Shangri-La Hotel has a special offer now for Event Planners!

Have you checked out the newest luxury hotel rooms and meeting space?  If not it is one of our favorite new event spaces in Toronto.

“Shangri-La’s Bonus Miles rewards for Events, event organizer can earn up to 20,000 airline bonus miles with any one of the 24 participating airlines when booking an event group at any Shangri-La hotel, resort or Traders hotel between now and 31 December 2012.” If you reserved the event room and at least ten rooms for one night, you can earn one hundred miles for each room.  You don’t need a big room? Just stay at Shangri-La Hotel for two nights!

The hotel offers another Bonus Choice. If you stay over 2 nights, you could get Deluxe Set Breakfast Menu, 75 CAD Dining Credit at Bosk, and 75 CAD SPA Credit at Miraj Hammam.

Shangri-La Hotel Toronto has eight meeting rooms include a huge ball room, one garden terrace, and one theatre room. The event rooms are named after Toronto places.

Museum is a two-storey glass room. There are 13 Italian crystal chandeliers, hanging at varying heights. The Screening Room has a 16′ x 13.5′ foot screen with “state-of-the-art” sound system, and 42 over-sized chairs. The largest room would be Queens Park Room. That ballroom is 341 square meters (3,670 square feet) of open space, and it has 39 pave crystal chandeliers above. You can see University Avenue through the glass wall. They have an outdoor garden terrace, and that is good for extending the ballroom capabilities in the summer time.  Our favorite detail is this large patio space that leads off the main ballroom and a big point of difference from other Toronto Ballrooms.

At the restaurant, Bosk, they have delirious Asian-inspired food and there are 80 seats. You can arrange private dining by the maximum of 30 people.They also open the Lobby Lounge, and the bar.

Overall the new hotel offers a number of different spaces for a casual drink or larger event.

For more information, visit their Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/toronto/shangrila
Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto
188 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 0A3, Canada

The Biggest Frocktail Party yet at Arcadian Loft

Photo Credit; Steve Blackburn, YYZ Events

Frocktail Designer Dress Auction had exhibited some of its best frocks and accessories on ‘The Fourth Annual Frocktail Party’, which took place at Arcadian Loft on 14th of the instant. I have been supporting this event since the first year and purchased some great dresses over the years.  This years event was the biggest yet and doubled their fundraising. The funds gathered from this auction will go to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The party has already donated more than $80 thousand to the foundation over the years. The new location was a great hit and offered a great area for display as well as the dance floor which filled up later on.

Mainly, fashion-loving designers and some praiseworthy retailers donated most of the items, and individuals showcased for the auction. The Bay, French Connection, Greta Constantine, Calla, Lovas, eLUXE, Ela, Danier are some of the fashion-forward retailers that donated their frocks for auction. The local celebrities were not far behind the retailers in donating their favourite pieces for the auction. Monika Schnarre’s David Dixon Dress and Oscar de la Renta, Mary Katrantzou gowns from Suzanne Rogers were the main attraction. Cheryl Hickey donated the dress designed by Toronto’s very own designer Rodney Philpott which she had worn on the Royal Wedding. The highest selling item was a suit from Garrison Bespoke.

Photo Credit; Steve Blackburn, YYZ Events

Everyone expected that this year’s party would beat all the records of the previous ones and it disappointed nobody. More than 600 guests had graced the party with their presence. The fund passed over $55,000 this year which is nearly twice the amount of last year. This brings a total amount of $150,000 for 2012. The Bay, French Connection, Iceberg Vodka, Purdy’s, Durbanville Hills, O&B events and Got2b sponsored the whole event. Overall, the party was a blast. Congratulations to the organizers and volunteers of this hot event on the TO fundraising circuit.

DX Intersection Gala doubles it size in 2012

 

The historic building of Canada’s Design Museum wore a festive look on November 16th for DX Intersection, a collection of custom creations, surrounding the lobby. IKEA, the world famous Swedish furniture manufacturer, partnered with Design Exchange to present AUKTION. The event showcased more than 20 unrivaled items designed by artists, celebrities and professional experts. The party guests were given the honor to bid on these items and the fund will be used to helping the DX’s Youth Education Program and Canadian Design Preservation Initiatives.

AUKTION had showcased the most dazzling and ravishing pieces of works. Participants from all over the Canada took part in this event. The Atelier 688 and Barr Gilmore worked together to complete a fulgurous floor lamp chandelier. House and Home Magazine enlisted a tennis table and Sarah Stapley a Sid Lee’s music-inspired table. Other than these there were also Christina Zeidler’s “Queen Camo” seating installments, a bookshelf that can dance by Davide Tonizzo and a wall screen by Design Agency.

More than twelve hundred guests attended the party. The whole museum building was lively with sounds of live music and ecstasy of the guests. The DJs moved here and there with their instruments on each floor which included Keys n Krates and Skratch Bastid and Bellosound. The sponsors went through a whole lot of trouble to make this exhibition a success.  Flare, IKEA, DL, GE Monogram, Bruce Mau Design and Sennheiser are some of the main sponsors of this entertaining event.

For more info on the event visit: (www.torontocityevents.ca or www.dx.org)

 

2013 Crashed Ice Party In Niagara Falls

On December 1st 2012 Niagara Falls will play host to a unique downhill race on skates sporting event called ‘Crashed Ice’, and this city on the USA Canada border is the first stop of the 2013 Red Bull Crashed Ice Tour.

This sport is also called Ice Cross Downhill and it started life as just another winter extreme sport in 2000 – but then Red Bull got involved and the sport took on a life of its own.  The rules are the same today and the rules are simple; four racers on skates hurl themselves down five hundred meters of frozen ice and ramps in an urban environment. The first competitor to cross the finish line wins the race!

This sport is brand new because we’ve never had the refrigeration technology or equipment like this to be able to make the course so affordable before this modern age. The biggest cost for such an event is the construction of the frozen track itself. The sport is popular because it offers another chance to hockey players whose NHL dreams are unfulfilled. Now they can use their skating skills for something totally unique. Read more about Crashed Ice on this Niagara Falls blog. Below is the course that has been set up for Dec 1st event which is the start of the 2013 Crashed Ice Season.

2013 race calendar will start with the opening event in Niagara Falls, then continue through the United States, Russia, Switzerland, and end with the big finale in Quebec City. Although this extreme event attraction gets a lot of international attention and has a wide audience in Europe and Asia, its a very Canadian creation and we’re proud of the fact that current World Champion Kyle Croxall, is from Mississauga, Ontario. He will be defending his title.  You can see Kyle and his brother Scott in this video,

Check the official tour website for more information. Book a hotel in Niagara Falls online now or check out our list of dining and accommodation packages to make the most of your visit. There’s lots of capacity in Coco’s bar and if you went early enough you could most likely get a table on the patio terrace which should offer a wicked view.

The photo below is from 2008 when fans had unprecedented access to the competitors – the track side seats could literally reach out and touch players as they sped past. That level of access is rare in professional sports and really rare for extreme sports.

The racers look like hockey players and wear similar helmets and padding. There has been some speculation that ice hockey could evolve ramps and speedier sloping corners because of the success of this sport.

Not only has Red Bull sponsored the event, but they helped create it and raise it up to the popularity it enjoys today. Hockey players love this new skate racing sport and there’s some good discussions about Crashed Ice on Canadian sports forum and more about Crashed Ice in Niagara Falls on this NHL hockey forum because they have nothing else to rant about except the NHL strike.

Although this is a free outdoor event for thousands of spectators, there is also a VIP premium indoor viewing area. The Red Bull sponsored ‘Crashed Fan Zone’ will open its doors at 6:00 pm and provide ticket holding spectators with an unparalleled view of the proceedings, and an insider experience. DJs will be setting the tone for the evening and they will be the first to toast the victory of race winners, probably just before 11pm.

A Royal Showcase

I had the honour of attending Event Showcase Night at The Royal Conservatory’s Telus Centre. It was an evening specifically for Event Planners to showcase the glorious hall and various reception rooms. The Telus Centre has an exclusive list of suppliers that commanded our presence that evening. My Uber black car pulled up to 273 Bloor Street West. I walked down a long aisle to be greeted by polite and professional wait staff carrying warm up drinks of some pomegranate coloured, sweet and sour with a splash of sparkling bubbles. I continued down a long hallway (regrettably in my stilettos, albeit it was a walk that entwined both romance and modern art that made the walk oh so spectacular. One wall was composed of a brick wall and a glass enclosure on the other, humbly overlooking the atrium, home to the b’espresso bar, where you will see students mingling amongst classical repertoires.

 A group of exclusive, yet diverse vendors were lined up on the circumference of the main lobby. Behind each vendor, their company name was discreetly but creatively

displayed in white font, and appeared to be floating, on the glass window behind them. How tasteful.  Only the finest samplings were provided. It was not your usual chicken on a stick or spring roll offering. There was melt in your mouth, fork tender beef ribs carved in the creamiest polenta ever. There was fois gras stuffed cornish hen. Clearly no expense was spared. But wait, there were also lobster rolls stuffed in those bite size half moon, mini white bread concoctions.

 A beautiful jazz trio, dressed in tuxedos played in the corner of the glass enclosed hall. Could the evening be any more perfect?

 You can rent one of the three floors but why would you? Go big or go home and rent the entire venue. It’s a must for your special occasion. Except, all in, it starts at about $50, 000 as you must rent each individual floor and bring in caterers and décor and tables and chairs. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

 If you’re looking for a gorgeous venue and your budget has lots of room for incidentals, consider the breathtaking Telus Centre. And put me on your guest list.

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