Powwownow is the leading free conference call provider in the UK and was founded seven years ago. They offer instant conference calling that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with as many participants involved as you require across over 100 countries around the world.

The Powwownow system uses its own teleconferencing technology and operates with low overheads to make it more cost effective for conference calls to take place world wide. Within the standard service that they provide, they don’t charge any kind of fees, so each caller only pays the cost of their own call making it substantially cheaper to use than virtually any other conference call provider.

Powwownow also offers a great premium business service with tailor made business solutions for customers. They aim to understand what their customers need and build conference packages to suit all their requirements while at the same time providing an excellent level of service, innovation and support.

The biggest difference between Powwownow and other conference call competitors is that they don’t charge a bridging fee – this is the fee that most conference call providers charge the chairman of a conference call for chairing the call. Because of this, powwownow can save business customers who regularly use conference calling hundreds if not thousands of pounds while still providing a level of support which is extremely high.

The premium business service offers an automated, reservation-free service where meetings can be held 24 hours a day 7 days a week with no pre-booking required and without the assistance of a call operator unless you wish for assistance.

The service that is provided by Powwownow includes a variety of features that many companies don’t offer, or charge extra for. Amongst other things, you can receive:

Unlimited number of conference calls
Unlimited pairs of chairperson and participant PINs allowing concurrent conference calling
A choice of dial in numbers and rates (such as shared cost, geographical and freephone)
International access to over 100 different countries
Secure call recording so that conferences can be reviewed and shared
Real-time reporting on all your calls
A simple to use scheduler tool to make it easy to invite callers to conferences
Web conferencing

Overall, using powwownow can save your business money, and allow you to add another dimension to your business by bringing together many people for effective communication without requiring face to face meetings.

When you visit London, there are several excellent choices for hotels, fine dining, live entertainment and of course, popular attractions. Because London is a world-class destination and a very large city, it is helpful to plan ahead prior to visiting some of the popular tourist spots.

This article will focus on two famous London sites, Kensington Palace and Hyde Park and what you can do and see when you are there. These two sites border each other so it’s conceivable that you can see both sites on a single day. If you are planning on staying in this central location then both Kensington apartments and Hyde park executive apartments can offer a cost effective way of staying and exploring the area.

Some of you may recall that Kensington Palace was once the official residence of Lady Di, the Princess of Wales and Princess Margaret, but the palace is rich in history and has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the early 1600s. In fact it was the birthplace of Queen Victoria, who became Queen of England in 1837. Kensington Palace is on the grounds of the beautiful Kensington Gardens and was the royal palace before there was Buckingham Palace. It was here where Lady Diana’s body was returned after her tragic accident in Paris in 1997. Thousands of cards, letters and flowers were brought to Kensington Palace in honor of her memory. Her body was eventually taken to Westminster Abbey by horse-drawn carriage to her funeral.

One of the top attractions at Kensington Palace is the Enchanted Palace, which is in a newly remodeled section that might alter your perception of what a royal palace has to offer. Here within the Enchanted Palace, rooms have been transformed into visual memories of what they may have looked like during that era. In one room, you might see Princess Victoria’s room before she became queen and another room might display many outfits from Lady Di’s wardrobe.

Nor far away from Kensington Palace is the grand and glorious Hyde Park, where there are plenty of activities to choose from. Hyde Park is the among the 7 designated Royal Parks, originally owned by the monarchy of the United Kingdom. Popular activities include swimming, hiking, jogging, tennis, row boating and of course perhaps the most recognized activity is at Speaker’s Corner, where people from all walks of life have a public forum in which to speak openly on subjects such as religion, politics and war. In the same section of Hyde Park is the famous Marble Arch, which is made of one of the most expensive types of marble, Carrara from the city in Italy, which bears the same name. The park also has some great 8 places for food and beverages.

Hyde Park has also been home to many notable rock concerts with artists such as the Rolling Stones, the Who and Queen, performing there over the years. Next year, during the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Hyde Park will host the triathlon and marathon swimming events.

Hyde Park and Kensington Palace are both located in central London, northwest of Westminster. It is easily accessible by the London Transport and staying in any central London apartments when you are in the city will mean you have a great base to to explore from. Between visiting Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, you are certain to have an enjoyable day, bringing back a lifetime of wonderful memories.

Student life can be expensive – the government says around £11,000 a year! With all the fees and rent and things there’s often not much left over to spend on your social life. However, with a little bit of care you can write a budget that will be workable and let you spend a bit on you too and limit the amount of debt help you may need when you leave University.

Write a Budget Sheet
Start by putting pen to paper and write down all your income and expenses. (two columns). Make sure you include everything you spend money on such as library fees, food, laundry etc. not just rent and bills.

Organise your Income
Expenses can be daily, weekly or monthly, and income may be the same, or may even be in lump sums once a term. You might work in the holidays and then not during term time. If you can, set up one account for all your rent/hall fees and don’t use this for daily expenses. Divide your remaining money into even chunks for each week/month it has to last so you can see clearly how much you have to live on.

Maximise your Income
Working to give you extra is a good way to help maximise your income – it won’t hurt your CV either, but don’t try to work too hard or your education might suffer. Full time work in the holidays can sometimes lead to part time work through the term. You might be able to earn £50-100 extra per week this way.

Get Discounts
Look for places offering student discounts – restaurants, bars, cinema, etc. Sites like studentbeans.com can tell you about some of these, and the NUS Extra card can get you money off in shops too.

Learn to Cook
Cooking for yourself is cheaper even than the college canteen. Make coffee and carry it in a flask, buy cheap vegetables and fruit on the market, and own brand supermarket products and a decent cook book and you’ll save yourself a fortune. One person can easily live on £20-£25 a week and less with care.

Buy & Sell
Second hand stores and sites can save you money on things like text books, and if you’ve finished with the item then you can sell it on and make some of your money back. Ebay and other similar sites can also be good for selling on other unwanted items too.

Avoid Debt
Overdrafts, credit cards, store cards – all are often on offer to you as a student, but before you accept any of these, think carefully about whether it’s worth it. A low interest overdraft can be extremely useful towards the end of the term, but you should avoid taking on any unnecessary debt. Keep an eye on your finances and use cash where you can. Never take out more than you need and stay in control.

Don’t Overspend
Ok this sounds obvious, but if you’re in a shared house, you don’t EACH need a TV licence, just one between all of you. If you’re living in private accommodation you may not need to pay council tax, and if you can get a cheap washing machine instead of using a laundrette you’ll save £’s.