders of the city’s rich medieval past. More recently, Bristol has been recognised as the south west’s shopping capital and UK Green Capital.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATIONBristol is one of the most easily accessible cities in the UK, with excellent road, rail and air links. As the closest major city

to London and gateway to south west England, Bristol has easy access to the M4 and M5 motorways, two mainline railway stations and the UK’s fastest growing international airport. Bristol Airport currently welcomes operators flying into the city from 112 airports across the world. The city centre offers a compact area for business travellers with an array of hotels, unique venues, attractions and dining options all within walking distance. Bristol is best seen by foot, but residents and visitors alike often rely on the city’s excellent public transportation, including a ferry boat system which travels along Bristol’s popular Harbourside to major shopping, dining and attraction venues offering a sustainable travel alternative. The city is home to over 450 parks and green spaces, many of which are also within walking distance of major business and event venues. Bristol welcomes exhibitions, conferences and events of all styles and sizes. The capacity and flexibility of venues will be a welcome

surprise to some, and the ‘can do’ attitude is a breath of fresh air to event organisers. With more than 2,000 four star bedrooms in the central area and a number of venues able to manage events in excess of 1,000 delegates, Bristol can easily cater for the majority of conferences and events. Another asset to Bristol is the diversity of venues available. With many major and recognisable hotel brands, plus some unique to the region, Bristol has the quality and product to be adaptable to market demands. Recent hotel developments have included an £8.5 million refurbishment of the Bristol Hotel and a recent refurbishment of The Grand by Thistle. In 2011, Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel will also complete a major refurbishment of its conference facilities. Also in 2011, Radisson BLU Bristol also saw improved conference facilities, while Holiday Inn Filton

welcomed a new dedicated boardroom space and additional meeting rooms. New hotels in 2011 include the Holiday Inn Bristol City Centre and smaller townhouse accommodation like Brooks Guesthouse and Number 38 Clifton. Also new to Bristol’s portfolio is the city’s £27 million history museum and conference space, M Shed. What’s more, over 15 Bristol hotels and B&Bs are currently accredited by the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

BATH: AN INSPIRING DESTINATIONThe city of Bath is a unique destination making it an ideal location for conference and business events. Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the wonderful backdrop of heritage and beautiful surrounding countryside is combined with a range of exceptionally high quality, character and unusual venues. Although a compact city, Bath still manages to pack a lot in with many centrally located venues and leisure and cultural facilities

to rival any other major European city. One of the newest venues to open in Bath is Waterhouse – an 18th Century manor house nestled in the beautiful Limpley Stoke Valley. Sympathetically and classically restored to its former glory, with an upmarket and contemporary twist, Waterhouse is set in natural country grounds boasting a brook and views across Somerset countryside. The venue also has 12 luxury en-suite bedrooms, meeting rooms that house up to 40 people, as well as an executive library which provides an inspiring place to do business or just relax, reflect and recharge. Waterhouse is also home to Wilsher, a specialist high performance coaching and training consultancy. So, whether you want to run your own event, combine Waterhouse with their specialist in-house training or just hire some thinking space, it’s an ideal location. Following several years of redevelopment, one of the city’s major art galleries re-opened in May 2011. Destined to be one of Europe’s finest regional museums, the Holburne has an enviable location within Bath’s picturesque Sydney Gardens and overlooking Great Pulteney Street. The Holburne offers a range of bespoke hospitality and event facilities within the restored Georgian building, striking modern extension or in the private garden. The museum can organise a very special evening for delegates with a drinks reception in one of the galleries followed by dinner and a private tour with the museum’s curator.

UNIQUE VENUES TO BATHWith elegant Georgian architecture a-plenty, there isn’t a shortage of character venues in Bath. The Assembly Rooms serve as Bath’s premier conference venue, providing a prestigious setting for up to 500 delegates. This stunning Grade 1 listed building is also perfect for exhibitions, AGMs and gala dinners. The building dates back to 1771 and is still adorned with its original Whitefriars crystal chandeliers and exquisite portraits by Gainsborough and Hoare within its interconnected rooms. The Roman Baths and Pump Room is another of Bath’s unique and popular venues and is one of the most delightful historic buildings in the country. Dating back nearly 2,000 years, the Roman Baths offer a special atmosphere for a drinks reception. Up to 300 guests may mingle beside the torch-lit and steaming waters of the Great Bath. A dinner for up to 180 guests may follow in the elegant Georgian Pump Room, or for a smaller event guests may dine on the Terrace overlooking the Roman Baths. Two more intimate period rooms with views across to Bath Abbey are also available for events. Bath city centre is incredibly compact, and you can walk from one side of the city to the other in under twenty minutes – ideal for delegates arriving into the central train or coach station. If driving, the city is equally easy to reach and only a short drive from the M4. L

The capacity and flexibility of venues will be a welcome surprise to some, and the ‘can do’ attitude is a breath of fresh air to event organisers.

BRISTOL & BATH

HEAD WEST AND DISCOVER PERFECT BUSINESS VENUESGovernment Business takes a wander around two of the UK’s most popular West Country cities and uncovers an abundance of top quality venues to inspire public sector event planners

Conferences & EventsBUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk


For more information on the Three Counties Centre visit: [email protected]

Versatile, spacious and comfortable, with superb top floor views of the beautiful Malvern Hills …

The Three Counties Showground is buildingon its reputation as the region’s premierevent centre, with the addition of a brandnew £1m conference centre, to complementits main exhibition hall.

The modern Three Counties Centre is aesthetically pleasing, multi-functional andequipped to the highest standards. It is theperfect venue for private and corporateevents, conferences, seminars, exhibitionsand parties.

.. But don’t take our word for it. Come along and see for yourself! Contact :

Olivia Buxton Venue Hire Co-ordinator Three Counties Showground Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6NW T: 01684 584 909 E: [email protected] W: www.threecounties.co.uk

three counties centre_A5 invite_Layout 1 11/10/2011 16:33 Page 2

Versatile, spacious and comfortable, with superb top floor views of the spectacular Malvern Hills …

Perfect for• Conferences&Seminars• Exhibitions&TradeFairs• ProductLaunches&VideoShoots• TrainingandTeamBuildingDays• Parties&Weddings

excellent facilities• Morethan300squaremetresofspaceoneachoftwofloors• Anadditional2,200squaremetresofexhibitionspace• Fullyequippedforaudiovisual,internetandplasma• Provisionforcateringandbars• Break-outrooms• Ampleparkingandaccess

first class serVice• Accomplishedeventorganisers• Establishedvenue• Tailor-madepackagesandmulti-daydiscountstosuityour

businessbudget

Don’t take our word for it, come and see for yourself!

Contact:OliviaBuxton,VenueHireCo-ordinator,ThreeCountiesShowground,Malvern,Worcestershire.WR136NW.Telephone:01684584924

tHe new sPace for

business & Pleasure

clean air for clear thinking ...

For more information on the Three Counties Centre visit: [email protected]

Versatile, spacious and comfortable, with superb top floor views of the beautiful Malvern Hills …

The Three Counties Showground is buildingon its reputation as the region’s premierevent centre, with the addition of a brandnew £1m conference centre, to complementits main exhibition hall.

The modern Three Counties Centre is aesthetically pleasing, multi-functional andequipped to the highest standards. It is theperfect venue for private and corporateevents, conferences, seminars, exhibitionsand parties.

.. But don’t take our word for it. Come along and see for yourself! Contact :

Olivia Buxton Venue Hire Co-ordinator Three Counties Showground Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6NW T: 01684 584 909 E: [email protected] W: www.threecounties.co.uk

three counties centre_A5 invite_Layout 1 11/10/2011 16:33 Page 2

threee counties centre new advert.indd 1 25/11/2011 17:06

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Coventry and Warwickshire is a dynamic destination situated right at the heart of a unique, vibrant and bustling region. If there’s one thing that both Coventry and Warwickshire are world famous for, it’s the amazing variety of culture and heritage that stems from some of the regions’ most beautiful, iconic and ancient architecture. Coventry is well established as a major conference and business events destination with industry research (British Meetings and Events Industry Survey 2009) ranking it as the tenth most popular destination amongst event organisers. With famous landmarks and superb historic and modern contrasts, Coventry and Warwickshire offers a world of award winning conferencing venues, accommodation and services.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCECoventry and Warwickshire is a resilient area with many economic strengths and a strong skills base to take advantage of opportunities for further growth. Blessed with two excellent Universities, the University of Warwick and Coventry University, both of which are business-focused and crucial to the economy and economic regeneration of the region. The towns of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Kenilworth and Royal Leamington Spa all have something different to offer with large modern hotels, purpose built conference centres and charming traditional properties plus world famous attractions.

CONFERENCE VENUESThe Ricoh Arena boasts a 15,000 sq m purpose-built conference and exhibition centre as well as an onsite hotel. The 1,305 sq m E.ON Lounge is the Midlands largest 1,000 seat column-free conference and banqueting suite with natural daylight and spectacular views over the football stadium. A variety of events ranging from exhibitions to indoor concerts are held in the sound proofed column free 6,000sq m Jaguar Exhibition Hall which can be divided into 4,000 and 2,000 sq m. With three purpose-built training and conference centres, conveniently located in the centre of the UK motorway and rail network, and the Conference Park, providing the best services and amenities of the University of Warwick, Warwick Conferences offers what is considered to be the largest concentration of meeting space in the UK. Warwick Conferences purpose is to facilitate focused, quality meetings, conferences and training, in an appropriate environment, free from distractions. Because the venues are designed, built, furnished and staffed with business communications in mind, they permit a degree of focus simply not possible in a mixed use venue. Warwickshire has unique product strengths in terms of purpose-designed, residential conference and training centres. Woodland Grange is a stunning residential conference venue that has the best of all worlds – a

building full of character, state-of-the-art facilities, 16 acres of beautiful grounds – and a convenient location at the heart of the motorway network. It is one of only seven conference venues in the UK to have achieved the Accredited in Meetings (AIM) Gold Award for superb meeting room facilities and it is a Conference Centre of Excellence, the highest measure of quality within the conference venue sector.

STAFFORDSHIRE Staffordshire is one of the greenest counties in the UK and many venues offer tranquillity and relaxation for delegates. Centrally located with a blend of unique and unusual venues providing excellent value for money, Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent really is the perfect location for a conference or event. Staffordshire is home to an abundance of high quality and first class venues for those events requiring a touch of luxury. Swinfen Hall Hotel, near Lichfield, is an Inspectors Choice four red AA star venue and sits within 95 acres of stunning parkland, formal gardens and a wild deer park. The Best Western Stoke-on-Trent Moat House is the former family home of Josiah Wedgwood and can accommodate up to 650 delegates in theatre style. Delegates also have the opportunity to relax and unwind from the daily stresses at Hoar Cross Hall – the impressive stately home has been lovingly restored and offers E

With academic venues, theme parks, historical monasteries and sports arenas, the West Midlands is home to many diverse venues to accommodate every type of conference or event

Conferences & EventsLEARN, NETWORK AND TEAM BUILD IN THE MIDLANDS

Hoar Cross Hall

WEST MIDLANDS





Get an extra helping hand this winterWe know everyone wants a little extra, which is why at Ettington Chase, Stratford-upon-Avon, we are giving you one delegate free for every 10 delegates you book, meaning you pay for just 9*. It couldn’t be simpler.

To fi nd out more or to book call 01789 740 000 ext 3 or email [email protected] quoting ‘ONE IN TEN’.

Banbury Road,Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 7NZ

* Offer available from 1st January to 31st March, terms and conditions apply. Offer only available to public sector and government organizations.

erfect osts

CONFERENCE VENUES

City CentreConferences

Ideal city centre conference venue. Day Delegate packages start from £29 pp. Quote ‘Insider Magazine’ and receive free internet and car parking for all meeting delegates for the remainder of 2011.

CONTACT:T: 0121 200 2727E: [email protected]: www.millenniumhotels.co.uk/copthornebirmingham

Odds-on favouritefor your eventSet in the picturesque Staffordshirecountryside Uttoxeter Racecourse is aunique venue with 100 acres of spaceand the capability to accommodateany style of event.

CONTACT:T: 01889 562561E: [email protected]: www.uttoxeter-racecourse.co.uk

The perfect location...With over 25 years experienceThe East Midlands Conference Centreoffers a range of flexible options, backed by a dedicated support team toensure your next event is a success.

CONTACT:T: 0115 846 8000E: [email protected]: www.nottinghamconferences.co.uk/emcc

Guaranteed to flowsmoothly!

Our stunning moated manor house, tastefully extendedto include luxury four star hotel and meeting facilities ,coupled with our history of family values and exceptionalservices makes The Moat House, Acton Trussell a uniqueand very special meeting place.

CONTACT:T: 01785 710918E: [email protected]: www.moathouse.co.uk

insider OCTOBER 2011 13

Conference comp 8/9/11 11:45 Page 13**mbain�**Macintosh HD:private:var:tmp:folders.650772302:TemporaryItems:

racecourse & conference centre

racecourse & conference centre

Let’smeet in

Northampton

Park Inn by RadissonSilver Street NorthamptonTel: 01604 739988 Fax: 01604 739978 parkinn.co.uk

� 12 meeting & event rooms that canaccommodate up to 600 people

� A range of menus & a dedicated meetings coordinator

� Natural daylight, air conditioning and high speed internet

� Excellent travel links & car parking on site

Day delegate rates from £37 per person 24 Hr delegate rates from £137 per person

Please call on 01604 739988 or email [email protected]

Conferences & Events

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WEST MIDLANDS

New on the Worcestershire venue list is The Hive, which will be the first fully integrated public and university library in Europe. Situated in a convenient central location in Worcester, with picturesque surroundings, The Hive has much to offer everyone who walks through its doors with a range of spaces available within the five storeys, catering for all needs. Multi-functional rooms will be available making The Hive a great place to host a meeting, whether it is a weekly society meeting, an occasional discussion forum or a larger corporate event. Rooms will be available to book for regular or occasional use. Another new venue for Worcestershire is Stanbrook Abbey, an imposing and impressive former monastery nestled in 21 acres of Worcestershire countryside. Currently undergoing extensive refurbishment and renovation and due to open in March 2012, Stanbrook Abbey will provide an ideal location for all types of conferences and events. Stanbrook Abbey provides a venue with a difference to host a premium product launch, a team-building weekend, an executive brain-storming session away from the day-to-day grind of the office, or an off-site board meeting. If you are planning a corporate function and are looking for a venue that is totally different, something that will inspire and invigorate, then Stanbrook Abbey is the perfect choice. With Phase One completed in the Spring, the property will eventually boast 52 bedrooms, a restaurant, four large function rooms, syndicate rooms, full spa and fitness facilities, tennis courts and a swimming pool all set in 22 acres of landscaped grounds. These facilities offer you the option to hold superb events in not only a historic and inspiring setting, but one which is supremely luxurious.

EYE OPENERSCotswold Conference Centre near Broadway is a great place to network, train and team-build. Its buildings nestle in the 370-acre Farncombe Estate with woods, lakes, fields – and some strategically-located teambuilding exercises. Branded as Eye Openers, these lively additions are used by conference organisers and trainers to make the most of any meeting or training day. Eye Openers help to break the ice, beat boredom, build teams and develop leaders. Delegates gain experience in problem-solving, tactical thinking and self-understanding. New facilities for 2012 include a £3.5 million building of a 32 bedroom facility. The new Three Counties Centre at The Showground, Malvern is another great addition to the Worcestershire venue directory and is a brand new purpose built conference centre set beneath the dramatic backdrop of the magnificent Malvern Hills. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.cw-conventionbureau.co.uk www.conferencestaffordshire.co.ukwww.conference-worcestershire.org

E a range of luxurious spa facilities. It’s the perfect setting for business incentives, meetings and corporate hospitality. Moddershall Oaks is also an exquisite spa a world away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Recently built ‘The Venue’ offers state-of-the-art conference facilities designed with the utmost in flexibility.

VENUES WITH A DIFFERENCEEnter a world of excitement and surprises at Alton Towers Resort, the UK’s number one theme park. The attraction has 391 bedrooms available on-site across its two fantastic hotels plus a purpose built conference centre which can seat 550 delegates. Drayton Manor Theme Park set in 280 acres of parkland now boasts a 150-bedroom hotel with conference facilities for up to 300 delegates. This compliments the existing theme park conference facilities, which can hold up to 400 delegates. Stoke-on-Trent is world-renowned for being the home of the pottery industry with the likes of Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Portmeirion, Moorcroft, Emma Bridgewater and Aynsley based in the city. The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in the Cultural Quarter of the City Centre, houses the world’s largest collection of Staffordshire ceramics and can accommodate conferences for up to 300 delegates. It is also now home to the world-famous Staffordshire Hoard, the largest ever find of Anglo-Saxon gold – making the venue a real jewel in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent. Gladstone Pottery Museum is the only complete and authentic Victorian pottery factory and features charming cobbled courtyards and bottle ovens. Delegates can incorporate a tour of the attraction and even have chance to throw their very own pot. The Cultural Quarter in the Stoke-on-Trent City Centre hosts star studded shows in the stunning art deco Regent Theatre and Victoria Hall, which can accommodate over 1500 delegates for corporate events. Heading east to Burton-upon-Trent, The National Brewery Centre now offers modern conference facilities and a unique hospitality experience for up to 350 delegates. Set within a former brewery, delegates have the opportunity to brew their own beer in the in-house micro-brewery. Premiership Stoke City F.C and Uttoxeter Racecourse both offer corporate hospitality both of which come to life on fixture days. Trentham Monkey Forest is an ideal venue for smaller events where delegates can get creative in a tranquil setting. Delegate packages include entry into the Monkey Forest and enables delegates to discover the 140 free roaming Barbary macaques.

WORCESTERSHIREWorcestershire has a huge amount of conference and event facilities with whatever your event needs and provides a mixture of corporate hospitality, quirky venues and bespoke conference centres.

Presidents Suite - Drayton Manor

Fountains University Square

Sir Frank Whittle

Walkers on Malvern Hills

Stanbrook Abbey

Ricoh Arena

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Mal life. In these times your business needs an edge. That daring difference that speaks

volumes to your client or your competitors.At Malmaison Manchester, we put the show

back into business.This is no glitzy display with no real depth, but a collection of glamorous

meeting and event spaces, each with a deep-rooted love for style, ultra tasty cuisine,

outstanding value and an undying dedication to providing amazing hospitality.Add some

show to your business. We dare you. That’s Mal life.

Terms and conditions apply.

Putting the show backinto business.

SPECIAL GOVERNMENT DAY DELEGATE RATES AT THE MAL.

visitmalmaison.com

Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 1LZ

0161 278 [email protected]

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Manchester was recognised by conference industry professionals as the ‘Best UK Destination’ in 2011 for its enviable track record and impressive business tourism product. The city’s present reputation follows just under two decades of investment in the conference sector by Manchester City Council; Manchester Central – the city’s flagship conference venue; and Marketing Manchester – the agency responsible for promoting the city on a national and international stage. The recent focus has been dedicated to rebuilding and rebranding the area that is known as Petersfield – an area of historic potency within Manchester. St Peter’s Field, as the quarter was known in the 1800s, has always been the city’s primary meeting

point. It was here in 1819 that a gathering of around 70,000 people demanding suffrage and reform to parliamentary representation resulted in the infamous Peterloo Massacre.

MODERN MEETS HISTORICToday, the area is home to Manchester Central and The Bridgewater Hall, and over 850 four and five star bedrooms in The Hilton Manchester Deansgate, The Midland Hotel and The Radisson Edwardian Hotel. In addition to this, the city has over 2,500 hotel beds within a five minute walk of the historic quarter. The concentration of these facilities within a relatively compact area has made Manchester an appealing option to conference and event organisers.

Manchester Central is, without doubt, the jewel in the city’s crown. Recently refurbished to the tune of £30m, it has helped secure bigger and higher profile conferences and exhibitions that, in turn, attract more business. Most important of all, it was the venue for the highly coveted political party conferences. Labour was the first to de-camp, holding their spring conference in the city in March 2004. Since then, Manchester has seen three Labour Party Annual Conferences (in 2006, 2008 and 2010) and their historic leadership election of 2007. The 2008 conference brought with it a £15m boost to the city-region economy and by 2010 it was worth an additional £500,000. The Conservative Party held its first conference in Manchester for over 100 years in 2009 and came back for a second helping in October 2011. The party plans to return in 2013 and 2015 – it is estimated the deal will be worth in excess of £55m for the city-region economy.

HIGH PROFILE EVENTSBut it isn’t just the political parties that Manchester has to thank. The Society of American Travel Writers Annual Convention in 2007, The World Youth Student Travel Association in 2009, the four year hosting of The Chartered Institute of Personal Development’s Annual conference and exhibition, and the UNISON national conference in 2011 have all helped strengthen the city’s position as a world class conference destination. Manchester’s infrastructure and the international connectivity afforded to delegates is another of the city’s trump cards. Manchester Airport has no rival outside of London in terms of route network, capacity and facilities. And Virgin Trains’ transformation of the West Coast Main Line service – with trains making the two hour, seven minute journey every 20 minutes at peak – has brought Manchester closer to the capital than ever before. Manchester has become well-enough established on the European scene to pitch itself against many of the continent’s established conference cities. There are also more than enough unique selling points from which the city’s marketers can pick to secure new business.

THE MANCHESTER HERITAGEThe industrial heritage and sports pedigree for which Manchester is best known around the world has been put to work. Demand for hire of venues like Manchester United’s ‘Theatre of Dreams’ and Manchester City’s re-named Etihad Stadium is impressive. Equally, the Neo-gothic Manchester Town Hall and the award-winning Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) are two of the city’s business tourism big hitters. Like many cities, Manchester also has an established Conference Ambassador Programme – a network of academics E

MANCHESTER

WHY MEET IN MANCHESTER? Whilst most famous for its football and musical exports, Manchester’s status as a leading business tourism destination is catching up – it’s a sector worth over £550m per annum


Hilton Manchester Deansgate





Manchester’s most inspiring venue...

Experience the unique atmosphere of our versatile venue, with events organised by our award-winning team. The Monastery Manchester offers a stunning and stylishvenue for truly memorable events with the wow-factor.

• Gala Dinners & Special Events • Conferences & Meetings • Celebrations & Awards• Business Breakfasts & Lunches • Day Delegate & Room Hire • Weddings & Parties

Arrange your bespoke event with our team on +44 (0)161 223 3211email: [email protected] web: www.themonastery.co.uk

BEST UK UNUSUAL VENUE

• Min/Max capacity: 2/270• Flexible meeting and banqueting rooms

• Ideally located at junction 3 (M25) Junction 1 (M20)• Excellent transport links to London and the South East

• Free car parking • Free internet access• Personal service tailored to meet your needs

• Exceptional value • Hotel accommodation nearby• Corporate functions and Christmas events

Telephone: 01322 613900 Email: [email protected] Website: www.swanley.org.uk

Three superb venues for all your corporate needs

Alexandra SuiteSt Mary’s Road, Swanley, Kent BR8 7BU

The WoodlandsHilda May Avenue, Swanley, Kent BR8 7BT

The Olympic Beechenlea Lane, Swanley, Kent BR8 8DR


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MANCHESTER

E and business figures that help attract their industry events to the city. And with the largest student population in Europe studying at four universities across the city-region, it’s no surprise that Manchester has more than its fair share of lecturers, doctors and professors willing to step forward and help promote the city. Keeping in line with this, the University of Manchester has recently launched a £60m project which will see a new hotel, conference venue, and executive education centre at Manchester Business School – the UK’s largest campus-based business and management school. The first phase will see the development of a new four star hotel and conference centre. The hotel will provide a base for the numerous overseas visitors to the business school, as well as adding to the high end hotel space in and around Manchester.

TEAM OF SPECIALISTSManchester’s impressive business product wouldn’t be complete without its conference team who are internationally recognised as one of the UK’s leading conference and convention bureaus. They are specialised in event bidding, planning, marketing and client support. They offer a single point of contact for conference planners – meaning that a dedicated professional will be on hand from conference conception to completion. They can also help manage every event need, including: securing key speakers and civic receptions and liaising with other city stakeholders to deliver services such as city dressing and security. All in all, they provide key services any organiser would expect from a leading convention city.

LOOKING AHEADManchester is set to welcome a number of national and international conferences in 2012. The Soccerex European Forum, Europe’s leading football business event, will return to the city for its third year on 28-29 March 2012. The event will provide unprecedented business opportunities for Europe’s football industry elite for two days of debate, networking and socialising. The Chartered Institute of Housing Annual Conference and Housing Exhibition – the leading event for the UK housing sector – will take place in Manchester on the 12-14 June 2012. This event will bring the whole of the housing sector together – not for profit, local authority, private sector, commercial partners and suppliers – in one place to learn, improve and influence. Following that, the European Nuclear Conference will take place at Manchester Central on the 9 – 10 December 2012. This is a networking event for scientists, nuclear industry representatives and policy makers, who consider and discuss ideas and innovations that will drive technological developments of the future. It is estimated to have an economic impact of £1m on the local economy. Manchester will also play host to key sporting events in 2012. In advance of the Olympics the city will host two seminal basketball games when the Great Britain men and women’s squad play the US ‘dream team’s’ in July at the Manchester Evening News Arena. Furthermore, Manchester will host nine Olympic football games, including the semi finals and the opening game with the Great Britain team.

FAST PACED DEVELOPMENTSThe city’s momentum shows no signs of slowing down. MediaCityUK – the new home for the BBC, ITV, Coronation Street, and the University of Salford is now in full swing. It features one of the biggest HD studio developments in Europe; 400 apartments; a Holiday Inn and a brand new tram stop in the heart of a spectacular five-acre piazza. The city can also look forward to the opening of the National Football Museum in 2012. With a strong commercial focus, the venue aims to engage the business sector by becoming a premier location for corporate events. With world class venues, over 19,000 hotel bedrooms to suit all tastes and budgets, and one of the most impressive transport infrastructures in the UK, Manchester is best placed to accommodate a wide range of conferences and events. L

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.visitmanchester.com/conference

Manchester Cityscape



PERA CONFERENCE CENTRETHE VENUE OF CHOICE ...The range, quality and flexibility of Pera’s Conference Centre have made it the preferred venue for many public sector and local government organisations.

With executive boardrooms for 10, up to a fully equipped conference hall for 500, Pera is the ideal choice for a wide range of events. With a ‘no hidden costs policy’, a day delegate rate from as little as £35, and an excellent on site support team they also offer tremendous value for money for a venue of such quality.

To discuss how they can help make your next event a great success, call the Events Team on 01664 501501 or e-mail [email protected]

www.peraevents.com

Pera Conference Centre, Nottingham Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE13 0PB

‘The team at Pera give excellent service from enquiry

through to completion.’ Lois Dale, East Midlands Council 2011

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Whilst the UK is still facing huge amounts of cut backs throughout the public sector, it should not be forgotten that some industries, if invested in, can still provide a great deal to the UK economy. The events industry for instance, is estimated at a whopping £36 billion. As such, International Confex, Europe’s leading event for events organisers, is upping the ante to ensure it not only delivers the ultimate show experience, but also drives home the idea that a return on investment is fundamental for stakeholders, the events industry and the UK economy alike.

LOCAL AUTHORITY PROGRAMMEWhilst local events can be deemed as a large expense for local authorities, they are also key to bringing people together and as such, money and investment into the local area. With tourism, leisure and arts on the agenda, the socio-economic impact of events on

local authorities can be extremely positive. In recognition of the vast number of events local authorities are responsible for up and down the country, International Confex has developed a dedicated conference programme for local authority personnel. Endorsed by the Local Authority Event Organisers Group (LOAG) the comprehensive seminar programme will review the breadth of concerns behind public sector events including the scale, cost, environmental

effects, and health and safety issues. As the UK limbers up in preparation to host the forthcoming London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, event safety, policing, regulations and signage will be of particular concern where street parties and outdoor events are concerned. The Local Authority Programme will include presentations, case study examples and panel discussions focusing on key interest areas in the run up to July 2012.

CONTENT IS KINGAs justifying a day out of the office becomes increasingly harder, educational content has been crowned king at International Confex 2012. The speaker programme and networking E

In recognition of the vast number of events local authorities are responsible for up and down the country, International Confex has developed a dedicated conference programme for local authority personnel.

INTERNATIONAL CONFEX 2012

CONNECTING YOU WITH A WORLD OF INSPIRATIONInternational Confex connects event organisers with an exciting range of venues, destinations and support services, providing the perfect forum to do business and source all the essentials for any kind of event



Satisfied customers are everything to us at The University of Leeds. We care about your

business and go the extra mile to match your needs. We aim to offer something special. Such

as superb conference facilities, award winning catering, hotel-style bedrooms and FREE use of

our new swimming pool and fitness suite, plus excellent service – all in the heart of an award

winning city. So if you want your event to be that little bit different, get in touch with us now!

www.meetinleeds.co.uk/refreshingwww.facebook.com/meetinleeds www.twitter.com/meetinleeds

t: 0113 343 6100 e: [email protected]

Refreshingly different.

7202 MIL Orange 210x297mm GBM adv_Layout 1 01/11/2011 09:54 Page 1


E opportunities will ensure visitors get the very best out of the event, which in turn will result in a significant impact on business. Working with the London Speaker Bureau, International Confex has called upon heavyweights such as Parag Khanna, named as one of Esquire magazine’s ‘75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,’ author and humanitarian, Terry Waite, entrepreneur Jo Malone, plus many more to join its top line-up of speakers. In celebration of the UK’s estimated 600,000 highly skilled personal and executive assistants organising events around the world, International Confex is set to provide a free, tailored seminar programme during its very own PA Day. Taking place on Thursday 8 March 2012, the seminars will be delivered in conjunction with Susie Barron-Stubley of Castalia Coaching & Training, and will cover everything from relationship management, effective decision-making and resolving conflict in the workplace. Adding to this International Confex’s Association Day will take place on Tuesday 6 March, providing an exclusive stream of high-level seminars and networking opportunities for both UK and international associations. The comprehensive tailored programme and line-up of leading speakers will extend delegates business knowledge on a range of topics.

OFFERING OPTIMUM VALUEThroughout its 29 year history International Confex has only been at three venues, growing in size each time. Having originally launched at the Business Design Centre in Islington and then moving to London’s Earls Court exhibition hall and conference centre, International Confex will see in its next birthday at its new home, ExCeL London. Whilst International Confex has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with Earls Court, the synergy between the show and hosting it at ExCeL is key to the shows growth. The close link ExCeL has with London City Airport will make Confex more accessible to international visitors and exhibitors, whilst the forthcoming developments including Crossrail and the proposed cable car will provide easy access for UK visitors. To ensure International Confex is delivering optimum value to attendees, and to keep ahead of the curve, a number of new and exciting developments have been implemented, including the incorporation of the London event show, RSVP. Dedicated to delivering a fully comprehensive event and adding unrivalled value for exhibitors, the unique RSVP offering will be replicated at International Confex 2012, providing the complete events solution for visitors. Integrating the RSVP brand and features will make the 2012 show an even better place for buyers and sellers of parties, meetings, conferences and events, to network and do business. E

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Confex moves to ExCeL London in 2012

As part of UBM Live’s long term strategy to evolve International Confex, the event will move from Earls Court to ExCeL London in 2012.Explaining the decision, Jonny Sullens, portfolio director of the Confex Group says: “It’s never an easy decision to move venues. International Confex has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with Earls Court, however taking our long term plans for the event into consideration we have decided that London’s International Conference Centre and ExCeL London is best placed to meet the event’s needs in the foreseeable future.” Sullens continues: “The close link ExCeL London has with London City Airport will make Confex more accessible to international visitors and exhibitors whilst the forthcoming developments including Crossrail and the proposed cable car will

provide easy access for UK visitors. The synergy between the show and hosting it at London’s International Conference Centre is key to the growth of the International buyers’ programme going forward.” David Pegler, managing director, ExCeL London adds: “We are delighted to add International Confex to our calendar of events alongside our existing portfolio of travel shows. Many of our own clients, such as the corporate and association markets make up a large proportion of the core audience that International Confex is targeting and this will ensure we can use our own marketing to raise awareness of the show to these audiences. We’re looking forward to working closely with UBM in actively growing and supporting the show and its audience for the benefit of the industry and exhibitors.”





Emirates Stadium is not only known as one of the world’s most breathtaking sporting arenas, it is also renowned as a groundbreaking meetings and events venue. Boasting an array of versatile, modern and luxurious suites, our dedicated and experienced events team will work with you to create events that are as inspiring as the setting, delivering tailored solutions to ensure every detail is perfected to create a truly memorable experience for you and your guests.

[email protected] 0845 262 0004 www.arsenal.com/events

120x185Ad.indd 1 04/10/2011 17:03


E What’s more, International Confex 2012 will also see the launch of International Outdoor Event Expo (IOEX) – a stand alone event, set to recognise the scale and scope of the outdoor event industry. Taking place alongside International Confex, IOEX will offer an international showcase dedicated to the innovative live event production and technology industry. Benefiting from the support of leading industry associations including EVENTIA, PSA, NOEA and ESSA, IOEX will serve the entire spectrum of outdoor events and event production.

LOCATION, LOGISTICS AND SOMETHING SPECIALConnecting delegates with a world of inspiration, International Confex is set to unite event organisers with an exciting range of venues, destinations and support services, providing the perfect forum to do business and source all the essentials for any kind of event. Such is the breadth of International Confex; the exhibition is divided into three key areas: Location, Logistics and Something Special. The Location area will serve visitors seeking a setting for any sort of event – from a meeting to a corporate day out. Exhibitors within Location are all premier destinations and venues from the UK and around the world, providing the ideal opportunity for visitors seeking UK or international venues to speak with a selection of the leading venues showcasing their services. Any buyers looking for stand designers, production, promotional products, audio-visual and lighting, event technology providers, flooring, graphics, furniture hire and event insurance providers can source products and services from a range of suppliers in the Logistics section. The Something Special area will incorporate corporate entertainment, gifts, awards and team building offerings and be home to a number of awe inspiring pavilions and feature areas. E

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The University of Leeds, under its brand MEETINLEEDS, offers a comprehensive range of facilities – value for money meetings solutions in these challenging times, and not just during vacations. Of course, in common with most universities, Leeds is indeed able to accommodate large-scale conferences during vacation time, with dozens of meeting rooms and thousands of bedrooms, and recently opened in 2011, is the new Storm Jameson Court, a hotel-style residence providing 460 en suite bedrooms at the centre of the campus. A cutting-edge swimming pool and fitness complex [free to use for delegates] also complements the development. But, impressive though they are, MEETINLEEDS gives access to

much more than these large-scale residential facilities. Day meetings and seminars of all sizes can be accommodated throughout the year, both on the main campus site and at several outlying sites, offering the opportunity to site your meeting in an Oxbridge-type setting, or surrounded by green fields for the perfect awayday. As for cost, a day delegate rate of only £27.50 ex vat will give your delegates a top quality meeting experience, leaving less of a dent in your budget than many other city venues.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONHarriet Boatwright, sales managerTel: 0113 343 [email protected]

Great conference and meeting facilities in Leeds





AS GOOD AS OUR WORD

What if your

is remembered for all the Wrong reasons?We have over thirty years’ experience in providing specialist event insurance. if your event is affected by unforeseen circumstances, our cancellation and abandonment cover can help protect your investment and your reputation.

Event Insurance0845 213 8440 | hiscox.co.uk/events

Policies are underwritten by hiscox underwriting ltd on behalf of certain underwriters at lloyd’s (managed by hiscox syndicates ltd). hiscox underwriting ltd and hiscox syndicates ltd are authorised and regulated by the financial services authority. 9457 11/11

event

Army & Navy Club

Situated in relaxed refinement in the heart of St James’s, the Army and Navy Club, often known by its nickname, “The Rag”, prides itself on offering a unique combination of the ambience traditionally found in an officers’ mess, with the comfort and facilities of an exclusive hotel. Army & Navy Club is a private members’ environment but its extensive facilities are available for hire. The Club’s comfortable, distinguished and beautiful environment welcomes private events such as conferences, dinners, receptions and awards ceremonies, and with over 80 attentive staff, an excellent standard of service is provided. The Club also benefits from very high levels of security which make it ideal as a private venue.

Tel: 020 7930 9721 Web: www.armynavyclub.co.uk


E Anyone who’s serious about doing business can access the International Confex Loyalty Programme. The Loyalty Programme is all about maximising business opportunities for buyers and suppliers at the event. By booking appointments through Confex Connect (the online networking portal) in advance of the exhibition, delegates will receive a choice of over 1,000 suppliers, covering Location, Logistics and Something Special, and an extensive range of rewards and benefits during and after the event. Adding to this, International Confex will also see the support of London & Partners, the official promotional organisation for London. Having launched in April 2011, London & Partners has secured over 300 private sector partners, including many in the events industry like Hilton Hotels, and will be bringing a group of hosted buyers to International Confex from the UK, Europe and the USA, helping to generate thousands of meetings between exhibitors and buyers at the event.

CONFEX’S GOT TALENTOrganised by ESP Recruitment and supported by Event magazine and International Confex organiser UBM, Eventice is the Apprentice-style competition where entrants are set to compete for two roles on offer from exhibition firm Tarsus Group and experiential agency George P Johnson. Finalists will present their ideas and take part in a number of challenging event management tasks at International Confex, where the winners will then be chosen. Brought to you in association with Sternberg Clarke and supported by Event Magazine, ‘The Next Big Thing 2012’ is the talent competition for acts wanting to break into the UK corporate events industry. ’The Next Big Thing’ provides the opportunity for new or unsigned acts to demonstrate their worth in front of a major events audience, with the competition culminating at International Confex. From business opportunities to professional development, or just one great piece of inspiration, International Confex is striving to be the event that reflects the event industry, translating this on to the show floor and in turn, to the UK economy. L

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Connecting delegates with a world of inspiration, International Confex is set to unite event organisers with an exciting range of venues, destinations and support services, providing the perfect forum to do business.



Look no further.

International Confex connects you with an exciting range of destinations, venues and event support service suppliers. It’s the perfect opportunity to do business and source everything you need to plan any kind of event.

Register now at international-confex.com

06-08 March 2012ExCeL London

Looking for inspiration,a location,an idea,an answer,a moment,something new,a concept,that spark?

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Confex12_Ad_297x210+3mm_Marketing_Magazine.indd 1 24/11/2011 12:39

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AV Unit is a leading audio visual production company skilled in the art of communications. Services include innovative technical support for events; video/multimedia production and the design and installation of permanent AV systems. The company says it truly understands the investment made when arranging and attending corporate events and that its mission is to maximise the return on investment for both the organisers and attendees. By understanding the objectives of the event, the content and the people involved, it is able to use its experience and skills to suggest ways in which the event objectives can be fulfilled with the assistance of audio visual, lighting and staging equipment and techniques. Common objectives are to educate, inform

and entertain the audience. To deliver these, AV Unit creates the right atmosphere, facilitates clear, audible and visual communication and makes lasting impressions. In future, media will focus more on using audience engagement to empower people to participate – by enriching conversations, understanding is improved. Through interactive media, AV Unit says it can gather information on the spot to produce a significant insight into what your audience understands and thinks and the extent to which they have engaged or been influenced.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONContact: Deborah WildridgeTel: 0845 678 0390Fax: 01473 [email protected]

AV Unit – skilled in the art of communication

When budgets are tight, resources limited and deadlines short, BIG Badges can support you with everything you need to make a great impression at your events – affordable, high-quality, re-usable, eco-friendly badge and print products – whatever the size and complexity of your event. And we can do that because we are the UK’s largest dedicated badge specialist and Europe’s largest supplier of high quality name badges, event accessories and print documentation. From our manufacturing facility in Ipswich, we produce over two million badges each year. Our solutions are effective, adding impact and style while delivering on cost effectiveness, ease-of-use and speed. With stylish badge designs, clothes-friendly fasteners and quality printed event material, you can depend on us every time. Our bespoke badge systems come complete with printers, cards, wallets, ribbons, fasteners and software, allowing you to cope effortlessly, even with those

last minute name changes. We are constantly investing in innovative solutions. The latest version of our best-selling Selfit system for high-quality, re-usable name badges, plastic cards and wallet inserts – launching during Confex 2012 – is updated with applications for mobile technologies and includes smart features that work online, offline and with iPads. Visit us at Confex and experience our solutions for yourself. They deliver a BIG quality performance, on budget, every time.

FOR MORE INFORMATION5 Hampton Hill Business Park, High Street, Hampton Hill, TW12 1NP.Tel: +44 (0)20 8614 8880 [email protected]

BIG – supporting public sector events with name badges and print

Highline Adventure delivers dynamic mobile outdoor and indoor adventure activities for events, organisations and schools. All activities are suitable for six year olds and above, and include climbing, using a nine metre high climbing wall and seven metre spider mountain, bouldering, canoeing, skateboarding, archery, mini-fencing, problem solving, teambuilding, segways 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. The company will bring its 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, community and corporate events. Highline Adventure mobile equipment can be used effectively indoors or outdoors depending on customer requirements and its activity programmes are designed for groups of around 20-25 people per activity. Its aim is to give you a reliable, top quality experience for all participants that is easy for you to achieve, at an affordable price.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.highlineadventure.co.uk

Mobile outdoor and indoor activities

Hiscox is a specialist in providing event insurance and has over 30 years’ experience. It understands that no two events are the same so can adapt cover to suit your needs, whether you run annual business conferences or exhibitions, networking or training events. It is a member of the leading industry associations, and so understands the risks that event organisers face, and develops products to help protect your organisation. The company’s insurance packages can include cover for: • Cancellation and abandonment – protection against the loss of expenses and profit if the event has to be cancelled, abandoned, postponed or relocated, due to circumstances beyond your control.• Legal liabilities – financial protection if you face a legal claim from a member of the public for injury or property damage (public liability) or an

employee for injury sustained at work (employers’ liability).• Property damage – covers against the physical loss of or damage to, your property, including loss of property in transit to or from the event.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONIf you are planning any events, we would like the opportunity to discuss your insurance requirements. Please give us a call on 0845 213 8440, email us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.hiscox.co.uk/events

Specialist event insurance from Hiscox



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National Olympic Committees and governmental bodies from around the world will soon be engulfed in a flurry of events activity around the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. The sheer number of expected functions around the Games involving athletes, sponsors, organisers, representative organisations and municipal bodies is staggering. The global spotlight has never been placed more firmly on the UK, so it is up to us to show we can throw the best party at ‘the greatest show on earth’. For that reason, the Event Production Show – 1-2 February at London Olympia – will come as a relief to many. Europe’s pre-eminent showcase for the live event sector will exhibit the new products, innovations and concepts that will characterise the live event sector through an Olympic year which also includes the Diamond Jubilee. A new sister exhibition, the inaugural UK Venue Show, will be held alongside the 2012 Event Production Show in Olympia’s West Hall, capitalising on the clamour for unique venues that will accompany an exciting time for London. With registration now open for the 2012 show, it is anticipated that more visitors than ever will attend the show. Production teams, event organisers, brands and experiential marketers are expected to make up the core attendance, with public events high on the agenda. ACCESS SESSIONSEmergent trends and new technologies will be featured on the show floor and debated in the company of industry figureheads at the Access Sessions, an exclusive thought leadership seminar programme featuring the likes of Take That production director Chris Vaughan and Live Nation’s John Probyn, who will chair the popular Question Time panel. “The calibre of speakers at the Access Sessions continues to excel itself and the panels will provide attendees with both thought leadership and inspiration,” said Nic Howden, Access Sessions organiser. We have designed the Access Sessions to be targeted but also varied, from the industry landscape in 2012 to the nuts and bolts of producing a live extravaganza.” Chris Vaughan will be detailing the logistics behind the Take That’s groundbreaking Progress tour, which cost a reported £15 million to produce. Chris will be joined by key members of the production team that brought a spectacular stage show to 1.75 million fans across the UK and Europe.

Live Nation COO Music, John Probyn will be back in the chair of the Question Time panel, having missed the 2011 Event Production Show to sign the company up as event organiser and promoter of London’s ‘Festival Live Sites’ for London 2012. A fascinating input will come from Tim Owen, who is events, filming and contingency planning commissioner for Westminster City Council. The council has been at the forefront of preparations ahead of the Games, leading the assault on ambush marketing which could be an unwanted feature at events around the Games. INDUSTRY EXPERTSJoining him on the panel will be Clive Little, director of events & programming at the Olympic Park Legacy Company plus other names to be confirmed by the organisers. One area organisers cannot afford to be left behind in is ticketing. Within the next 24 months a significant number of UK events will take the step from cash to card/chip. The Americans are there already, and this forum will tackle the famous British reserve. Steve Jenner from Intellitix and Steve Daly from ID&C will be setting the scene, tackling the technical side, while Rob Langford, finance director at Solo, who played a pivotal part of introducing the successful RFID/cashless VIP trial to the Isle of Wight Festival this summer will be there to detail his experience. They will be joined by one of ticketing’s major

players Adam Newsam, senior director, business operations at Ticketmaster. Head of the Metropolitan Police Olympic and Paralympic venues planning team, Stuart Cornish, will be discussing the mammoth 2012 security operation. The force will have to use their resources wisely to police the Games alongside regular events such as Wimbledon, the Notting Hill Carnival and celebrations to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Research conducted by the Event Production Show indicates spends on municipal events

to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 could exceed those of 2011’s Royal Wedding. A celebratory weekend, Saturday 2 June to Tuesday 5 June 2012, of street parties and pageantry will mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The special long bank holiday is set to bolster UK leisure and tourism spending by a predicted £620m as schools and offices close for the four day break. The show’s organisers recently revealed that some 22 per cent of attendees registered for the Event Production Show represent a public body or local authority, compared to 13 per cent in November 2010 ahead of 2011’s show. Plans are being mobilised from Scotland to Cornwall, as well as Commonwealth countries, with the highlight of the celebrations taking place on the afternoon of Sunday 3 June. “We have seen an early spike of registrations from representatives of public bodies, no doubt preparing for a summer of events headlined by the Diamond Jubilee,” revealed Sarah Brownlee, event manager of the Event Production Show. “While the Royal Wedding was well received throughout the country, the Diamond Jubilee is another historic occasion which will be celebrated globally and local authorities are evidently keen to get their communities involved.” THE DIAMOND JUBILEEThe Thames will be the backdrop for one of the largest flotillas ever assembled on the river as Her Majesty The Queen leads the Thames

Diamond Jubilee Pageant. Both The Edinburgh Tattoo and the British Military Tournament will focus on the Monarch’s 60th year. Reported three figure celebrations have been budgeted by local authorities including Guilford, Salisbury and Brighton as well as smaller pledges from across many of the UK’s parishes. A nationwide ‘Big Jubilee Lunch’ will also encourage people to celebrate on Sunday 3 June, while the evening of Monday 4 June will see Buckingham Palace stage a major televised live music concert, while 2,012 beacons are lit across the UK to mark the E

Europe’s pre-eminent showcase for the live event sector will exhibit the new products, innovations and concepts that will characterise the live event sector through an Olympic year which also includes the Diamond Jubilee.

EVENT PREVIEW

EVENT PRODUCTION SHOWPerfectly timed before the start of spring, the Event Production Show is a platform for exhibitors to launch their latest products to an audience of key buyers looking to book contractors and buy the necessary services for their events during the year ahead



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E occasion. All official beacon events will be listed in a special commemorative book that will be given to HM The Queen after the event. Bruno Peek, Pageant master of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Beacons said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone, from the smallest community groups to the largest country estates to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime event.” Live events are so crucial to engaging communities, and this has been a driving force for local authorities to ring fence budgets ahead of 2012. Guidance to local authorities ahead of the Olympics listed their priorities: generating and supporting tourism, inspiring children and young people, raising our sporting game and influencing healthier lifestyles, championing culture, volunteering and economic development. Every single one of those activities has placed the onus on local authorities to switch their attention to events, which is why this year’s show comes at such a pivotal time. Many live events are judged by the attendance they attract, and for this reason the Marketing Sessions at the Event Production Show are seen by many as just as important as the nuts and bolts type talks which characterise the Access Sessions. The 2011 show featured a seminar facilitated by Rob Guterman of Big Fish Events, who has made a career from forging partnerships between big brands and music. Guterman

formed marketing alliances including Volvic and V Festival, Strong Bow and the Isle of Wight Festival, and Malibu and Take That. He chaired a panel which included James Williams, head of the Olympic Torch Relay for Coca-Cola Great Britain, Jonathan Lee, senior sponsorship Manager at Virgin Media and Shane Murray, Promoter of Ibiza Rocks and brand consultant. THE FUTURE OF MARKETINGKevin Jackson, former vice president for sales and marketing EMEA at leading global experiential marketers Jack Morton, revealed how the changing lifestyle of consumers holds the key to the future of marketing. Kevin questioned to what degree social media and events can work together and the synergy between live events and marketing in a fun, fast and thought provoking session. The Marketing Sessions speaker line-up for 2012 has yet to be announced but according to organisers it is sure to be of the same calibre. A huge part of event delivery is raising awareness, and any local authorities that neglect this element could find themselves lacking in an important commodity – people. Attendees at last year’s show confirmed that event marketing was seen as integral to the coming decade for the sector. An electronic survey which was conducted revealed that penetration via sponsorship and social media were the two main objectives

for live event professionals in 2011. Over half (58 per cent) of respondents, representing a broad cross section of the live event sector, said that attracting sponsorship would be a key objective, with event companies keen to target synergistic brands. Meanwhile, 78 per cent said they are now attempting to maximise their audience through a wide variety of social media, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Entertainment will also be on the agenda, with a talented cast of hireable acts strutting their stuff on the Live at the Grand stage, which last year hosted the likes of Aggro Santos, 4 Poofs and a Piano and Simon Fowler of Ocean Colour Scene fame. The 2012 Event Production Show will have a great deal of immediacy, with a plethora of events just around the corner. However, it will also offer the opportunity to plan towards a decade of events featuring cultural events and a series of sporting spectaculars including the 2013 Champions League Final, 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2015 Rugby World Cup and 2017 World Athletics Championships. Despite representing a godsend to the many local authorities ready to mobilise their plans for 2012, the downside to the 2012 Event Production Show is that it only runs for two days. So we recommend putting the out of office function to good use and bringing the whole team along. L

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EVENT PREVIEW



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NEWS IN BRIEFE-accessibility forum launchedA website designed to allow people to tell government and businesses how to make the internet more accessible has been launched by Communications Minister Ed Vaizey. The eAccessibility Forum website offers people using and working on the internet the opportunity to discuss difficulties they have noticed in accessing websites and other online services and to promote best practice. The site will help the Forum, which is a broad coalition of government, charity and private sector organisations, develop and share ways to improve online accessibility. It will also inform the Forum’s eAccessibility Action Plan.

Telegraph poles consultationA consultation into allowing new telegraph poles to be put up to carry cables to help superfast broadband roll-out has opened. Those wishing to take part have until 21 February 2012 to submit their comments. To support the government’s wider ambition for the UK to have the best broadband network in Europe by 2015, the Department for Culture, media and Sport (DCMS) has also published an advice note for local authorities and communications providers on microtrenching and street works, available at

www.culture.gov.uk

Online checks to identify illegal foreign workersIt will soon be much easier for employers to carry out checks to let them know whether foreign nationals have the right to work in the UK. From next spring, firms will be able to go online to verify that the details contained on a foreign employee’s Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) are correct. BRPs, which hold a person’s fingerprints and photograph on a secure chip, are issued to non-EEA nationals with permission to remain in the UK for more than six months. BRPs are simplifying the process of checking an individual’s right to work by replacing the wide range of documents currently in use. The new online checking service for employers will enable quick and easy real-time checks on permits and their holder’s identity and right to work in the UK.

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT...www.governmenttechnology.co.uk/n/018

Government and private sector to collaborate for better cyber security The government has published its new cyber security strategy, setting out how the UK will support economic prosperity, protect national security and safeguard the public’s way of life by building a more trusted and resilient digital environment. The new strategy highlights how closer cooperation between the government and the private sector will be vital to achieving digital security. Minister for Cyber Security Francis Maude said: “The growth of the internet has revolutionised our everyday lives and promises untold economic and social opportunities in years to come. This strategy sets out how we will realise the full benefits of a networked world by building a more trusted and resilient

digital environment, from protecting the public from online fraud to securing critical infrastructure against cyber attacks. “The government cannot do this alone. Closer partnership between the public and private sector is crucial. The strategy heralds a new era of unprecedented cooperation between the government and industry on cyber security, working hand in hand to make the UK one of the most secure places in the world to do business.” The government has already ranked cyber security as a tier 1 national security priority and committed £650m over the next four years to bolster its cyber defences.

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT...www.governmenttechnology.co.uk/n/016

BROADBAND

The government is set to invest £100 million to create up to ten ‘super-connected cities’ across the UK, the Exchequer, George Osborne said in his Autumn statement. This will provide 80-100 megabits per second broadband and city-wide high-speed mobile connectivity. There will be a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and strategic employment zones to support economic growth. Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London will all receive support from this fund, and a UK-wide competition will decide up to six further cities that will also receive funding.

Social landlords urged to get tenants onlineHousing Minister Grant Shapps has called on social housing providers to look hard at what more they could do to get their tenants online. This is following the government’s own commitment to get social housing connected so tenants can reap the benefits of digital living. People in online households can save more than £200 a year shopping online and are 25 per cent more likely to find work, while children with internet access achieve two grades higher than those without. Race Online’s new Digital by Default casebook, available at at www.raceonline2012.org, shows how innovative thinking and partnership working can improve the lives of both landlords and tenants. TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT...

www.governmenttechnology.co.uk/n/017

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MLPS was established in 1988, and though based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, covers the whole of the UK – from John O’Groats to Land’s End. Its success is built on an ability to listen to its customers’ requirements and then recommend the correct solution to satisfy their needs. MLPS provides labelling and identification solutions to a diverse range of industries including, electrical, electronics, warehousing, distribution, automotive, aviation and manufacturing to name but a few. Whether it’s barcode labels, asset labels, rating plates, health and safety signs you require, the company has the solution to produce professional

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License Dashboard is a developer of software solutions that offers the potential to save up to £50 million in public sector IT spending in 2012 alone. Already widely in use across the UK public sector, License Dashboard solutions help departments optimise their available budgets by preventing over-procurement of software, identifying rogue purchasing and pinpointing opportunities to re-harvest existing software licenses. At the same time, License Dashboard technologies enable organisations to achieve and demonstrate software license compliance, preventing costly and embarrassing fines for misuse. License Manager from License Dashboard is one of the most advanced license management solutions ever developed. It integrates with a wide variety of IT asset management solutions to maximise the value of

existing investments in creating asset repositories, then adds further value by automatically reconciling this against verified license entitlements to create an Effective Licensing Position (ELP) in record time. SAM Portal from License Dashboard is designed for organisations with a mature approach to Software Asset Management (SAM); providing a single solution for all stakeholders involved in software management, from the initial requestor through to IT and finance. SAM Portal ensures all software requests are proactively managed and approved, and that licenses are only purchased when really needed. FOR MORE INFORMATIONTo learn more about License Dashboard visit www.licensedashboard.com

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Having a data leak for most organisations can be catastrophic, both in terms of cost and in reputation. Making sure your data is destroyed correctly can be very time consuming and costly. The SITD solution is a single source, high security solution for all asset disposal and data destruction requirements. The company is very confident that it will exceed your internal security policy requirements and all government legislation. This is quite a claim, however the company can back it up with the highest accreditations in Europe, underpinned by a robust ISO 27001 (information security management) accreditation, and multiple government approvals. All services are available onsite and off, and include physical or electronic destruction. This includes physical destruction of

all types of device, including hard drives to 6mm and magnetic tape to 2mm particles. Operating from a high security approved premises with capacity for 600,000 items of IT hardware and one million items of data per annum, all UK requirements can be accommodated. All processes are completed by security cleared personnel with DV cleared project managers in place.


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Written by M

artyn Hart, chairman, N

ational Outsourcing Association

In the last few months, the wind of change has been blowing through the way public sector deals with procurement for IT, with large suppliers feeling the full force of the gale. We’ve seen Chancellor George Osborne pledging to support investment in enterprise as part of his budget, which, allied to the Cabinet Office’s new ICT strategy, has served to underline the coalition’s determination to open up the IT procurement process to more than just the leading names. IT outsourcing in the public sector has traditionally been the domain of a small number of big-name suppliers, most of whom have their own specialised staff. But now the government is looking to move away from a model in which it outsources IT to one supplier to one in which it uses a large number of individual specialist suppliers, known as multi-sourcing. If this is the case, then more and more departments in the public sector will need to manage the transition towards smaller and medium-sized organisations, particularly in light of the Cabinet Office’s ‘presumption against’ IT contracts above £100m. MANAGING THE SHIFTHowever, it’s worth noting that there are a number of issues which need to be addressed, if this shift in policy is to prove successful. The first of these is that managing this transition could present a number of problems, not least of which is that very few people in the public sector have experience of dealing with outsourcing contracts, which means that there’s an obvious skills gap that needs to be bridged if existing public sector workers are to successfully move over to the private sector. This could mean that workers who are less skilled or knowledgeable in this respect could be less attractive to medium-sized private sector organisations which might be looking to transfer staff. A recent survey in the Financial Times found that 57 per cent of private businesses were not interested in taking on former public sector workers and 52 per cent believed that these workers are not up to the job. With public sector outsourcing on the rise, surely it’s important to find a way to challenge these perceptions?

The second issue is whether or not those who will be responsible for managing public sector contracts have the required level of knowledge to do so effectively. At times there can be a presumption that IT outsourcing is a process whereby the cheapest supplier of a particular service is identified and left to get on with it. However, it’s worth remembering that managing an outsourcing relationship effectively can be a challenging task, and that every year there are examples of contracts which have not worked for no other reason than a lack of due diligence. For this reason, a great deal of care must be taken when it comes to selecting a supplier that can provide the best cultural fit, with the same values.

THE RISKSIt’s clear, then, that the government’s new procurement strategy is not without risk. After all, many large, established IT suppliers have a solid, established infrastructure, with resources that allow government departments to deliver projects in a fraction of the time it would take other suppliers. Perhaps, moreover, there’s a much greater risk that in opening up the procurement process to smaller suppliers, who have little or no experience in dealing with public sector procurement, are we running the risk of throwing the baby out with the bath water? It’s worth remembering that large suppliers of ICT outsourcing have been dealing with the public sector for many years, which means that they have an increased understanding of its requirements, and what it needs to make the relationship a success. It also seems to have gone unnoticed by many that the Cabinet Office’s announcement related largely to ICT, which typically refers to the provision of hardware and software. SMOOTH TRANSITIONSMost major outsourcing and shared services contracts are also dependent to a large extent on building relationships and understanding business processes which, if not effectively established, can lead to operational inefficiencies. If the government is to ditch most of its larger suppliers and

open the procurement process up to SMEs, surely it will be vital that there is an element of knowledge transfer in place for all of these relationships to ensure that the transition causes as little trouble as possible? The bottom line has to be that those in charge of public sector IT procurement need to view outsourcing not just as a way of trimming the fat and cutting costs but as a way of delivering real value. For some, this will mean shifting the way the way departments perceive outsourcing suppliers so that they move away from operating within the traditional vendor/supplier relationship, towards understanding how they can work together collaboratively to deliver the best service. Perhaps, however, the best way to empower those with a direct interest in public sector procurement, and enhance their skills in and knowledge of outsourcing, is to invest in training? NOA Pathway, the NOA’s training arm, has already been receiving an increased number of queries from local government, in the wake of the government’s recent announcements, with an eye firmly on supplementing the existing workforce and effectively managing outsourcing processes. By educating public sector workers about how outsourcing works, and equipping them with the skills to work in an outsourcing environment, public sector workers will be more attractive to private sector suppliers taking on private sector contracts.

A FOCUS ON QUALITYThe announcement from Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, which signalled the government’s intention to scrap the two tier outsourcing code for local government, can be seen as the creation of a new criterion for those looking to outsource, which puts an emphasis on quality. The code, which was introduced by the Labour government in 2003, was aimed at preventing the creation of two-tier workforces by protecting employees recruited to work on outsourced public sector contracts from being appointed at lesser rates in comparison to transferred employees. Its abolition seems to be proof positive that the tendering for public sector must focus increasingly on cost efficiencies and quality of service, without having to worry about other considerations. In truth, news of the code’s imminent abolition comes as no real surprise to anyone. It does, however, demonstrate that public sector outsourcing is on the rise. Clearly, IT will be the principal beneficiaries of this, but it’s worth emphasising again that if the public sector is to successfully manage the transition from large, established suppliers of ICT to smaller organisations as part of a move towards multi-sourcing, then it is important that the necessary measures are put in place. L

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.noa.co.uk

IT PROCUREMENT

BRIDGING THE IT OUTSOURCING SKILLS GAPNational Outsourcing Association chairman Martyn Hart looks at how changes to the government’s ICT policy could impact on public sector workers as well as outsourcing - providers large and small

Outsourcing



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Written by Zahl Lim

buwala FBCS, chair, BCS Data Centre Specialist G

roup

In the UK, I believe we’ve done a good job of making everyone much more aware of their impact on the environment. Yet green IT is still a relatively nebulous term and its definition rather unclear and the subject of much debate. Or perhaps it’s just that we all have a slightly different perspective on which elements are important to us across what really is a very broad scope?

DID YOU KNOW?Since February 2003 the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive became a requirement across the European Community. The directive imposes the responsibility of the disposal of such equipment on the originating manufacturer. The UK didn’t enshrine the directive into law until 2007. For household equipment that means you can request that the manufacturer disposes of the equipment they made free of charge to you and they must then either dispose of it in an ecologically friendly manner or reuse, refurbish or recycle it.In the UK some retailers offer a one-for-one in-store take-back facility, others will direct you to distributor take-back schemes or local designated collection facilities. None of these will cost you anything as a consumer. For business users the system is a little more complicated and it’s in flux, so best to

check out the Environment Agency’s latest guidance as you may find your business is required to follow the WEEE directive when disposing of electronic equipment. This all helps to reduce the two million tonnes of electronic waste we produce in the UK alone each year.

FROM DUST TO DUSTLet’s first look at the lifecycle of a piece of computer hardware and see if we can establish how much embodied energy it has attributed to it just by bringing it into existence and then delivered to us for use. This will let us try and answer the big green question: ‘Should I sweat my IT assets or dispose of them when a newer, more energy efficient model arrives?’ If we ignore for a moment the type of device, this is already a really complex question to answer. Then, if you bring the device type into the equation, you realise it becomes not just device-specific but use-case-specific too. There are many organisations working on trying to calculate energy (or in some cases carbon) footprints for electronic devices and, in some cases, specifically computing devices. The WattzOn Embodied Energy database claims that a generic laptop has an embodied energy of 1.2Giga Joules or 336kWh, which includes the energy of making the raw materials, the manufacture of the laptop itself, the transportation and the eventual disposal.

Now let’s say that your old laptop is used on its power supply all the time and it’s switched on for eight hours a day, 240 days a year at your desk. Let’s assume an average steady state power consumption of 40W including the power supply losses. Let’s also ignore, for now, the fact that the office it’s in is heated during the winter and cooled during the summer and there are a thousand other laptops all placing additional 40kW of load on the building’s environmental control systems. So, running the maths we find that the laptop will use 320Watt hours per day, or 77kWh per year of grid electricity. As a side note, at 10p per kWh the laptop will have consumed just under £8 of electricity during the year, so we are not going to make a business case on energy saving and don’t even think about replacing it with a thin client under an energy opex business case.

NEW VS OLDIn many organisations there is a discussion about whether it is greener to replace old computers with newer ones because the manufacturer says the new ones use less power, the counter argument being ‘just think of all the embodied energy and toxic disposal’. Ignoring for a moment the issue of whether your laptop will be able to run the software being shipped in five year’s time at any useful speed, let’s look at the energy consumption case. We need to think of the embodied energy in the laptop in the same way our finance folks think of its purchase cost. The embodied energy is capital cost and we need to amortise that over the life of the laptop. When we spread that out over three years’ of use, eight hours a day, 240 days a year, we find that the equivalent consumption rate is 58 Watts for the hours the laptop is turned on.Looking at the power draw we can’t just compare the 58 Watts amortised embodied energy with the 40 Watts of grid electricity, because it takes roughly three times as much source energy (fuel at the power station) to deliver that 40 Watts, meaning 120 Watts of energy consumption whenever the laptop is on (are you thinking of those people who claim incandescent bulbs are efficient because their waste energy comes out as heat?). So, if we compare our old laptop with a shiny new one and want to try and make an environmental case, what we need to do is figure out how much less power the new laptop needs to draw and how long we will have to keep it for to amortise the embodied energy before we break even against keeping our old laptop. If we consider a laptop using 20 Watts, this will use 60 Watts of energy at the power station; if we keep it for three years then the amortising embodied energy is 58 Watts and we are saving an entire 2 Watts. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.dcsg.bcs.org

ENERGY ANALYSIS

ANSWERING THE BIG GREEN QUESTIONZahl Limbuwala, chair of the BCS Data Centre Specialist Group, assesses whether its greener for organisations to sweat their IT assets or dispose of them with more energy efficient models

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In the UK and most other regions, the overall sustainability index fell slightly over the last year, with the faltering global economy and a lack of effective measurement emerging as the most significant constraints. Most IT departments now recognise the importance of ‘green IT’ and have already made some attempts to reduce the energy consumption of their ICT systems – but having achieved many of the ‘quick wins’, they now need more hard evidence to support future projects. QUICK WINSThese ‘quick wins’ usually refer to highly visible energy saving techniques and technologies such as server virtualisation, getting rid of CRT monitors, and turning off PCs when they are not in use. Plus there are many other aspects – such as better disposal of e-waste, increased use of teleconferencing, the introduction of power management systems on PCs and more efficient data centre design – which are being introduced to a greater or lesser extent. But a major constraint has emerged in the shape of sub-optimal or even non-existent measurement systems. The old adage ‘you can’t control what you can’t measure’ has never been more true than at this stage of green IT’s evolution, threatening to derail years of hard work. REDUCING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINTSo while the vast majority of organisations have now taken their first steps towards reducing their IT carbon footprint, very few are able to accurately quantify what they have achieved so far – or prove a solid business case for continuing their good work. Hence, while the global economy remains volatile and all non-essential investment has to be justified by accurate metrics, sustainable IT initiatives are inevitably being pushed down the priority list. This year’s research findings indicate that the UK’s overall ‘ICT Sustainability Readiness Index’ fell slightly over the past 12 months: from 61.0 in 2010 to 58.0 in 2011, implying that organisations are just over half way along their journey (on average). This overall score uses the Connection Research ICT Sustainability Framework to measure organisations’ maturity in five separate areas:

Lifecycle – a slight rise from 2010 to 2011 (63.3 to 65.5). In 2010, it was the second highest rated component of the index, but is now the highest rating. Environmentally sound IT equipment procurement and disposal has become more recognised as an important part of efficient business in the last 12 months. End user – dropped from 68.2 in 2010 to 61.6 in 2011. There was a rapid increase in the number of end user strategies in 2010, but the findings indicate organisations have now stopped focusing so much on this area, and are instead looking at other areas of productivity. Enterprise – a slight drop from 62.6 in 2010 to 57.8 in 2011. Datacentre energy efficiency technologies have continued to develop, and server and other aspects of data centre virtualisation are being widely implemented, but there is a slowdown in ICT Sustainability at the enterprise level. Enablement – shows only a slight decline over the last 12 months, at 60.6 in 2010 and 58.9 in 2011. Organisations are aware of the role ICT can play in reducing the organisation’s total carbon footprint, but are not committing to long term goals. Metrics – shows a drop from 50.2 in 2010 to 46.3 2011. This is the still the lowest of any index components, and indicates the relative immaturity of this area. For example, most IT departments still don’t measure even their own energy consumption. MEASUREMENT ISSUESBut none of these findings seemed to deter an enthusiastic and highly-engaged audience, who were keen to find out how they could overcome measurement issues and move green IT into its next stage of evolution: moving away from being a net contributor to the energy problem and realising its full potential as a primary facilitator of more sustainable processes across the enterprise. In addition to the exclusive session from Connection Research, delegates also heard from senior representatives from Gartner, Verdantix, The 451 Group, Connection Research, Climate Savers Computing, DEFRA, EDF Energy, Microsoft, BT, Kyocera and many other organisations that are leading the way in this critical area. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.ictforsustainability.com

EVENT REVIEW

BUOYANT MOOD AT GREEN IT EXPO DESPITE ECONOMIC GLOOMNew research unveiled at Green IT Expo on 1 November 2011

Green IT

Green IT Expo re-brands to ICT for Sustainability 2012

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• Demonstrations of the latest solutions

• Panel discussions and networking opportunities

• Exclusive research and whitepapers

Tuesday 13 November 2012QEII Conference Centre, Westminster, London. More details at: www.ictforsustainability.com



Blue Chip are more than a Data Centre provider, we deliver flexible solutions on a state of the art Iaas Platform. Solutions Specialists will design a service that meets your business requirements in the most cost effective manner. Our Tier 4 designed premises are highly resilient, secure and offer 24 x 7 onsite support and proactive systems management.

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The volume of digital data processed and stored continues to increase at a rapid pace as does the demand for enhanced security, power usage effectiveness, energy efficiency and cost control. Many companies are starting to implement their cloud computing strategies and many more are developing plans. The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme has also now started. In short the data centre manager’s job is becoming ever more complex. Data Centre World Conference & Expo with its broad spread of exhibitors, comprehensive conference programme and opportunities to network with industry colleagues is the perfect environment for the data centre manager to gain the tools and knowledge to deal with this increasing complexity. HOT TOPICSTaking place on 29 February to 1 March at Olympia, London, Data Centre World is the UK’s largest and fastest growing exhibition and conference dedicated to data centre managers and professionals, distributors and channel partners. The event comprises a free to attend conference of over 48 sessions in three theatres. Sessions cover the latest trends and technologies and include case studies from the UK’s top companies and leading outsourced operators, plus an exhibition of over 100 of the leading technology suppliers. The 2011 event moved to Olympia from the Barbican which it had outgrown. Everyone was in agreement that it was a huge success. Here is a sample of what some of the exhibitors said about Data Centre World 2011: A spokesperson for Airedale said: “It’s been good for us in creating brand awareness and raising our profile.” A spokesperson for Siemon said: “Top marks for an excellent Data Centre focused show. It was great to see such a broad range of complementary data centre experts attend and exhibit together. 10/10!” Meanwhile a spokesperson for 2bm said: “This was our third year at the show, and helped by the move to Olympia, it was the best yet. The quality of visitors to our stand was extremely high and we had no hesitation in booking again for 2012.” Visitors were equally impressed: “There was a very good mix of equipment, suppliers and other backup services providers within one show.” E

EVENT PREVIEW

DATA CENTRE WORLD CONFERENCE & EXPOData Centre World is the UK’s largest and fastest growing exhibition and conference for data centre managers, professionals, distributors and channel partners. The fourth Data Centre World will take place at Olympia, London on 29 February and 1 March 2012

Data Centres

Data Centre World is the UK’s largest and fastest growing exhibition and conference dedicated to data centre managers and professionals, distributors and channel partners.



Data

Cen

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E “I was particularly interested in power protection companies and these were very well represented at the conference. It is probably the best exhibition event in the UK if you’re looking for power protection technology and systems.” “Finally, a proper trade show for the Data Centre market.” “Data Centre World is an excellent well organised and well attended event. The event had a great buzz and it was refreshing to speak with exhibitors who had a positive experience at the show. I am sure the event will continue to grow in the near future. A much better venue than the Barbican.” By attending the Data Centre World Conference & Expo, delegates and visitors can learn from case studies, network with their counterparts in other organisations, and meet the leading suppliers to the market and see their latest offerings. Delegates can also find out if outsourcing is an option for their organisation, learn how to save on power consumption, gain

advice of physical and virtual security, and see how data centre location costs vary. They can also view demonstrations and discuss business needs face-to-face. And let’s not forget the exhibition where there will be over 100 leading technology suppliers showcasing their latest products and services. CONFERENCE THEATRESThe Data Centre World conference comprises three theatres covering three main topics: IT, virtualisation, and facilities. The sessions confirmed so far for the IT theatre include:• Business Continuity in a mixed, virtual and physical world • Innovation in IT reduces energy costs • Smart and efficient data centres begin with smarter racks• Open storage is the answer for growing virtual desktop business• Extending virtualisation to new services Speakers will be representing companies such as Raritan, IBM and Brocade in this theatre.

FACILITIES THEATREAttendees to these sessions can hear speakers from leading companies such as Siemon, Alquist, Active Power and Mitie. Sessions include:• Where more is less and less is more• Beyond the CRC – How energy legislation will affect the data centre• Businesses want convenience, flexibility and value from their data centre• Securing the benefits of decentralised energy in IT• Minimising data centre TCO through energy efficiency and risk management best practice• Improving PUE with a battery free UPS System

VIRTUALISATION THEATRESpeakers from OnApp, NetApp and CIRBA will be sharing their expertise with delegates in this theatre, covering:• If only it had a brain• Implementing hybrid cloud solutions at Loughborough University• Monetise idle data centre capacity• Evolution of the silent cyber war• Cloud adoption for critical applications• Cloudbusting L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTo register and receive regular updates, visit www.datacentreworld.com

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EVENT PREVIEW

Data Centre World is an excellent well organised and well attended event. The [2011] event had a great buzz and it was refreshing to speak with exhibitors who had a positive experience.

UPS Systems is the UK’s largest vendor-independent supplier of uninterruptible power supplies, generators and integrated standby power systems and their ongoing maintenance. It works closely with its customers on a deliberately consultative and collaborative basis to ensure that it completely understands their specific power needs today, and for the future. It can then work to create an integrated solution, selecting those products from the UK’s widest available range, that fit best to clients’ requirements. With close to 20 years of specifying and supplying integrated standby power systems, UPS Systems has worked closely with many departments and agencies within the public sector. With much emphasis now placed on ‘green IT’, driving efficiency

gains and carbon reduction, it can also help in identifying those parts of clients’ IT and power infrastructure that can be improved upon to reduce costs and power consumption.

For the last 10 years, UPS Systems has also specialised in the supply and installation of hydrogen fuel-

cell technology. This fast-developing ‘zero-emissions’ technology is available right now for integration into CO2 reduction plans and policies within the wider business arena, and can be very effectively introduced within local IT systems or within the wider power infrastructure.


UPS Systems plc for IT and critical system standby power needs Relatively few

racks and cabinets are actually tier 4 capable. Cannon Technologies T4 series is a full range with all the capabilities needed for tier 4 and of course lower tier deployment in data centres or comms rooms. Ranging from tier 4 capable data centre deployable racks (to TIA942) through mini ‘data centre in a rack’ and complete modular data centres, Cannon Technologies’ racks can be specified complete with per-rack security (key, keycode, RFID, fingerprint or iris-scanning locks, in-rack still and video surveillance and recording). Within-rack and within-row water or DX cooling and cold aisle cocooning can be specified with capabilities available up to 30kW per rack. In-rack UPS, centralised UPS

and rotary mechanical UPS can also all be specified. And Cannon Technologies DCIM software suite enables all of these intelligent rack infrastructure elements to be monitored and

controlled at the rack level, at the DCIM level as well as fully integrated into the local or remote NOC (network operations centre).Often not considered until it becomes a problem at active equipment deployment time, Cannon Technologies racks are designed with a major degree of flexibility and adjustability to cope with the hundreds of variations of interpretation of the 19 inch standard amongst equipment vendors.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.cannontech.co.uk

Tier Four capable racks and intelligent racks



Financial directors can earn a cash windfall or, quite possibly, an income stream by utilising energy-saving data centre design options – the energy saving can be turned into carbon credits and sold on the worldwide carbon trading system. Data centres are potentially in a lose-lose situation as ever more data is stored from greater use of computers around the world. In keeping with this growth, and the consequent rise in energy consumption, their owners will also be faced with a carbon tax as governments implement national green strategies. By measuring the environmental impact of your data centre in order to establish its energy consumption and, by deduction, its carbon emissions, you can create a win-win situation for your data centre. PUE (power usage effectiveness) has been widely adopted to measure the ratio of the total power consumed by a data centre to the specific power consumed by the computing equipment populating the facility. This evaluates how efficiently the energy is used and shows how much the power consumed by support functions, such as cooling and power distribution, is wasted. The ideal PUE is 1.0, where 100 per cent of the power consumed by a data centre is for applications and zero per cent is for lighting and cooling. Most data centres are running with a PUE of over 2.0, indicating that for every watt of IT power, an additional watt is consumed for ancillary stuff – largely for running the cooling system. This is an obvious waste of energy and therefore, carbon emissions, which are at the

heart of the government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme.

THE COLDLOGIK CONNECTIONWhether it be a new build or legacy site, there is one simple fact about data centres – traditional CRAC cooling and containment cooling is expensive to run and outdated: its place can be taken by state-of-the-art UK designed and manufactured ColdLogik technology, which gives a PUE as close to 1.0 as is practical, with the twin benefits of far lower energy costs and CO2 emissions, plus other savings. In addition, this cutting edge technology addresses all the key drivers that data centre communication rooms measure: energy consumption, carbon footprint, modularity, packaging densities, capital cost and redundancy – factors applying to any cluster, whether low or high density.

ENERGY CONSUMPTIONTake a traditionally designed data centre, perhaps deploying a conventional hot-aisle/cold-aisle configuration on a raised floor. It will typically use 40 kW of cooling for every 100 kW of data power – even aisle containment will only reduce this power ratio by a small percentage. In comparison, ColdLogik will use less than 4kW of power for the same 100 kW load – achieving in excess of a staggering 90 per cent year on year energy saving and, therefore, a reduction in carbon emissions. An ability to grow a data centre and communications room in a logical and cost effective manner makes obvious business sense – only deploying what is needed for today while being prepared for rapid future expansion. ColdLogik is modular and will allow you to upgrade with masses of flexibility and future proofing. Over time as data centre and comms rooms expand or sometimes contract and where third party racks might have to be accommodated, the cooling solution has to meet these ever changing demands. Again, the ColdLogik system, with its capacity to be retrofitted to any populated OEM rack, comes into its own.

PACKAGING DENSITYDespite improvements made by the majority of manufacturers to the efficiency of their hardware and the promise of more to come, the fact remains that electronic packaging densities will continue to rise. Hot spots in data centres and comms rooms

are commonplace and when considering that 55 per cent of electronic failure is due to temperature, it’s no surprise that a lot of effort has been deployed in this area to resolve these issues. By design, the ColdLogik solution eliminates individual rack and localised hot spots, maintaining a constant, room-ambient temperature. In fact, the enhanced efficiency of the ColdLogik system allows up to an unrivalled 45kW to be removed from an industry standard 600mm wide rack, thus enabling electronic packaging densities to increase substantially. Such an increase in rack density enables a reduction in the number of racks required within a single room, negating the need for additional expensive floor space. Despite all of the benefits that a ColdLogik system brings, it doesn’t follow that this high-tech solution costs more than existing, outdated, cooling designs. Not having to deploy a raised floor or a ceiling plenum are considerable savings in themselves – but the combination of design modularity and increased packaging density means that the ColdLogik system will actually cost less, not more, than the standard enclosed aisle/in-row cooling design.

REDUNDANCYIn spite of the critical nature of what data centres and communication rooms provide, it is crucial that there is affordable redundancy built in – even in its basic form, the ColdLogik solution incorporates high levels of redundancy. I have briefly, but specifically, covered the major benefits of the USystems ColdLogik system, which is potentially set to become the new standard by which state-of-the-art efficient datacentre design is measured. To many, it is possible that the ColdLogik system is relatively new technology. It is, though, a tried and tested system, not just in the UK but all over Europe, USA, India and Africa. Want to find out more? A white paper recently written by a consultant about a ColdLogik project, details the capital cost savings when compared to CRAC cooling and in-row containment cooling; it also highlights the energy savings from the commensurate reduction in CO2 outputs from the local power station. It is available from www.usystems.co.uk/coldlogik/whitepaper. L


DATA CENTRES

CRC: A CASH WINDFALLMichael Cook of USystems looks at how to meet your CRC Energy Efficiency requirements with cutting edge technology

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With the CRC Energy Efficiency League Table results published earlier this month, public sector organisations are now under increasing pressure to improve any financial and reputational positions that the table may have exposed. Introduced in 2010 the mandatory emissions trading scheme targets public and private sector organisations and is intended to have a significant impact on reducing UK carbon dioxide emissions.Organisations can earn themselves a cash windfall by utilising PC Power Management software to save energy which can be turned into carbon credits and sold onto the carbon trading system. New research released today by the Carbon Trust reveals that the public sector has doubled its determination to tackle climate change. Of 472 public sector bodies working with the Carbon Trust the average carbon reduction targets have almost doubled since 2006, rising from 16 per cent to over 28 per cent in 2011. The results published in the CRC League Table show that 40 per cent of participants had not taken any measures to reduce their emissions ahead of the publication. WSP Environment and Energy director, David Symons said: “If all of the 800 companies at the bottom of the league table took these simple measures, they would together cut UK

carbon emissions by 100,000 tonnes, cut £12m off their energy bills and avoid having to buy £1.2m of CRC allowances.” So you can see the attraction of power-management solutions to provide an accurate reflection of the amount of energy consumed, and precise data to propose where further savings could be made. PowerStudio® is a complete, out-of-the-box PC Power Management solution that does everything including applying centralised power management policies with any number of power schemes and policies for different job roles. The web-based solution helps public sector organisations overcome the challenges presented by multiple locations, varying energy tariffs and differing CO2 values for the different PCs. The improved accuracy of

data within PowerStudio includes the ability to add multiple locations such as buildings, cities, states and countries, multi-tariffs accommodating different energy costs and CO2 values by suppliers and independent device kWh values (using an energy star database), to give the most accurate data values available. Building on this, it also provides tailored data via its new dynamic reporting application, Acquaintia™. Included at no extra cost, it is a feature-rich application designed specifically with the reporting requirements of heads of business in mind.

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GovTech 29112011.indd 1 29/11/2011 14:36:17



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Monday 21 November saw the return of the FAST Ltd Annual Customer Conference which took place at the legendary Twickenham Rugby Stadium and was a resounding success. The event attracted over 100 high calibre attendees on the day and some superb presentations. At this year’s conference, delegates had the choice of attending presentations in the Finance and Business stream or the Technology and Softskills steam throughout the day.

SETTING THE TONERoss Wilson, chairman of the Thames Valley Institute of Directors, kicked off proceedings with a lively and engaging keynote speech – captivating the audience with tales of his early experiences as an entrepreneur. Ross brought to life his long, successful and extremely varied career, including relaying stories from the three decades he has spent growing start-ups into highly successful businesses, advising entrepreneurs and setting up his own business with his sons. One of the key theme’s of Ross’ presentation that strongly resonated with the audience, and was a message that carried on throughout the day, was the lessons he offered on the importance of team work and communication within a business. Ross emphasised the fact that “you are only as good as your weakest link” and in today’s tough economic climate it is even more important for teams to pull together to sustain success. THE FINANCE AND BUSINESS STREAMThe Finance and Business stream included some great presenters. Andy Cook, group editor of VRL Financial News, talked about the future of the financial sector, while Chris Rawson, former CIO of a number of household insurance companies, offered insights into the challenges facing today’s CIOs. BBC Worldwide’s HR Director, Kirstin Furber, provided an interesting view on the role of women in senior positions and PR professional and Rugby referee Mark Jackson’s final presentation for the stream explained how to transfer valuable sporting skills to the business world.

THE TECHNOLOGY AND SOFT SKILLS STREAMThe Technology and Soft Skills Stream was particularly popular and had some impressive figureheads presenting. Doug Clark, head of Cloud Computing at IBM

UK, demystified Cloud Computing and serial entrepreneur and founder of Mvine, Frank Joshi, provided a thought-provoking talk on the benefits of social media and business collaborations. The next speaker in this stream was Chris Hurst, head of security services for BT plc, who discussed the importance of identity management and security. Finally, Peter Hubbard, senior IT Service Management Consultant at Pink Elephant closed this stream with a discussion about Software Asset Management.

WILL IT MAKE THE BOAT GO FASTER?Ex-Olympian and gold medal winner in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Men’s rowing eight, Ben Hunt-Davis, closed the show and delivered a lively, energetic and passionate talk about his experiences. Ben used video footage of the actual race to build momentum

and to articulate the team’s journey from being the underdogs of the race, to the victors. Ben is now an experienced personal development coach and business entrepreneur and he emphasised superbly how his early experiences as an athlete shaped his business career. He encouraged members of the audience to ask themselves what they could do to make their business dreams a reality. Ben’s presentation was extremely evocative and empowering; showing that with the right level of dedication, teamwork and co-operation anything is possible. On behalf of Matt Barnes, managing director and the whole FAST Ltd team, we would like to thank you all for attending and hope you had a great day. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONFollow us on Twitter @FASTLtd.

Ross brought to life his long, successful and extremely varied career, including relaying stories from the three decades he has spent growing start-ups into highly successful businesses, advising entrepreneurs and setting up his own business with his sons.

EVENT REVIEW

A RESOUNDING SUCCESSThis year’s FAST Annual Conference took place at the impressive Twickenham Stadium and featured a wide range of experienced industry speakers and analysts

IT StrategiesBUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk


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This year’s Gartner Symposium/ITExpo was designed to allow delegates – comprised of CIOs, CTOs, senior IT leaders, technology and business strategy executives, institutional investors and venture capitalists, technology and service providers – to come away with strategies and tactics essential for advancing their enterprise and professional goals. The event took place 7-10 November at the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona (CCIB) in Spain. As a leading IT research and advisory organisation, Gartner’s aim was to deliver independent and compelling content befitting a provider of its size and stature on the world stage, and its agenda over the four day event certainly offered a rich mix of opportunities for attendees. The symposium not only enabled access to top industry analysts, but also actively promoted peer networking, as well as providing accesss to exhibitors in order to learn more from solutions providers and their latest technologies.

EVENT OBJECTIVESOrganisers say three goals lay behind the design of the event: for it to have been personally relevant to visitors; to have stimulated their thinking and to have left them with an action plan for the year ahead. The event directed its content specifically at nine roles found in a typical IT organisation, including a special programme geared specifically toward the needs of CIOs which focused on the IT issues that these executives identified as crucial to success. The CIO Program at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2011 was a one-of-a-kind experience designed to help CIOs achieve a deeper understanding of today’s complex business and technology environment, so as to be able to approach strategic IT decision-making with new levels of confidence and creativity. RETHINKING PARADIGMSThe event’s objectives were to provide qualified attendees an exclusive CIO experience; to stimulate entrepreneurial and creative thinking; to give CIOs unlimited opportunities to benefit from the collective wisdom of their peers; to investigate methodologies, frameworks and approaches for professional and personal growth, and to prepare them for the technology developments E

The CIO Program at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2011 was designed to help CIOs achieve a deeper understanding of today’s complex business and technology environment, so as to be able to approach strategic IT decision-making with new levels of confidence and creativity.

EVENT REVIEW

DELEGATES GET THE EDGE AT GARTNER EVENTTouted as the ‘most important annual gathering of CIOs and senior IT executives’, the Gartner Symposium/ITXPO in Barcelona gave delegates the rare opportunity to probe today’s most compelling IT concepts and problem-solve collaboratively

IT StrategiesBUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk


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Wouldn’t it be great to have full visibility into what IT services are offered, and what costs are associated with a given service level? And to have the ability to provision that service or retire it as needed? Business Service Management (BSM) helps organisations achieve the goal of running IT more like a business. However, there is still much confusion on the market. What steps are involved in actually achieving true BSM? What do I need to do first? What best practices can I turn to for implementation? How can I measure success? FrontRange Solutions can help you turn the vision of BSM into reality by helping to manage the double-edged sword of improving quality of service, whilst simultaneously containing costs. With a unique combination of best practices, IT service management, in depth IT asset

management data, business process automation, advanced self-service and customisable dashboards, the company can provide you with the tools to proactively control and manage your service costs and leverage best practices to better integrate IT with the business. Talk to Frontrange Solutions now to learn how it has enabled many local governments to achieve this and to discuss how it can help you follow in their footsteps.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: +44 (0)1635 516700 [email protected]

Unlock the value of integrated service and asset management Globally, government

agencies are pressured to perform at high-quality levels of service, often with limited resources. Governmental bodies at all levels are also expected to keep pace with the evolution of technology – not only to help become more efficient and effective, but also to align with the constituencies they represent and mirror private sector adaptation. Institutions at the local, regional and national level also face an ever-expanding list of compliance requirements with privacy laws and regulatory hurdles on data protection. Nowhere do these challenges come together more starkly than the mobile enterprise arena – which is rapidly evolving with new devices, software platforms, and usage trends – all with new laws to govern their application.Enter Good Technology.

Good’s ‘good for enterprise’ suite of mobile management and security solutions is a universal toolkit for government agencies seeking a powerful, secure, cost-effective and seamless enterprise

mobility solution. Good for Enterprise delivers comprehensive security, flexible management, extensive collaboration, and wide device choice and dexterity among employees. With a varied global client base, Good also provides innovative solutions to entities such as the Government of the District of Columbia and the County of Napa (CA). Avoid data breaches, not device choice with Good Technology.

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IT Strategies

research VP, Tina Nunno, VP and analyst, and Daryl C. Plummer, managing VP and Gartner Fellow presented keynote addresses at the event. They described a changed world where advanced technology lies literally in the hands of every individual – but in particular the hands of customers, employees and competitor organisations. We stand at a critical point of departure and a time to reinvent IT leadership, they said. In IT’s postmodern role, users are creators as well as consumers. Business leads technology strategy. Customers drive product plans. Innovation occurs not just in closed environments, but openly. Keynotes told delegates that they will gain a competitive advantage if they seek the signals and take action. The opening keynote in particular explored re-imagings of IT and leadership in the drive to achieve business success. It looked at the trends and insights that allowed delegates to see a different perspective on their own role, their team and their organisation.

CONTENT IS KINGContent at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2011 integrated four big trends causing a profound shift for the future of information technology, namely: mobile, social, cloud and context. Designed to spark new ways of thinking, the Maverick track was one of the most sought-after and highly rated programmes on the agenda. These sessions delivered breakthrough, disruptive ideas from the Gartner research incubator. This year, it explored 12 innovative developments to help delegates get

ahead and take advantage of trends and insights that may influence your IT strategy and your organisation. The Strategic Initiatives Track was integrated into the main conference programme and focused on the next wave of thinking. It was designed to help CIOs and IT leaders re-imagine IT by showcasing the most recent thinking and cutting-edge approaches. Another feature on the agenda which once again proved very popular with attendees, were the ‘Futures’ sessions. These not only addressed current issues but also anticipated those that would be forthcoming in future – so delivering a measure of strategic strength for the year ahead. These included: the 2012 CIO agenda; the 2012 Gartner scenario: the call for a new CIO manifesto; the top 10 strategic technologies for 2012; the cloud computing scenario; emerging trends radar screen: the business impact of societal, technology and management trends, and CEO concerns in 2011 and the IT Implications. Next year’s Gartner Symposium/ITxpo will be held 5-8 November, 2012 at the CCIB (Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona), Spain. Organisers say it will feature a robust agenda of the hottest topics in IT and business, industry-defining mastermind keynotes, hundreds of solution providers and the opportunity to network with more than 3,000 peers. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: +44 (0) 208 879 2430Email: [email protected] www.gartner.com/technology/events

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EVENT REVIEW

E causing a profound shift in the enterprise. So, in the company of renowned Gartner analysts and 1,500+ CIOs from the world’s leading organisations, participants learned how to re-imagine IT’s role inside and outside of the enterprise, rethink accepted IT paradigms and redeploy IT resources to elevate strategic impact and accelerate enterprise transformation. Over the course of four intensive days, delegates had the rare opportunity to probe today’s most compelling IT concepts, problem-solve collaboratively, validate strategies and tactics, refine personal leadership skills and develop realistic next steps that they could act on right away.

BENEFITTING FROM ATTENDANCEThe business benefits of attending were numerous. Sessions focused on using IT for enterprise growth and increased competitiveness and how to capitalise on innovation and investment opportunities. Topics also included reducing IT costs and how best to confirm the strategic IT direction for a company. From a professional point of view, primary benefits of attendance included enhancement of delegates’ negotiation skills through the contract negotiation clinics; improved understanding of the economics of new infrastructure models; an enhanced ability to empower their organisations with a new vision for IT [thus establishing themselves as innovators]; and an increased ability to formulate new directives on the integrated IT role in driving business forward. Gartner analysts including Hung LeHong,



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930 delegates, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors packed the Novotel London West on November 7-8 for this year’s itSMF UK Conference and Exhibition. Colin Rudd, newly appointed chair of the itSMF UK said: “This year’s conference was one of the best ever with a real ‘buzz’ around all areas, especially the networking sessions.” Technology played an even larger role than usual this year, with rolling displays recording the numerous tweets on the #itsmfuk11 hashtag, interactive voting keypads for plenary discussion sessions, plus a special edition of the ITSM podcast featuring some of the industry’s leading pundits. “Social media tools are now instrumental to the success of service management in many organisations,” said CEO Ben Clacy. “And it was great to be able to demonstrate these new ways of communicating as well as discussing them during the presentations.” The opening keynote presenter, Paralympic legend and government campaigner Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, set the scene with an inspiring account of the challenges and prejudices she faced on the way to achieving 11 gold medals in the Paralympic Games, and winning six London Wheelchair Marathons. With wry humour and touching modesty, she explained how she turned some of her most bitter disappointments into triumphs, spurred on by her personal mantra to ‘be as good as you can be’. IT CHALLENGESClosing the programme was Mark Hall, deputy CIO at HM Revenue & Customs, and a former chair of itSMF UK. Mark highlighted the sheer scale of the IT challenges facing government departments and outlined some of the innovative thinking that needs to take place in large organisations in order to make savings and service improvements simultaneously. He also focused on the new wave of radical technology changes that are giving the upcoming generation a very different perspective of business priorities and communications. Sandwiched between these plenary sessions were some 50 presentations, case-studies, discussions, and workshops, covering a broad range of themes from traditional service management topics to priSM credentialing, people skills, ITSM in the Cloud, security, the ITIL Master qualification, and ISO/IEC 20000. Running alongside this programme was the ever-popular ITSM exhibition featuring 42 sponsors and exhibitors, and of course the itSMF UK IT Service Management Awards. “The presentations were of an exceptionally

high standard, but the highlight for me was the talk from Tanni Grey Thompson – it was truly inspirational,” said Rudd. “All in all it was an excellent and very productive two days,” concluded Clacy. “I would like to thank our platinum sponsor Pink Elephant; gold sponsors ServiceNow.com, Intel, Axios and APMG-International; and all those who attended as delegates, speakers, sponsors or exhibitors. It takes the support of the whole ITSM community to make this event the success that it undoubtedly is.” This year’s awards were hosted by the inimitable Lenny Henry. As hotly contested as always, they celebrated the achievements of those who have shown real leadership, imagination and skill in addressing service management challenges within their organisations. “Well done to all 2011 winners,” said Colin Rudd. “It’s a fantastic achievement to win one of these awards and this year the standard was remarkably high.”

NEW COURSE ENDORSEMENT SCHEMEOne important announcement at this year’s conference was the itSMF UK course endorsement scheme. The aim of this new programme is to provide leadership in service management and to ensure good service management practices are put into place. Under the scheme, courses bearing the itSMF UK stamp are judged by assessors to ensure an appropriate level of educational quality and relevance in the development of service management best practice. Unlike other industry authorities, which offer accreditation for a specific set of formal qualifications with examinations, the itSMF UK scheme is designed to recognise and promote a much wider range of service management related

training. Any course that is put forward on the endorsement scheme will go through a thorough evaluation, with organisations being assessed on how they manage and deliver their training, checking key training quality, delivery criteria and whether the course meets its overall objectives. DELIVERING THE RIGHT STANDARDDave Jones, Chair of the Qualifications and Certification Committee for the itSMF UK, said: “This scheme has been designed to ensure that organisations are delivering the right standard through their training and that delegates receive the appropriate guidance and education. We’ve just put the first pilot course through the scheme and we are looking forward to offering endorsement to many other service management course providers over time. I would encourage organisations to get this stamp of approval for their training.” Marcus Harris, CEO of Pink Elephant whose Leadership for Service Management course received the first pilot endorsement under the new scheme, commented: “Pink Elephant has long felt that leadership development in service management has been overlooked because it cannot be easily examined. We feel that endorsement of our innovative new course, through the itSMF UK course endorsement scheme, is a warranty that this programme has been judged capable of delivering lasting culture and leadership change.”The full launch to members will take place in early 2012, and will include a list of courses that have been itSMF UK endorsed. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.itsmf.co.uk

EVENT REVIEW

A ‘REAL BUZZ’ AT ITSMF UKDelegates, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors packed this year’s itSMF UK conference and exhibition, the biggest and most influential gathering of ITSM professionals in the calendar

IT Service Managem

ent

Comedian Lenny Henry presented the itSMF UK IT Service Management Awards



The combination of Learning Technologies with Learning and Skills at Olympia has created Europe’s largest and fastest growing event for the organisational learning sector. With more than 220 exhibitors, over 120 free seminars and a wealth of new and exciting

features, it is the must attend event for anyone involved in organisational learning. For free entry to the exhibition, conference booking and all the latest event information:

www.learningtechnologies.co.uk

register now for europe’s leading showcase of technology supported workplace learning

Event sponsors

Learning Technologies 2012 and Learning and Skills 2012 are organised by CloserStill L&D (Principal Media Ltd) 19 Hurst Park, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 0BP T +44 (0)1730 817600 E [email protected] www.learningtechnologies.co.uk

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The event is Europe’s most important annual forum in the learning industry, attracting over 5,000 learning professionals from corporate, commercial, academic and public-sector organisations. The Learning Technologies Exhibition and Conference is now in its thirteenth year. It focuses on the technologies used in workplace learning and is supported by the co-located Learning and Skills Exhibition, which covers the entire spectrum of organisational learning and development. Learning Technologies 2012 Conference chairperson, Donald H Taylor, said: “Each year we bring together people with tremendous insight into how learning is evolving and must continue to evolve. The keynote addresses at the Learning Technologies Conference this year are discussing profound changes, not just those facing our learning and development community, but the wider social and human effects of technology of business and on all our lives.” “With economies in turmoil and companies bewildered, there has never been a stronger need for a different approach to business. And we invite all L&D professionals that want to make a difference in their business to come and attend Europe’s most important L&D event this January.” CONFERENCEThe Learning Technologies Conference is a four-track conference with fifty sessions led by experts in the field of learning and development. The speaker line-up includes many of the learning industry’s most renowned visionaries and leaders and includes keynote addresses from Edward de Bono, Ray Kurzweil and Jaron Lanier. The conference discusses all of the important issues facing L&D. It’s an opportunity to listen to and interact with the contemporary thinkers and practitioners in workplace learning. Sessions on the conference programme include keynote addresses, cafe sessions, case studies and theory presentations – with opportunity both to listen and interact. Delegates may follow one of the four themed tracks or pick-and-mix sessions from across the conference programme, whichever suits. Speakers at the Learning Technologies 2012 Conference include: Professor Stephen Heppell, David Wilson, Andy Jones, Andy MacGovern, Barry Sampson, Bob Mosher, Charles Jennings, Clive Shepherd, Donald Clark, Chris Bones,

Laura Overton, Nigel Paine, Steve Wheeler, Kevin Streater, and many more of the world’s foremost L&D visionaries. The Learning Technologies Conference programme lists all of the speakers and details of each session. Over 450 L&D professionals are expected: bookings remain open until 20 January. Additionally, delegates booking before 31 December may choose to receive either the new Nintendo 3DS, Amazon Kindle, or Apple iPod Nano as part of their delegate booking.

EXHIBITIONSThe are two exhibitions running alongside the conference: The Learning Technologies Exhibition and the co-located Learning and Skills Exhibition. Both are free to attend and over 5,000 L&D professionals are expected. The Learning Technologies Exhibition is a showcase of the technology used for learning at work. All of the leading providers of L&D technology products and services are exhibiting. The exhibition includes a free programme of Learning Technologies seminars running in five seminar theatres in the exhibition hall for visitors to attend. The Learning and Skills Exhibition showcases the entire spectrum of methods, products and services for workplace learning with a focus on people development, learning and performance, learning resources and HR systems and services. It is built around a programme of free Learning and Skills seminars running throughout the day in four seminar theatres on the exhibition floor. The combination of Learning Technologies and Learning and Skills provides access to 220 exhibitors – all of the leading learning providers are attending. Nowhere else in Europe will you find all these suppliers to the L&D industry in one place. Register in advance online to gain fast-track entry. Floorplans of both the Learning Technologies Exhibition floor and the Learning and Skills Exhibition floor are available on the website to help visitors to plan their day. L&D professionals planning to attend can keep up to date with Learning Technologies and Learning Skills at the event’s news and press web-page, and access the latest Inside Learning online magazine, or register to be kept informed of future announcements by e-mail. L

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTo register and get further information visit www.learningtechnologies.co.uk

EVENT PREVIEW

TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT WORKPLACE LEARNINGEurope’s learning and development community will gather at London’s Olympia on 25-26 January for the thirteenth annual Learning Technologies Exhibition and Conference

Learning & Development



80% of the problemis lurking just belowthe surface

Structured datais only the tip of the iceberg

Data will grow 800% in the next five years, nearly all of it unstructured. Unstructured information is Big Data. It’s that simple.

Learn why MarkLogic is the total solution to the Big Data problem.

marklogic.com | +44 (0) 203 402 3619 | [email protected]

ID5.5-magazine-full-page-ad.indd 1 12/2/11 10:24 AM

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Written by Randall Jackson, vice president of Public Sector, M

arkLogic

Relational databases have been a powerful legacy technology over the last few decades, and a venerable one at that. From their inception by forward-thinking technologists in the ‘70s, relational databases have grown to worldwide, de facto dominance in the IT world, forming the backbone of today’s government data infrastructure. However, the 21st century information landscape is rapidly changing, and the traditional approach of always solving the data challenge with a relational database is no longer feasible. We are in the new information age; one comprised of unstructured data sources that are essentially impossible to model from a relational perspective. Yet government IT staff continue to try and solve these challenges by applying relational database technology, incurring huge expense to develop and maintain such systems (if they perform at all) in an era of ‘do more with less’ IT budgets. POTENTIALModern, 21st century, tools have evolved to tackle unstructured information, yet a huge majority of government organisations continue to try and use relational databases to solve modern information challenges. The question is this – what is keeping us from realising the full potential of our data, structured and unstructured, which is (among other things) a vital necessity to national security? Legacy relational database systems are so pervasive in government today that when a new government contract is awarded, these systems are unilaterally brought in as well – often ordered alongside the carpet, furniture, and paint. Largely, it’s a result of inertia and the mistaken belief that because these systems have been around for so long, and so many organisations use them, they must be the right solution. Furthermore, since many government agencies have enterprise licenses with these relational database vendors, it appears they are getting something ‘for free’ when in fact the frequent misapplication of relational technology to the wrong data challenge is costing far more in development and operations/maintenance costs. Fully two-thirds of any system lifecycle cost is in operations and maintenance. If you were to build the Humber Bridge with wood versus steel, you can imagine the constant manpower and material costs of maintaining it over time. The same principle applies to building IT systems. Using the wrong ‘tools and materials’

will bankrupt your IT budget by driving O&M costs skywards, putting serious pressure on budget for innovation and new development. RELATIONERTIA This de facto implementation of legacy relational databases across government organisations, or what we’re calling ‘Relationertia’, has the effect of imposing a measureable tax on national productivity. These systems are no longer equipped to deal with the type of information governments must leverage. Today, more than 80 per cent of information is unstructured – that is, data that doesn’t fit into the traditional columns and rows of a relational database. Given the hardware, power, and people costs required to scale a relational database to deal with this type of information, it’s no wonder that government database budgets have reached many millions annually. There are newer, more modern approaches that would allow government organisations to break free of this Relationertia tax and put their budgets back on track, while at the same time

unlocking new innovations. For example, there is a new wave of next-generation databases that are specifically-designed to manage and leverage unstructured data in the modern era. These systems can be up and running in weeks, cutting costs by up to 95 per cent. At a time when recent budget battles have resulted in the requirement to identify projects that demonstrate efficiencies, public bodies need to invest in technologies that allow them to fulfill their business objectives, while saving money.

UNSTRUCTURED INFORMATIONThe growing amount of unstructured data that government organisations must manage is at a critical stage. The government is not spared from this explosion of unstructured

information – the massive volume of mission-critical government information has serious implications on everything from budget to national security. THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGYSo selecting and implementing the right technology is more important than ever. Outdated yet entrenched relational databases can sometimes be made to work for the 80 per cent of data that now qualifies as unstructured, but they are so inefficient that projects can quickly escalate in cost. Often, organisations will be forced to keep adding zeros as projects take years to complete or are simply abandoned because the customer tried to use the wrong tool for the job.

BREAKING FREE OF THE TAX ON PRODUCTIVITY As an alternative to the costly proposition of relational databases, unstructured databases can cut implementation times from years to months, IT staffs from dozens to as little as

one person, hardware requirements by up to 95 per cent, maintenance costs by 70 per cent, and total budget from an astounding nine or 10 figures to just fractions of those numbers. Enter the new wave of databases for unstructured data, which are ready to help government face these new challenges head on – a welcome option in a time of national debt and the continued budget crisis.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.marklogic.com

We are in the new information age; one comprised of unstructured data sources that are essentially impossible to model from a relational perspective. Yet government IT staff continue to try and solve these challenges by applying relational database technology, incurring huge expense to develop and maintain such systems.

DATA SECURITY

A 21ST CENTURY APPROACH TO UNSTRUCTURED DATA What is keeping us from realising the full potential of our data, structured and unstructured, which is a vital necessity to national security?



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Government Business Magazine issue 18.12

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Transcript of Government Business Magazine issue 18.12