Having worked with Carlson Wagonlit Travel on putting together many a business trip in the past, I was delighted to be invited to the house warming party for the company’s new meetings and events office. After my tour around the space, I must say I’m jealous – it makes Mr P’s office look a bit […]

When people are asked who their idol is, most will give the name of some celebrity or sports star. I tend to be a realist and look up to others who can actually give me proper advice on my chosen career; hence Donna Coulling’s website has become my first stop for tips on networking – […]

Given that most of us spend more than 40 hours a week hunched over our desks like some latter day Quasimodo (albeit a more aesthetically pleasing version, of course) it’s little wonder that we need to be proactive when it comes to ensuring we have good body language. Positive body language is about more than […]

Despite all the legislation in place to ensure that female employees aren’t discriminated against, sometimes – to paraphrase iconic country music crooner Ms Tammy Wynette – it’s still hard to be a woman in the workplace. Even nowadays with the concept of “lean in” ringing in our ears, a new survey shows that more than […]

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but what do they know? The lovely people at the Royal Institute of British Architects (ribavenues.com) invited me over recently to try out their absolutely ingenious, not to mention delicious, new catering idea for meetings delegates: the sandwich-free lunch. Forget carb overload and say goodbye […]

As an avid tennis fan and dutiful PA, I graciously accepted an invitation to the launch of the corporate hospitality packages on offer by Keith Prowse at this year’s Aegon Championships, taking place from 9-15 June at the Queen’s Club. I think Mr P will be ever so taken by the variety of options available. […]

Now I’m not one to go out and party hard on a work night, but I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance to see a great venue when I got an invitation to I Heart Parties at Under the Bridge at Chelsea Football Club. It may have been difficult dragging myself out of bed […]

With all the demands on my time made by Mr P (“Book me on an early morning flight to Frankfurt, Penelope”, “Can you arrange to send my wife a nice birthday present, Penelope?”, “Where on earth are my glasses, Penelope?”) it’s not often I get the chance to get out of the office. I’m so […]

My latest night on the town was at the Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo launch event. Hampton is meant to be the “budget” cousin of the Hilton family of hotels, but the new property at Waterloo looks classy to me. The lobby where the reception was held features some popular design aspects of modern hotels; […]

If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then chocolate must be the one she secretly cheats on the gems with. I’m no stranger to indulging in the sweet treat, which is why last night’s PA Life event at My Chocolate in the heart of the City of London was deliciously perfect. Our workshop started with […]

I think all of us know that the office environment breeds odd behaviour in some people. One of the most common negative traits of your every day desk jockey is the tendency to gossip, but what happens when the chit-chat goes a bit too far and turns into bullying? It’s sad to say that even […]

As the PA to an exec who likes to show off as much as Mr P, I’ve been to my fair share of lavish venues. At last night’s PA Life networking event, however, I found a real hidden gem in the Rag Army & Navy Club, a super-swish gentlemen’s private club on the corner of […]

What’s in a name, my dear readers? Try this one on for size: Theobroma Cacao – sounds mysterious and enchanting, doesn’t it – guess what, it’s actually the proper name of the cocoa tree, derived from the Greek for “the food of the Gods”; they clearly had good taste in ancient Athens. I was reminded […]

It certainly is a gutsy decision to plan an outdoor event in early March, what with the UK’s notoriously unreliable weather, but Midlands golf resort the Belfry Hotel won me over with its open-air launch party regardless. Thank goodness Mother Nature has blessed us with a bit of warming sunshine recently. The idea behind the […]

Have you ever had one of those weeks that just lasts forever with a Friday that ticks by at a snail’s pace? Last week was like that for me, so it was perfect timing for the cleverly titled PAmper Day (PA – pamper, get it?) from the lovely team at &Meetings. When I got the […]

Spring is fast approaching and that means preparations for summer sporting events are in full swing. One of my favourites is tennis so I’m very much looking forward to the Wimbledon Championships. I’m delighted to say I had the great honour of being invited to an exclusive food tasting at the All England Club to […]

I know we exec assistants are all super-busy, but did you happen to read about that rather embarrassing gaffe involving BBC subtitles, when two letters were transposed and a ‘w’ added to its announcement that it was officially the Chinese Year of the Horse? Woops, that has to be a CLM as a colleague of […]

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to shrink down so small that you could swim in a glass of champagne? It’s an extravagant daydream, I know, but I got to see what it might feel like last night at the launch party of “Dive into a glass of Veuve Clicquot” at the […]