Tag: UK

Catering – a Growth Industry in Busy Times

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The world of ‘catering’ is now a very far cry from simple sandwiches for office staff, or an occasional Directors lunch.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of catering companies throughout the UK. Some are small businesses providing mobile catering solutions, perhaps for small public events like fetes or open days. Others are multi million pound companies who specialise in catering for the country’s most high profile parties and occasions.

And catering isn’t just about food any more either. In fact plenty of today’s catering companies also provide drink, decoration and even entertainment as part of their product. More party planners than simple caterers, companies like Create or “rhubarb”, also have fingers in the retail pie too – running restaurants and bars as well as event catering arms.

Catering consultants are a fairly new phenomenon. Catering consultants (such as Merrit-Harrison and Turpin Smale) are people or organisations whose sole job is to assist other businesses in their own food and beverage arena. In the upcoming London 2012 Olympics for example there will be a huge demand for good catering consultants. They will be tasked with helping businesses to perfect the art of entertaining their corporate clients for the Olympic period. Many catering consultants are already busy helping hotels and restaurants create, improve or simply enhance their product in the run up to the Games. Let’s face it – it will be one of the busiest event and hospitality times the UK has even seen, so there is a great deal of money to be made getting it right!

As the catering industry has grown and diversified, so too has the scope of catering creativity these companies offer. Event catering, for example, is no longer just about dinner for 200 guests. Now a good catering company may offer you the choice of stalls service (where guests can help themselves to freshly cooked and served food); wok stations – a superbly theatrical way to serve hot fresh food en masse; sushi and sashimi bars; or even roving oyster shuckers. All are new ways of serving fresh, fabulous and of course visually impressive food quickly and efficiently.

The top catering companies employ Creative Managers and Designers whose sole job it is to ensure these ideas are always cutting edge and that the catering product continues to be unusual and effective. After all, as with any industry, it is those companies who evolve and develop their product effectively who do best in their market.

But of course catering doesn’t have to have the ‘wow factor’ either. Just good delicious food is a winning formula in some catering markets. Some companies for example specialise in creating (and delivering to your door) superb yet simple food, sourced and cooked brilliantly and aimed at reducing the time we spend in our kitchens. Classic fish pies and cottage pies perhaps, handmade chicken goujons for the kids, or a simple (cheat’s’ dinner party) cheesecake – all food that perhaps you might pre-order for a weekend away with friends perhaps, just to make a little less work yourself!

After all, that is what catering in all its forms is about – making a little less work for us, be it one less sandwich to make before our working day or one less dinner party to cater for, one less party for 1000 to organize, or one less headache on the corporate hospitality front.

Author Bio: Sara Allom writes about the growth of the catering industry and the rise of catering consultants in the build up to the 2012 Olympics. Its an exciting time to be a UK catering company.

Security Training and Licensing for the Leisure Industry

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Here in the UK all training courses related to private security be it individually or for a company, must be regulated by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and approved by the BIIAB.

SIA main duty is the compulsory licensing of individuals working in specific sectors of the private security industry. On the other hand BIIAB is the wholly-owned awarding body of BII, the professional body for the licensed retail industry.

According to the Private Security Industry Act 2001, section 3, schedule 2. Anyone looking to work as a private security guard, door supervisor or as a bouncer must have a valid SIA licence.

Other activities defined as licensable by the Act are: Cash and Valuables in Transit, Close Protection, Public Space Surveillance (CCTV), Key Holding and Vehicle Immobilisation (Wheel Clamping).

How to apply for a SIA licence?

Before applying for SIA licence to work within security industry, individuals must undergo a structured training course that results in a recognised qualification.

Once the training course is completed individuals are submitted to a test. This test is then sent to the entity responsible for marking, in this case BIIAB. BIIAB will return examination results on the same day which means that individuals will receive their test results in about 2 working days.

Having approved the test individuals can then apply for their SIA licence by filling out the SIA Licence applications. Once the application is received and an examination pass has been confirmed it will take between 7-10 days for the SIA licence to be issued.

Licence in hand you are then qualified to work within the security industry.

One of the most common questions that we hear from our students is: Does my SIA Licence for Door supervisor allows me to work as a private security guard as well?

The answer to this question is yes. The door supervisor licence is valid for both door supervision and security guarding.

Before enrolling on any training course keep this in mind:

1 – Check the training provider backgrounds. You don’t want to end up with a fake licence in your hands. 2 – Ask for their accreditations (SIA, BIIAB, Edexcel, etc…) 3 – Look for ex-students testimonials and feedback. The easies way to do this is by Googling the company’s name.

By following these 3 simple steps this will assure that you are enrolled onto a qualified training programme to work within the UK’s security industry.

In this article I described the “ins and outs” to work as a qualified employee in the security industry here in the UK. I would like to hear what is needed to work as a door supervisor or as a security guard in your country. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Pool Industry Secrets Reveals Easy Salt Chlorinator Selection

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Salt chlorinators are probably the easiest and most popular product for swimming pools. This makes perfect sense after all why manually dose the pool every day when the salt chlorinator can do it for you.

However there is a tendency to oversize and undersize chlorinators which can lead to both operating the chlorinator cell at very low output in which case you feel like you have paid too much or the chlorine level in your pool dropping away in peak use or full sun and the like.

There is a formula I have used for many years and it is very simple to apply to almost any pool. Using the formula the amp draw of the cell can be calculated and once the amp draw is known the manufacturers data can be used to correctly size the cell.
The formula works by applying the following data:

PV = Pool Volume in cubic metres
R = Free available chlorine residual you are targeting
T = time the filter and chlorinator will be running in hours

The formula looks like this:
R * PV = cell amps
T
Or in English residual multiplied by cubic metres all divided by running time.

Lets work through some examples to show you how it works. Well start with an average backyard pool of say 50 000 litres where the targeted residual free available chlorine level is 3 mg/l and the filter system normally runs for 8 hours a day.

PV = 50 cubic metres
R = 3
T = 8
So applying our formula we get

3 * 50 = 150 / 8 = 18.75

So the correct sized chlorinator cell for this pool would be 18.75 amps.

As another example work through this, the pool volume is 120 000 litres, the targeted free available chlorine level is 2 mg/l and the pump and filter run time is 12 hours.

PV = 120 cubic metres
R = 2
T = 12

So again applying our formula we get

2 * 120 = 240 / 12 = 20

So the correct size cell for this pool is 20 amps.

In reality both these pools chlorinator cells would probably be the same cell as manufacturer tolerances would probably mean there is a cell drawing around 20 amps.

Even though this formula works and works all the time you still need to add cyanuric acid or stabiliser as it is often called and run the pump filter system whenever the pool is in use.

Where chlorinators come in a one size fits all set up it is even more important to understand and apply the formula. By working the formula backwards you can get the run time for the chlorinator. This formula looks like:

R * PV = T
cell amps

Using our examples from above see below some equation run throughs.

PV = 50 cubic metres
R = 3
cell amps=18.75

So applying our formula we get

3 * 50 = 150 / 18.75 = 8

So to maintain a residual of 3 mg/l using a cell that draws 18.75 amps at 12 volts the calculated run time for the plant is 8 hours.

PV = 120 cubic metres
R = 2
cell amps = 20

So again applying our formula we get

2 * 120 = 240 / 20 = 12

And similar in this pool using our formula in reverse to get 2 mg/l or ppm using a 20 amp cell the run time would be 12 hours.
One common error a pool owner is likely to make is to use the dial control to reduce the chlorine output by reducing the current going to the cell. Sure I know manufacturers add this control for this purpose, however a very common occurrence is for this to be turned down when the pool is first charged with salt and slowly turned up over time as the salt depletes. This practice is not the best idea. By doing this as the salt level falls the salt cell is being asked to increase its chlorine output a sort of two way pincer.
A better practice is to adjust the salt chlorinator run time to the calculated run time and run the salt chlorinator for that time at 80% or thereabouts, and top up the salt if the chlorine level is found to be dropping.

Monitoring the salt level in the pool is critical to the longevity of the cell. Combined with correctly sizing the salt cell and adequate pool maintenance the cell should last a reasonable period before requiring replacement.

In this article I have shown how to calculate the correct salt cell size for your pool. I have demonstrated applying this formula in reverse to obtain a correct operational run time for a given chlorine residual and chatted generally about salt levels and stabiliser or cyanuric acid levels. If you want to find out more information on this or any other pool equipment topic you can use www.poolindustrysecrets.com site. For those people who use non metric systems here is a quick conversion guide.

1 cubic metre = 1000 litres
1000 litres = 264 us gallons
1000 litres = 219 uk gallons
ppm = mg/l
1000 us gallons = 3785 litres
1000 uk gallons = 4546 litres

Upcoming Publication On Global Golf Industry

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Worldwide golf sport and equipments/supplies industry is highly fragmented with largest contribution coming from the US, Japan and some of the European countries. Golf industry has a large number of male participants than female while this trend is slowly changing and increasing number of women are entering into the golf business. India and China are emerging markets for this sport.

Per capita income and demographic trends leave a major influence over golf demand and participation. The US golf industry is one of the largest in the world and has advanced golf facilities. While in recent times, its growth rate is slower than expected because of the high cost involved in the game and present economic conditions of the US does not allow spending much on leisure activities. Golf apparel and accessories segment started gaining popularity due to rising per capita disposable income in all parts of the country. The golf industry, particularly equipment sales, is impacted by the participation rate, especially from a group of core golfers, and also by the number of rounds played.

Within Europe, a major portion of golf demand and supply comes from few countries wherein the UK and Ireland stands on top. The European golf industry is benefiting from rising golf participation rate in the UK and revenues generated from golf tours. A major portion of the demand for golf equipment is coming from Western part of the Europe, while Eastern Europe is also indicating rising interest of population in the sport. Manufacturers of golf equipments have reduced their production estimate for 2012 and 2013 due to falling national income and trade.

Golf industry in Asian region is expanding rapidly with growing income and rising golf tourists. It has been estimated that number of golfers in these regions increasing rapidly and generating need to serve rising number of members. India offers huge opportunities for golf industry with large number of population and rise in foreign tourists arrivals.

The upcoming report on Global Golf Industry, Participation and Growth Forecast will provide a detailed analysis of golf industry development worldwide with focus on Europe and the US markets. The study will include participation trend, impact of economy over golf industry, golf equipments demand and forecasts. The report will also analyze industry trends, macro economy environment and driving forces accounting for change in the industry.
For more information, please contact

SEO Manchester Beneficial For Online Marketing Industry

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Marketing through the internet is extremely effective in reach to a large group of audience from different corners of the world. However, this approach is highly competitive as a result of which millions of users are opting for the online marketing approach. This has led to infinite numbers of websites highlighting same topic or depicting similar themes. It makes getting lost in the vast crowd of websites becomes easier. But with the presence of seo manchester service providers, scenarios look a lot better. A website’s performance depends largely on the SEO methods applied on it before getting listed on the search directories. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the approach to build a website’s reputation in the most positive way while being placed on the search engines.

The SEO process comprises of different techniques, like article submission, linking to top rated sites, socializing the site, checking on the correct set of keyword usage, and most importantly, taking necessary initiative to find out about originality of the content. SEO professionals need to be dedicated and hard-working. It is said that professionals of SEO in Manchester have a fixed time to enter the office but no fixed time to go out. The work pressure is immense. However, only those who love to accept these work pressures can able to achieve the highest level of success in this industry.

seo companies in Manchester always offer the maximum benefits in terms of website optimization process. Clients from all over the UK and other parts of Europe rely heavily on the SEO service providers of Manchester. They have a fast and expert approach to rely upon. The companies feature teams comprising of young talents with experienced professionals to take the search engine optimization procedures to an altogether different height. The whole approach ensures that client websites are met with the very best of outcomes in terms of traffic accessibility and search engine ranking.