office* 2013: Civil Servant scoops Britain’s longest serving PA title
Executive assistant Avril Dibbens, believed to be Britain’s longest-serving, current, full-time Ministry of Defence civil servant, can now add ‘Britain’s longest serving PA’ to her long list of career achievements.
August 1962, that’s when Ms Dibbens began working in the typing pool at the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment in Portsmouth (she’s now based at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Salisbury). Given that her career started in the year of the Cuban Missile crisis, in the midst of the cold war, it’s safe to say that there are plenty of memorable moments that she will never be able to discuss. Luckily, this honour isn’t so hush-hush.
She is “both delighted and amazed”, she says, to have come out on top, having responded to an article calling for nominations for ‘Britain’s longest serving PA’ by Diversified Business Communications UK, the event organiser behind office* – the UK’s leading business event for executive support professionals – to mark this year’s National PA Day celebrations on Tuesday 8 October.
The national campaign, which was launched to highlight the important contributions and commitment that long-serving members of the PA profession make to UK businesses, received over 60 submissions throughout the month of August 2013. Whilst several entries were close, Ms Dibben’s 51 years of service to the PA profession was always going to be a hard record to beat.
“Last year I was recognised as the MoD’s longest serving, current full-time employee, which was an achievement in itself,” says Ms Dibbens. “But I am completely overwhelmed to find out that, potentially, there is no other PA/EA in Britain who has been in the role longer than myself.”
Whilst her role may have altered “dramatically” over the years, the former national typewriting champion (in 1972), says her enthusiasm for the job has never diminished. Certainly, she’s witnessed many changes throughout the decades – but none have revolutionised the office more than recent technological advances. Ms Dibbens remains unperturbed, and is, she says, still as “keen to continue [her] professional development and adapt to new technology as [she] was in the 60s”.
To celebrate her achievement, Ms Dibbens will be heading to next week’s office* show on 8 October at Olympia, London, where she’ll be appearing at a specially-arranged, opening day photo shoot; along with several of her fellow long serving PAs at 11am on Starwood Hotels’ stand 4048.
With the final preparations now well underway, office* 2013 looks set for a record turnout all round, as thousands of PAs, EAs, VAs, office managers and executive support professionals continue to add their names to the 2013 visitor pre-registration list; which is already over 25% ahead of the same time last year.
Having now sold out of all of its available exhibition space, this year’s visitors will benefit from seeing 175 exhibiting companies offering an eclectic mix of business services and supplies. Recent additions to the exhibitor line-up include The Post Office, 30 Euston Square, Selfridges Hampers, Christopher Keats, Everything Office, Give Truly, Event Prop Hire, and Bisham Abbey and Lilleshall National Sports Centres. None of which have appeared at the show before.
Other new exhibitors hoping to make a big impression this year include All Bar One & Browns; Conference Centres of Excellence; Corporate Traveller (sponsors of the show’s new Networking Hub); De Vere Venues; Emirates; Guoman & Thistle Hotels; Grange Hotels; IMG; KYOCERA Document Solutions (U.K.) Limited; London City Airport; Marlin Apartments; Ricoh UK Ltd; GLO & 5 Star office products; The Shredding Alliance Limited; Trodat UK; Urban Soul Orchestra; and Zebra Pen (UK) Ltd.
office* 2013 returns to Olympia, London, on 8-9 October. To register for a free entry ticket (which includes access to the Keynote Theatre and office* Interactive Theatre), please visit www.officeshow.co.uk and use priority code OFF109 when prompted (www.eventdata.co.uk/Visitor/Office.aspx?AffiliateCode=OFF109).
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Media enquiries & press pass requests:
Emma-Louise Jones, PR Manager
Press passes are available to all editorial staff (including freelancers) employed by relevant business-to-business publications or mainstream media outlets (newspaper, radio, TV, news agency etc). To apply, please email ejones@divcom.co.uk (please note, additional details may be requested to verify journalistic activity and all press passes are issued at the management’s discretion).
t: 44 (0)1273 645134 e: ejones@divcom.co.uk
Website: www.divcom.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DiversifiedUK
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LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=5009585
office* exhibitor enquiries:
David Maguire, office* Event Manager
t: 44 (0)1273 645127 e: dmaguire@divcom.co.uk
Website: www.officeshow.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/officeshow
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/office/116716991701373
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3319575
Notes:
office* attracted 3,687 attendees to its 2012 event. It was shortlisted for Best UK Trade Show Exhibition (under 2,000m2) at the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) Excellence Awards in 2013.
Diversified Business Communications UK Ltd (Diversified UK) is a fast growing trade event organiser and publisher based in Brighton and Nailsworth (Glos). In addition to office*, Diversified UK’s portfolio includes SITS – The Service Desk & IT Support Show; SITS Europe in Berlin, Germany (new for 2014); Service Desk 360; lunch!; Casual Dining (new for 2014); Natural & Organic Products Europe; Natural Products Scandinavia and Nordic Organic Food Fair in Malmö, Sweden; camexpo; Ocean Business (including Offshore Survey Conference & Ocean Careers); Ocean Buzz; MARELEC Marine Electromagnetics conference in Hamburg, Germany; Natural Products magazine; and the Natural Beauty Yearbook.
Diversified UK is part of Diversified Business Communications, a leading international media company, with a successful portfolio of sector leading exhibition, conferences, publications and websites.
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