Lavish Thursdays at Ultra
June 8, 2011 by deblewis
Filed under Ask Deb, Ontario, Past Events, Toronto, Uncategorized
Our article on the best patios in Toronto a couple of weeks ago didn’t even do this spot justice. 
Thursday nights at Ultra invite you to get luxe. Toronto’s hottest nightspot opens its patio tomorrow night, combining a breathtaking Toronto evening with delectabe drinks, sweet music, and incredible people.
Hosted by our very own Deb Lewis, as well as Thomas Neary, Ultra invites you to come and spoil yourself and reach a new level of luxurious.
Ultra Supper Club
314 Queen St. W.
www.ultratoronto.com
Toronto’s Finest Auction
May 25, 2011 by deblewis
Filed under Ask Deb, Non-Profit Events, Ontario, Past Events, Toronto
Auctioning off eligible bachelors and bachelorettes for a charitable cause has always been a popular past time. Maison Mercer was the scene for yet another great fundraising event on Thursday night in support of the Canadian Cancer Society. Created by IntriKate, this is the sixth annual auction that has seen nothing but great faces and success since its creation.
All of the women in the office got a chance to check out this year’s auction, and I can honestly say that we it was a perfect night out.
This year’s hosts, Wes Hayden and Jessie Sulidis, brought a higher level of entertainment to the event, offering quirky and hilarious commentary. And they were further complemented by the beautiful list of bachelors and bachelorettes, who ranged from professional athletes to models to corporate leaders to world travelers. When each bachelor or bachelorette came on stage, it was exciting to hear about each one’s story and what kind of date they had planned for the lucky winner. This was the first auction that I had been to which featured high-profile bachelors and bachelorettes, so to gain even a little insight into the life each one was great!
And what’s an event without a silent auction and a gift bag? Guests saw no disappointment in this area. Sponsors for the silent auction and ‘swag bag’ included MAC Cosmetics, Politica, Notable, Luxe Travel Company, CMC Entertainment, Dell, Danier, Elle Canada and Steamwhistle.
Overall, the auction raised quite a bit of money (with some eligible singles going for literally thousands of dollars!) for the Canadian Cancer Society. And it truly was an event with fabulous entertainment, incredible date packages, and great food at the perfect venue.
And as I mentioned before, the swag bag brought no disappointment. Complete with MAC make-up (which I love!), discounts on spa packages, and chocolates, the bag was perfect.
This auction was unlike any other bachelor/bachelorette auction I’ve ever seen. Congratulations IntriKate on a fabulous event!
UnScripted: Opening Night! May 13, 2011
April 28, 2011 by deblewis
Filed under Past Events
We’re delighted to reveal the talented and inspiring artists whose specially-created live performances and installations will be unveiled at unScripted: Opening Night!
Guests at unScripted will witness the visions of outstanding artists, including: fashion designer Evan Biddell, Republic of Doyle’s Allan Hawco, stage director Weyni Mengesha, filmmaker Charles Officer, visual artist Charles Pachter, Slice and Revamped’s expert Kaitlyn Regehr, Company Theatre’s Philip Riccio and MuchMusic’s Host of RAPCITY, Tyrone “T-RexXx” Edwards
Canadian Stage Visionaries present:
unScripted: Opening Night
Friday, May 13, 2011
One King West
8:00 pm / 7:00 pm (VIP pre-party dinner)
Tickets $90 – $250
unScripted Committee:
Miin Alikhan, Lauren Auciello, Lauren Avinoam, Gaby Bohus, Ashley Ballantyne, Adam Beaumont, Rebecca Brown, Amy Burstyn-Fritz (unScripted Chair), Sarah Bywater, Marcello Cabezas, Desiree Chan, Vivian Chang, Sandra Chibuluzo, Kaija Corlazzoli, Lisa Earle, Maggie Fairs, Jessika Fink, Bonnie Granata, Françoise Ko, Laura Kobsa, Shivani Lakhanpal, Deborah Lewis, Fernando Lopez (Visionaries Co-Chair), Aoife Lucey, Aga Magdolen, Anne Maggisanno, Heather McDonald, Katie Mills, Natasha Mytnowych, Jonathan Schwartz, Heather Street (Visionaries Co-Chair), Yarina Tarasenko, Kate Taylor, Samantha Yau, Francis Zih
The April 26th FastLane Event at Kultura
April 28, 2011 by deblewis
Filed under Past Events, Toronto
I always look forward to Fastlane events. The crowd is down to earth and ready to mingle. It’s very inviting and energetic. Last night’s Fastlane at Kultura on King St East had it all. There was great people, interesting vendors, generous sponsors and a good crowd for speed networking. Two full sessions of one on one networking with ten people each occurred at 6:30 and 8pm. Following the huge success of last year’s “Fastlane, In the Community” we decided to rejoin forces with United Way’s GenNext to enlighten our networking social attendees about the importance of giving back and getting involved.
GenNext and The United Way
GenNext is a group committed to encouraging and increasing volunteer awareness of the United Way and their initiatives. They aim to help people in their 20’s and 30’s get more involved in the community. Just like last year, the event was hosted at the beautifully rustic Kultura. The red brick walls and yellow cast birch bark veneer tree trunks made a wonderful backdrops to meeting new people and hearing about new campaigns and ‘good causes’.
Getting into the FastLane
Getting involved is an easy as simply showing up at the door. Last night that meant battling the inclement weather, but most people I know believe that springtime is the perfect time to get engaged and give back to the community. Most people want to get more involved, but they simply don’t know what to do or where to go. This event was a great reminder about the importance of our collective participation and involvement in charity and the program even suggested some outreach programs not represented at the venue. At Fastlane however people are generally happy and ready to contribute. In this environment they get to have a couple of drinks, mingle and chat with other interesting people , and help society. It’s a great package, and the goodie bag filled with deals is always a nice bonus.
Thanks For The Help
I wanted to thank everyone for joining us last night and making the event a success. We all got to meet someone new and learn about exciting initiatives. 
Another huge thank you goes out to the Gatherings and CityEvents team for making this event a success. Planning a wonderful event is always easy when working with a dedicated and talented team. Last but not least, thanks to all of our sponsors for their continued support of FastLane. Our door prizes were graciously donated by John Frieda, ColdFX, Blo Blowdry, Wrigleys, Lounge, SGT Splatters, Danceology Studio, Extreme Fitness, Mysteriously Yours, tickets to Mirvish’s Ghost Stories.
CONTACT Photography Festival
April 6, 2011 by deblewis
Filed under Ontario, Past Events, Toronto
Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival comes to Toronto May 1st to May 31st . The world’s largest photography festival features more than 1000 local, national and international artists at more than 200 venues across the GTA. Come be part of the excitement by witnessing captivating and thought provoking photos.
The new CONTACT NAV mobile app quickly links you to information and exhibits near your location. Take in all the festival has to offer by downloading the free CONTACT NAV mobile app at scotiabankcontactphoto.com. The mobile app will be available for download mid to late April.
Location: Various venues across Toronto
Date: May 1st – May 31st
Time: Varies based on exhibition see scotiabankcontactphoto.com for details
