Dress to Impress - Christmas Window Display Competition - You are invited to Dress to Impress and participate in the Christmas Window Display Competition 2011. This year, the Parish of St Helier, together with Jersey Tourism, Channel 103 and in association with The Chamber of Commerce will be giving the public the chance to vote for your efforts in creating a colourful, eye-catching display, in keeping with the Christmas spirit.  By texting your business name to 07700 376 001 (Text voting provided by Sure, text messages charged at standard text message rates as set by your operator. Texts sent after 12pm on 21.12.11 will not be counted but will be charged). Nomination forms are available in the shops.  Voting will start on Thursday 1st December and run until Wednesday 21st December, with the winner being announced on Thursday 22nd December, at 6.30pm. The lucky retailer will win not only a trophy to display on their premises, but an amazing prize. More information is available from Claire Boscq-Scott T498961.

PPL - A good start – Responses have been made to proposals by PPL (Phonographic Performance Ltd) for massive hikes in the fees for Specially Featured Entertainment - essentially playing recorded music at a dance/disco.  Following this, PPL announced that it will not be introducing any increases to the tariff before January 2013, not April 2012 as originally expected. Please note that, if implemented, the changes would represent increases for hospitality businesses ranging from 1500 to 6000 per cent – Ongoing......

TripAdvisor - Several issues raised with TripAdvisor as a result of concerns include "disappearing and reappearing reviews" which are taken off the site by the reviewer, slightly rewritten and put back as new (and therefore prominent) entries; and problems where a guest uses the hotel Wi-Fi to submit a review, which TripAdvisor then wrongly suspects was penned by the hotel.  If you have been a victim of either of these issues, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

JHA Watch on UK Immigration - The squeeze on employing migrant workers from outside the European Economic Area continues, with the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) proposing to Ministers that pay levels should determine whether migrants who arrived after 5 April 2011 should be allowed to settle in the UK after working here for five years: the MAC says the threshold should be between £31,000 and £49,000, probably forcing the departure after that period of many of the chefs still allowed to come to the UK. The MAC has also recommended that, given the state of the employment market, restrictions on unskilled Romanians and Bulgarians seeking work in the UK should remain until the end of 2013, the latest date allowed under EU law.

Reminder - General Managers' Conference – Will be held at The London Hilton on Park Lane on Monday 16 (P.M.) and Tuesday 17 (A.M.) January. This year's theme is Going for Gold - the black tie gala dinner on the 16th will again include presentation of the Hotelier of the Year. For the booking form, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it – if you book straight away you can take advantage of still open "early bird" offers.

Jersey's Michelin-starred Bohemia Restaurant - Was the only Channel Island restaurant to make the Top 100 in the Sunday Times Food List. The restaurant was a new entry for 2011 and the accolade is the latest in a tremendously successful year for Bohemia Restaurant located at The Club Hotel & Spa, the restaurant has retained its Michelin star for the eighth year running, been awarded 4 Rosettes in the AA Restaurant Guide 2012 and also achieved an impressive 26th place listing in 'The Good Food Guide 2012' – many congratulations.

Equipment Wanted – Please contact Gavin at The Bulwark Restaurant, St. Aubin T 744275– he is looking for general commercial kitchen and refrigeration units.

Help Required – The Dreamlands Primary school in Akumadan Ghana, West Africa desperately need any surplus crockery and cutlery. If you can help please contact Alan Cameron This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Alan and his wife run a charity "Island Aid for World Children" and are sending a container out to the school. They are in desperate need for the crockery and cutlery so that they can feed the 700 children at lunchtime.

Destination Jersey - Save the Date! – Jersey Tourism will be holding their travel trade workshop, Destination Jersey on 14-16 May 2012 - please put these dates in your diary.  Registration for the event will be on the Destination Jersey website which will be open from mid January 2012.

New Chairman at JCB - Peter Funk who many of you will know has become the independent Chairman of the Jersey Conference Bureau meaning that an independent chair is now in situ for an established PPP organisation. Peter presently holds positions as Chairman of the Tourism Development Fund and is a Trustee for the Jersey Heritage Trust.

Apprenticeship Scheme for Hospitality Industry – A new apprenticeship scheme could soon provide training for the Island's next chefs, fishmongers, butchers and retailers through a new two-year apprenticeship scheme run by Highland's College and Sandpiper CI when it is launched in the coming months.

Medium-sized business has 'significant untapped potential' -  Business lobby the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) suggests in a report entitled 'Future Champions - unlocking growth in the UK's medium-sized business' that medium-sized firms have a major role in creating jobs and assisting the nation's economic recovery.