Press releases

Ski holidays on the upward climb despite pound’s downward slope

Ski-mad Brits are refusing to sacrifice their winter holidays by turning their back on the recession and heading to the slopes.

Even the falling pound, which means a lack of extra spending money, isn’t putting ski-crazy Britons off scouring the net for the best bargains to bring down the cost of their winter break.

By booking lift passes and organising the kitty in the UK, powder monkeys are ensuring they stay on the piste but not out of pocket, says Wigadoo, the UK’s leading website for booking trips and events.

“We’ve seen an avalanche of groups booking last-second trips to the slopes to enjoy the best snow for decades,” says Andy Cockburn, CEO of www.Wigadoo.com.

“Some groups have even used the site to get all the money together for a ski trip, and then wait until the best deal comes up.”

“As anyone who’s ever been on a group ski holiday will know, it’s impossible to bag the cheapest deal because of the length of time it takes to get all the money together and book it.”

Looking for holiday companies which offer a discount on groups, such as half-price lift passes or one free place is just one of the bonuses of going with a large group of friends, says Cockburn.

And the beauty of Wigadoo is that you can get your friends to commit quickly and collect the money instantly, then use a virtual prepaid MasterCard to book everything securely at once.

It takes the hassle and pain out of planning and is perfect for complicated get-togethers like ski trips where you might need to book flights, accommodation and ski passes separately but for many people.

Clever ski bunnies have always found the cheapest deals by tailoring their own holidays to suit their needs, and with the Wigadoo event account, they can avoid falling victim to the exchange rate by buying lift passes in advance from the UK.

“Normally as the organiser I would pay for the car rental, ski hire and lift passes out of my account and we would sort out the money when we were there,” says Olivia Gwynn. “However, I would always end up a bit out of pocket and this year that just wasn’t an option.”

Olivia suggested going on a ski trip while she was at work, inviting friends through the Wigadoo Facebook application. Two days later, she had collected all the money, booked a bargain deal and transferred the surplus cash into her own account to use as a kitty.

“Skiers are passionate about their hobby,” says Dan Fox, MD of SkiWeekends.com. “A poor exchange rate or even a recession is not enough to put powder monkeys off their annual pilgrimage to the slopes.”

“Using Wigadoo is just one of the things skiers and boarders can do to keep the costs of their trip down, along with seeking out the best exchange rate,” says Fox. “Because we buy currency in advance if you pre-book your passes with us it’s cheaper than buying them in resort and similar savings apply to ski hire.”

Wigadoo’s top 10 tips to save on a ski holiday

1. Book in groups – there are often great deals around, such as ‘10th person goes free’ or half price insurance for groups of over eight
2. Book ahead – buying lift passes on the internet from the UK is often cheaper than on the slopes
3. Be realistic – if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t get up till gone midday, buy half-day lift passes rather than a full week
4. Be flexible - Christmas, New Year, February half-term and two weeks in April are the most expensive times to ski so try and go in between these dates
5. Get organised – using Wigadoo to pay for everything up front, like a kitty for the chalet, car hire and petrol money means no-one is left out of pocket
6. Don’t settle – ski hire shops are often flexible and a little bit of bartering can go a long way
7. Buy in the UK – goggles, gloves and everything else ski-related practically doubles in price once you get on the slopes, so make sure you’re kitted out before you go
8. Look elsewhere – while the pound is weak against the euro, ski outside of the Eurozone in places like the Czech Republic
9. Be quick – last-second trips are often the cheapest, and many packages have been reduced by 50 per cent in the last few weeks
10. Get behind the wheel – with the recent drop in petrol prices, it may be cheaper to drive to the Alps rather than fly
Notes for editors:

www.Wigadoo.com is the UK’s leading event website, taking the pain and hassle out of organising any activity where money is involved. Organisers suggest an event, participants pledge the funds, and the money is transferred into an online event account. Funds held on Wigadoo are held by Newcastle Building Society.
Andy Cockburn, CEO of Wigadoo, recently won the Courvoisier Future 500 ‘One To Watch 2009’, in partnership with the Observer.

Employees Play Santa As Scrooge Bosses Cancel Christmas

Workers are uniting against ‘bah humbug’ bosses who are cancelling Christmas and organising their own seasonal get-togethers.

With the constant reminder of the recession, miserly managers have been shelving Christmas parties faster than they can say cheap mince pies. But festive workers are playing secret santa and organising office parties behind their bosses’ backs.

That’s according to Wigadoo, an online company which takes the hassle out of organising any event.

While some employees may be content with a few mince pies in the photocopying room while the bosses’ backs are turned, most are determined to see off the New Year in style.

“We’ve seen a huge rise in unofficial company events organised on our site,” says Andy Cockburn, CEO of www.wigadoo.com and recent winner of the Courvoisier Future 500 ‘One To Watch’. “Without giving away any names, lots of people from companies which have been in the news because they’ve cancelled Christmas parties have now signed up to use Wigadoo to organise smaller, department events around the festive season.”

With research[1] showing fun office events are vital for workplace morale, Cockburn says this is something to be celebrated.

“You can see by the invitations being designed that there is a real need for Christmas parties,” says Cockburn.

What’s interesting is that people have told us events are more successful when organised with Wigadoo, says Cockburn. “It seems the pledging system makes people so much more inclined to sign up and confirm an event than paying lip service.”

On Wigadoo, organisers suggest an event, participants pledge the funds, and if enough people are up for it the money is transferred into an online event account with a virtual prepaid MasterCard number.

Wigadoo means that no one is left out of pocket and removes the pain of having to chase up friends for payment after the event.
“Whereas some big corporate events were costing up to £150,000 last year, what you’ll see now is smaller departmental events, such as a nice meal, trips to the theatre, or even an ice-skating event,” says Cockburn.

“These sorts of parties may be less flashy, but can be just as much fun, and often attract colleagues who dislike the typical, sit-down three-course meal at a hotel.”

WIGADOOS AND WIGADON’TS FOR THE CHRISTMAS PARTY

1. Do eat beforehand. You can drink more free booze then. And ‘do’ food is always rubbish.

2. Do talk to the boss early on in the night. Before your second drink preferably.

3. Do take cigars. Whip them out at the end of the night for instant kudos.

4. Do write the word ‘dignity’ on the side of your right forefinger. That way, each time you take a drink, you will be reminded of your reputation.

5. Do remember that photocopiers are smaller and run hotter than ever before – if you don’t break it reproducing your behind you will singe your dignity for sure.

6. Don’t forget your hipflask. Someone, somewhere, will always want ‘just one more drink’ and a snifter of single malt is just the ticket

7. Don’t take a camera. It never, ever lies.

8. Don’t lapdance. Or poledance.

9. Don’t think karaoke is a brilliant idea at the end of the night with Chantelle from accounts. She can sing, you can’t.

10. Don’t use the evening as an excuse to have a ‘little flirt’ with Dave from HR. You think you are exuding charm and class, while establishing a subtle, yet powerful, sexual connection. Everyone else is just laughing at you sitting on his lap loudly telling him his wife is ugly.


Notes for editors:

[1] Dr Simon Moss of Australia’s Monash University recently told the Australian Daily Telegraph: “When organisations don’t promote networking opportunities then invidividuals become less efficient and ultimately that costs the company more – it can be very counterproductive.”

www.Wigadoo.com is the UK’s leading event website, taking the pain and hassle out of organising any activity where money is involved. Organisers suggest an event, participants pledge the funds, and the money is transferred into an online event account. Funds held on Wigadoo are secured by PayPoint.net.

Andy Cockburn, CEO of Wigadoo, recently won the Courvoisier Future 500 ‘One To Watch’, in partnership with the Observer.

65% of Young Professionals "Too Busy" For Friends [i]

Millions of Brits in their 20s and 30s are losing social contact with close friends due to the hassle of organising get-togethers, relying instead on email and the internet as their main form of contact. Two thirds of young professionals admit they are 'too busy' to organise meeting up with friends,[ii] outing 32% of Londoners as the most socially isolated group in the UK in contrast to 24% of Northerners.[iii]

The report, indicating a decline in group social activity, shows 37% of people are afraid of initiating nights out or weekends away because of concerns friends won't commit or will pull out last minute, leaving the organiser out of pocket.[iv] Other reasons include:

• Getting commitment from friends (25%) [v]

• The time it takes to arrange an event (25%) [vi]

• Being too lazy to organise an event (22%) [vii]

• Trying to make everyone happy (21%) [viii]

• The unwanted responsibility of finding the best activity to do (15%) [ix]

• Lacking the skills to manage money and reservations (9%) [x]

Three young professionals who experienced the same problems themselves, created Wigadoo.com, an online tool for social organisation. The website enables users to organise events easily and manage the group’s money securely. The three founders commissioned the research to explore the reasons behind the diminishing social scene in the UK.

The "Facebook Effect" and busier lifestyles have contributed to a change in the way friendships are being forged in the naughties, impacting significantly on the frequency of face-to-face social interaction. The average Briton now spends 11 hours per week [xi] on virtual networking with people they haven’t seen for years, compared with 10 hours per week [xii] on real life socialising, fostering a growing trend of virtual friendships.

Uma Rajah, co-founder of Wigadoo.com comments: "Modern lifestyles mean that organising groups of people can be time-consuming and complicated. Wigadoo.com makes the process simpler, quicker and safer so that people end up doing more, with more friends, more often."

Nigel Marlow, Director, Business & Consumer Psychology from London Metropolitan University, with expertise in group dynamics, said: “Young professionals are increasingly ready to accept the substitute of ‘virtuality’ over ‘the real thing’. This research shows that whilst people want to and indeed prefer to meet up with friends, they are not making the effort to initiate face-to-face interaction by organising get-togethers. The perceived inconvenience involved and the misplaced fear of failing to organise an enjoyable social event, is resulting in people hiding behind their computers."

[i] YouGov PLC research: 65% of young professionals between 18-34 said they were too busy to organise an event

[ii] YouGov PLC research: 65% of young professionals between 18-34 said they were too busy to organise an event

[iii] YouGov PLC research: 32% of Londoners said they were too busy to organise an event vs. 24% of Northerners

[iv] YouGov PLC research: 37% of people said they were scared friends might mess them around, pull out at the last minute and leave the organiser out of pocket

[v] YouGov PLC research: 25% of people said they were put off organising group events with friends because of getting commitment from friends to attend

[vi] YouGov PLC research: 25% of people said they were put off organising group events with friends because of the time it takes

[vii] YouGov PLC research: 22% of people said they were put off organising group events with friends because of being a bit lazy

[viii] YouGov PLC research: 21% of people said they were put off organising group events with friends because of not wanting the responsibility of making everyone happy

[ix] YouGov PLC research: 15% of people said they were put off organising group events with friends because of finding the best activity to do

[x]YouGov PLC research: 9% of people said they were put off organising group events with friends because they lack the skills needed to be a good organiser

[xi] Based on behaviour of UK broadband users. Source: uSwitch

[xii] Based on behaviour of UK broadband users. Source: uSwitch