Certification International, a leader in the field of assessment and certification services to internationally recognised standards, says figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)* show companies are taking health and safety seriously.

Certification International believes the ongoing falling trend in the number of people being injured or made unwell in the work place is due to organisations implementing occupational health and safety management systems and gaining certification to OHSAS 18001:2007 – a standard designed to clarify an organisation’s impact on health and safety issues.

Certification International is accredited by UKAS to assess companies to OHSAS 18001:2007 – the latest health and safety standard. The standard can be adopted by any organisation wishing to implement a formal procedure to reduce the risks associated with health and safety at work and aid legislative compliance. It is compatible with a number of other management systems including ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 27001 (information security).

Certification International’s managing director John Pymer says: “It’s good news that the number of people being injured or made ill at work is falling. But there is still a lot of work which can be done to reduce this further. The most effective way of doing this is by gaining certification to OHSAS 18001:2007. Having a formal health and safety system in place minimises the risk employees and outside parties may be exposed to. If employees feel safe in the environment they work in it can improve overall business performance. Achieving OHSAS 18001 also means businesses can be confident that their procedures meet the requirements of health and safety legislation. OHSAS 18001 is becoming increasingly important and some contracts stipulate organisations must have it as proof that they can carry out work safely and efficiently. If companies don’t have formal certification for health and safety, it is something they should look at to safeguard themselves and the safety of their employees.”

Certification International is a global organisation which provides assessment, analysis and certification services to companies of all sizes across a wide range of standards.

Kyoto Convention Bureau in Japan has extended its partnership with Swindon-based communication and PR specialists Soaring Worldwide as it looks to broaden its appeal to businesses around the world.

Soaring Worldwide has worked with Kyoto for 2 years, managing and planning its PR activities across Europe and North America to raise the city’s profile as the location of choice for conferences and incentive travel. Kyoto is Japan’s second most popular city for meetings and events and is a well known centre for culture and heritage.

Soaring Worldwide’s managing director Adam Baggs comments: “Working with Kyoto Convention Bureau has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Kyoto has a lot to offer as a business destination and during the time we have worked with them, the city has increased in popularity for worldwide conference and incentive trips. With new venues and facilities opening in 2012 we’re excited about the challenge of promoting everything Kyoto has to offer and raising its profile even further.”

James Kent, Kyoto Convention Bureau’s international marketing manager, says: “We chose to work with Soaring Worldwide in order to benefit from its extensive industry knowledge and understanding of our country and culture. It has been an extremely fruitful partnership and we look forward to this continuing and seeing the benefits that working with Soaring Worldwide offers.”

Four of London’s most central venues gathered to share ideas and work more closely together.

Church House Conference Centre, One Great George Street, The QEII Conference Centre (QEIICC) and Central Hall Westminster, all located around Parliament Square, recently participated in a Venue Safari.  Sales, operations and management staff from each venue gathered together for an evening of great food and lively conversation which moved from venue to venue. The evening provided an excellent opportunity for all who participated to learn more about each neighbouring venue, meet the teams, tour the buildings, and discuss plans and ideas for the future.

The evening kicked off at One Great George Street, the venue for the London Media Centre for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, where guests were treated to a wide range of canapés including a greatly talked about Beef Wellington. Next in line to host was The QEIICC.  Here participants learnt more about the exciting summer plans for the Centre who will be playing host to Italy during the London Olympic Games.  Guests then enjoyed a range of main courses at the third venue, Central Hall Westminster, including a peek into the 2,160 seat auditorium that will be transformed to stage the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards. Finally guests arrived at Church House Conference Centre, where everybody enjoyed the stunning views of Westminster Abbey from the balcony of the Bishop Partridge Hall whilst enjoying a delicious range of desserts.

Robin Parker, general manager at Church House Conference Centre, says the evening was a great success. “Events like the Venue Safari provide us with an opportunity to learn more about each other,” he explains. “Although each venue is very different in terms of what it offers, you can still learn from each other’s experiences. The months ahead are very exciting and it was good to meet the teams at the other venues to see how they are looking to make the most of the opportunities available through 2012.”

Sue Etherington, commercial director at The QEIICC adds: “It was a fantastic evening and everybody who attended found it a very worthwhile experience – everybody came away having learnt something new.  I look forward to repeating the exercise again in future and finding out how the venues have developed.”

Thanks to Kevin Blackman – Central Hall Westminster, Anna Glazebrook – One Great George Street and Gareth Brown – QEII Conference Centre, for organising the event.

Certification International has strengthened its UK team with the appointment of a new member of staff. Ben Salter joins the technical team as a Certification Officer.

As Certification Officer, Ben is responsible for providing assistance to the Group Head of Certification at Certification International UK and management of certification schemes. His role involves approval of auditors and technical advisors, overseeing technical reviews and queries, conducting internal audits throughout the Certification International group, providing auditing support and implementing the policies of UKAS, alongside those of Certification International UK.

Before joining Certification International, Ben was self employed providing health and safety internal audit services to a variety of clients. He also spent five years working at civil engineering, earthworks and waste management contractor MJ Church Plant Ltd.

To prepare Ben for his new role, Certification International has provided relevant training and he has already attended an internal auditor’s course for quality management systems. He’ll also be attending a recognised lead auditor’s course.

John Pymer, managing director of Certification International, says: “As a growing organisation we needed to strengthen our team to continue to offer a first class service. By appointing someone from outside the certification business, it will bring a fresh approach to what we do. Ben has considerable experience which will not only benefit our clients but also Certification International offices around the world.”

Certification International is a UKAS accredited organisation with more than 5,000 clients in 26 countries. It provides assessment, analysis and certification services to companies of all sizes across a variety of standards.

Nexus Collections, the world’s leading producer of environmentally friendly conference bags, has launched a fully brandable sleeve for iPads and tablet computers.

The latest addition to the Nexus range is available in black, red and blue, and can be branded for individual events with sponsors logos, in full colour. The sleeves are made from shock and water resistant neoprene, and the sleeve has been designed so a tablet computer, such as an iPad, slides into the pouch and the lid simply folds over. The sleeves are also reversible, adding a splash of colour to the events and conference product market.

Nexus Collections managing director, Nick Jones comments: “Nexus prides itself on being able to offer products which meet the requirements of the conference and events industry, and its delegates. As more and more people are using tablet computers in the conference and events environment we saw an opportunity to provide an alternative to traditional conference bags. The new sleeves are a great way for event organisers to provide delegates with a protective carry case for their equipment whilst increasing awareness of their event and its supporters.”

“The sleeves can be branded with sponsors logos, and because we can print on the sleeves in four colours, their logo will mirror their existing branding without loss of identity. By manufacturing them in a durable material, the sleeve will be long lasting and enable an event and its sponsors to retain brand awareness long after the event has finished.”

Wembley Stadium is kicking off the New Year by offering delegates a new healthy eating menu at conferences and events. The ‘health kick package’ will run from now until the end of March and provides healthy eating options to help visitors get their diets back on track following the festive excess.

The new menu, which is available for as little as £45 + VAT per person (daily delegate rate), includes a wide variety of healthy choices, including homemade granolas with fresh fruit and yoghurt and fruit smoothies on arrival, spiced butternut squash soup and chargrilled chicken served with pitta bread and mint tzatziki for lunch and flapjacks and homemade oat and raisin cookies for morning and afternoon breaks.

Jackie Boughton from DNC Wembley comments: “Delaware North Companies at Wembley Stadium are renowned for creating innovative, exciting and varied menu options to cater for anything from a grand gala dinner to prestigious lunches. The latest ‘health kick’ package has been designed for delegates attending meetings at the Stadium to get back into work without compromising on taste. It provides wholesome, high quality food sourced from top quality suppliers and represents excellent value. What better way to get back on track in the New Year than with our healthy menu.”

Whilst scientists expect to find habitable new worlds as part of the Kepler programme in 2012, event organisers can find the industry’s newest stars at International Confex 2012 on the Harrogate International Centre (HIC) stand. HIC’s recently completed £13 million redevelopment project created two new stars of the North, increasing HIC’s capacity and ability to host a variety of events and conferences.

The focus of its stand at Confex will be to show people how they can benefit from the improved facilities. Halls H and G have increased HIC’s space by 3,100m2 – 20% – and can be used for a wide range of experiential events, banquets, corporate productions and product launches. The new halls add more space to larger events and offers exhibition space with great flow from the 2,000 seat auditorium.

Alison Griffin, head of sales and marketing at Harrogate International Centre, comments: “Harrogate is the ideal destination – halfway between London and Edinburgh – for events. Our aim is to offer the best facilities so organisers can deliver world class exhibitions and events, and the new spaces will help us achieve this. The focus of our stand at Confex will be to show organisers how the new halls can be used for a wider variety of events and improve the overall visitor experience. The first event in Halls H and G was a great success and we know there will be many more. The new spaces will enhance our reputation and keep HIC at the forefront of the events industry, both nationally and internationally.”

To find out more about HIC visit Stand B1020.

To celebrate the installation of 64” plasma screens in several of its meeting rooms, organisers choosing Church House Conference Centre can entertain delegates by playing Wii Olympics 2012 on the new screens during their breaks throughout the day.

The new screens have been installed in the Westminster, Sir Herbert Baker and Abbey rooms, which are commonly used for small meetings for up to 30 delegates. To incorporate the new technology into an event in a fun way, organisers can use the Wii to entertain guests, at no extra cost, with ‘Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games’ as well as other games such as Wii Sport on request.

Church House Conference Centre’s general manager Robin Parker says: “What better way to celebrate the installation of the new  screens than by offering guests the opportunity to get active. While the screens can be used for formal presentations, incorporating them in an amusing way will also help boost the attention of delegates who can often be sat for long periods of time. Setting time aside to play Wii games is an excellent way to get people out of their seats, add in some extra entertainment and make it a memorable day.”

Church House Conference Centre, a Grade II listed building situated in the heart of Westminster, is one of London’s most versatile venues and it will be open for business as usual during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. With 19 spacious and diverse rooms, it can accommodate a wide range of events including gala dinners, product launches, cocktail receptions, award ceremonies, AGMs and conferences.

Swindon based communications and PR agency Soaring Worldwide has signed up to exhibit at the Business Show Swindon 2012.

The company, which has its offices at Kembrey Park and has doubled in size year on year since it was established in 2006, will be using the event at STEAM to introduce the services it provides to companies in the Swindon area.

Adam Baggs, managing director of Soaring Worldwide, says: “The event provides us with an opportunity to network with other Swindon-based companies and introduce the services we offer. Our extensive knowledge of strategic communications and PR helps companies focus on their core markets. By revealing needs, creating strategic solutions, developing brands and communicating messages we help businesses power reputations and grow by taking them on a communications journey. There are many great businesses in the town and we invite them to come and talk to us about how they can promote themselves effectively.”

Soaring Worldwide is one of the fastest growing communications and PR agencies in the UK and has earned its reputation by delivering great results across all media. The company works with a diverse range of national and international clients including Swindon based Certification International, the Barbican in London and the Kyoto Convention Bureau in Japan.

The Granvia Hotel, Kyoto, is now offering organisations hosting business events the opportunity to participate in a traditional Summer Festival as part of its MICE package.

A number of Kyoto hotels incorporated Summer Festivals into their international conference reception parties during 2011 such as when the Grand Prince Hotel Kyoto hosted a reception organised for the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

The scheme achieved most success at the Granvia that has recognised the benefits it can offer to planners and the fun it can offer to attendees. A Summer Festival is an integral part of Japanese culture. The event involves the venue being decorated with traditional lanterns, a range of market stalls, caricature drawing and yoyo sukui – a traditional Japanese fishing game.

James Kent, international marketing manager at Kyoto Convention Bureau, welcomes the idea. He says: “Summer Festivals became popular as an event to relieve summer fatigue and is based on a Buddhist tradition. Kyoto is Japan’s historic capital and a centre for culture so we are always looking for ways to combine business with culture. Summer Festivals can be introduced to improve a delegates experience in the business environment, and incorporating cultural activities into business also helps attendees network more effectively so they get more out of the experience.

“The introduction of Summer Festivals was particularly successful for the Granvia and there are many ways to make the most of the experience. For example, getting everybody to dress in brightly coloured ‘yukata’ summer kimonos, giving delegates an uchiwa fan with the company logo on it and serving food and drink on ‘yatai’ festival stalls. We are looking forward to seeing more venues incorporate such creative ideas into their events offering so delegates get a real taste of Japan.”