Thank you Cantrav

My Ode to Cantrav

As I look forward to some holidays and the end of my time at Cantrav draws near, I look back with fond memories on the many friends and fabulous events I have enjoyed during my five years as the Creative Director here.  I have had many fabulous creative and production team members, notably Kelly Clarke, my compadre and the other half of my brain whose balance to my skill set has been (in her word) "awesomesauce", the lovely Jen Aldridge, fiesty Luiza Junqueira aka Darth Vader and the quietly fabulous Tristan Bassett, all who made my work life more interesting, and more enjoyable.

George, our fearless leader; Lisa who brought me here to start with; Janice and her endless energy and depth of knowledge; the Resource team of Marijke, May, Teresa, Monica and recently Priscilla and Krista whose intimate and updated knowledge of our area astounds me; our support team with Brian, Ruth, Jenny and Lynne, and the inimitable Sue who keeps popping up; Christine and Selene, Dave and Tom with their stories; Our Service delivery team of smart, funny, customer-focused women including spunky Kim in Whistler; adventurers Lynn, Kim, Tracey and Claudia who have Rocked the Rockies with me; Michelle who balances my early mornings with her late nights, Jen and Jo-Anne and Missy, our Director of Business Events who pointed out today that we have worked together for all but nine months of the last nine years, and whose yin is my yang and who with the team members will continue to make conferences brain-friendly and awesome.

No DMC or Event Producer is complete without great vendor partners, and we have had these in spades. You know who you are because you are the ones working our programs, and bringing it home with us show after show. My deep gratitude to you.

For me, the journey to engaging events using technology is a logical next step, and I look forward to seeing where this leads, and working with many familiar faces in a new way, and learning and growing as we move forward in our fast - paced world.

They asked today what my favorite events were in the past five years, and there are really too many to name, but here are a few...

Four Seasons of Canada - 600 guests

MPI WEC 2010 Welcome Reception

My last "Fire and Ice" at the Olympic Cauldron, 2012

Would I recommend Cantrav? In a heartbeat. The things I have loved - the depth of knowledge, the passion for service, the innate skills and the dedication to excellence, these are all still here so if you need an excellent partner for your business or special events, you can trust they will get it right!

The Effects of Positive Surprise

Human brains are wired to accept and embrace and be energized by positive surprise.

Meeting and event planners however are often equally hardwired to shun any opportunities for surprise of any kind. This may not apply to everyone reading this, but for many, we live in moderate fear of the many stakeholders who are part of the event and know that our jobs (internal or external) are only as secure as our last event is great, and we are always at the mercy of the whims of those responsible for choosing their next event partner - which may include an individual, a committee, or may roll to procurement. Procurement is particularly hardwired not to be excited by surprises.

So how can we balance creating positive surprises for guests and do this in a budget relevant manner? I think there are many ways of doing this, and much of it comes down to these things.

1. Thinking holistically about the guest experience from the beginning
2. Understanding the value relative to the objectives
3. Being able to articulate this to your key stakeholders for buy-in

What are some examples of positive surprise and the potential impacts? In my view as a starting point for discussion this may include:

1. Entrance or welcome entertainment that sets a tone and provides a delightful start; no matter how your guests arrived, if you can mentally transport them from the beginning you have already created an impact. Imagine arriving for a morning conference registration and a solo guitarist was playing - simple, inexpensive and sending a message today will not be ordinary
2. Thoughtful transitions as simple as allowing time for hallway conversations between sessions to as surprising as a performance that leads them into a dining space
3. Listening to what they have to say from a collaborative breakout session to a grafitti wall; a twitter stream that adds to rather than distracts from a session at hand - finding ways to listen and share messages is often a surprise to meeting participants still used to being talked at. A combination of great speakers and even greater facilitators has the opportunity to lead to even greater results.
4. Where did that come from? A dessert bar that lowers from the ceiling, performers that come from an unexpected place, a 150' harp that arcs over a ballroom and appears as decor until it is played, a video that begins a session and the live presenter who appears to finish it - keep them guessing, keep them engaged in the process
5.  Where do I sit?  Break out of classroom setups for meeting sessions and rounds for galas - mix it up and try something that has people talking. They came to the meeting to MEET, allow this to happen. Octagons and squares, lounge seating and balls, conversation clusters and pedestal tables - this year we have tried it all and each has had resounding success because we knew why we were choosing to mix it up - and the participants shared in the positive surprise and opened themselves up to the possibilities.
6. Feed me well. Break out of the white bread, white flour habits - replace breakfast items with mini protein shakes, yogurt shots and other energy providing foods, lose the chicken and pasta lunches opting for items like a delicious Nicoise salad and a cheesecake pop, and start to see the energy of your attendees shift as they enjoy delicious and nutritious options.
7. Seek out alternate venues. Mountaintops and riverbanks, gallery rooftops and forested parks, underwater viewing galleries and stunning train rides have all added up to amazing programs this summer - where are you taking your guests to get out of the norm?

There are many ways to initiate positive surprise - what have you tried? What was the impact?

Warriors and Artists

The artistry of Underground Circus

"Warriors and Artists" This is how the hosts of So You Think You Can Dance Canada described their top six dancers. They are correct. Performances of this magnitude take endless rehearsal, injuries and dedication to make it all seem effortless.

My children both have their black belts in Tae Kwon Do. Three years of diligent practice of both body and spirit so far in this journey. In their recent testing they excelled at both forms (the black belt form has 81 synchronized moves), board breaks and sparring. Warriors and Artists.

This is also how we can describe Event Designers and Producers. Recently a fabulous colleague, Brock (@BLDBrock) was sharing success from an event in Lake Louise which had been particularly fabulous, but like all events, simply a ton of work. Or in this case, tons and tons with multiple trucks going out for multiple events over a number of days. (Our team had just done an event with a similar amount of trucks the month before and fully appreciate the efforts of driving 1000km with everything, loading it in often through inconvenient pathways, and making it all gorgeous). This was his takeaway "You event girls are TOUGH! You are mothers and lifters and moves and designers and you get right to work and you don't stop until it is perfect - whatever it takes". Warriors.

Each event we do also has to be aesthetically right. Right for the venue, right for the client, right especially for the guests. Artists.

We are perfectionists, logisticians, creators, budgeters, innovators, rule-shakers. We take on a challenge and we refuse to accept average. Artists. With our teams we begin the load in and work for 8 or 12 or 36 hours to get everything right, then rehearsals, then change into event clothes, welcome the guests, watch them have an excellent time, and then strike to do it all again another day. Warriors.

Giving each event thoughtful attention to details, engaging the suppliers to share the story and deliver beyond expectations - this to me is what brings the magic to what we do. The hours can be long and the work arduous, but when you see a well designed event come to life and guests share, learn, connect, enjoy and clients' objectives achieved, that is when this Artist Warrior stands back and smiles.

Blogalog - Vancouver, New York, Vegas

Over the last few weeks I have had some seriously great opportunities to think about venues and events and the differences determined by location.

First, I went to the Aquarium, not through the back door or on a site visit, but with my children and niece on a (gasp!) public weekend day. First, kudos to the Aquarium for their great management of a lineup that went to the sidewalk, and on managing to move people through in a flow that rarely felt crowded. Second, boy, do I prefer having cool venues for private events. Yes, spoiled, I admit it! I love when you can take somewhere really cool, and make it your own for the evening, and when you can add in hospitality elements and great entertainment to a fantastic backdrop, perfection.

I have also had the pleasure of following along with @eventwist and while there are noteable pangs of envy at the fabulous venues already in New York combined with the always new openings of venues, I do love what we have here.

Yesterday I was in Lake Louise, where it was still snowing, and where our "summer" program that will happen in four weeks might not feel quite as summery as the clients had hoped, it will definitely be a stunning setting.

A couple of weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure of having lunch with King Dahl, who has the very, very cool job as Director of Events for MGM Resorts. @kingdahl is inspiring, lovely, relaxed and energized all at the same time, and I can imagine what a pleasure it must be to be part of his team - a massive team that includes bringing the dreamiest dreams that can only be seen on the scale they are seen when you are somewhere in Vegas. Where a massive installation can be up for a season, and then pieces can be recreated for an event; where the ballrooms are designed for events and you can rig a catwalk that dancers can perform on so it is 5' above people's heads and they party underneath... the imagination is entrenched... as I said to King, I would do nearly anything to just spend a few weeks on an internship because the scale of events and the opportunity to THINK BIG BIG BIG is something that just on scale we won't see here - our biggest productions are scaled to suit Vancouver, our Canadian modesty and while fabulous, inspiring and engaging, there is simply nowhere to hang a catwalk, or 8 life size reindeer covered in chestnuts as you might see in the lobby of the Bellagio in the holiday season.  (well my boss might miss me but the offer stands!)

Coming up we will create a Midsummer Night's Dream in the rainforest at Capilano, Uber-Lounges where a business session just happened 90 minutes before and car reveals that will cause gasps of delight - all events that we are very excited about. We will continue down the path of engaging, authentic events in settings that simply cannot be replicated anywhere else, and will continue to admire the events that happen, well everywhere else too, and seek inspiration from our #eventprofs friends.

Now, back to work!

Awards Shows - an Addictive Time of Year

The stage is set... literally, for a Night of Stars

What I love about this time of pre-spring the most is the Awards shows - Grammy, Oscar, Juno, even the Country Music Awards draw me in. I am not alone in this, and we all have our own reasons; some of us watch all the movies, some of us listen to the latest music, some are in it for the fashion, and some for the show.

• Who will host and how will they do? Let's face it - some are better than others... I will leave your to your own opinions on this.
• What will the hosts AND the guests be wearing? The fashion always ranges from the stunning to the simply surprising
• Even more importantly - the hairstyles. A true sign of each passing decade is surely the hairstyles. 
• What acts, and even better, awesome combinations of acts will we see? The musical awards shows excel at this - from Beyonce in a painting to Dave Grohl with Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga or the Black Eyed Peas weaving magic on the stage...
• The staging - oh the staging... how I love to see what the directors and production teams come up with and how they will outdo what they have done before!

As an Event Producer, what fascinates me the most is how will they tell their story of what has come to pass in the last year of music and movies, I believe this is a key reason we all keep watching.

What I love about producing awards shows with our clients is exactly the same thing... what can we do to make each person feel rewarded, recognized, and know that this award they have spent at minimum a year working towards was well worth the effort. Bring on the magic, please!

Blue - a cruise to the cool side

Well here we go to the other side of the color wheel. The cool side. Blue, violet, green, with blue being the only primary color here, the last of the three true primary colors. Today this picture was shared with me, so because it made me smile I share it with you. It's blue, it is memories that are all good, and it involves my second favorite thing, cookies! In the last post I talked about great redheads - I suppose blue fur has its place too! Marge Simpson's hair... well we all know it's not exactly a natural shade...

Blue has many differences in how it makes us feel from the warm colours just explored in recent posts. This cool colour has shades from sky blue to ocean blue, and so many shades in between. Blue is a color that nearly everyone feels an affinity with as it is a calming colour. Spiritually blue  represents the communication chakra, and has to do with our will, and our willingness to communicate honestly about how we are feeling. Sharing joy, expressing anger, getting past the "lump in the throat" and communicating, all important to our health.

In nature, blue brings awe. A gorgeous night sky always soothes, especially as dusk fully settles.



Gorgeous night in Vancouver, with our old BC Place as it no longer is, photo by the amazing Anton Teterine

Our Aquarium tells us these are Japanese stinging nettles. We still call them jellyfish.

Where blue is limited - in food, where there is little true blue seen (but where so much vibrancy from other colours is found). Where blue comes to life though is in blues music, and with so many truly talented musicians sharing their skill and passion for this music with us,  even those not familiar with the genre will find themselves captivated.

When it comes to events, blue is absolutely one of my favorite colors, Its depth, its calm, its ability to create a space where people feel comfortable when they come in, and where we need to be prepared to have them stay all night.

Lindsay Donovan captured this moment at the MPI WEC 2010 Welcome Reception



When the SVP of All Things Creative (obviously some liberty with the title but he was in charge of all visuals at his organization) came into the room for the rehearsal he said "I feel as though I have walked into a little slice of heaven" (I thought "my work here is done"... but of course it wasn't quite!)

How does blue make you feel... especially compared to the hot colors?

When I play

This morning on the way to her soccer game, my daughter said, "Mom, you know what I love about soccer? Once you are out there, it is all you have to think about."  So simple. This is how I feel about events.  No matter if the lead up is 2 years or 2 weeks, once you have the pre-event, and especially when the load in begins, it is all about the focus on bringing all the ideas to fruition.

Last week we had so many great things happen. We found out we are nominated for the BC Event Awards, Best Opening Reception, for the MPI WEC 2010 Welcome Reception, (MPI Cantrav video) with some amazing competition!  As I looked through the entire list of nominees, I felt so lucky to work in this industry, and so proud of all the nominees. Many of these events I had the opportunity to see, participate in or see photos of, and WOW is all I can think. What amazing professionals we are surrounded by here!

We also had the opportunity to produce four incredible events, each with their own personality, and each perfectly suited in a myriad of ways to the participants.  First we produced an Opening Ceremony for 3,000 professionals that was in a challening venue, and took some risks, and was flawless.  This group moved up to their welcome reception, an event for 3,000 that showcased a cross-Canada experience.  This particular event was very special for many reasons, including

• the partnership and trust with the clients who were excited to embrace new ideas - and they have done this conference for 25 years, so they know their group!
• what the suppliers brought in professionalism, in taking this to a new level and in stepping up to bring simply crazy ideas to life
• our whole production team was on site and critical to making this all come together - and being able to share the event experience with them
• the balance of the team that supported the conference portion of the event - all consumate professionals, who are friendly, fun and forward thinking - so great!

I have many favorite moments from this first week where we produced three great events in three different and distinct downtown venues. First the performance that combined acrobatic cirque with dance to showcase the nature side of Vancouver with the urban integration those of us who live here and love this about our city.  The windows to the "kitchen" were delightful, the asian areas inspired, the fireworks spectacular, the entertainers... from Tiller's Folly, to the sounds of the Pipa and the Forbidden Flutes, Jahnke Jazz in more than one configuration, and Leslie and her amazing quartet who brought our final night to an incredible close... we are so fortunate to have such an amazing pool of talent in Vancouver to choose from!

Unbelievable still to me are the six performers who agreed to wait on tiny platforms surrounded as fabric lanterns 50' above the guests for nearly two hours - out of sight and ready to astound the guests when they suddenly appeared and did an incredible performance that culminated in fireworks over the harbour.  Spectacular, on so many levels.