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.

The most effective way to market your business online? It was debated and answered at Search and Social Rank Symposium

 

 

 

 

Search and Social Rank Symposium made a huge splash in marketing at the Boiler House on April 16th !

Due to the public’s insatiable curiosity for more insight into the weird science at the intersection of social media marketing and search engine optimization, there was a third Search and Social Rank Symposium held at The Boiler House restaurant on Monday, April 16^th, in the Distillery District of Toronto. Presentations and discussions illustrated the intricacies of social media marketing, while featuring expert guest speakers Rob Campbell, Alex Blom and Brad Gosse.

Search and Social Rank Symposium created the perfect opportunity to build valuable relationships with business professionals, while guests learned the necessary skills to market your business online like a pro!

The event featured presentations by leading industry professionals, followed by a question and answer session, and networking opportunities. Attendees learned the elements of good business storytelling, social media marketing, SEO and how to run a successful business online. Guests can now use the tools they learned to develop their professional edge from the presentations at Search and Social Rank Symposium!

Rob Campbell and Brad Gosse take two totally different approaches to online advertising, and disagree on storytelling structures, and how to use Google search in web marketing. Their presentations should stand in sharp contrast. Alex Blom, who speaks first, has always been a creative thinker with clever ideas about clouds and conversion metrics.

Highlights included:

Search engine optimization
Social media marketing
Audience Penetration and Reach

Speakers included:

Rob Campbell, Principal, Lenzr

Rob Campbell Principal at Lenzr Canada’s largest serial photo contest website. Prior to Lenzr Rob was a Social Marketer at LifeCapture Interactive and a writer and producer at Threshold Media Productions. As the Prime Innovator at Lenzr Corp, Rob Campbell is also the director of the Page One Program, which uses Lenzr photo contests and other attractions to build high quality ‘social capital’ closely aligned to client website’s value proposition.

 

 

 

Alex Blom, CEO, SalesChoice

Australian born Alex Blom is the CEO of SalesChoice a sales management company providing detailed analytics and minimizes data entry. Prior, Alex was CTO and Partner at Helix. His achievements include Helix and selling startup, co-organizing Freelance Camp TO and being awarded Young Citizen of the Year. Alex troubleshooted retail conglomerates, ran marketing / sales organizations, created music festivals and co-founded not for profits.

 

 

Brad Gosse, Founder, Yourbrain Media Inc.

Brad Gosse is a consultant and Founder of Yourbrain Media Inc. Brad Gosse is an expert on such topics as search engine optimization (SEO), product creation and website monetization. Yourbrain Media Inc. is a Canadian online publishing and advertising company. Brad teaches comprehensive SEO courses that integrate social media and sales psychology. His specialties include social media, SEO, video branding, business development, personal branding, Internet marketing, software development and advertising. Brad started building websites for other people in 1996 and before creating his own sites with revenue models built in. Brad is the owner of several online and offline businesses along with commercial real estate.

 

Ticket included delicious food from the esteemed chefs at Archeo, with cash bar.

Where: Archeo Trattoria, 55 Mill Street, The Distillery

For more information visit:,www.jib.ca/searchandsocial
www.lenzr.com, www.jib.ca, www.torontocityevents.com, or like us on Facebook!

 

Melissa Nepton Dazzles Toronto Fashion Week with her Couture Collection

Canadian born Melissa Nepton hit Toronto Fashion week with a bang, with her ready-to-wear couture for chic, urban, career women. The collection reflected both personality and style; she aims at showcasing both femininity and expression.

That is why when I got the chance to see her show I was pleasantly surprised. Surprised to see a new designer, and to find so many things that I would wear everyday. This show was even more memorable to me because it was my first time being able to sit front row at the Toronto Fashion week, which was an honour.

Her chic stylish looks included pieces like high collars, oversized sweaters, and loose and feminine blouses in neutrals, creams, and shades of grey and black. For a country like Canada, it can be difficult to look good in warm sweaters. Melissa successfully created a number of stylish pieces for a couture fall/winter look. I will be sure to look for any retailers who carry her collection next fall when outfitting myself for the winter season.

Planning a Party for St. Patrick

In a city with so many cultures, it is only natural that Toronto would celebrate a day of full spirited Irish traditions.  March 17th is fast approaching, and with our Irish luck this St. Patrick’s Day has landed on a Saturday!  Many will want to take advantage of the weekend and throw parties in the spirit of the leprechaun.  Here are some simple tips that will make your party the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Décor

St. Patrick’s Day is all about green.  Most importantly you must wear green attire and encourage your guests to do the same.  Then one trip to the dollar store will save you money and maybe even save you a headache.  First pick up green shamrock decorations, along with stickers, balloons and construction paper.  Then make sure you grab green plates, cups, and cutlery for your St. Patty’s snacks.  Even with a small budget, you find all of your décor needs for under $20.

Food and Beverage 

The theme of this party is simple.  Green all the way through, even in the food!  Food colouring will be your best friend and your worst enemy.  Just add a few drops into beer, soda and even some food to get the feel good green effect.  Make sure to use the dye in plastic cups to avoid staining your own glassware.  Stick with classic finger foods and a variety of Irish beers.  Everyone can enjoy some classic food with a delicious new taste of beer.

Here are some ideas for Irish Brews that can be found at varying LCBO’s…

• Guinness Irish Stout
• Harp Irish Lager
• Smithwicks Irish Amber Ale
• Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale

For the ladies, try Animee Rosé Beer, an internationally known brew that has become very popular in Ireland and is available through Molson Coors.  The sweet and light taste will be splendidly refreshing this March month.

Music

Finding the right music for an event can be very tricky when trying to satisfy a variety of people.  Here are some east coast Canadian artists that you can integrate into your own personal play list to get the perfect Celtic sounds.

• Great Big Sea
• The Barra MacNeils
• Loreena McKennitt
• Natalie McMaster
• The Rankin Family
• Ashley Mac Isaac

Games

• Pot of Gold – Balloon Pop

Take a bunch of cold balloons and fill some with a chocolate coin, some with real coins, some with plastic shamrocks and keep a handful empty.  Each guest has the chance to pop a balloon to find their lucky prize inside.  The excitement comes from the mystery of what is in the balloon.

• Lucky Coin Grab

Fill a pot with chocolate coins and three Canadian loonies.  Each guest will have a chance to grab.  Either they will get a chocolate coin, or they will get a real dollar.  The three who pick the dollar will win St. Patrick’s Day merchandise.  They will get to choose between a hat, t-shirt, or shamrock beads.  Your prizes can vary depending on what you have available.

So whether your tradition is as simple as sporting some green gear for the day or drinking a pint of green beer, the tradition of the Irish is easy to carry on when you follow these simple party tips.

Best of luck!

-Samantha Crimi

CityEvents Intern

 

 

The Ballroom, Just Down Your Alley

Not just an excuse to dust off your bowling shoes, The Ballroom is downtown Toronto’s newest interactive-entertainment centre. Guests can enjoy themselves by getting involved in physical activity while having fun playing games. Since opening, The Ballroom has quickly turned into a hotspot in downtown Toronto, in an area where nightclubs once dominated the Richmond West strip. Say goodbye to the thought of that guy standing too close to you at the bar spilling his drink on your new dress.

The 20,000 square foot space is spread over two-floors and is flanked with over 60 full HD flat screen televisions, to keep you up to date with any sports game that may be going on while you’re bowling, playing ping-pong, pool, foosball or any one of the arcade-style games the line the venue. The Ballroom offers multiple spaces to be rented out for private, corporate or special events. Each space comes fully equipped with complete food and beverage service, conference capabilities, personalized branding opportunities, along with a host of additional amenities.

The first floor houses bowling lanes, a bar and an area with some billiards. The decor is very kitsch. There are exposed brick walls, garage door windows, industrial light fixtures, and Victorian style leather couches with tufted brass bullets. At the end of each bowling alley is a jumbo TV screen projecting sports events. A pitcher of beer runs $25; however, they provide table service while you roll. Friday and Saturday nights also have an in-house DJ and with a stage available on the second floor.

Whether you are stopping by after work to catch a game at the bar, or bringing your work with you to experience our “meet and bowl” package, The Ballroom is an experience not to be missed! The Ballroom is located at 145 John Street West (on the South East corner of John & Richmond Streets) operating daily Monday to Sunday 11am to 2am on the main level, Monday to Thursday 5pm to 2am and Friday to Sunday 12pm to 2am on the second level. For more information, visit: http://www.theballroom.ca/

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