On Wednesday 23 November 2011, as part of his last tour as Executive Chairman of Associated Vending Services, Brian Tustain visited the new Barry-Callebaut Vending UK Ltd premises in Lea Green St Helens. The association between Fekade Zewde and Brian - pictured - is one stretching back to the earliest days of the AVS Group of companies.

The EVA’s 2011 AGM and Workshop on: “European Vending – Understanding current market issues and trends” will take place on 12 & 13 December, in Brussels. This year is an election year for the EVA Presidency and its Executive Committee. For this reason, the EVA is expecting a larger-than usual turnout of its membership at the Annual General Assembly on 12 December.

Vending consultancy Apogee International Ltd is pleased to announce the appointment of Graham Crowhurst as Customer Support Director. Graham has over twenty years experience within the public service sector and will be leaving his current position of Contract Manager to join Apogee in December.

Katharina C. Hamma (45) has been appointed to the Koelnmesse management team. As the Chief Operating Officer (COO), she will be responsible for the operations of the entire trade fair programme in Cologne, as well as for the company's sales, communications and services. About half of Koelnmesse’s approximately 500 employees work in these areas.

Lavazza has united 12 masters of photography to celebrate the twentieth edition of its calendar which, this year, is entitled ‘The Lavazzers’. The 12 contributors are: Annie Leibovitz, Miles Aldridge, David LaChapelle, Mark Seliger, Elliott Erwitt, Finlay MacKay, Ellen von Unwerth Erwin Olaf, Thierry Le Gouès, Marino Parisotto, Eugenio Recuenco, and Albert Watson

Each year, over 100,000 people of working age are diagnosed with cancer in the UK and many of the UK's six million carers are looking after a friend or relative with cancer. Cancer is becoming a significant issue in the workplace, with greater numbers of people at work or returning to work after a cancer diagnosis. That’s why Macmillan Cancer Support has produced The Essential Work and Cancer Toolkit, to help employers support people with cancer, and their carers, in the workplace.

Sielaff, leading German manufacturer of beverage vending machines and merchandisers has launched the CVS+, a modernised version of its best-selling bean-to-cup beverage vendor, the CVS. The new machine uses state-of-the-art touch screen controls and is available with optional accessory vendor and card module. It may be specified as a vending line alongside the Company’s new merchandiser, the Combimat.

NESCAFÉ® GOLD BLEND® has just got even better. With a new richer aroma, fans of the instant coffee will love its new improved recipe, which has been specially designed to stimulate the senses! The new recipe has been developed to retain all the much loved attributes of NESCAFÉ® GOLD BLEND® while providing consumers with an even richer coffee flavour.

Mars Drinks has announced the exciting launch of new coffee and tea brands, set to take the nation’s workplaces by storm. A flagship collection from ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™ gives you good quality coffee for all, with distinctive roasts and big flavours. THE BRIGHT TEA CO.™ has been created by tea enthusiasts and experts at Mars Drinks and offers perfectly balanced, full-flavoured teas that are refreshed for the demands of today.

The catering and hospitality industry is only just beginning to get to grips with new mandatory responsibilities for operators of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, following the implementation of the F-Gas Regulation. The legislation came into force on July 4, 2011, and is part of a European-wide push to reduce emissions of HFCs, potent Global Warming gases in widespread use as refrigerants in commercial refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.

Coldpress 100% juices retain the pure taste, nutrition and antioxidants of fresh fruit by using High Pressure Processing (HPP), the Braeburn Apple Juice tastes like Braeburn Apples and the same with Golden Delicious Apple Juice and the Pink Lady.

Tim Varney’s idea to hold a ball in aid of his charity, Edukaid, became reality on Saturday 22nd October and raised an amazing £9,000 – almost enough to renovate an entire school in Tanzania. With the help of his family, encouragement from Alistair Price and others in the vending industry, and some marketing from the AVA, 130 of the great and the good from the vending industry met in Torquay. Golf was laid on by the irrepressible Paul Howard and an Agatha Christie trip by Richard Brinsley.

Around 300 guests from the coffee industry – and beyond – have joined leading private label coffee roaster and packer Masteroast to celebrate an impressive 30 successful years in business. VIPs from all over the world descended on the company’s HQ in Peterborough on Friday 30 September to attend the Masteroast ‘Bean Bash’ – a special party held to mark the milestone anniversary of the establishment of the business by Les Mills and his wife Eve, three decades previously on 5th October 1981.

With the cost of living increasing year-on-year, are you working all hours to make ends meet and missing out on freshly prepared meals at home? If so, you’re not alone. Sales of fast food are on the up, but thankfully, so is the nutritional content. Vending International investigates...

How Bon Appetit’s Hot Food Vending Service is making a difference. Vending International talks to Bon Appetit’s CEO Keith Pordum to find out why he considers the ‘Little Tasty Food Outlet’ to be the breakthrough in these key areas of catering.

FM1000 is the innovative vending machine patented by Remak, that offers a 24/7 restaurant service by offering warm ready made meals. One of the main motivations behind Remak’s development of the FM1000 was the desire to enable ready-made meal companies to sell their dishes directly to the end customer in a location without catering staff or specific kitchen facilities.

Writing for Euromonitor International, it’s clear that Dr. Benjamin Punchard believes in the power of packaging to convey a brand message; he says that it’s the greatest advert for a product as it is what the consumer sees on the shelf when they make their purchase: “As such no matter how vast an advertising budget is available, those brands that succeed are those that recognise the importance of packaging for brand recognition and marketing, for that on-shelf consumer impact, and as the contact point for the brand relationship.”

A trip to a shopping or garden centre has acquired the status of a day out in recent years; rather than simply being one of life’s necessities, it’s a way to brighten up a rainy weekend. Retail outlets such as these have become lifestyle destinations where a range of leisure opportunities can be accessed quickly and simply.

The leisure industry has been important to vending for many years, and some of the greatest examples of vending in action can be found in leisure centres, theme parks and other places where people go to have fun. Leisure Industry Week (LIW) first ran in 1989 and quickly established itself as the trade show for the UK out of home leisure sector. LIW represents the entire spectrum of leisure operators including health clubs, theme parks, gyms, play centres, sports clubs, farm parks and bars etc.

Interactive self-service solutions technology signifies a major trend in customer service. Businesses are under intense pressure to reduce costs, while also supporting revenue generating activities, improving their customer service and providing operational efficiencies. Delivering these requirements and meeting the changing needs of customers can be achieved simply through one neat kiosk solution.

From innovative start-ups to large organisations, I help clients drive business growth and productivity through performance-based projects.