Mediaboss Marketing

by Chris Boyde

Rally Isle of Man are delighted to announce a significantly reduced entry and travel fee package to make this Septembers event as affordable as possible for competitors, officials and other visitors.

The entire cost base of the three-day event has been reviewed by the organising team, and with assistance from the main travel operator, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, they are hopeful theyve struck a price that will appeal to all potential visitors and local participants alike.

The package price of 699 includes return ferry travel for two people, van & trailer and the entry fee for either the Historic event, which is the final round of the Water End Properties Asphalt Historic Cup, or the Duke Stages Rally, a round of the Eurocars Motorsport Manx Rally Championship.*

Right from January when the new Committee was formed, weve obviously been very aware that the cost of getting to the event needed particular attention, says Board member David Thompson.

Just about the first people we therefore spoke to were the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, who we must thank for their honesty and willingness to work with us to get the event back up and running. The price weve been able to announce today is only possible because of the move out of the summer season.

The operator has been, and still is trying to help us make arrangements for visitors coming from Ireland, and we hope to make a further announcement in due course.

To further help take the stress out of booking arrangements, the rally has teamed up with specialist trip planners Isle of Man Events Limited (iomevents.com). Theyll be only too happy to look after the planning for your entire trip, covering travel and accommodation, with great prices.

In particular they already have Rally Isle of Man Special Spectator Packages available for just 195 per person, staying at the 4 Star Best Western Palace Hotel and Casino, and including three nights accommodation and return sea travel with a car.

We have worked very hard to get the costs to an absolute minimum for all those wholl be coming to the event, admits Thompson. We think that the price bears favourable comparison with almost all other major British isles rallies, and are especially pleased that given that we are going to be offering 180 stage miles, the cost per stage mile for competitors is probably the very best there is out there!

Original post:
Rally Isle of Man 2012 priced to be a winner!

by Richard Parslow

Sixty Tynwald rose bushes will be delivered to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth this week in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee.

They have been sent with a letter of congratulations from the Chief Minister on behalf of the Government and people of the Isle of Man to mark the 60th Anniversary of Her Majestys Accession.

It is expected that the rose bushes selected, grown and supplied by Watsons of Greeba will be planted in the gardens of the Royal residence of Frogmore House, adjacent to Windsor Castle.

The hybrid tea roses have large, fragrant, cream-coloured flowers and were originally bred to commemorate the Tynwald Millennium in 1979.

The gift forms part of the Isle of Mans contribution to celebrations taking place across the Commonwealth to honour The Queen, who is the Manx Head of State and Lord of Mann.

Other local activities include a National Service of Thanksgiving at St Germans Cathedral in Peel on Sunday, May 20, and the inclusion of a replica Manx Viking longship in the Royal Flotilla on the River Thames on Sunday, June 3.

An Isle of Man Government beacon will be lit at the Green at St Johns on the evening of Monday, June 4, as part of a network of more than 4,000 beacons throughout the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and UK Overseas Territories.

A number of community groups and organisations are planning to join in the celebrations that night by lighting their own jubilee beacons at various venues across the Island.

Originally posted here:
Isle of Man sends 60 Tynwald rose bushes to mark Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Isle of Man triumphs at EGR Awards 11 May 2012

DOUGLAS, Isle of Man -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- It was a successful night for the Isle of Man and its eGaming sector at the eGaming Review Business to Business Awards held on Thursday night (May 10) where companies headquartered on the Isle of Man picked up a total of five awards.

Companies headquartered on the Isle of Man were nominated for 18 awards and the winners included: Continent 8 Technologies (Data Centre of the Year), Playtech (Bingo Network of the Year, Slot Provider of the Year, and Poker Network of the Year) and Microgaming Systems (RNG Casino Supplier of the Year and Highly Commended for Poker Software of the Year).

The Isle of Man was also represented at the associated conference and exhibition, EGR Subscriber Forum, which was held in the same venue on May 10. Several private-sector companies exhibited and there were many other attendees from the Islands eGaming community along with the Isle of Man Government.

Alex Downie OBE, MLC, Political Member for eGaming, Isle of Man Department of Economic Development, commented: "It is fantastic to see such a great showing from the Isle of Man at the annual eGaming Review Awards, both in terms of attendance from on-Island companies and their success. To have won five awards is an exemplary achievement and goes to demonstrate the quality of the Isle of Mans e-Gaming sector and its continued status as a world-leading centre of excellence for the industry."

Nick Nally, Chief Development Officer at Continent 8, winner of the Data Centre of the Year award, commented: "Continent 8 is delighted to win the Data Centre of the Year Award for the third year in a row. It represents our continuing commitment to the industry in terms of our product set and footprint. We are particularly happy to join other Isle of Man companies who were successful on the night."

See original here:
Isle of Man triumphs at EGR Awards

GRAND CAYMAN (Cayman Islands): World 100m champion Yohan Blake ran the years secondfastest time on Wednesday, winning the Cayman Invitational in 9.84 in an early tuneup for the London Olympics.

Only Usain Bolt Blakes training partner in their home country Jamaica has run faster this year. Bolt won a meet in Kingston in 9.82 on Saturday.

Blake won last years 100m at the world championships after Bolt was disqualified for a false start. The two arent expected to square off in the 100m until Jamaicas Olympic trials at the end of June, and barring something unexpected, they should be the favourites in London.

Im very pleased with my time, Blake said. In fact, it has put me ahead in my preparations for London. Im looking forward to my next race.

His next race is on June 9 in New York. Bolt, meanwhile, will race on May 31 at a Diamond League meet in Rome.

Finishing second on Wednesday was another Jamaican, Michael Frater, who crossed in 10.05. Keston Bledman of Trinidad and Tobago (10.06) finished third.

In the womens 100m, American world champion Carmelita Jeter won in 11.04, beating Jeneba Tarmoh by 0.09 seconds.

Jamaicas Warren Weir won the mens 200m with a 20.13 finish. Chris Brown of the Bahamas was the mens 400m winner in 45.14, with Jamaicas Novelene Williams-Mills taking the womens 400m gold medal in 50.35.

Meanwhile, Cubas Olympic hurdles champion Dayron Robles will race in the United States for the first time next month, athletics sources said on Wednesday.

The 25yearold, who also holds the 110m hurdles world record, will race in both the June 2 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon and the June 9 Adidas Grand Prix in New York City, the sources said.

Original post:
Blake blazes to year’s second-fastest time

GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS--(Marketwire -05/10/12)- Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. (CWCO), which develops and operates seawater desalination plants and water distribution systems in areas of the world where naturally occurring supplies of potable water are scarce or nonexistent, today reported its operating results for the first quarter of 2012. The Company will host an investor conference call tomorrow -- Friday, May 11, 2012 -- at 11:00 a.m. EDT (see details below).

Total revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2012 increased 20% to approximately $16.7 million, compared with approximately $13.9 million for the first quarter of 2011.

Retail water revenues rose 3% to approximately $6.6 million (39% of total revenues) in the most recent quarter, versus approximately $6.4 million (46% of total revenues) for the comparable prior-year quarter, reflecting (i) an increase to the Company's base rates of approximately 4% due to an upward movement in the consumer price indices used to determine such rate adjustments in the first quarter of each year; and (ii) higher energy price pass-through charges resulting from higher energy prices. These factors were partially offset by a 5% decline in the number of gallons of water sold by the retail segment.

Bulk water revenues increased 41% to approximately $10.1 million (60% of total revenues) in the first quarter of 2012, compared with approximately $7.2 million (52% of total revenues) in the year-earlier quarter, reflecting (i) a 34% increase in the number of gallons of water sold, which was primarily attributable to the expansion of the Company's Blue Hills plant in the Bahamas during the fourth quarter of 2011; and (ii) energy pass-through charges resulting from higher energy prices.

Services revenues declined to approximately $0.1 million in the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared with approximately $0.4 million in the first quarter of 2011, reflecting (i) the expiration of the management services contract for the Bermuda plant on June 30, 2011; and (ii) lower fees earned on the Company's management agreement with OC-BVI (the Company's equity investment affiliate) due to the incremental fees earned on the higher earnings generated by this affiliate in 2011 versus 2012.

Net income increased 18% to $2,342,666, or $0.16 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, compared with net income of $1,993,010, or $0.14 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2011. A 67% increase in operating income, to $2,433,164 during the most recent quarter versus $1,458,225 in the comparable prior-year quarter, was partially offset by a 90% reduction in OC-BVI's earnings. During the three months ended March 31, 2012, the Company recognized earnings on its investment in OC-BVI of $56,938, compared with $543,494 in the comparable 2011 period.

Consolidated gross profit rose 13% to approximately $5.9 million (36% of total revenues) in the first quarter of 2012, compared with approximately $5.3 million (38% of total revenues) in the prior-year period. Gross profit on retail revenues was relatively unchanged at approximately $3.5 million in the most recent quarter (54% of retail revenues), compared with approximately $3.5 million (55% of retail revenues) in the quarter ended March 31, 2011. The modest decline in retail gross profit as a percentage of retail revenues reflected the increase in energy pass-through charges and higher non-revenue water volumes during the first quarter of 2012 versus the prior-year quarter. Gross profit on bulk revenues increased 54% to approximately $2.4 million (24% of bulk revenues) in the most recent quarter, from approximately $1.6 million (22% of bulk revenues) a year earlier. The improvement in the bulk segment's gross profit as a percentage of bulk water revenues was due to the increase in revenues, as a significant portion of the bulk segment's production costs are relatively fixed in nature and do not increase proportionately with an increase in the volume of water sold. The services segment recorded a gross profit of $10,703 for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared with a gross profit of approximately $193,444 in the first quarter of 2011. The decline in services segment gross profits in the 2012 quarter reflected the previously-noted decrease in the segment's revenues.

General and administrative expenses declined 7% to $3,514,685 in the first quarter of 2012, versus $3,792,330 in the corresponding period of 2011, primarily due to (i) a decrease of approximately $779,000 in expenses related to the project development activities of the Company's consolidated Mexico affiliate, N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. ("NSC"), partially offset by an increase of approximately $200,000 in employee costs due to the hiring of additional management and information technology personnel and approximately $158,000 in added business development costs.

Interest income decreased 38% to $215,430 for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, versus $347,660 in the first quarter of the previous year. Interest expense increased 9% to $383,635 in the 2012 quarter, from $350,372 in the comparable 2011 period.

"We are very pleased to report an 18% increase in first quarter earnings, when compared with the prior-year period, due primarily to increased profitability in our bulk water business segment and a reduction in general and administrative expenses that more than offset a loss in our services segment and significantly lower earnings from our OC-BVI affiliate," stated Rick McTaggart, Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. "The performance of our bulk water segment reflects, to a large degree, the increase in water volumes resulting from a 67% expansion in the production capacity of our Blue Hills plant in the Bahamas that came on line in the fourth quarter of 2011. As a result of this expansion, the Bahamas now represent the Company's largest geographic market, when measured in terms of the volume of water produced and delivered to customers. Gross margins in the bulk segment improved to 24% of bulk revenues, from 22% a year earlier, primarily due to increased water production, a strict cost-control program, and efficiency gains resulting from various operational improvement programs that we have implemented over the past four years."

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Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Reports 18% Increase in First Quarter Net Income