Various N-vinyl- and N-allyl-amides of 2-iodobenzoic acid undergo catalytic cyclisation in the presence of tetraethylammonium chloride and a palladium acetate-based catalyst system to generate a range of synthetically useful structural features including tetrasubstitutedcarboncentres, and spiro- and bridged-ringcompounds, and in which 5-exo-trig cyclisations are kinetically favoured.