The Eve Appeal Cymru will be holding its second Annual Fundraising Gala Dinner and Auction, ‘An Eve of Jazz’ on Saturday 20th September 2008 at the beautiful and historic National Museum of Wales.

The event is being held to raise awareness and much needed funds for The Eve Appeal charity which fundraises for groundbreaking research into gynaecological cancers with a current focus on ovarian cancer.

Guests will enjoy a champagne reception, a sumptuous three course dinner and entertainment provided by a local Harpist and the fabulous Ivan Sadka’s Jazz Quintet. There will be opportunities for guests to win some fantastic prizes and also to bid for special weekend breaks, theatre tickets plus many other kind donations made by local businesses.

Following the success of their inaugural ball last year, The Eve Appeal Cymru is confident that this year’s ‘Eve of Jazz’ will raise further awareness in Wales for vital fundraising.

Jan Morgan, The Eve Appeal Cymru coordinator of this year’s event says, “I have a very special reason for becoming involved with the Eve Appeal and organising An ‘Eve of Jazz’. My dear sister Sandra was misdiagnosed for a year before she knew she had third stage ovarian cancer. My way of dealing with my sister’s life threatening disease is by raising much needed awareness and helping to raise funds for The Eve Appeal to help other people in the future.”

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LECKWITH
Join the club with Costco



We recently visited Costco’s new membership cash and carry warehouse in Capital Retail Park in Leckwith Road, Cardiff and were amazed at what was on offer.

The store was filled with top quality, brand-name merchandise at low warehouse prices. You can get anything from office equipment, fresh meat and bakery goods, tobacco, jewellery, clothing, wines/beers and spirits... well the list is endless.

There are many benefits to becoming a Costco member including substantially reduced prices, payment by cash, company or personal cheque or debit cards and also exclusive early shopping hours. Visit their website for more.

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CITYWIDE
City Life’s top tips for better business!

WEBSITES
Increase the traffic to your website

Hits aren’t visits! When people quote you hits, take it with a pinch of salt. Hits are very misleading as they are not the amount of visitors the site has had but indicate the amount of files we download from the website when browsing it.

For example, a hit might be an html file, a picture or thumbnail or an mp3. So, one visitor visiting one web page with 50 pictures or files on it will create a hit rate of at least 50 and possibly several times that - it really is quite easy to generate hits. Always count individual visitors, visits and pages browsed. That way you’ll get a real idea of the traffic.

Richard Bennewith, Commedia
www.commediaonline.co.uk

VEHICLE LEASING
Huge savings on your vehicle leasing

Most Double-Cab vehicles are classed as LCV’s, which means they’re usually 100% tax deductable and business users pay much less company car tax - great news!

The big disadvantage though is that they are so heavy on fuel. Get the best of both worlds by going for a Crew Van, such as the Mercedes Dualiner. It drives like a car with lots of luxury goodies, it’s better on fuel, is 100% tax deductable on a lease and you can claim back all the VAT (if VAT Regd.)

Glen Newman is co-owner of Purple Contracts 08456 444 300 www.purplecontracts.com

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CULVERHOUSE
Culinary Coup for Copthorne’s Raglans

Raglans, the restaurant at The Copthorne Cardiff, has secured a second prestigious AA rosette following an inspection by a top judging panel.



The rosettes are awarded to restaurants who offer guests an outstanding holistic dining experience. Judges take into account factors from the quality of ingredients right through to service levels and the product knowledge of serving staff.

Head chef Daniel James was praised for his technical skill, innovation and menu choice. Judges were particularly impressed with the balance of seasonal ingredients illustrated in dishes such as Fillet of Poached Brill in Red Wine served with a Clove Scented Sauce.

Daniel, who won a Michelin star in a previous role as head chef at Llangoed Hall in Powys, put the success down to the hard work of his team, “I am delighted we have achieved this prestigious accolade for the hotel. The whole team works incredibly hard to ensure that every diner has a fantastic experience and this recognition reflects the high standards of the food and service.”

“The second rosette is reflective of the city’s vibrant dining scene and we look forward to welcoming customers new and old to sample our award winning menu.”

General Manager Orla Watt concluded; “Raglans restaurant is a great place to dine, with a menu which changes regularly under Daniel’s direction, a great wine list and perfectly coordinated service in attractive, relaxed surroundings. Many diners choose Raglans for a lunch meeting or dinner date not only for its sheer quality but also its convenient location.”

Raglans provides a quality menu using locally sourced ingredients and fine wine at a prime location overlooking the hotel lake, close to Cardiff Airport and just four miles from the city centre.

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WORLDWIDE
citylifecardiff.co.uk
welcomes the world



It seems our City Life website is becoming as popular as our Vale Life magazine’s website!

As we go to print, a quick review of our website stats, supplied by Commedia, shows that while our Spring/Summer issue was out, www.valelife.co.uk had 4,132 unique visitors from 53 countries and visitors read a whopping 10,639 pages of our website.

Richard Bennewith of Commedia, the company that designs and manages the website said, “Since the Vale Life website went live, we have been working hard to optimise the site and generate ever-increasing site traffic. I am delighted to report that since the beginning of February, visitor numbers have increased by over 600% and page views by over 500%.”

Richard added, “Many people think that hits mean visitors. Hits are generally files or objects such as images in the form of gifs or jpegs that make up elements of a web page. Quoting hits isn’t a particularly good performance indicator although many businesses do it because the numbers seem more impressive when actually they aren’t. The true test of any website’s success is unique visitor numbers, visits and page views. After that, it simply comes down to actual business generated from traffic which is what most companies look for. If you’re selling online or using your website to generate sales enquiries, it’s all about the stats and converting visits into hard currency.” Richard is very confident that by the end of 2008, Commedia will have helped triple traffic to the City Life website giving advertisers even more exposure.

Jennifer Hobbs-Roberts, Editor of City Life said, “Each editorial in the magazine is put on the website including all the images and active hyperlinks. Because of this, readers from around the UK and overseas have the opportunity to read the content of each magazine as it is published and discover what a fantastic capital city Cardiff is.”

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SOUTH WALES
Freshbaked rolls out the Betsy



Freshbaked PR decided that for those companies who wanted to find out more about PR and how they do it, a little ice-breaker would be the perfect introduction. They have therefore created the cream of company promotional vehicles and now have the means to make the one cold call you will love to receive.

The Freshbaked PR ice cream van, affectionately called ‘Betsy’, will be turning up at all the best business and social events throughout the year where she will be dispensing PR wisdom and delightful cones in return for a donation to their nominated charities. Clients will also be getting a special visit from Betsy.

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CARDIFF & SOUTH WALES
Business referrals Prosper in Cardiff

To prosper is to flourish and we all want our businesses to prosper and flourish, but hey guess what we can’t do it alone. The best gift anyone can give anyone is business is the gift of friendship, support and development opportunities.

So often businesses try and go it alone and run their enterprises as if they were one hand clapping. Successful businesses recognise that one hand clapping makes no sound and has no impact, so you need another hand to make something significant happen.

The Prosper Business Referral Network considers itself a spare pair of hands to support business get more business and to grow and develop by that same process. Prosper was established in the Vale and is known as an exclusive business network that serves its members by:

■ generating new business opportunities
■ updating their business skills via business master classes
■ supports them via business surgeries
■ helps them explore new business opportunities together by organising bi-monthly under the microscope workshops
■ identifies business venture capital and grant funding

In short it is the first business networking group to offer a holistic service to members.

Prosper has meetings scheduled at:
LLANERCH VINEYARD, HENSOL (VALE) 23 Sept, 28 Oct, 25 Nov and 16 Dec, 2008 MARRIOT HOTEL, SWANSEA 9 Sept ,1 Oct, 4 Nov, 3 Dec, 2008
ST DAVID’S HOTEL, CARDIFF Autumn 2008. Dates to be confirmed.
COED Y MWYSTER HOTEL, BRIDGEND Summer 2008.
Dates to be confirmed.

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CARDIFF
Commedia expands its sign
and display range

Leading the pack, without breaking your back or your budget. When you need to make an impact in a hurry, you need a portable display system from Commedia. Their exciting range of roller banners pop-ups and panel and pole systems is exactly what you need to make a big impression.

Commedia provide a complete package: design, artwork, print and delivery. For a free demonstration, please call them on 0845 130 1508.

Commedia can design and supply all sorts of signage. Interior signs, exterior signs, you name it - they can create it. They also design vehicle livery too. From small vans to articulated lorries - no job is too big or too small. Call for a free quotation!

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PENARTH
Vale photographer gathers Momentum

Momentum has been in the business of food photography for over ten years with clients across Wales and the UK.



They are studio based but also fully mobile so they can bring their talent and technology to you, allowing you to be at your best, in familiar surroundings.

Mike Chapman of Momentum says, “Great food photography has the unique ability to stimulate the senses and tap directly into human desire. to whet the appetite and create anticipation of the moment.”

And the cost? They’re probably more affordable than you’d imagine. With cost effective hourly and full day rates, they can create a perfect package tailored to your budget.

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CARDIFF
Shine can make your event sparkle

If you’re thinking of holding an event, be it a small or a grand affair, you need Shine - Creative Events on board. City Life chatted to former BBC work colleagues Wendy Tovey and Rhian Owenna-Evans on the importance of good event planning.



Congratulations on the launch of your new company.
Tell us more. We’re Rhian and Wendy and we’ve just launched our company Shine - Creative Events. Our unique partnership offers a bilingual service to both corporate and private clients. Being excellent organisers with a creative flair gives us the ability to produce events that run like clockwork, making any occasion a talking point.

What experience do you have?
We have a wealth of experience between us having worked in various departments in BBC Wales including events, marketing, human resources, finance and news. We have organised many events including the BBC Television News Awards, Summer Proms, leaderships events and creativity workshops to name but a few and, of course, weddings. One of the weddings we co-ordinated was that of BBC Wales TV Presenter Sara Gibson. This is what she had to say, “What a professional, creative, friendly and efficient outfit! Rhian and Wendy offered so many fabulous ideas for our wedding reception, and it was lovely to see them come to life on the day itself. We could relax, knowing that the team were taking care of even the smallest of details, and did so with no fuss and no interruption to proceedings. They’re worth their weight in gold!”

What events are you involved in?
We can produce any event from training days to birthday parties, charity events to weddings, creativity workshops to themed parties.

Which areas do you cover?
You may think as we are bilingual this limits us just to Wales, but we are also available to work throughout the South West.

What’s your philosophy?
To realise our clients expectations, then exceed them.

Menna Richards, BBC Wales Controller had this to say when they planned the BBC Television News Awards. “Thank you very much indeed for doing such a brilliant job of organising the Ruby Awards. The evening was smooth, polished and seamless - a great credit to BBC Wales and Nations and Regions. I know how hard you worked and what a complicated event it was to organise. Many people told me how much they enjoyed it - and the idea of offering tours of the stadium was inspired.”

“We have organised many events including the BBC Television News Awards, Summer Proms, leaderships events and creativity workshops to name but a few and, of course, weddings.”

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CARDIFF AND WALES
The light at the end of the tunnel

The number of transactions in the housing market is half last year’s levels and the number of housing starts is likely to fall even further. Supply could therefore become constrained in many markets over the coming months. This means that when the market does bottom out, it may be difficult for investors to make acquisitions.

For anyone looking to invest, knowing which regions of the country are likely to recover first and fastest is essential to avoid being timed out by a rising market. Savills Research has forecast not only the duration and size of the market downturn but also the shape and timing of recovery. Their recovery map forecasts the year in which values will have returned to 2007 levels by UK Government region. It also shows the size of the subsequent house price growth that might be expected by 2020 by recording falls and subsequent rises. Savills recovery map suggests that London and the South-East will lead the recovery and will quickly return to former levels by 2012 whilst, in the North-East and Northern Ireland for example, any upturn will occur later.

Yolande Barnes, head of Savills residential research explains, “This downturn has affected virtually all property sectors and UK regions but regions will vary far more when the upturn comes. The lack of turnover and new supply which is a feature of this downturn will be likely to lead to sharp increases in value in high-demand, low supply areas. Competition amongst homeowners will once again lead to rising prices, particularly in those areas with higher levels of housing market equity and stronger household purchasing power such as London, the South East and Scotland. This downturn is severe and will almost certainly last for at least another year, but it is has been caused by the withdrawal of credit, not the withdrawal of long-term demand or by diminished purchasing power amongst owner occupiers. It is this that will shape the recovery when it comes. Although the credit crisis has affected all sectors and regions more or less equally and simultaneously, we will see a very different pattern in the recovery. Canny investors will take this into account now”.

Key findings include:
■ London and the South East will lead the recovery so that, by 2012, values will have recovered to those pre-slump.
■ Between 2008 and 2020 average growth in the South East will be +79%.
■ Scotland will also have recovered by 2012 with growth between 2008 and 2020 averaging +47%.
■ On the downside, Northern Ireland and the North East are forecast not to have recovered until 2016 with average growth between 2008 and 2020 of +33% and +19% respectively.

Nicholas Rudge MRICS – head of residential for Savills western region comments, “From our region, which includes eleven residential offices and stretches from Cardiff to Solihull to Henley, we feel the ‘best in class’ houses will see the greatest and quickest recovery. Best in class is a term used to describe those properties not tarnished by physical, immoveable limitations. For example, adverse noise, footpaths, proximity of neighbours or disproportionally small gardens/plots. It also includes those within easy commuting distance to major centres and accessible for excellent schooling. Looking back at reasons to move, almost every time schooling needs to feature at the top of the ‘must have’ list. Even now premiums are still being paid for properties such as these.”