Buzz

Despite the fact that her big day was somewhat overshadowed by Sir Alex Ferguson retiring from his position on the throne at Manchester United Football Club, the Queen did deliver her speech yesterday - with the usual pomp and ceremony.

A free event around the theme, ‘Shattering the Project Myth’ and featuring presentations from ‘mega-project’ managers, c-level executives, and published industry experts looks to be covering topics well known to the project management community.

iHubbub, the virtual home working site, has launched an interactive map for businesses looking to find freelancers by location.

The public sector has seen the number of its engineering contractors almost double since 2011, according to professional umbrella employment provider, giant group.

Sara Horowitz, the USA-based founder of Working Today and the Freelancers Union, is on the list to be voted into the TIME 100 most influential people in the world.

Herefordshire-based public relations firm, Grapevine PR, has launched a new tool aimed at helping small businesses and start-ups manage their PR and marketing activity.

Online contractor-specialists SJD Accountancy have conducted a detailed survey of their 12,000 strong client base, the findings of which reveal a number of interesting trends among contractors.

Digital and design agencies increased their use of freelancers massively last year, new research suggests, as cost pressures forced them to keep a tight rein on the number of staff permanently employed.