SecsintheCity

Icebar by Icehotel - Yet another reason to enter SecsintheCity PA of the Year

Icebar by Icehotel has joined our circle of sponsors for this year's SecsintheCity Awards

Prize: Dinner in Ice Bar and Ice Bar experience for 2

Literally London’s coolest venue for Christmas parties....

belowzero restaurant + lounge and ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL London is completely unique. Situated in the heart of Mayfair, we can accommodate 25 to 270 guests and complement your event creatively with husky dogs and hostesses to greet guests, bespoke ice sculptures or exclusive signature cocktails chosen by you. ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL London is the UK's only permanent bar made of ice and is kept at - 5 ° degrees year round.

Tailor made for Christmas; our warm areas also embrace the winter weather. Get in touch for a no obligation quote – email events@belowzerolondon.com.

         

To Tweet or not to Tweet ?

By Merryl Futerman

Merryl has been a freelance celebrity PA for the last 15 years. Clients have included Julian Clary, Anne Robinson, Denise Van Outen and Jonathan Ross. In the past year she has expanded into training with a new PA Access All Areas course running in July.   

There is a fine line in life between being on-trend, an early adopter, style literate and being a joke. This is why I do wear skinny jeans, read Lauren Laverne and subscribe to Run Riot, but am not on Facebook. 

It can be hard to know when to step away from the Aztec print leggings, in my case I have teenagers to keep me on the straight and narrow, not that I always respect their sometimes harsh opinions. However one area that remained grey for me was Twitter. On the one hand, Stephen Fry was an early adopter so it wasn’t only for youngsters, but on the other it requires technical know-how.

I rest my case.

So I hummed and haa-ed and then had a revealing chat with my stylish, stylist, albeit significantly younger sister-in-law. She told me that it had been a lifeline for her in a time of huge transition - leaving a job she loved and becoming a mother. It had given her the office chatter she missed, been a tool to build up a following for a fabulous website. I decided to dip a toe. 

My boss is a tweeter so I followed him, sis-in-law, a few other celebrity journalists and a few friends. At first I just watched what was going on. Then I was told this was like eavesdropping on other people’s conversations, and that I should join in. I was genuinely nervous, kept trying to think up some witty bon mot, not least because boss was following me, and then did it. Of course, there was no immediate wave of responses – I only had about 6 followers. But once the ice was broken, I have treated it as a place to just chat.

I am self employed and it can be lonely, boss is often away and I work alone so whether anyone is ‘listening’ or not, the occasional observation lessens the feeling of isolation. A few of boss’ fans followed me, even a couple of teenagers’ friends as well as some completely random folk and some of the wonderful PA community. At first I found the thought that people were listening daunting, but with such a disparate group of followers I realised I could only be myself. Boss tends to reply to tweets, so I can’t moan about work, teenagers complain if they are referenced, but they complain about lots of things, so hey. There have been a few mishaps, but less said the better about them. 

Now I am launching a new PA based business venture with a colleague, and in keeping with modern ways we have set up a Twitter account for it. We want to maintain the chatty feel of Twitter we like, keep people informed of developments, and build a community network for those who have completed our course, but we aim to keep it more professional. I will now have a dual Twitter identity – keeping complaints about teenagers separate. 

 

For a chance to be shortlisted for SecsintheCity 'Social Networking PA of the Year' category, get tweeting. 

Click here to find out more about SecsintheCity PA of the Year Awards and how to nominate yourself.

 

 

If you're ready to leave and move on to a new PA, EA or Secretarial role, sign up for job alerts and search and apply here 

 

For more information on Merryl's training courses follow @PAAccessAllArea or email info@PAAccessAllAreas.co.uk.

You can follow Merryl @its_Merryl 

Get your pension the easy way - from your employer

If you are of working age and you haven’t got round to starting a pension, now is the time to act. Pension enrolment doesn’t have to be hard. The government has introduced a new law designed to help people save more for their retirement. It now requires all employers to enrol their workers into a workplace pension scheme if they’re not already in one.

 

You can choose to opt out but the sooner you start saving for retirement the better because your pension pot builds up over time. What’s more, if you stay in, your employer will contribute to your pension as will the government through tax relief[1]. This means more money goes into your pension pot than just what you put in.  

  

To find out what pension enrolment means for you, and the benefits of staying enrolled, click here

Online calculators:

Future wallet

An online tool that helps you work out how much money you may need in later life. It lets you compare this to your present situation.

State Pension calculator

The State Pension profiler uses information provided to quickly estimate how much basic State Pension you may get. It's based on National Insurance contributions to date. It will also tell you the earliest you may get it. 

Pension calculator

Pension Calculator from the Money Advice Service and Association of British Insurers.

---

[1] The government takes tax off your income. You can see this on your payslip.  Tax relief means some of the money that would have gone to the government in the form of tax now goes into your pension pot instead.  

The Secret PA : Day 485

Banker-ing around, post its & office musings (or not) 

Ok, so Whiz Girl was on the verge of crying for the first time ever. I've never seen her upset or had to manage someone, let alone someone who is flustered but it’s all a part of stepping up the ladder. At least ‘tear plugging’ isn’t one my routine jobs. Some of my friends who are legal PAs often have to deal with clients who are really upset. One works for a Divorce and Family Lawyer. As you can imagine, things get quite emotional. 

Apparently someone in finance had asked her something inane about ‘whether she knew how to raise a PO’. He’s also asked her some really random things which to be fair she wouldn’t know about and he should really be asking Curly or someone in Marketing. Whiz Girl I can see is trying to be mature and professional but I think he has really got under her skin, in a…..'creepy' sort of way.

Rumour has it that he was making ‘inquiries’ about salsa lessons – by which we mean asking one of the girls in research about ‘her salsa lessons’, and....

... asked one of the women in HR for a CD of her music – she does small gigs at the weekend and sometimes plays at small events as a filler. 

Weird? Too smooth? Creepy? Over friendly? Trying to be nice but just socially inept? Or me being too harsh? What do you reckon?

 

And then there’s Clawly. I’m not so sure how or why she is still here after the amount of time she spent last year courting the idea of being 'head hunted’. Maybe she presented herself well on her CV but she’d have to have put it on a site which gets a lot of recruiters and employers looking on it. I wonder if she has secretly registered on SecsintheCity so she can have a job like me (she’s always seemed a wee bit jealous of my job).  Whiz Girl asked her to send off something in the post, in an A4 envelope because it shouldn’t be folded. She replied back saying she thought it was fine folded. 

Clawly seemed to have forgotten all about it by lunch though – or it never even occurred to her in the first place that she had upset Whiz Girl – because she smiled and waved at us as we passed her on the way to lunch. She’s never really been friendly but of late she seems to be surprisingly so for the most part, or maybe I just don’t see her the same since she took her claws off Curly and I lost interest in him…

 

On the positive side, there’s a new IT guy in the office, who Whiz Girl and I have decided to refer to as ‘Helper’ – he sort of reminds us of Santa’s little helper. He just seems to love being the ‘helpful IT guy. I came out from a meeting the other day to find a post it note saying “Your phone is now fixed =) ”. It did make smile.

But it had a far more profound effect on Whiz Girl who went into a fit of giggles. Can’t imagine what for. She doesn’t know about Banker Guy but I don’t really want to talk about my personal life at work. You’re always better leaving your personal life at the door, if you know I mean….

Anyway, so everyone was out at the pub the other day and he bought me and Whiz Girl drinks and said he knew this really awesome place for brownies. Then the next week he emailed asking if ‘Whiz Girl and I’ were up for tea for three later this week. Whiz Girl shall be forced into indulging in brownies ;)  I’m sure she won’t mind. 

And after all, she has a boyfriend….and in fact I now have a beau, I think? ….. I’m going out later with Banker Guy – Yup, still going smooth, believe it or not. He’s so…refined … I can now officially say he has succeeded in breaking the stereotype of the ‘City Boy’ in my heart’s eye…if you know what I mean ;) 

Anyway, when Whiz Girl emailed saying we were in, it transpired that it would actually be tea for 5. Turns out ‘Helper’ invited not only his ‘IT buddy – Pink Streak but also, ahem…take a guess? Yup, yours not-so-truly….Curly himself. Strange thing (or maybe not) is, it didn’t cause my heart to skip a beat.

 

Ooops. Lost track of time.Got to go dash and splash on some lippy before I leave for my fancy evening with ahem…

 

Will let you know how it goes x

 

 

 Follow me on Twitter!

@TheSecretPA
#secretpa

Find me on Facebook! 

The Secret PA 

 

To find a new PA opportunity, visit click here 

SecsintheCity 'Social Networking PA of the Year'

Social Media has revolutionised the way the way we communicate. It is an effective way to keep abreast of the latest news in your industry, support your employer and…get ahead. 

Having a social media profile and blogging on sites like increases your online visibility, enhances your personal brand and demonstrates the skills and experience on your CV to your current boss as well as potential employers. 

 

If you haven’t got a Twitter account, you aren’t a blogger for SecsintheCity and haven’t LIKEd our Facebook page it’s a good time to get started because we’re on the lookout for nominees for our Social Networking PA of the Year Award. 

 

4 nominees will selected by our Social Media Editor on following criteria: 

 

Your Kred Influence Score:

Click here to view your current Kred Influence score

Hint: the more PA s who follow you, mention you, click on your shared links and re tweet you, the better your score will be.

 

 

Your Kred Outreach rating:

Click here to view your current Kred outreach rating

Hint: mention, follow and re tweet more PAs and Head Honchos (bosses)

 

 

RTs @SecsintheCity and @Secsjobs

How often you re tweet @SecsintheCity  and @Secsjobs  Hint: Follow @SecsintheCity and @SecsJobs, and re tweet your favourite jobs and blog posts

 

Blog posts written from (date of the publishing the post) until 24^th August

You can submit a maximum of one post per week (max total =. 11 posts)

 

Blog views:

How many views your blog posts have received in total by the 1 September 2012.

 

Use of #SecsintheCity

You can earn extra points for tweeting (url to the Awards Blog #SITCAwards

 

LIKE and Comment on SecsintheCity’s Facebook page

How much you engage with us on our Facebook page.

 

Our Editor will short list 4 finalists who will be invited to attend the Awards, and 1 winner will be selected by our panel of judges.

 

If you have any questions about this category, please email our Social Media Editor at: aminah.khan@tmdr.com

 

SecsintheCity PA of the Year – this could be YOU

With so many outstanding PAs on SecsintheCity, we’ve decided to celebrate your expertise and professionalism, so we’re holding our first PA of the Year Awards.

 

We’re looking for talented PAs/EAs and Secretaries to enter the SecsintheCity PA of the Year Awards 2012. We’ll also nominate the most social media savvy of you for a special ‘on trend’ category.

 

The winners will be announced at the Awards dinner on Thursday October 25^th 2012 at London’s prestigious The Ivy Restaurant.

 

To enter, simply tell us about your role and experience. We have the following categories: 

• PA of the Year
• Legal PA of the Year
• Team PA of the Year

We welcome nominations from all PAs, EAs and Secretaries as well as their bosses.

 

Social Networking PA of the Year

We also have a separate award for Social Networking PA of the Year, in recognition of the changing role of the PA and the importance and associated benefits of raising your profile and that of your employers within social media.  

Read more about how you could be eligible for this unique award here. 

 

Shortlisted finalists will be invited to the awards dinner at The Ivy....and there are some fabulous prizes to be won. 

 

Make 2012 your year to get recognised; submit your nomination today.

 

The deadline for nominations is Friday 24^th August 2012.

 

Please note that nominees must be available to attend the awards dinner on Thursday 25 October 2012.

 

SecsintheCity PA of the Year is sponsored by:

  

 

                                         

 

                                                              

 

 

Have you entered yet? Which category? 

Time Management Tips from PA Seema Shah - Part II

By Seema Shah

Seema has been PA to the CEO at Sportech PLC for over 12 years. She is also the Office Manager in their London Head Office which consists of 12 employees and manages their Team Secretary. She is  a Prestige member of The PA Club and various forums including the Institute of Professional Administrators (IPA), the Executive Personal Assistants Society and the Personal Assistant and Office Manager (PAOM). Seema was awarded 2011 PA of the Year by the Executive PA Magazine Awards

Continued....

Delegate

Not everyone has the support to be able to do this but if you do, then delegate. Delegating certain tasks will free you up to concentrate on more important jobs you have to do. Sometimes you may think that you'll get the job done quicker and better if you do it yourself – this may be true, but if you have a junior assistant who looks up to you, then delegating work gives them an opportunity to show what they can do and prove themselves. This also makes it easier for you when you’re on holiday – hopefully your blackberry won’t be going off as much as usual. 

The Blackberry

Your blackberry doesn’t know the difference between night and day so don’t throw it out of the window when it starts buzzing in the middle of the night because your boss is overseas and sending you emails at unearthly hours – remember to put it onto silent. If you’re like me and your boss is frequently travelling overseas, personal time management can become very tricky. Dealing with emails on the train home or into work is great – that way it clears up some things before you even get to the office.

Me time

You’re probably going to ask ‘what’s this?’ as it will be a fictional part of most of your days in the office.However, setting aside a few minutes each morning and afternoon, will give you time to clear your head, stop you going square-eyed from staring at your monitor all day and give you a chance to catch up on the gossip with a cup of tea!

 

Do you struggle with time management or are you a pro with more tips to add? Did you find this article helpful? Feel free to leave your questions and comments below. 

 

To find a new PA opportunity, visit click here

Would you like to ‘Raise your Game through Performance’ ?

 ‘Raise your Game through Performance’

Global PA Training & Development invite you to attend our most popular Corporate Diamond PA Masterclass II on Thursday 31^st May, 9.30 - 1630 at Warnford Court, 29 Throgmorton Street, London EC2. 

 

Why attend our Corporate Diamond PA Masterclass II?

We are the premier global training and networking company for Executive Assistants & Personal Assistants.  Our lead trainer has worked at the top of the PA Profession for the Chairman of one of the UK’s largest public companies and is personally passionate about championing and supporting the PA profession.

The content and standard of our training programmes has achieved ‘excellence’ in customer feedback and our style of delivery is in high demand in the UK and overseas.

 

Book Now – Two Places Available.

 

Payment Terms:

• Payment to be made prior to the date of Masterclass.
• Invoice, BACS or via www.globalpanetwork.com
• Please note Terms & Conditions of booking apply.

For more information, please contact: 

 enquiries@globalpanetwork.com or Claire on 07759 927257 / 0845 257 4804

 

 

 

Testimonials: 

‘I attended the Communications Workshop in London and came away from it feeling refreshed, more confident and motivated in my work. I am smiling more, have changed my answer phone message to sound more professional, and have more pride in my work. Both Rosemary and Sue were excellent trainers and really took their time to speak to everybody on the course to offer individual advice.’ Holly Harris - Executive Assistant to David Wilde - Chief Information Officer Westminster City Council 

"The day was productive for me particularly with regard to listening skills and personal branding. The venue was conducive, it was good to network and at no time did I feel as though the trainers were going to make me nod off! Heather Whitmore MIPA, PA to the Chief Executive - Action on Addiction

 

“It was an impressive training session which hit upon some important aspects of behaviours in the office. We were introduced to a number of tips which could significantly raise the PA’s profile.” Annie Mundy - Institute for War & Peace Reporting

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘Raising Your Game Through Performance’ Masterclass, the day was very useful and informative and the venue was excellent. Rosemary and Sue were outstanding in their delivery of the material and you could see their passion about what they were doing. It was great being amongst other PA’s for a day and working as a team to solve a management case study utilising the skills we had learned during the day. Many thanks for such a worthwhile day! Anita, Capgemini UK PLC

 

Thank you for the Personal Branding Tips and for a very good day all round. We were lucky to have a small group I know and it all worked so well together. Very inspiring! Eileen, PA to Chairman and London Office Manager, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) 

 

It was great to get away from the office for a day & see Rosemary again & talk with other PA's from different walks of life to share experiences - a thoroughly enjoyable day! Emma - NPower 

 

“Thank-you for organising such an interesting, engaging training day yesterday. I really got a lot out of it and it's definitely made me think about how I can most effectively communicate with colleagues, especially those with very different temperaments from my own, and how to strategically approach a large project/task to make the best use of my time and resources. The personal branding techniques were very thought-provoking and it was useful receiving the peer assessment feedback.  Portsmouth Business School”

 

 

UK Workers Leave the Environment on their Doorsteps

Brits’ 'green' efforts go out of the window the moment they leave home and set off for work, it emerged yesterday.

A study carried out among 1,000 working adults found that, while we are generally green at home, happily recycling as much as we can and conserving energy, when we get to work we are likely to bin unused printer paper, chuck away food wrappers and drinks cartons and even leave windows open with the heating still on.

Nearly a quarter of workers print things out when they don’t need to and four out of ten forget to use their company recycling bin. This was compared to eight out of ten who separate recyclable goods from non-recyclables when at home. In fact, twice as many UK workers believe they are greener at home than they are at work despite most people wishing they were otherwise.

The research was commissioned by Avery as part of Green Office Week, taking place May 14^th- 18th.

Green Office Week’s Gregg Corbett said: “With nearly half of office workers feeling that their companies do not take their environmental responsibilities seriously enough, it’s not surprising that we feel as though we can’t make as big a difference at work as we can at home.”

“Green Office Week aims to change all this, empowering workers across the UK to make small, practical changes to the ways in which they work.”

“We spend a third of our lives at work and more than half of UK workers feel they would be noticeably happier and more positive at work if it was easier for them to be more environmentally friendly. With this in mind, there’s never been a better time for change.”

Eight out of ten Brits said they were disappointed that their company didn’t lead the way with more green initiatives, with one in ten claiming they had even been actively discouraged from recycling at work by their employer. In fact, despite a quarter of UK workers saying that they would feel less loyal to a company that doesn’t want to be green, 41% of workers said they had previously found themselves in an awkward situation with their boss in the past simply for trying to implement green practices at work.

It’s no surprise then that 40% say they would avoid suggesting greener working initiatives because they wouldn’t want to be seen as ‘nagging’ or as a ‘tree hugger’, which could reflect badly on their career prospects.

Bigger organisations with more than 250 staff and very small companies were more likely to implement green strategies while mid-sized companies were the worst offenders and more likely to consider being green as something that comes at too high a price.

Gregg Corbett said: “These findings demonstrate that many UK companies still think that they don’t have the time or finances to implement greener working practices into how they operate. This is despite evidence demonstrating that being green can bring real cost-saving benefits to companies.”

“I would urge workers from across the UK to take part in Green Office Week this May. Working together we can find better ways to work that will benefit the environment, our companies and our own productivity and happiness.”

THE ECO SIN-BIN: THE TOP 10 NON-GREEN THINGS WE DO AT WORK

1. Chucking away paper rather than recycling it
2. Not having a recycling bin
3. Throwing away food packaging
4. Throwing away cans and cartons
5. Not printing double-sided
6. Leaving things on standby
7. Using non-environmentally-friendly products
8. Forgetting to turn off the lights when leaving the office
9. Leaving the heating on and opening windows
10. Not reusing envelopes or jiffy bags

To find out more and to get involved with Green Office Week 2012, simply register at greenofficeweek.eu or visit the Green Office Week Facebook page.

To find a new PA, EA or Secretarial opportunity, search and apply on SecsintheCity

The LCCI PA Club invite you to celebrate their 4th Birthday, at Dirty Martini

You are cordially invited to join the LCCI PA Club as they celebrate turning the grand old age of FOUR. The evening will be packed with prizes, cocktails and fun filled networking at the fantastic Dirty Martini.

When: Monday 28 May 2012, 5.45pm - 7.45pm

Where: Dirty Martini, 10c Hanover Square, London W1S 1JH

 

Prizes to be won at The LCCI PA Club Birthday Party....

• An overnight stay for two at a country house hotel courtesy
•  A casino evening for four courtesy of Grosvenor Casinos
• A Swarovski Crystallized Gift set
• A box of Pierre Herme Macarons
• Afternoon Tea for Two
• Two tickets to a top West End Musical

Plus each attendee will be given a goody bag on departure.        

About the Venue

Dirty Martini will help you shake it up a little!

The ultimate destination for slick parties and effortlessly cool corporate events! 

Dirty Martini, Hanover Square is located in the heart of fashionable Mayfair, nestled between Oxford Street and Bond Street. Here you can unwind whilst languidly sipping a cocktail in their martini lounge with friends or business associates.

 

To register, please download the booking form here and return to lccipaclub@londonchamber.co.uk 

 

Please Note LCCI PA Club events are STRICTLY for PAs and corporate in-house event organisers only. Registration is at the discretion of the LCCI PA Club Event Manager.

 

To find a new PA opportunity, visit click here 

 

Does your boss like martinis? Dry or Sweet? What about you? 

Will you be joining us? 

The Secret PA: Day 430 …. Holiday Diary continued...

Viennese coincidences and coffee

You will never guess where Banker Guy’s folks went on their honeymoon? Yup. Vienna. How weird is that….

But not as weird as the way I felt drinking wine out of a beer mug. I went up to this place called Grinzing, which is outside the city. You can get a train up there. It’s a quaint little town with a very homely feel to it and a vineyard at the top-ish of the hill. I even found an opening in the fence and went in to the vineyard and sampled some grapes.

On my way back down I stopped at a bakery for a danish pastry and then to a tavern to sample some of their own wine, or rather ‘Wein’. I was quite amazed to discover that:

 * Wine is drunk out of beer mugs around here.

 * When the waiter smiles and says that the wine here is 

    strong - it’s really ‘very very' strong.

 

If you haven’t been to Vienna, I would say it should be on your wish list….

 

Coffee in Vienna is not simply a beverage but an art form, a far cry from the manic Costa or Nero runs.

 

In short, ordering ‘A Coffee’ is not a good idea. In Vienna, the specifics matter here,

as I learned from Sisi….

 

And brown or black, Klein or Groß are more than inconsequential characters in the Viennese coffee world but I am reasonably fluent in coffee so I was ok when it was time for a Kleiner Brauner. Which, incidentally is a small coffee with cream. They serve you the cream in a small pitcher so you can decide how brown you want it

Here’s a Vienna cheat sheet for you :)

• Mind your Bs instead of Ps - Don’t forget the ‘Bitte’ which means ‘please’
• Be size wise when asked “Klein oder Groß?”. Klein is small, Groß is large.
• “Braune oder Schwartz” means brown or black –
• A Schlagober is must have! – a strong black coffee that is far more treaty with the whipped cream.
• Don’t forget to stop by the nearest Julius Mein – a grocery chain there – for some Viennese coffee to take home. Hint hint: A good way to say thank you to the coffee chugging boss. You’re welcome Scarlet.

 

On that note, I’ve got to dash out before Scarlet comes asking about her latte. Whiz Girl did one run this morning and I could really use a chai latte right now.

 

Later x ;)

 

 

 Follow me on Twitter!

@TheSecretPA
#secretpa

Find me on Facebook! 

The Secret PA 

 

To find a new PA opportunity, visit click here 

 

Time Management Tips from PA Seema Shah - Part I

By Seema Shah

Seema has been PA to the CEO at Sportech PLC for over 12 years. She is also the Office Manager in their London Head Office which consists of 12 employees and manages their Team Secretary. She is  a Prestige member of The PA Club and various forums including the Institute of Professional Administrators (IPA), the Executive Personal Assistants Society and the Personal Assistant and Office Manager (PAOM). Seema was awarded 2011 PA of the Year by the Executive PA Magazine Awards

There are never enough hours in a day. We’ve all said this at one point or another and most of the time it’s true. The demand and workload on PA’s has  grown over the years and it is becoming increasingly important to learn how to manage your time effectively to ensure you can work to the best of your ability, but also take a breather when you need to – before you burn out. 

Like most jobs, working for a PLC has many deadlines. Announcing your results twice a year to the City means that presentations need to be done and investor meetings arranged and for the week ahead of these results - this takes priority over everything. 

So, how can you manage your time effectively?

Plan your day

On Fridays, have a good look at your boss’s diary for the following week. Check that all their meetings are confirmed and travel arrangements organised,  make sure that he hasn’t sneakily changed anything without telling you and hasn’t managed to double book himself. 

If you boss is in the office, set aside half an hour to go through their diary and arrangements with them. This also gives you time to listen to what other projects are on the go and what you can assist with. 

Prioritise

Look through your list of tasks and determine which ones are the most important and urgent. Then make sure you focus on those ones first. There will be times when ‘an emergency’ arises, which will distract you - for example, someone in the office may think this means we’ve run out of milk or isn’t able to fill the photocopier with A4 paper correctly and looks to you to come to the rescue. If you can deal with this, do so and then immediately go back to your important tasks. You may laugh but I’ve given tutorials on how to fill up the dishwasher. 

Make Lists

I for one, could not live without a pen and pad permanently attached to my hip! Unless you have a fantastically photographic memory, I would encourage you to make lists. Colour code it if that makes it easier to distinguish the highly important items from the slightly important items. It’s a great way of prioritising and ensures you don’t forget anything important. The best thing about making lists is ticking things off when you’ve accomplished them. You will also always have a record of what you’ve done, so when your boss says ‘I told you I wanted to travel on Monday!’ what he really said and what you wrote down was ‘I will definitely travel on Tuesday’.....

To be continued....next Tuesday

In the meantime....Feel free to leave your comments and questions for Seema below.

 

To find a new PA opportunity, visit click here

WIN A Trip to New York with Avenueto

The traffic, the noise, the bustle, the shopping, the food, the landmarks, the shopping!

It's time for another great competition from Avenueto.co.uk Take yourself and a loved one off to the city that never sleeps for three fun-filled nights in New York. Grab a hot dog in Times Square, pretend to be Meg Ryan at the top of the Empire State bulding or Carrie Bradshaw in Greenwich. This is the city that truly has it all.

Take a bite out of the Big Apple and enter our competition to win a holiday for two to New York courtesy of British Airways, Wexas Travel and Gramercy Park Hotel. Departing from London Heathrow on British Airways in World Traveller Plus, your three nights in New York will be at the fabulous four star Gramercy Park Hotel located in the heart of Manhattan.

Avenueto.co.uk is a an easy to use website to help you find the perfect venue, whatever your requirements, whether you are searching for somewhere near a specific location, with outside space or even somewhere capable of staging an awards ceremony....and could be your ticket to NYC this year. 

 

To enter  simply search Avenueto.co.uk for the answer to this question:

“What is the name of the Michelin starred chef at Crowne Plaza London – The City?” 

Then click here to submit your answer. 

A shortlist of ten names will be drawn on  Friday 18 May.  If you make the shortlist you will be invited along with one guest to th LCCI PA Club fourth Birthday Party on Monday 28 ay where the final draw will be carried out and the winner announced!

Good Luck! 

 

To find a new PA opportunity, visit click here

The Secret PA: Holiday Diary

Sacher Torte, Mozart & 'Wein' by the pitcher  

Vienna had always manifested itself as a quixotically regal destination, where daily rituals included ‘ein Klein’ Viennese Coffee and Sacher torte, a stroll through landscaped gardens, and evenings of Mozart. Little did I know that it was to be further embellished, and not just because of the concert ticket from the bosses but that did play a part. Not going to a Mozart concert while I was there would have been sacrilege.

I also paid his musical highness a visit at Burrgarten. Such a shame it was a statue. I would have quite liked to join him for a cuppa ;)

If only there was a time machine…

(sigh…)

The garden, which used to be the private gardens of the Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Sisi, is the perfect place to walkabout, and even better with one of those audio guides. I did the whole route which included a walk through the courtyard of the imperial Palace and the Sacher Hotel, with a bit of storytelling laced through it.

I’m beginning to think hair and beauty culture came from the beauty routine of the Empress Sisi, who as history tells it, was known for her beauty, and lustrous long hair… which, believe it or not was actually heel length. Who does that?

Have you ever seen anyone with hair that long? Apparently she called herself “slave of my hair”. ‘Speed dressing’ was obviously not a necessity in those days. That said, she does seem quite the power woman; she was apparently the best horse-rider who’s only rival was the Empress Eugénie of France. 

Then of course there was the icing on the cake…. Sacher Torte, at the Sacher Hotel, where I met Sisi, an elderly writer on the table beside me, (the name seemed apt… I couldn’t tell how old she was but she had certainly aged with grace. Sort of how I imagine Scarlet twenty years from now).

The best part, I have to say was the evening weaving through the fountains in the gardens of the Schönbrunn Palace Gardens. It was the one of the most spectacular sunsets I had ever seen. I sat on a ledge looking out from the top of Schönbrunn Hill floating amidst the symphonies of Mozart when HE called.

He was back from his trip….and I daresay, back to doing an impressive job of impressing yours truly ;) I hadn’t spoken to him a lot while he was away but the little has gone a long way *blush*.

It was almost too perfect, the setting, the conversation, the music still trickling through my earphones….was I dreaming?  

The way things have panned out since my return – he surprised me with flowers at the airport, among other things. I so did not expect that…Are things going too well or am I just being paranoid?

Oh, he’s calling *blush*  

Will finish my Vienna memoirs later.....won't be long, I promise x 

 

Toodles x ;)  

 

 

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Citadines Prestige Trafalgar Square invites you to your local apart'hotel

Citadines Prestige Trafalgar Square, your local apart'hotel for short and long-term stays.

Located just a few steps away from Nelson's Column, the apart'hotel has just been fully renovated in a contemporary style and offers 187 apartments, ranging from spacious studios to large duplex two-bedroom apartments.

Your company's employees can benefit from apartment-style accommodation offering more space than a conventional hotel bedroom - including a private kitchen - as well as complimentary wi-fi and staff onsite 24/7. 

With no minimum stay, Citadines is perfect for overnight business trips or longer-term project teams or relocating employees. 

Following a multi-million pound refurbishment, Citadines Prestige Trafalgar Square invites you have more than just a peek....

To see how switching to an apart'hotel could offer your company's employees more space, privacy and cost savings when compared to a conventional hotel, join them for glass of wine and guided tour of the apart'hotel.....and then more drinks, with nibbles.

You will even have the opportunity to WIN a free stay at the residence - perfect for a weekend of shopping/partying in town or perhaps just for a really easy commute to work one morning.  

 

This event will take place:

On Thursday 17 May 2012, 6.00pm - 8.00pm

At Citadines Prestige, Trafalgar Square

To register RSVP asap to London@citadines.com

Are you attending? 

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Give your PA career the VIP makeover it deserves…

Want to learn how to become a better PA?

Inspired by her own passion for the role, Donna Coulling, PA to numerous A-list stars, is holding a series of seminars to help you achieve career success.

At her next seminar, ‘So you want to be a better PA’, Donna will be calling on her 10+ years of experience as a PA to leading VIPs to give you you tips and tools to take charge of your career and get ahead.

Not only will you learn how to become a better PA, you will also receive a luxurious goody bag that even a VIP would lust after....

.....So don’t miss this exclusive seminar.

 

When: Wednesday 23^rd May 2012

Where: Central London

Price: £195

 

(If you book before May 9th you can benefit from the early bird discount of £155 – saving £40)

 

Are you attending? 

 

       

Further info: events@inxmedia.com

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