A WEEK AT ABTA. Yesterday's AGM saw all the resolutions passed with large majorities in favour and I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to attend or to vote by proxy. At the meeting Martin Wellings announced that he is standing down as ABTA President after 18 months. He deserves all our thanks for the calm and good natured way in which he has led the organisation, and I shall personally miss the support he has given me. The new Council of Regions met for the first time yesterday, and I'd like to congratulate Sue Foxall on being voted Chairman. I had the second of my scheduled conference calls on Monday. These calls are proving a useful supplement to the regional meetings, and I've decided to schedule them on a regular, two-monthly basis - details to follow. As part of our ongoing mission to make your lives easier, we've written to a new Government Department called the Better Regulation Executive, recommending changes to be made to the way that both the Package Travel and ATOL Regulations are currently implemented. Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive

ABTA AGM. ABTA's Annual General Meeting was held yesterday. Chantrey Vellacott were reappointed as Auditors and the Resolutions were all carried. Details of these can be found at www.abtamembers.org/agm2006.pdf. If you have any queries, please contact the Members' Information line (membersinfo@abta.co.uk) on 0845 177 2282.

ELECTIONS 2006. The Council of Regions has elected Sue Foxall as its Chairman and Sandy Murray as its Vice-Chairman; they will join the Board of Directors. Details of the new Board of Directors and Council of Regions can be found at www.abtamembers.org/elections.

CODE OF CONDUCT GUIDANCE: ABTA LOGO. Members are reminded that the Code of Conduct prohibits any Member from allowing or assisting a non-member to use the ABTA logo or to represent themselves as an ABTA Member, or as associated with an ABTA Member in any way. Further advice on this or any Code of Conduct issue can be obtained from the Legal Department (legal@abta.co.uk) on 020 7307 1961.

ABTA EMPLOYMENT LAW HELPLINE. We are delighted to announce that asb law has joined the panel of Travel Industry Partner law firms - Field Fisher Waterhouse, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP, and Piper Smith Watton - that provide the ABTA Employment Law helpline. The helpline is available to answer Members' enquiries on employment law issues. For further details, including who to call, please see www.abtamembers.org/abtahelplines/employmentlawhelpline.htm.

ABTA SEMINAR: CRISIS MANAGEMENT. To give ABTA Members the opportunity to discuss contingency plans and the potential risks of bird flu to clients and employees in the UK and abroad, ABTA will be holding a Crisis Management seminar on Tuesday 16 May 2006 at 68-71 Newman Street. For further details and to book a place or places for this event, please go to www.abtamembers.org/seminars/crisismgt.htm. For specific event questions, please contact Colin Yonge (cyonge@abta.co.uk) on 020 7307 1979.

QUEEN'S AWARD FOR ENTERPRISE. Congratulations to ABTA Travel Industry Partner Citation plc, which have just been awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise. This is the UK's most prestigious award for business performance. For further information, please visit www.citation.co.uk or contact Citation (enquiries@citation.co.uk) on 01565 650 092.

SIXTH INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM CONFERENCE. A reminder that Mark Tanzer, ABTA Chief Executive, will be the keynote speaker at the Sixth International Travel and Tourism: Policy, Law and Management Conference being held from 17-19 May 2006 in Newcastle upon Tyne. For full information including a brochure and booking form, please visit tlc2006.unn.ac.uk or contact Maureen Cooke (maureen.cooke@northumbria.ac.uk) on 0191 243 7597.

For a list of forthcoming ABTA events, including regional meetings and seminars, go to www.abtamembers.org/diary.htm For a list of ABTA publications, consumer leaflets, and ABTA-branded items, go to www.abta.com/publications

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