Madame Tussauds has just revealed a new lifelike model of the Queen, and is launching a new package to go with it.

The Diamond Jubilee package at the London attraction includes a Pimm’s reception, Marvel 4D show, 1950s entertainment and a Jubilee-inspired menu designed by Payne and Gunter.

Guests can nibble on quirky twists on British favourites including mini Coronation chicken pies and vol au vents filled with asparagus and hollandaise sauce.

They can also get close to the new figure of the Queen, the twenty-third to be created at Tussauds. It cost £150,000 to make and replicates the white and silver dress covered in 53,000 Swarovski crystals which the queen wore in the official Jubilee portrait photograph released earlier this year.

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Best suited to? Outdoor receptions and parties.

What’s it got? Each summer The Montague on the Gardens Hotel in Bloomsbury unveils a new design for its secret garden. For 2012, it has been made over by leading florist and fragrance designer Kenneth Turner, complete with its own Pimms Bar and barbeque area. The covered space can hold up 70 guests standing, and can be used in conjunction with the adjoining conservatory which leads into the main bar and restaurant, providing additional standing space for around 30 guests.

Anything else? The hotel’s terrace is also available for hire and hosts daily Best of British afternoon teas.

Preferred supplier list? The hotel offers catering but external entertainment is welcome.

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Event supplier Stage Electrics has promoted Dan Aldridge to the position of managing director.

Aldridge has been involved in the company for the past six years, both as operations director and most recently as a non-executive director.

The company’s founder and majority shareholder David Whitehead, who previously held the position, will focus on his role as chairman.

Established in 1979, Stage Electrics now employs more than 220 members of staff nationwide in the supply, installation and hire of equipment for the entertainment industry and turned over £30m last year.

Aldridge said he intends to develop the company’s competencies and explore new opportunities to deliver future growth.

Whitehead commented: “For many years I have fulfilled the role of both chairman and managing director. The time is right to make a distinction between these roles. As chairman I will be free to consider strategy, shape vision and support my senior leadership team. I am delighted that Dan has accepted this post and I know that we will work closely together to ensure the future success of the business.”

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Want a genius to tell you which stalls to visit at an exhibition? This new app puts one in your pocket.

Event Engine, created by Propeller Mobile, is a customisable app which can be developed in days because it is already live on the iTunes and Google Play app stores, so can be launched as soon as design and content elements have been added.

Using the app, organisers can create an interactive show guide, send push notifications on news and offers from the show and collect data on which areas are popular. Exhibitors can also promote offers and arrange meetings, as well as uploading content for users to download.

But the top feature is one for visitors – ‘Event Genius’ provides a personalised experience by suggesting sessions to attend and exhibitors to visit according to a user’s stated interests. Users can also check the list of ’trending’ sessions at an event.

Event Engine’s first outing is at The Specialist Media Show taking place at ThinkTank in Birmingham on 24 May.

It works Apple and Android devices as well as Windows Mobile and Blackberry devices via a mobile web version.

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May 15 – Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have formally informed UEFA they would like to jointly bid for the 2020 European Championship – as revealed exclusively by insidethegames.

The three countries have been holding secret talks for weeks and officially declared their intention to bid a few hours before the midnight deadline today for initial written expressions of interest.

Until now, only Turkey had come forward despite putting the country in direct conflict with Istanbul’s bid for the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in the same year.

Knowing they would have to give the Euros to Turkey unless another candidate was forthcoming before the deadline, it is understood UEFA encouraged the Celtic nations to submit an informal application for what would be the first ever tri-hosting of a major football event.

In a statement, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) insisted today’s declaration did not mean a definite three-nation bid.

“We can confirm that we have had initial discussions on the principle of a joint bid with both Wales and the Republic of Ireland and have declared our interest to UEFA in order that we can fully explore the opportunity in more detail,” it said.

“At this stage no bids are expected by UEFA in relation to Euro 2020.

“These will not be required for at least 18 months.”

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said in a statement: “The expression of interest is preliminary after the principle was discussed and is being put forward by the three associations so that the opportunity can be explored in more detail.”

The only other country to have come forward is Georgia but the former Soviet republic would struggle to satisfy UEFA’s criteria on both stadiums and infrastructure with the tournament being expanded from 16 to 24 teams in France in 2016.

Quite where this now leaves Turkey’s Euro 2020 bid is intriguing to the point of confusing.

Emotionally, UEFA President Michel Platini (pictured above) has long favoured a Turkish bid after the country lost out by one vote to Platini’s native France last time.

As long as they were the only candidate, Turkey appeared to be a shoo-in, not least because the expansion of the Euros means very few countries could now stage the event on their own.

But Platini also made it clear that they would not be allowed to host if Istanbul won the right to stage the Games the same summer.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge issued a similar warning about double hosting, adding spice to next week’s IOC Executive Board meeting in Quebec at which the five current contenders could he whittled down to a smaller shortlist.

Euro 2020 bidders would need to put forward up to 10 stadiums to host matches though UEFA would probably accept eight.

Ironically, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland bid jointly for Euro 2008 but were one of the first to be eliminated, while Scotland and Wales considered bidding jointly for Euro 2016 but ultimately decided against it.

Georgia confirmed their interest despite their hopes of Azerbaijan joining them in a joint bid being dashed.

Lado Vardzelashvili (pictured above), the Georgian Sports Minister, told a news conference that they would proceed with a solo bid after Azerbaijan decided to concentrate on Baku’s campaign for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics – ironically just like Turkey are being urged to do in the case of Istanbul.

“Azerbaijan has made a bid to host the Olympics so Georgia will continue bidding for Euro 2020 independently,” Vardzelashvili was quoted as saying.

 This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/olympics/summer-olympics/2020/16946-celtic-trio-submit-formal-euro-2020-bid.  Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

May 15 – America’s LaShawn Merritt, the reigning Olympic 400 metres champion, says he finds it tough being labelled a drugs cheat having returned to sport following a 12-month ban.

The 25-year-old from Virginia failed three drugs tests in 2009 when he tested positive for the banned steroid dehydroepiandrosterone but he claims he has never taken any illegal substance to enhance his performance.

The failed test was followed by the surprising confession from Merritt that he had consumed it through the use of a penis enlargement drug.

Merritt (pictured above) returned last year, winning silver in the 400m at the World Championships in Daegu behind Kirani James of Grenada, and alongside the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) helped overturn the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) rule 45 or “Osaka Rule” which banned any athlete serving a suspension of six months or more for doping violations from the subsequent Olympic Games.

The move means that Merritt is eligible to defend his title his Olympic title at London 2012 but he confesses that he is growing tired of continually being labelled a drugs cheat.

“One of the worst things about the ban is the media because now, whenever people write about me, they call me a drug cheat and the headline always says doping or something like that,” he told insidethegames here at the 2012 Team USA Media Summit.

“That is tough because I am not a drug cheat.

“I didn’t take anything to improve my performance and I took it completely outside of the competition period.

“I had no advantage and my samples even showed that. But people just run with what they see and they see doping.

“What I took, I am sure that a lot of men out there take.

“My only mistake was that I am an elite athlete and I guess I was just guilty of not checking it properly.

“When I got the call telling me about the ban, I was in a state of disbelief and shock.

“I know that as an athlete, you have to take responsibility for what goes in you and you have to check it properly.

“I’ve definitely paid for what I did in terms of not checking but I’m not in the same bracket as what you would call a drug cheat.

“That just isn’t me.

“I got to the top through hard work and dedication, not by cheating.

“People will still doubt me but what else can I do?

“I’ve been cleared by the highest court and I can’t see what else I can do.

“I’m coming back and I’m just as proud of myself as I was when I left.”

Merritt also confessed that his attitude towards drug testing has been altered by the process and that he made a mistake that was easy to make.

“Drug testing in sport is very important and we need it to catch the cheats,” he said.

“But there are so many substances on the prohibited list that it is honestly very hard to avoid absolutely everything.

“There are literally thousands of banned substances.

“Not all of them are steroids and mine wasn’t a steroid but right now, if I am ever in any doubt, I just call my lawyer.

“My case was really unique though in that I wasn’t a traditional performance enhancing drug.

“I don’t feel like other athletes look at me any differently than they did before.

“They look at me, look at my body, and they see that I am not a drug cheat.

“I will keep taking the tests whenever they are required and I will keep working hard for that gold at London 2012.”
This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/athletics/16942-exclusive-people-shouldnt-use-the-word-doping-about-me-because-im-not-a-drugs-cheat-says-merritt.  Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

May 15 – The BBC has launched its coverage of this summer’s Olympics here on the site where, 104 years ago, the first Games in London were held.

Among the leading names who will be fronting the BBC’s coverage of the Games are Britain’s 1988 Olympic 110 metres hurdles silver medallist Colin Jackson and American quadruple Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson.

It is the 15th Games the BBC will have covered, dating back to the last Olympics in London in 1948.

Approximately 2,500 hours of live Olympic action will be screened on the BBC, with footage available on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC HD, BBC One HD and on the BBC Red Button around the clock.

As part of its coverage, the BBC is launching Radio 5 live Olympics extra, a brand new 24-hour radio station devoted to delivering extra coverage of the Games.

The BBC will provide a record number of broadcast hours for a sports event, and, as well as Jackson and Johnson, its pundits will include a range of British Olympians, such as sprinter and Sydney 2000 400m bronze medallist Katharine Merry, double gold medal winning rower James Cracknell (pictured below) and Darren Campbell, a member of the British squad that won the 4x100m relay at Athens in 2004.

Veteran news reader Huw Edwards will be joined by Hazel Irvine and Trevor Nelson for the Opening Ceremony of London 2012 on July 27 in the Olympic Stadium.

Irvine will also join the BBC One breakfast team, while former England striker Gary Lineker, Gabby Logan, Clare Balding, Jonathan Edwards and John Inverdale will be among the presenters.

Another of the presenters, the BBC’s face of Formula One Jake Humphrey, told insidethegames: “It is completely by luck that we have had the chance to work on the biggest Olympics in our lifetime.

“Being given the opportunity to work on the Games, coinciding with it being in London…we’ve schlepped around to various Olympics, but it is simply the fact this is in London, that is what I am most excited about.”

The BBC is also scheduling a host of Olympic and London related programming in the build up to and during London 2012.

This will include a portrait of Jamaican 100 metres sensation Usain Bolt, Olympics Most Amazing Moments and a three part series called British Olympic Dreams.

“The London 2012 Olympic Games is likely to be the biggest sporting event in the United Kingdom in our lifetimes and the BBC’s coverage will ensure that our audiences never miss a moment,” said Roger Mosey, the BBC’s London 2012 director.

“As the nation’s broadcaster we are committed to ensuring that viewers get the most from their Olympic experience and our comprehensive coverage will deliver on that promise.

“Alongside our sport offering, our news services will be providing impartial news coverage on all the big Olympic stories for the duration of the Games.”

“BBC has a history of innovation,” added BBC Sport director Barbara Slater, herself a former gymnast who competed for Britain at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

“In 2004 in Athens it was the first interactive Games, in Beijing the first HD Games and 2012 will be the most comprehensive coverage ever of an Olympic Games.

“We will be covering every session of every sport of every venue.”

 This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/olympics/summer-olympics/2012/16944-bbc-launches-record-breaking-coverage-games-coverage-for-london-2012.  Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Members of the SIA’s Approved Contractor Scheme are continuing to raise the bar, results published today have shown.

Figures for the past year have shown that there has been an average improvement of 11 points across all approved contractors.

Every year all approved contractors, except for those on certain Passport schemes, must assess their performance against 89 individual indicators of achievement. At assessment, an independent assessor verifies these scores.

Andrew Shephard, assistant director of the Approved Contractor Scheme said:

“We now demand more from approved contractors and some examples of how we have raised the bar include:

• A requirement to record and verify all income streams
• A requirement to consider more factors when arranging insurance
• A requirement to ensure all work permits and visa conditions are complied with
• A requirement to maintain appropriate contact with the police

“Approved contractors are able to demonstrate to potential clients of security services that they are meeting the necessary requirements and that standards are increasing.”

This event news story was originally published at  http://eventindustrynews.co.uk/2012/05/16/event-industry-news/sia-approved-contractor-scores-show-continued-improvement/ . Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Hair care brand Schwarzkopf will embark on a UK shopping centre tour later this month to raise awareness of its LIVE Color XXL and Shake It Up Foam ranges.

The brand has been working with experiential agency Tribe to develop a pop-up salon offering on-the-spot makeovers.

The Shake Up Your Weekend Tour kicks off at Westfield Stratford City on 26-27 May, heading up to The Bullring, Birmingham for 16-17 June, concluding at the Trafford Centre in Manchester on 14-15 July.

Professional stylists will be on hand to offer free makeovers to consumers that have coloured their hair with a product from the range.

Once the makeover is complete, shoppers will have their photo taken by a celebrity fashion photographer, immediately being uploaded to Facebook and shared with friends.

The activity is linked to a Facebook competition being led by creative agency Devilfish inviting participants to make a video showing the most creative way to “shake it up” for the chance of winning £500 in Topshop vouchers.

Kate Roche, senior account director at Tribe, said: “Working with Devilfish on Schwarzkopf has created an exciting new partnership for Tribe. By integrating the Schwarzkopf Shake Up Your Weekend Tour online via digital and social media channels we can really extend the reach of the campaign and see the full potential and power of experiential marketing.”

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 The agency has partnered with technology specialist Sony Hawk-Eye to create the high-tech experience at the Champions Festival fan park. The game shares Hawk-Eye’s ball-tracking technology – usually reserved for athletes – to the public for the first time.

The system will be used to measure the power and precision of three kicks from each participant, who can then take home a personalised video analysis of their performance.

Ford is a sponsor and founding partner of the football competition and briefed Imagination to create an experience reflecting the technological features of the new Ford B-MAX car.

It is the seventh time that Imagination has produced Ford’s stand at the festival, and the agency is also providing hospitality for the car brand.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.eventmagazine.co.uk/news/bulletin/bulletintest2/article/1132587/?DCMP=EMC-CONEventnewsbulletin . Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.