News From Jigsaw

After months of research, planning and development, JIGSAW® CONFERENCES is pleased to announce the relaunch of its website.

The new website delivers timely, well-organized information to a diverse global audience. It is easier to navigate and allows greater interaction within the Events and Travel industry. On the site, users will be able to find current and informative content on the services JIGSAW® offers in the UK and worldwide.

The website includes a number of new features including 1000's of new articles, video material introducing JIGSAW'S services.

In the next weeks and months, JIGSAW® will continue to improve its website. We invite you to come back often to check out the latest developments of our phase 2.

We hope you enjoy our new website and find it useful and informative. In the meantime if you have any venue finding enquiries, accommodation or travel needs you can contact our friendly team on +44 (0)800 158 44 00.

Venues hit by drugs industry's attack on hospitality

By Andrew Jack

Read more...Financial Times

JIGSAW WINS PENINSULA BUSINESS SERVICES TRAINING EVENTS

Peninsula have appointed Jigsaw Conferences to source venues for approximately 400 training events which are planned to commence in January 2010.

Mandy Chagger, Jigsaw Conference's Operations Director, said 'these are really exciting times at Jigsaw Conferences. We aim to keep building our client-base in 2010'.

Jigsaw Conferences is the organisation's sole conference, venue-finding and accommodation supplier.

Metropolitan Housing Partnership has appointed Jigsaw Conferences as its sole events supplier following a competitive pitch.

Jigsaw Conferences operations director Mandy Chagger said the contract included management of venue-finding and accommodation for the partnership's members.

Its members include Clapham Park Homes, Granta Housing Society, Metropolitan Housing Trust, Metropolitan Support Trust and Spirita.

If you are planning to visit Salon International 2009, take advantage of an array of high quality, free planning and organizational services from Salon International Booking Service. Salon International consists of three days of live hairdressing and is an excellent educational experience, a chance to network, and offers wonderful professional opportunities. You will find inspiration at Salon International as you watch the work of some of the best hairdressers in the world. Exhibitors offer you the chance to experience new products, technology and methods at Salon International.

Salon International offers many seminars teaching techniques, professional exhibitions, business tips, and an array of interesting and entertaining events. Stylists from around the world visit Salon International to learn, network and experience this all around amazing hair styling event. Consider bringing your team of stylists to Salon International to inspire and bring a renewed enthusiasm to their work. All the members of your hairstyling staff will learn from the experience, from your salon manager to the assistants in your salon. The quality educational and personal opportunities at Salon International will benefit your hairstyling team for years to come.

You can find everything you need to make your Salon International 2009 experience go smoothly at www.jigsawconferences.co.uk/saloninternational.aspx. A well organised Salon International plan, from experienced organizers like those at Salon International Booking Service can help you get the most out of Salon International 2009. Not only can the Free Booking Service help you plan your trip, but also secure your lodgings and transportation at excellent rates. Rates of up to 40% off typical prices for lodging, and including a full English breakfast, are available through Salon International Booking Service.

So, you’re organising an event and you need to provide an accommodation and travel service but don’t want the hassle or don’t know where to start! Save your team the time and inevitable expense of finding the right hotels at the best prices and sorting through the whole booking process. Jigsaw Conferences are delighted to offer you a complete accommodation & travel reservation service ABSOLUTELY FREE and completely customised to your requirements.

Clients, however large or small, you may use this comprehensive service. There is no need to ‘open an account’ or be cautious of any ‘small print’ catches.

For more information contact Kashy on +44 (0)8700 490000 or visit our Events Rate Cards to see our clients benefiting from our services.

Hey there! Jigsaw Conferences is using Twitter.

Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Start following us today to start receiving Jigsaw conferences updates by clicking here Venue Finder

Meetings held and organised by Pharmaceutical companies are an essential way of communicating and evolving scientific research, clinical development and medical education. However, there is always the danger that they can be seen as a blatant attempt to railroad Health Care Professionals into prescribing products by using lavish surroundings and hospitality to influence them.

This is where the ABPI 2008 code of practice comes into its own, specifically clause 19 which deals with the arrangement and holding of HCP meetings within the Pharmaceutical industry. The key requirement being that the main purpose of the meeting should be its content and any hospitality offered during these meetings should not only be secondary but in fact no more than basic subsistence.

How can we work out what would and would not be acceptable? In answering this question, you would need to consider all aspects of the meeting from the venue, timings, hospitality, content (including speakers) and all associated materials ie handouts, stand material and invitations and equally as important, the costs. All of these elements factor in how the end product, the meeting, will be perceived. This is how it would be deemed acceptable or not, the overall impression given from combining all of these elements.

There are many factors which could potentially lead to a breach of the code in booking a meeting for HCP’s. Some Pharmaceutical companies are seeking help in this area by using venue sourcing companies who have been certified by an industry consultant and have in-depth knowledge of what is and not acceptable under the ABPI 2008 Code of Practice. This is proving to be of great use to them and acts as a further safe guard in the need to comply.

Jigsaw Conferences - Pharma Divison Breakdown

• Individually certified by an industry consultant
• First UK Venue & Accommodation booking agency to be validated
• Tailor made for the Pharmaceutical Industry
• In house compliance department
• Regular training on all updates as new PMCPA cases relating to the code arise
• Full company SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
• Full documentation pack produced for each enquiry for job bag inclusion
• Confidence in venue selection
• Work within company specific spend limits
• Contract reading/bill back/management information reports service available to contracted business

Objective

We ensure all operations related to the provision of venue selection, allocation, costing and all services related to JIGSAW Conferences comply with and are completed efficiently and in line with the ABPI 2008 Code of Practice.

For more information email pharma@jigsawconferences.co.uk or call 08700 4900004

Read more...Related Articles

The VAT relief applies to all conferences with a minimum number of 50 delegates. This deduction will be valid at most large venues in Ireland for a maximum accommodation period, starting from the night prior to the date on which the conference commences and ending on the date on which it concludes.

Annette Devine, President, Irish Hotel Federation, said, “It was vital this tax was reformed, as Ireland was losing out to other destinations where VAT was refundable. As Ireland’s largest indigenous industry, tourism is an extremely valuable economic resource that has doubled in size over the past decade. International communication of this VAT reclaim could see a doubling of the volume of Ireland’s share of international business tourism over the next seven years.”

For more information about how to reclaim VAT in Ireland, please contact Jigsaw Conferences - Ireland Division with an enquiry and they will supply expert advice on this vital saving. Click here for your Ireland Venues express venue finder enquiry form or call free on +44 (0) 800 158 44 00

Jigsaw conferences will help support Code awareness week that will run from 29 September to 3 October 2008

Awareness of the ABPI Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry amongst doctors has increased significantly over the last two years - 84% of GPs and 62% of hospital doctors are now aware of the Code compared with just 65% of GPs and 40% of hospital doctors at the beginning of 2006. This is a result of activities since the launch of the 2006 Code including the Code Awareness Days held in April 2006 and May 2007.

Please support Code Awareness Week 2008 by allocating time for sales representatives and others who have contact with external stakeholders to promote the Code to customers, doctors, pharmacists, nurses and NHS management as part of their regular programme of calls this week.

Note: This year PMCPA staff are offering to attend a limited number of 'Code-Busters' sessions with your employees during Code Awareness Week

For further information please visit PMCPA website

Face it you're busy the last thing you need to worry about is changing that flight to make the extra meeting...With Jigsaw Corporate travel we will take care of everything from reservations, hotel bookings to absolutely everything...

On call to meet your travel needs...

Jigsaw Conferences – UK corporate business travel agency offering corporate travel services, business travel management, discounted business class airfares with all major airlines. We provide travel information and booking services for airlines, car rental, rail travel, and reservations for Hotels...With the power to deliver...

Tell me more...Corporate Travel Division

"The workshop run by the instructor was an extremely informative and useful insight into the changes that have taken place within the Pharmaceutical industry over the last few years. The instructor experience as Compliance Manager and Auditor within in the pharma industry really helped us from the hospitality industry understand the new codes of practice. Lots of food for thought!" O’CALLAGHAN HOTELS

Read more...Related Testimonials

To assist you in your search for conference space here in the UK and overseas, we are launching our latest website InternationalVenues.com. The aim of the site is to provide agents and conference bookers with a one stop venue search tool with coverage of all the major conferencing destinations across the globe.

We have update our Google Maps, so now they come with directions. Search by postcode, street name, town or Landmark.

Jigsaw introduces Google Maps, specially designed for Venue Rate Cards/Events to support hotel locations. This service is easy, fast & friendly to use. When planning your forthcoming event, please ask Jigsaw to design your personal Google Map completely FREE.

Jigsaw always makes the difference, offering a wide range of I.T and e-marketing support to suit all client needs at all times.

To view, please click example..

The objective of the superside taxi media campaign is for Jigsaw Conferences to further build brand awareness on the streets of London.

The campaign clearly appeals to the corporate audience which showed how well Taxis can work for the Venuefinder & Accommodation booking agency. The results have exceeded our expectations in terms of visibility and increased sales.

Look out for one of the many Jigsaw Taxis and call:08700 490000 with the taxi registration number to claim your free gift.

On February 6th more than 120 people attended the Stamford mercury Business Awards, which was hosted by Mercury editor Eileen Green and her deputy Mike Roberts. We where delighted to be presented with the Best New Start-Up award, sponsored by Hegarty and Co solicitors. We would like to thank everybody that took part in the awards and especially the organisers for hosting such a fabulous evening.

Hotel company team meetings are especially critical this year as we are emerging from the recession into a fragile recovery.  Q2 demand increased by an historic percentage of 8.7% according to STR.  Bobby Bowers, senior VP at STR, states that "We're forecasting full-year 2010 RevPAR growth of just over 5 percent, driven almost exclusively by occupancy gains." By Carol Verret

Paul James, global brand leader at St. Regis Hotels and Resorts, estimates that he spends no less than 150 nights a year in hotel rooms. His experience goes well beyond his own company's brand; he often checks out the competition by staying at other hotels.

Global authors and writers have noted that that travel is one of humankind's most enduring symbols of freedom and ability to enjoy life. The concept of travel is inbred into the human experience, and we as hoteliers need to be proactive in how we deliver that experience to each one of our guests. By Dr. John Hogan

Hotel average daily rates (ADR) in both corporate and leisure travel are, for the first time since the downturn, remaining steady or growing according to July's The Pegasus View from Pegasus Solutions. The report, drawn from billions of transactions for nearly 100,000 Pegasus customers worldwide, indicates hoteliers, even in leisure markets, are no longer feeling they have to trade deep ADR discounts for reasonable occupancy.

With no bulky clothes, packing for a naked holiday is simple. Just remember ample supplies of sun block!