Store & Speak -a Plum Idea

Talk Show

If you have ever left yourself voicemail reminding yourself to "pick up dry cleaning and Season Three of Dexter" chances are they have too. This next gen dictaphone is a flash drive that doubles as a digital voice recorder to help them streamline their to-do list and data. And we thought the iPad was brilliant! $27.95 for 1G drive, minimum order 100 units. http://www.plumgiftco.com/home.aspx

Get Dirty in the Kitchen -Vancouver TeamBuilding Idea

Groups  looking for a different (and delicious) way to get to know each other a little better would do well to explore the options offered by The Dirty Apron Cooking School, located on Vancouver’s downtown peninsula. The school is one of Vancouver’s most unique venues, available for full facility hire, tailored hands-on cooking classes or bespoke dining experiences. There’s no better way to reward, unite and inspire a team of people than spending time together learning, tasting, having fun, and of course, cooking.

The Dirty Apron offers four different styles of experience offering many ways to get that apron dirty! For the full hands-on effect, their team-building activities turn up the pressure, while their in-depth cooking classes allow everyone to cook each course together before sitting down to dine as a group. For those looking for a more leisurely pace, the "demonstration dine" experiences leave the group to watch the dishes being demonstrated before enjoying them. The school can also host special events that make use of their unique space, which offers seated dining for up to 40 guests, or reception space for up to 100.
www.dirtyapron.com (courtesy of Vancouver Trade Talks, Tourism Vancouver)

Vancouver Convention Centre Wins Again.

The Vancouver Convention Centre’s West building was honoured as a winner of the Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Awards for Excellence:  the Americas competition.  

Established in 1979, the ULI’s Awards for Excellence are widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program. The awards recognize the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design. The criteria for the awards include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnership, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability. 

“We are very proud to be recognized by the Urban Land Institute with their prestigious Awards for Excellence, along with other outstanding projects,” says Ken Cretney, General Manager of the Vancouver Convention Centre. “This tremendous honour speaks to the dedication, innovation and creativity of the staff and project team who worked on the Centre’s West building expansion.”

The Vancouver Convention Centre’s West building project is one of only 10 projects to have received the 2010 ULI Awards for Excellence in the Americas category. The winners were selected from more than 170 projects, and will advance for consideration for the ULI Global Awards for Excellence, which honour projects that demonstrate cross-regional lessons in real estate development.

 According to Jury Chair Marty Jones, president, Corcoran Jennison Companies in Boston, the award winners are all exemplary models of best practices in land use and property development.  “Many of these developments involve environmentally sustainable features, public/private partnerships, and innovative financing,” said Jones.

The only two-time winner of the International Association of Congress Centres’ APEX award for “World’s Best Convention Centre,” the Vancouver Convention Centre opened in July 1987 after originally serving as the Canada Pavilion at the World’s Fair in 1986. Since inception, the facility has demonstrated a constant commitment to service, technical and culinary excellence, as well as environmental sustainability. In fact, the Centre’s West building has received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification, and is the only convention centre in the world awarded the highest level of LEED designation. With the expansion complete, the Centre has tripled its size to cover 1.1 million square feet (or four city blocks) for a combined total of 466,500 square feet of pre-function, meeting, exhibition and ballroom space.

Become a CEP Event Reporter

Join the CEP Magazine team as an intern reporter and find yourself inside the hottest events in Canada

CEP is currently seeking creative, inspired, energetic and motivated individuals to join the Magazine and Web Production team as an official Canadian Event Reporter.

Your role is to cover the special events in your area, both public and corporate by going behind the scenes with the planners and producers, suppliers, designer and entertainers and report back with creative reviews, news and stories for the blog and magazine. Its a chance to get backstage at your favorite events, venues and peek over the fence into the planning of some of the biggest and most popular events in Canada. Through the program individuals have the opportunity to gain experience in the areas of blogging, event reporting, event production, music, design, media relations, photography, interviewing, public relations and journalism.

CEP provides a forum to gain valuable knowledge, work experience, building your portfolio and an opportunity for networking and connection building in the world of special events and media in exchange for your  exchange for hard work, creativity, and innovation. The goal is for each intern reporter is to gain contacts and skills to establish themselves in their field of interest.

In order to be a it for the position, you need to be:

Well versed in web blogging, know how to use a digital camera, are truly interested in the special events industry, have a cool, upbeat disposition, enjoy getting out there, are a great writer, are outgoing, well groomed and well spoken.

Additional requirements include:

• Passion for special events
• General Knowledge of  trends and understanding of the industry
• Ability to handle deadlines
• Can work with little guidance 
• Excellent verbal and writing skills
• Detailed oriented and self motivated
• Reliable and honest.

You will be out on the town representing CEP Mag so its vital that you are willing to follow proper media guidelines and protocol when on site. Get out there, be cool, have fun, learn, watch and listen and report back.

If interested, please email your resume and letter about why you want to be a CEP Reporter to stacy@canadianspecialevents.com please include two samples of your written work.

Interesting Wine Stories

WINE INDUSTRY’S NEW SURPRISING PLAYERS

Meet the Idea Hunter

Everybody Wants an Idea Hunter For Their Events

Join team ‘MPI Crew the Ride’

A Challenge for all Meetings and Events Professionals

MPI members have the skills and experience to help crew this ride.  Cancer can be fought!  You can make a difference.  Join team 'MPI Crew the Ride'.  If you have any questions or are interested in being a team captain, please contact Natalie Wilson on 604-408-6266 or at nwilson@phn.com.  Please join us! conquercancer.ca or (888) 771-BIKE (2453)   Natalie Wilson, Director of Recruitment MPI BC Chapter

ISES Toronto Shares the Olympic Experience With Members

Behind the Olympic Rings Rachel Mangal, ISES Toronto President

The Olympic Games were awarded to our country and Vancouver was given 5 years to plan our greatest party of the decade!  It rolled into town in a whirlwind fashion, capturing the hearts of the nation in a hype we had never felt before. Most of us now only have the famous red mittens as a last reminiscence of the Games but here are some really interesting backstage stories and statistics you haven’t heard yet!

ISES (international Special Events Society) Toronto hosted “Behind the Olympic Rings” on Tuesday, April 20, where some of the top professionals in theevent industry shared their experiences with the audience. Challenges in planning elements of the Olympic Games came in all directions, from legal permits, to weather and ever changing staffing. The audience walked away with a new appreciation of lighting, tenting, entertainment and catering.

Air Star Lighting Company

Air Star was awarded the official lighting provider over 14 Vancouver locations including various private events, Grouse Mountain and the NBC morning show where 10 balloon lights provided soft lighting on their outdoor set. Directors, Micheal St. Eve and Brian Rutherford explained their struggles to produce more inventory on short notice, adhering to overzealous permit requirements, and how their staff remedied tilting light towers due to melting snow.

Regal Tent

Regal Tent was the official partner of top Olympic Games Sponsors, including Molson and Samsung, along with providing the structure for Olympic Broadcasting House.  How do you secure a tent in the centre of the city without being allowed to punch into the concrete? What do you do if the areabeing tented is slanted?

Michael McCulloch, CEO, described how his team overcame these struggles with the outcome of sourcing a new tent floor supplier in Europe. Dave Woods, Project Manager of Regal explained how the demands of their Olympic clients needing to look different and not like a tent, resulted in the creation of new products including 2-storey tents with real windows and interior walls (available now to rent) and the creation of straight wall facades.

Despite the permit issues, and architecturaldelays, McCulloch says the number one mistake made throughout the whole process was in the beginning. Being one of the few tent companies in Canada with large-scale and customizable tent inventoryMcCulloch’s team had hoped that the phone would ring and business would flow in since the Olympics were coming to Canadian soil.  Regal wasn’t alone in these expectations.  Assumptions were felt all over Canada and especially in B.C. with many industries thinking that the phone would just ring.

The phone did eventually ring and Regal Tents helped their clients make a bold and unique impact for sites throughout the city!

Stonevents

Jim Stone’sexpertise is in event planning and public relations along with being a key counsel to many of Canada’s top entertainers. It’s no wonder he was called upon to handle a portion of the entertainment logisticsfor the Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies. Jim was responsible for ensuring Canadian Opera Diva MeashaBrueggergosman along with icon, Sara McLaughlin were properly organized for the Games and right on cue for performing their acts. Jim expressed to the audience that famous musicians are exceptional people with deep hearts and souls and that they are truly gifted artists.

Molson Canadian Hockey House

Kelly Dooley, Director of Food & Beverage Operations (Compass Food Services) for Molson Canadian Hockey House shared the ins and outs of setting up a 62,000 square foot “Hockey Pavillion Pub”. With the Olympic Games starting mid February, Kelly’s first mission was to hire 400 staff in November to begin training. Come January, the first hiccup occurred with the 10 staff quitting, including the Head Chef. Competition was fierce for serving staff in the city with venues paying $40/hour for bartenders and Kelly’s budget couldn’t compete.  Molson Canadian Hockey House was going to be host to famous athletes, musicians and dignitaries, and the staff that committed, knew they would be hosting the greatest party this country had ever seen. 

Molson Hockey House was a tent structure with a main public area called the FanZone, 9 bars,  12 buffets, stage, 3 jumbo screens, raised VIP area, and International Hockey Federation private room and lounge. Virtual Tour: http://molsoncanadianhockeyhouse.com/venue.php

After the first four days of the Molson Hockey House being open, staff were re-deployed to areas more suited to their expertise and the menu changed to more manageable “pub grub” in the Fan Zone. From there on in it was clear sailing with 3000 fans pouring in nightly along with random appearances of both the Men’s and Women’s Canadian Hockey Teams, Wayne Gretzky, the Prince of Monaco along with musical performances of Tom Cochrane, Sam Roberts, Bare Naked Ladies, Colin James and more!  This was definitely the best place to work during the Games!

After 17 days and an average of 14 hour work days, here are the final statistics:

·         Over 290,000 servings of alcohol (1,636 bathtubs worth)
•      397 associates (hired and trained)
•      $38,000.00 worth of Saputo cheese
•      340 pounds of garlic
•      9,920 whole lemons & limes (583 per day)
•      2,774 pounds of Mediterranean pasta salad
•      115,760 pieces of handmade hors d’oeuvres
•      200,000 Molson branded biodegradable beer cups

 The ISES Toronto audience came away with appreciation for all of our speakers’ efforts and appreciation for what the professionals in Russia are about to go through!

Foursquare: It’s All in The Tips!

There’s a new Social application in town (Really? A new one? That’s weird) and some are seeing it as a rogue cowboy – Intrusive, deceiving and a little eratic! It has the ability to connect people through venues, clubs, restaurants and interesting sites around major cities. It can provide easy directions to that swanky club you always wanted to go to and also lets you know which friends are there. A little creepy? I dare you to actually try it – Foursquare that is!

We have a terrible flaw embedded in North American culture, but I am not here to discuss the sociology of the technological revolution – although, that would be incredibly fun for me! We judge and ridicule things before we actual know anything about them. I understand lack of time to research EVERYTHING. In the digital sphere, things change way to fast, but before you judge Foursquare as an intrusive no no, listen to what I have to say. There may be great possibility for your business – Especially with large public events!

What is Foursquare anyway?

Foursquare is a ‘Location Based Social’ network that helps you link to friends and newbies using GPS through your mobile device. With easy accessibility through Social mobile PDAs, this application has taken huge strides in major city hubs across North America in the passed eight months. As Twitter before it, many don’t understand the point to this genius! People always thought Twitter was pointless! Who wants to know what people are doing every moment? But something morphed – enter the content highway and the ability to connect through content snacking! Foursquare has entered the same drama! Who cares where people are? Check ins? Points? Explorers? I don’t care that you’re at the AMC seeing ‘She’s Out of My League” for the third time (great movie by the way). What Foursquare has done is created a game. Yeah, so you check in, but the question has always been, now what? 2009 saw huge rise to the personal brander. People focused on showing their online communities that they were busy, what they were doing and where they were at any given moment! The unique twist with Foursquare, is that you gain points for exploring your city, gain badges once you reach different stages and meet new people as well. Yes, many think this is a joke, but it actually has caught on extremely well and has integrated itself into the push of Facebook and twitter seamlessly. I won’t get too much into the different badges and levels you can reach because I feel there are other useful points to Foursquare that are more relevant to our industry as #eventprofs… The Tips!

Leave tips for your friends and become a trustworthy connection!

This application has a lot of great features, but I want to focus on what has been successful for me. When I started with Foursquare, I realized very quickly how to give tips. As a user, you can leave tips for your friends on various locations that you have been to. Say you have been to an incredible restaurant with your significant other, you can leave a tip for anyone else who checks in to this restaurant. For example, “This restaurant has an incredible clam chowder! Also, ask for a seat in the upper level, the atmosphere is perfect for a first date.” Now, anyone who checks into this restaurant or any location in the Foursquare network near by, will see this tip pop up – Friend or not, and will also let them know who said it. Are you aware of really obscure places in your city? Well known as a connector? These tips are perfect to promote yourself, your brand and your city to your online community.

Large events and connecting the city

Canadian Music Week, NXNE, SXSW, Molson Indy and other major events have an opportunity to really engage fans, conference goers and business folk using this application. All of these public events use multiple venues around major cities. The integration of Foursquare sponsorship, check points and contesting can really make their conferences interactive. Imagine being able to see what shows your friends are at while also having the ability to meet them through GPS tracking, all while gaining points to win a major prize (Canadian Music Week and NXNE/SXSW). Venues and businesses are already finding ways to connect with their patrons by offereing deals and free gifts just for checking, making tips and yes. becoming the mayor of their facility! Enter the new age of 'Travel Marketing'. The possibilities are enlightening!

I leave you with this…

Location Based Social Networking is here. These types of applications and technology were inevitable. The intrusion is yours! If you feel you don't want people to know where you are, then may be this application should not be a platform you choose. I personally use it for event purposes to let clients, staff and others know where 5th Element Events are happening and always follow up with live Tweets, pictures and video to accent the campaign. Foursquare is great in conjunction with other tools you are using. The possibilities to promote yourself and your company can be great if you develop a strong startegy of placement and integrate useful tips for your network. Build trust as a suburban connector and you'll see the amount of people who try to connect with you not only on Foursquare, but other platforms you repersent your personal brand on.   

@JaredGolberg

Interact, Engage & Inspire

jared@5thelementevents.com

www.jaredgolberg.com