'Tis the season to network and attend events

As it nears the festive season, there suddenly seems to be a lot more events on in and around the city centre. Some of them are useful and can lead to making new contacts, etc but if you aren't selective about which events to attend, you could soon find yourself getting behind with client work - which is after all the most important thing.

At Gemini we are all attending a different event this week, we spread ourselves around so we can still all focus on our work. Dianne is off to the Nottingham Hot Property event tonight, organised by our client, Nicola Millward. Jenny is going to a wine and cheese networking event at Belle & Jerome in West Bridgford and Katie is attending the launch of Temprell, a new jewellers in Nottingham on Thursday.

Royal Wedding

I'm pleased to hear William and Kate's exciting news of their upcoming wedding next year. I can only imagine the media frenzy that will surround the big day but they both seem down to earth enough to try and keep a hold on reality as well.
I bet they won't have to budget and count the pennies with the wedding planning like I'm currently doing...something tells me their wedding will be on a slightly grander scale than mine!
Jenny

Mob Mentality

Students certainly made their feelings clear yesterday about the Government's proposed increases to tuition fees. Although I'm not sure the riots and violent behaviour was the best way for them to get their message across- and I think they have created some negative PR for themselves.
I think this was a case of mob mentality- a few were probably out looking for trouble and lots of others got caught up in the atmosphere and got carried away. I believe they do feel strongly about the rise in fees, as I would if I were about to start university. I hope the Government manage to rethink and come up with a solution that will still enable students from all backgrounds to have the chance to go to university, as it would be such a shame to restrict it to those who can afford it.

Jenny

Winter blues

Well we're only a week into November and the weather is certainly making itself known to us all. I'm still trying to cling onto a bit of faith that it won't rain all winter...I can only try my hardest. In the meantime, I think I'll try and focus on booking a holiday for next summer and look forward to that!

Jenny

Women in Nottingham

I went to the launch of the Women in Nottingham group last night at the Contemporary art gallery. I met lots of interesting women from various workplaces around the city and it was inspiring to see how many senior roles are held by women in Notts currently. The group will work together to try and promote the city on a positive light- we need to move away from the negative stereotypes associated with Notts!

Jenny

Relaxing Cornish style

I have just returned from a week in Cornwall and am struggling to get back into the reality of city living and being in an office all day. I really enjoyed the laid back style, walking on the beach and sheltering in cosy pubs when the weather wasn't so great. I didn't even get mobile phone signal for most of the week so it was a real break from the normal bustle of everyday life. Thoroughly recommended for at least once a year to get away from it all!

Jenny

Fact of the day

Today marks the fact there is 100 days left of 2010. Scary thought, so this time in 100 days I will have even less money after getting through xmas...and be desperately making plans for New years eve!

Jenny

Marathon weekend

I went down to the embankment yesterday to support a friend running the marathon and I was so impressed with the amount of runners and supporters. I have nothing but respect for all the runners, as I know I could never do it myself! The atmosphere was great and the sense of achievement as they crossed the finish line must have been immense. Well done to everyone who took part!

Jenny

Is summer back?

I think I may be getting a bit carried away but I can't help thinking that summer may be making a return? Ok, three days of sunshine does not amount to a summer but we can hope for the best! The forecast is good for the weekend so enjoy it while it lasts!
Jenny

Toy Story 3 fun times!

I finally went to see Toy Story 3 at the weekend and absolutely loved it! It was so much more advanced than the previous 2 films, not only as it is in 3D but the characters had more depth and humour to them. I know it is a kids film but I really needed some lighthearted viewing so it went down very well!
Plus I very rarely go to the cinema and every time I come out I say I should go more often...lets wait and see if I actually do.

Jenny

The big pay debate- men vs women

News out today states that women are not set to catch up with men's salaries until 2067. This is quite a dreary thought, that for years women have been performing at the same level as men, in the same roles and they are still not being recognised for their work.
We have one of the worst gender pay gaps in Europe, and the Midlands is apparently one of the worst regions- with men being paid £10,000 more than women.
I really hope this does turn around sooner than 57 years as I would like to be treated as an equal as I progress through my working life.

Jenny

PR guru in the guardian

Self-confessed PR 'guru' Max Clifford has got himself in the press for a change in an interview on the Guardian website.
Love him or hate him, he seems to have the ability to make a fortune from other people's misfortunes- and actually says about himself "I've almost become the fourth emergency service"
I'm not sure most people would agree with that, but he obviously provides a life-saving service...

Jenny

Cashing in on counterfeits

It has been announced today that an estimated 1 in 36 pound coins are counterfeit. This is more than 6 times higher than the amount seized last year.
The Royal Mint have described how to spot a fake from an authentic pound coin, apparently the fake coins have:
- a poorly defined ridged edge
- indistinct lettering or wrong typeface on the edge
- On an authentic coin the Queen's head and the pattern on the reverse should both be upright when the coin is turned over
- The design on the reverse should correspond with the official design of the year of its issue
I think these guidelines are pretty vague, and if that's the case then I could have easily handled a lot of fakes in my time. It is quite scary to think how easy it must be for people to replicate these.

Jenny

The Riviera returns

Tomorrow sees the return of the 'Nottingham Riviera', which conjures up more exciting ideas in my head than what it actually is.
I do think it's great for kids who may not get the chance to get to a seaside this summer, and it's a family friendly event that is meant to be fun for all.
But for me, the feel of sand between my toes just shouldn't be combined with manky pigeons, trams and shopper. I like my beach experience to be a bit more relaxing and tranquil!

Jenny

End of an era for Wossy

Tomorrow night sees the final Jonathan Ross show aired on the BBC and I am really going to miss it. You can rely on his show every week to provide entertaining interviews with genuinely interesting guests (give or take a few) and good music performances.
At least he's going out in style with David Beckham as one of his final guests.
I bet the four poofs will be shedding a tear around their piano!
Hopefully Jonathan's new show in ITV next year will continue to be a success.

Jenny

Paul predicts a win for Spain

Well if we are to believe the predictions of the newly-famous octopus, known as Paul to his many fans then Spain will be winning the World cup this weekend!
Apparently Paul has received death threats from Dutch fans since his latest prediction, so lets hope they keep him safe at the aquarium where he lives!

Jenny

Vuvuzela madness

One of the reasons I am glad the world cup is coming to an end is the annoying sounds of thousands of vuvuzelas being played in the crowds. It is enough to put me off watching fit men run around in shorts. I know they are a traditional South African horn but my god they are annoying!
I was in Portugal last week and when England played Germany suddenly everyone had them there as well, the streets and bars were full of people blowing their vuvuzelas.
I'm really hoping the trend doesn't now catch on for every football tournament.
Perhaps we should come up with an equally annoying instrument for when we host the world cup?

Jenny

Tis the season to be jolly.... really?

I love Christmas don’t get me wrong. I love the shopping for presents, the over-indulging in chocolate and stuffing but I don’t think it’s particulary tasteful for campaigns to already have begun gearing up for the Christmas rush (I wouldn’t constitute it as a rush until literally the week before Christmas and suddenly the smart-price face pack gift set starts to look like a really good present for people...particularly the Mr!)

But seriously... Christmas gift ideas in July?! It’s the season for Pimms and Strawberries! Definitely not Santa! (No offense to Santa I do love the chap)

But then again maybe it should be a sign that this year I should start Christmas shopping slightly earlier... maybe two weeks before Christmas this time?

Cat

Dianne speaks to Nottingham Post

Read the full article here

Hard work at the tennis

After the months of planning and promoting of the Nottingham Masters tennis, it's now all over for another year. I was there for 3 out of the 4 days and think it was a really good event for all ages. I've never particularly followed tennis but I was very impressed with the level of the players.
Now my new claim to fame is that I spent the morning with Martina Hingis- making sure she got to all her media interviews and the press conference. She was a really nice woman and I wish her luck for her Wimbledon comeback this year!

Jenny

Rooney's rude ramblings

So Rooney has been mouthing off at a referee...again. Are we really surprised? He has been warned to control his behaviour during the world cup, as apparently it will not be tolerated. Rightly so in my opinion. Can you imagine of the rest of us in office jobs or similar, started coming into work swearing and shouting abuse, or even getting physically violent whenever something happened that we weren't entirely happy with?! Although it may create some amusing moments, I don't think it would work in the long run to form a good working environment!

Jenny

Walking disaster

There's a story in the news this week about an American woman who is suing Google because one of their streetmap routes led her onto a busy main road where she was then hit by a car.
This is a perfect example of technology overtaking common sense- who would carry on trying to walk along a main road with no pavement simply because their blackberry was telling them to?! I have no doubt that Google have enough money to handle this case, or settle out of court but I just wonder where this is going to lead us in the future- are we going to completely lose control of our minds and the ability to make any decisions? We will have to wait and see...

Jenny

The fall of Fergie

Oh how life has changed for Sarah Ferguson over the years, from Duchess to pauper- you can almost see a film script appearing.
So she's been caught in the act of trying to get £500,000 from a fake businessman, to introduce him to Prince Andrew. I find it shocking enough that someone would ever be willing to pay that much to meet the prince in the first place.
She claims her £15,000 a year divorce settlement can't possibly sustain her lifestyle but what has she been doing with all the money she's earnt over the years from her children's books and weight watchers endorsements?
I have a feeling she'll be hiding out in America for a while, they're a lot more understanding than the British public!

Jenny

The future of our country?

I tuned into the Youth Apprentice last night, intrigued to see how Sir, sorry, Lord Sugar would handle a group of teenagers who have been labelled as the brightest and most entrepeneurial young people in the country.
I did find it quite amusing to see the differences between how girls and boys deal with tasks- there was already tears in the girls camp, not a good sign of things to come.
For me the funniest part of the show was seeing the boys team try to sell cheese to passers by on a street. With some of them looking no older than 12 I just couldn't take them seriously!
Good luck to Lord Alan in finding a business leader of the future!

Jenny

Good luck Forest!

Nottingham Forest are in the play-offs tonight against Blackpool and although I'm not really a football follower I really hope they win or I will have an unhappy man at home!
We have also got a good opportunity lined up for one of our clients on radio Nottingham in the morning if they win, so it will benefit them as well!

Jenny

Powering down

At Gemini towers we were plagued with pesky powercuts yesterday afternoon, resulting in not being able to get on with anything we had started. Luckily we are back in business today so all is back to normal.
You don't realise how much our lives revolve around electricity until it's gone! We had to take our lives into our hands crossing Maid Marian Way at lunchtime with all the traffic lights out of order.
We also battled with the elements to hang a banner out of our windows advertising the masters tennis. It was not an easy mission so look out for it when driving down Maid Marian Way!

Jenny

Becks is still on top

The top 10 richest footballers list has been announced today and good old Becks is still fighting it out at the top slot, ahead of other younger and upcoming players that seem to dominate the media spotlight nowadays.
He is apparently worth £24 million...so it seems as though 'brand Beckham' really is paying off for him.
I personally find footballers salaries ludicrous in comparison to all other hardworking professions, but I suppose you have to admire Beckham for building up a large portfolio of advertising and sponsorship deals. He could give up football tomorrow and still live an extremely comfortable lifestlye.
I'm not jealous though...honest

Jenny

Grow taller to earn more?!

A poll has apparently found that taller women are likely to earn more than their shorter counterparts. This is hardly a scientific study and I doubt very much that a person's height affects their ability to move up the ladder (excuse the pun).
Then again I would be saying that as I am only 5 ft 3 and would like to hope I can compete aginst taller women!

Jenny

World Cup crisps- are they a winner?

Now we've got past Easter weekend it is apparently time to put aside the chocolate and move onto the range of crisp flavours Walkers have introduced for the World Cup. The flavours represent countries in the competition, and include:
Scottish haggis
Dutch edam
French garlic bread
Australian BBQ Kangaroo
American cheeseburger

I think I'd stick to chocolate anyday over these choices, not very appetising!
I'll look forward to seeing what Walkers PR machine have up their sleeve to promote these.

Jenny

Office hours weather pattern

Us girls in the office have noticed a familiar pattern this week. The weather has been a bit chilly in the morning, warming up to almost summery temperatures by lunchtime and then as it nears the 5.30 ending to our day, what happens? Pouring rain, that's what!
We are asking nicely if please can we have some bearable weather for at least part of the weekend, so we can enjoy some time outside instead of being cooped up inside!

Jenny

Laughing in the name of science

According to a science experiment, the world's funniest joke has been found.
A study focusing on the psychology of humour and taking in factors such as whether men and women find the same jokes funny, whether humour changes with age or in different countries has been carried out and the winning joke is:

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?". The operator says "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says "OK, now what?"

I have to say I am slightly disappointed with this, but it may be as I have a slightly more childish sense of humour. I'm just glad I wasn't one of the team that had to sift through the thousands of nominations!

Jenny

The dreaded Double-D is back again

I am of course talking about the double-denim look that is apparently back in fashion for this season. This is a trend that has come and gone over the years and is very tricky to get right.
I think most people get it horribly wrong, and end up looking like cowboys or someone trying too hard to follow fashion.
After getting rid of my denim jacket a few years ago, this time around I may give it a miss stick to brighter colours for the spring/summer season instead!

Jenny

Rich list announced

Forbes have just published their annual rich list and Bill Gates has been knocked off the top spot by a Mexican billionaire. Carlos Slim has made his fortunes from the mobile phone industry and is now worth £35.7 billion.
This is the first time a non-American has topped the list since 1994. The highest British entry is at number 45, with the Duke of Westminster mustering up a measly £12 billion...loose change in the eyes of the billionaires obviously.

Jenny

Got any spare change? Fancy buying a Greek island?

Yes that's right, someone could be able to get their hands on their very own Greek island if German politicians suggestions are taken seriously.
In order for Greece to cut its debts, many suggestions have been made including cutting public sector pay cheques and freezing pensions...but this is quite a far-fetched idea that could see them losing some of their land, buildings and ancient artefacts.
It makes me wonder where it is all going to end. With so many countries affected by the recession and getting in serious debt, who knows how this will be rectified and what implications it will have for the future.

Jenny

Sport Relief celeb challenge

Six celebrities are today embarking on a challenge- to cycle from John O Groats to Land's End. Are they mad? Well...maybe, but in my opinion they are also very courageous to be doing this mission for sport relief.
The lengths celebrities go to nowadays for charity seems to have no limits but I think it is such a worthwhile cause and they can raise so much awareness from their celebity status.
So good luck to them all and lets hope they raise a massive amount of money!

Jenny

Derby Chamber of Commerce Awards

Off to the Roundhouse in Derby tonight to the Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce Awards. It will be good to see it in all its glory as one of our clients Maber Architects were the architects on the redevelopment of the site for Derby College. The Roundhouse itself is stunning but not seen it at night before so looking forward to it.

Also looking forward to finding out whether one of our other clients, Garry McBride, chairman of bespoke precast concrete specialists Evans Concrete Products, takes the Entrepreneur of the Year Award title in the Chamber awards. I really hope so. I think he really deserves it and it would be great to great recognition for a traditional manufacturing company that is doing well. Good luck Garry!

Dianne

Gleefully taking over the world

I, along with millions of other people in the world have been bitten by the 'Glee' bug.
The American musical drama has taken over the TV every Monday evening, and I even quite often find myself watching the repeat on the following Sunday, so it is fresh in my mind for the next night.
It seems as though the music charts are the next thing to be dominated by Glee, with the cast already having 25 hit singles in the US- rivalling the Beatles! It's pure madness...yet I think I will be downloading this myself, there's nothing like a bit of glee-ful music to liven up the bus journey to work in the morning.

Jenny

John Terry for captain?

Now I'm the first to admit that I don't really know that much about football, or try to follow it or pretend I do...but with all the controversy in the press this week about whether John Terry should be sacked as England captain it seems everyone has an opinion.
Footballers are inevitably public property, with their every move being scrutinised so what did he really expect? It's bad enough that they insist on living up to their reputations by having affairs all the time when they're married with children...but choosing a teammates girlfriend is a pretty poor decision!
I don't see how it will affect his performance on the pitch, so just leave him to do his job and let PR 'guru' Max Clifford reap the benefits!

Jenny

Happy New Year!

So it’s 2010 and everyone is hitting the ground running (or falling in some cases- aided by the very ice-laden pavements which have been very kindly given as a post-Christmas present by Jack Frost!)

Be it with New Year Resolutions coming into practice or some much needed splurging in the sales everyone seems to be very busy!

January looks set to be a busy month and from all of us at Gemini we wish you a bright and busy 2010!

Cat