Review of TSE Update and 2010 Business Opportunities Workshop
Left to Right - Rob Arthurs – 2010 Commerce Centre Workshop, Mike Granek, - ISES Vancouver/TSE presentation
The BC Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat was formed by the Government of BC to connect BC Businesses to 2010 Opportunities.
On January 17, 2007 ISES Vancouver combined one of our regular meetings with a 2010 Business Opportunities Workshop, for our membership and guests.
Held at the Vancouver Airport Hilton, the meeting started off with a review of the Special Event Show. ISES is a sponsor of this major Event Trade Show and Educational Conference. It was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The new CSEP educational program was outlined. Betty MacLeod of RBC Bank and a valued supporter of ISES Vancouver, provided us with an excellent segue regarding business planning for our event businesses, leading up to 2010 and beyond. As she reminded us, the Games are 3 years out and the countdown is truly on!
Our workshop was facilitated by Mr. Rob Arthurs, Manager, Procurement & Business Opportunities at the 2010 Commerce Centre. Rob’s background as a BC based entrepreneur and businessman, along with his personable presentation style allowed him to connect with our audience through-out this 2 hour work shop. A work book full of guides and a concise presentation hand outs, allowed participants to follow along with the AV presentation and stay focused! Topics included how to find 2010 business on local, national and international bid request websites; identifying and responding to various request methods; and follow up on winning and non-winning bids.
This workshop will evolve over the next year, and as we get closer to the games and we will be recommending a repeat of this valuable workshop to next year’s board.
For more information and to register your company, please visit www.2010commercecentre.gov.bc.ca.
February 21, 2007: Vancouver Venues Before and After 2010
BC Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. Panelist Sue Griffith, Executive Director.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007, from 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm
BC Place Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, Gate "A" - BC Place Stadium
Key speakers from the major Vancouver venues will discuss the status of venues in Vancouver, ongoing obstacles, plans for 2010 and the post 2010 life of venues. Learn what changes and additions are happening to the major event venues in the Greater Vancouver area, and how they can benefit your events.
For more detailed information about the panel speakers and the venues,
Please click here
BC Place Stadium
Graham Ramsay,
Director, Business Development
|
General Motors Place
Harvey Jones, V.P. & General Manager, Arena Operations
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Pacific National Exhibition
Mike MacSorley, Vice President, Operations
|
Richmond Oval
Lee Malleau, Manager of Sponsorship and Partnerships,
And Economic Development, City of Richmond
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TRADEX
Vali Marling, Director of Operations
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Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre
Donna Hunter, Director, Client & Event Operations |
Schedule:
- 5:30 - 6:15 Registration, Networking, Cocktails & Appetizers
- 6:15 - 6:30 ISES Vancouver Business
- 6:30 - 6:40 Ms. Betty MacLeod - Senior Manager, Olympic Business Development, RBC Royal Bank of Canada
- 6:40 - 8:00 Panel Discussion
- 8:00 - 8:30 Q & A
- 8:30 - 9:00 Networking
Registrations Closes at 5:00 PM on Monday, February 19th, 2007
Cost:
$25 Members
$37 Non-members
March 5 & 6, 2007: ISES Vancouver at the Vancouver Special Event Show
Vancouver Special Event Show is Canada’s premier conference and trade show for event and meeting professions. This year it will be held at a new venue, the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, BC. ISES Vancouver is an association sponsor of this event, and will be participating at the trade show on March 6th from 11 am to 6pm. Come on down and talk to us about CSEP Education, ISES Event World/Montreal 2007, the Buffet Blow out and 2007/2008 membership offers. We hope to see you there! Register now at 1-877-212-EXPO or www.canadianspecialevents.com.
March 8, 2007: The Power Within Leadership Series
Presents Anthony Robins & More, Live in Vancouver BC, March 8th, 2007
It’s almost here! Tickets are getting scarce. ISES Vancouver members and their guests can register for the Power within Leadership session for a special discounted price of $189. Please click here for more information.
Congratulations to New Member, Martes Farrugia of Impact Video, and Current Member, Eileen Bistrisky, CSEP of Effective Events. They both one a ticket to The Power Within event on March 8th by attending the January 17th meeting and being there to win!
March 21, 2007: Buffet Blow Out!
The date’s now set and this year’s Buffet Blowout has a fantastic theme: The Elements. Four caterers will work with four student groups from Langara College to showcase how great the talent pool from Vancouver is. The elements are of course, Earth, Water, Wind and Fire. Each caterer will have one element. They will work with the students and produce a menu based on their concept of the specific element. As well, the caterers will showcase and prepare one item in front of the guests.
To add a little fun and intrigue this year we are adding a judging element (no pun intended). We are inviting local media to come out and judge the groups on originality, ability to stay with the theme, and overall marriage of the decor and food. There will also be a "Peoples Choice", where our guests will have a chance to have their own opinions known
March 21, 2007 is the date to save! Stay tuned for more details!!!
If you are a catering company interested in participating, please contact Dwayne Botchar at programs@isesvancouver.com.
For sponsorship opportunities please contact Leanne Fogarty at sponsorship@isesvancouver.com.
ISES International and ISES Canada Update
The TSE that was held in Los Angeles last month was preceded by several days of ISES Leadership meetings. Martes Farrugia, Vice President and Mike Granek, President, attended many meetings learning and sharing information with chapters in all other global locations.
ISES International Affiliate program, to which ISES Canada belongs, is settling into its first year of operation. The benefits programs in each Affiliate area are continuing to take shape and over 18% of ISES membership are now from the Affiliate area. ISES Europe is growing well; with a new chapter soon to spin off in Ireland and chapters expected to be in formation in Spain, France and The Netherlands. The UK/London chapter growing with an average 200 person attendance per event! The Australasia Affiliate is growing, with new membership coming on stream in various parts of Asia.
The ISES Canada Board had its first, face to face meeting on January 7th. Representatives from the ISES Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver boards were present, with Lori Bodkin and Jocelyn Flanagan as our Affiliate Chairpersons, and Carol Ford as our Association facilitator. We discussed ISES Canada from the point of view that it is a National Business Association and how to approach creating a consistent ISES brand across Canada. Pooling our resources and ideas on areas of education, membership drives, web sites, national sponsors, member benefits and meetings will be the basis of our monthly conference calls and activity follow up.
ISES Vancouver board executive and our committees are committed to raising our chapter profile amongst all levels of ISES, and encouraging members from other Chapters to look to Vancouver members for leadership, business opportunities and local expertise for events leading up to and including the 2010 Games.
Three Levels of ISES Membership – In One!
Membership with ISES gives you 3 levels of participation and representation. First of all, you are a member of the International Special Event Society and can attend meetings and conferences such as those held at the TSE, and the upcoming EVENT WORLD in Montreal. Your membership also falls under the ISES Canada Affiliate program, which gives you member benefits that are available in Canada, namely insurance and supplier discount programs. As a member of this Local ISES chapter, you have access to local networking and educational events and workshops.
For more information, please visit us at the ISES Vancouver booth at the VSES trade show on March 6th, or contact us via info@isesvancouver.com.
CSEP New Release
The new Certified Special Event Professional (CSEP) program was introduced January 10th, 2007 at the TSE in Los Angeles, California. You can visit us at the VSES trade show or the ISES international website at www.ises.com for more information.
RBC Three Years to 2010 Invitation
Press with Betty MacLeod
If you have missed our recent and outstanding ISES Vancouver events, then you have missed meeting one of our greatest supporters AND Premier National partner of the 2010 Winter and Paralympic Games. Here’s your chance to catch up with Ms. Betty MacLeod, Senior Manger, Olympic Business Development, RBC Royal Bank. On Thursday February 15, 2007, you can join Ms. MacLeod and a panel of Olympic Games Experts as they share how businesses can begin developing strategies for success in 2010.
Click here for more information on how to register for this event.
Strategic Partner Profile: MVKA
by Alice Zhou
Left to Right - Martin, Laura, Trevor, Rose, Zhong Yan, Michael, Carly, Alison, Tony, Gordon
MVKA is an International Brand Production company that was founded by Martin Van Keken in 1989. They are currently a 14 member team providing: special event production, graphic design, staging design, lighting, sound, AV, entertainment, 3D animation, projection, pyrotechnics, media services and video production. Their award winning event production has serviced clients in product launches, celebrations and many other facets of the branding experience. They have worked all over Canada, the United States, Mexico, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Netherlands and Budapest.
Most MVKA events are hosted in large hotels, conference halls, and sports stadiums. Their impressive clients list reads like the top fortune 500 list: McDonalds, BMC, Channel, Mercedes Benz, CN Rail, Pan Pacific Hotel, Canuck Place Children’s Hospital and Famous Players just to name a few. Their most recent local event was the Children’s Hospital’s Crystal Ball in December 2006. For photos visit www.mvka.com. MVKA is a long term member and strategic sponsor for International Special Events Society.
The following is an interview between ISES Vancouver's Alice Zhou, and MVKA's owner Martin A.J. Van Keken, Jr.
Q: You are Dutch. Do you think having a different cultural background has helped you in your business?
A: Yes, being Dutch has given me a different perspective. I have traveled a lot, so it helps me relate to people from around the world.
Q: Do you see any major emerging trends in the events industry?
A: Technology, and interactivity. People are more and more looking for an experience instead of sitting down and get some food in their stomach, so participatory activities play a major role in event production.
Q: Do you think with the advent of TV, Internet and all the marketing and advertising we are exposed to everyday, that consumers have reached the marketing saturation point?
A: No, consumers are becoming more aware, and educated in media consumption. Especially young people, they are extremely media savvy.
Q: Generation Y are raised with constant stimulation, so do you believe it is becoming more difficult to design events for this market?
A: I like young people, and I see a trend of the youthful energy merging with the more experienced veterans’ work being showcased. You can see this trend in the fashion industry.
Q: What are your thoughts on Vancouver as the headquarters of MVKA?
A: Vancouver is a great place to live, but what we lack as a city is major lineup of corporate headquarters, so the business budgets are not here. The special events industry here has enormous talents ranging from entertainment to technical to design. To name a recent phenomenon: Michael Buble.
Q: What is next for MVKA? Will you franchise or expand?
A: The company will expand in many ways. We are looking at other locations. We are not considering franchise right now. Perhaps we will move the headquarters to other parts of the world, it remains to be seen.
Q: What are the ingredients for success as a person entering this industry?
A: Be passionate with what you do, the knowledge will come but attitude you have to have with you from the start.
Q: There are 14 staff members at MVKA. Would you say that your company is the largest event production company in the Lower Mainland?
A: Largest by whose standards? Is it the size of our events or size of our staff? We don’t measure ourselves that way. My team, not any one individual, builds the success of MVKA. I am very proud of the passionate and talented people here. We have no ambition to be the biggest. The overall success and the financial rewards are enough.
If you are interested in finding out more about MVKA please call 604-708-0085 or visit their website at www.mvka.com.
ISES Reporter Credits
Photos by:
Alan Gough, MVKA Productions.
Newsletter written & edited by:
Martes Farrugia, MVKA article by Alice Zhou, Buffet Blow Out article by Dwayne Botcher, edited by Diana Hambrook.
Strategic Partners for 2006/2007
Thank you to the following companies for showing their support:
