Anyone want a "dodgy" gong?

I hear of a tasty little spat in the world of trade publishing.

CorpComms Magazine - which does pretty well what it says on the tin - launched its new digital awards ceremony in its last issue. Two days before going live with the project on April 1, the mag's competitor, Communicate, unveiled a rival digital awards ceremony, picking a closing date for entries one day ahead of CorpComms.
It could all be a coincidence, I suppose, although this is not how the corporate communications industry is viewing the crowded schedule. Potential sponsors tell me that this is Communicate's fourth attempt at an awards event - although only one has actually been held so far.

Meanwhile, they whisper that the CorpComm awards are called "the Digis", while the industry has suddenly dubbed the rival event "the Dodgies". Time for a PR makeover?

Spinning into trouble with a Greek bearing gifts

I read that the Chartered Institute of Public Relations is expecting to lose around £700,000 this year following an almighty cock-up during its move from swanky St James's Square to (equally plush) surroundings in Bloomsbury Square.
CorpComms magazine reports that the CIPR was offered a financial incentive (I'm told £500,000) to leave its former pad before its lease expired, because the landlord planned to turn the Georgian premises into a private home.
What the mag doesn't mention is that the landlord in question is my old friend, Greek property tycoon Achilleas Kallakis, who is currently at the centre of a Serious Fraud Office probe and (under the name Stefan Michalis Kollakis) was convicted of conspiracy to commit forgery 14 years ago.
His offer of payment to the CIPR was apparently only a gentleman's agreement with the trade body's director general, Colin Farrington - and the new owners of the property aren't that keen to honour the "deal" without supporting evidence. Worse, they are also looking to sting the CIPR for breaking its lease early.
None of which now seems to be Farrington's problem, though. He's currently on an "extended leave of absence".