A university degree is part of our identity in the working world, and often stands as common ground to make a new connection. Even years after the degree hangs on the wall, our network of peers continues to grow.

UBC has a strong penchant for alumni relations and believes in supporting the lifelong community you join when becoming a UBC student. Their new complex, the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre was born to facilitate relationships of likeminded students and alumni.

The centre, located at the corner of University Boulevard and East mall in the Vancouver Campus, is home to classrooms, social spaces, a lounge library and café. Its other main function, a selling point for those who aren’t Thunderbirds, is as a conference and events venue.

The 41,700 square foot facility can house anything from corporate meetings to fundraisers and weddings. The smallest space, ideal for meetings or web-conferences, is an intimate size of 350 square feet. For those looking to host a larger-scale event, parties of up to 400 can fit inside the reception-style space.

Although built in the spirit of alumni relations, the complex was designed to accommodate all types of events. Its diverse selection of spaces boasts advanced technology for audio, video, telecommunication services, digital signage and web-conferencing.

To ease the process of event preparation, the centre provides front-of-house staff to support planning. In-house kitchen and catering staff are also available.

Check out this article from Meetings Canada for more info!

One of the most common pieces of advice I received at the start of my career in public relations was to read - A LOT. Pick up everything and anything and pay attention to tone and voice. Then, continually practice your own writing. With this advice in mind, I picked up Margaret Trudeau’s new book - The Time of Your Life: Choosing a vibrant, joyful future. She will be in Vancouver May 21st to speak at The Kettle Society’sMaking a Difference Luncheon and I thought I would try to better understand her in advance of the event.

Given the intended audience of the book is women over 50, and I am in my early twenties, I was surprised how often I could relate to Trudeau’s words. The following are three of my favourite ideas from the book: 

1) “The cognitive unconscious cannot tell the difference between a physical threat and a threat to the ego.” Ever notice that whether we are hurt physically or mentally we exhibit the same symptoms? We become short of breath, our heart rate elevates, and we become nauseated. Next time your ego is taking a hit, try and keep your rational brain in control by remembering how your brain is deciphering this ‘threat.’

2) “Leave aging gracefully to out grandmothers, it’s time to age proactively.” What we do in our young lives affects how we feel as we age. Exercise and nutrition can be used as a preventative practice for disease and injury. Eating right and exercising regularly when you are young is an investment in your body and will help you dramatically as you age.

3) “The term mental health has become synonymous not with health, but with illness.” There is a great deal of sigma that surrounds the issue of brain health. People fear being labeled as mentally ill and this fear often hinders them from seeking help. The fear and stigma can create a bigger barrier to a satisfying life than the illness itself, in many cases. Trudeau will cover this and more mind opening matters during her keynote speech at Kettle’s Making a Difference Luncheon.

After reading Trudeau’s book, I am excited to listen to her speech on May 21st. Want a little inspiration in your life? Join us at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver for insight into Trudeau’s struggle with overcoming a mental illness. Then after the event, have a copy of her latest book signed to take home and enjoy.

For tickets to Kettle’s Making a Difference Luncheon visit: http://www.thekettle.ca/2015-making-a-difference-luncheon/

At a time when headlines often herald the closing of large retail outlets, it’s refreshing to hear about a local company that is doing well and investing in new stores and an enhanced customer experience. Trail Appliances BC is one such company! The retailer has just opened a 22,000 square foot state-of-the-art showroom in Richmond’s home improvement hub at Sweden Way, just off Bridgeport Road.

Trail’s new showroom offers a must-see shopping experience for appliance hunters and features two functioning demonstration kitchens and 14 inspiration kitchens offering a high-touch experience for customers.

Check out the Vancouver Sun’s article on Trail Appliances and find out why they believe old-school showrooms are still important when appliance shopping!

Well, the results are in and we are closing the books on another year of organizing Vancouver magazine’s Restaurant Awards. By now people have likely heard that Ask for Luigi was the event’s big winner with four awards, Hawskworth won Best Upscale, Vikram Vij won Chef of the Year, and Tojo’s and Zest tied (yes tied!) for best Upscale Japanese. This year marked the 13th year that I have organized the event. Vancouver magazine is my longest running client and, my two lovely children aside, this event is my proverbial baby. Every year people tell me it was the ‘best ever’ and I wonder how we are going to make it better still.

I have to say that our team does an awesome job of organizing this event and we are focused on nailing every last detail. But what made Tuesday’s event so memorable were the emotional moments on stage that demonstrate the passion that those in the restaurant industry have for what they do.

We saw Premier Crew award winner Rose Nguyen give an impactful speech saying that it was the “great moment of her life”. We heard the son of the Amay’s House’s owners praising his parents for coming to Canada with $20 and building a successful business. We saw Vikram Vij get overwhelmed as he thanked his grandfather for getting him started in his career. And we were even treated to a spontaneous singing of Happy Birthday by our entire crowd to Bartender of the Year winner, Lauren Mote.

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These are the moments that we can't control, but that we aim for as we plan the event. We pore over the results as soon as they come in from the accountant, agonizing about which awards we are going to present on stage. We ask ourselves which categories saw exciting movement from the previous year. Who will likely be most surprised? Who hasn’t had a chance to shine on stage in recent years?

It’s hard to say exactly what makes one event more successful than another, but moving beyond the tactical details and trying to connect with guests on an emotional level is key.

I would like to thank everyone whose talents contributed to an amazing event. The entire team at Van mag. Mark Philps for his stellar videos (here, here, and here). CBC’s Gloria Macarenko and Stephen Quinn who nailed the tone of the event perfectly. Our amazing host venue, the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. And the guys at PSAV who pulled an all-nighter to set up the event. And last, but not least, the fabulous women that I work with at Elettra. You rock.

Public chooses Help! Teeth Hurt! as recipient of social entrepreneur support kit from alumni UBCalumni UBC has revealed that the winner of its 2015 “your evolution” program is Help! Teeth Hurt! – a project aimed at creating a specialized dental clinic for adults with developmental disabilities. The organization will receive a “social entrepreneur support kit” including a mentoring session with UBC President, Professor Arvind Gupta.

“your evolution” empowers social entrepreneurism projects undertaken by UBC alumni around the world. It’s an innovative, online project-sharing platform that uses the strength of the UBC network to connect and support alumni working on socially beneficial projects. This year approximately 300 projects were uploaded to the “your evolution” website and 10 finalists were selected. The public has been voting at www.yourevolution.ubc.ca and this week Help! Teeth Hurt! was named the overall winner with a total of 1024 votes.

Help! Teeth Hurt! is a project founded by lawyer and UBC alumna Joan Rush.  The mother of an autistic son, Joan discovered that many adults with developmental disabilities fall through the cracks in terms of dental care.  Adults suffering from conditions such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and autism can't be treated in a typical dental office and often require treatment under general anesthesia.  Many adults with developmental disabilities also have complex medical conditions, which require that they be near a hospital intensive care unit while under sedation.

There is currently no specialized dental clinic in B.C. that includes a general anesthetic suite for these adults, and dental students currently receive little or no training in how to treat them. The resulting problem is that many adults wait years for treatment in hospital and suffer serious and irreversible decay.

The goal of Help! Teeth Hurt! is to create a specialized dental clinic for adults with developmental disabilities at the UBC Hospital. This clinic would treat adults with disabilities and be a training centre for students of dentistry, medicine, and social work.

As the winner of this year’s “your evolution” Help! Teeth Hurt! will receive a “social entrepreneur support kit” including:

•  Professional photography session or the production of a video to help its cause.
• A mentoring session with UBC President, Professor Arvind Gupta.
• A mentoring session with entrepreneur, venture capitalist and Chairman of Rising Tide Fund Ossama R. Hassanein. MASc’74, MBA’76 – a member of UBC’s start an evolution Campaign Cabinet.
• Access to a consultation with a UBC faculty member in an area most relevant to the project’s needs (e.g. business, law, engineering, computer science).

It's an exciting time in downtown Vancouver. For the past three years, Pacific Centre at Granville and Robson - the city's busiest shopping, working, and entertainment precinct - has been undergoing a dramatic transformation. The first phase of the Pacific Centre redevelopment is now complete with the opening of the office space at 725 Granville Street. Sony Pictures Imageworks have now officially moved in. Retail tenants in the mall space will begin to open this summer, and the Nordstrom opens with a bang in September.

Check out the Vancouver Sun's story today about the completion of the 725 Granville office space.

Cadillac Fairview has opened the doors to its new AAA class office space at 725 Granville Street and the first tenant - Sony Pictures Imageworks – has moved in. Part of the redevelopment of the former Eatons/Sears building 725 Granville offers four floors of office space above Nordstrom’s future Vancouver location. Each floor has 17-foot ceilings, slab to slab, and offers 73,000 square foot floor plates, a unique feature not currently available in the downtown core.

Sony Pictures Imageworks will occupy a whole level of office space on the 5th floor of the building.

Microsoft will join Sony at 725 Granville later this year when they move in to their offices on the 6th and 7th floors. Law firm Miller Thomson will take occupancy of 48,000 square feet of office space on the 4th floor in early 2017.

Spring Advertising hosted their annual Boink Day today to raise funds for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, and people were eager to jump into action.

The Spring Advertising team was there showing off their pogo stick skills and encouraging people to join them in boinking for a good cause.

Despite the typical Rain-couver weather, passersby were happy to join in or donate to help the Food Bank.The team provided music, tips, and of course, pogo sticks to anyone interested in hopping on.

For every boink, Spring donates $0.10 to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and for those skilled enough to boink long enough, Spring offered treats from Happy Planet and Fatburger.

Included in the great turnout from today were visitors from Vancity Buzz and Breakfast Television. Check out what Vancity Buzz had to say about the event or watch our friends from Breakfast Television give boinking a try!

If you missed out on the boinking festivities today, it isn’t too late to help out. Visit the Boink Day website to donate.

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This Friday, March 20, Spring Advertising will be celebrating the first day of spring with their annual Boink Day, a public pogo stick challenge to raise funds for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. They will be set up outside the Vancouver Art Gallery along Georgia Street, rain or shine, with their pogo sticks at the ready. Come down and challenge the team or boink on your own. For each pogo stick “boink”, Spring Advertising will donate $0.10 to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Every $1 that gets donated allows the Food Bank to buy $3 worth of nutritious fresh fruit, vegetables, canned goods, and eggs.

Feel free to bring your own pogo stick or use one on-site to celebrate the beginning of spring while helping a good cause. If boinking isn’t for you, you can bring a cash or non-perishable food donation down to the Art Gallery to show your support.

When: Friday March 20, 8:00am – 6:00pm

Where: Vancouver Art Gallery on the Georgia Street side

How much: Free of charge. All donations will come from Spring Advertising and are based on boinks.

Rain or shine, we hope to see you there!

Top British fashion retailer to open first store in BC

PR, public relations, company, agency, firm, vancouver, bc, retail, shopping, fashion, real estate, cadillac fairview, pacific centre

Pacific Centre shopping mall is pleased to announce a list of first-class retailers that will be moving into its 44,000 square foot retail expansion, and are scheduled to open in early summer 2015.

The stores will be accessible via a new entrance at Robson and Granville, and Pacific Centre will then extend from Pender Street to Robson Street, giving it profile and access from the city’s premium shopping strip.

The retail outlets are:

• B2
• BOSS Store
• Kate Spade
• Microsoft
• PANDORA
• Rockport
• Ted Baker London
• TUMI
• Weekend Max Mara

“We are thrilled to announce the arrival of 9 world-class brands at Pacific Centre,” says Tom Knoepfel, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Cadillac Fairview. “These stores will enhance the shopping experience for our customers and give them another reason to shop downtown. Having the best selection of international fashion and tech retailers in one convenient location is a key factor in Pacific Centre’s continued success.”

Among the new brands is popular British fashion label Ted Baker London, which will be opening its first Canadian store outside of Toronto. Four additional first-class retailers, which will be announced in the coming weeks, are scheduled to open their doors in the retail expansion by fall 2015.

Designed by renowned, local architect James K.M. Cheng, the new building will also include Vancouver’s first Nordstrom, spanning three floors.  The top four levels have been converted to 290,000 square feet of AAA class office space and will be home to the head office of Sony Pictures Imageworks, the Vancouver offices of Microsoft, and law firm Miller Thomson.

The expanded Pacific Centre retail space is part of the redevelopment of the city block that was home to the former Sears building.  The project, which is one of the most significant to be undertaken downtown in recent decades, is reshaping the city’s busiest shopping, working, and entertainment precinct.

One of the most compelling parts about living in Vancouver is the amount of creative ways to get fit, and have fun doing it. Now, every Tuesday in March Harbour Centre is providing another great opportunity to shake up workout routines – the Urban Grind. Climb the stairs to the iconic Harbour Centre Lookout to kick-start a workout routine, get ready for the upcoming hiking season, or simply have fun with friends and colleagues.

Day one was a success, with 139 participants huffing and puffing their way to the top.  As a payoff for their efforts, participants were greeted at the top by a stunning 360 degree aerial view of Vancouver, a refreshing beer, and DJ entertainment. Climbers can customize their workout by completing the route as many times as they like during the workout time.

WHEN: Every Tuesday in March – March 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 4 pm – 6:30 pm

WHERE: Harbour Centre lobby 555 West Hastings Street

COST: $5 (includes unlimited circuits between 4 pm - 6:30 pm)

Includes one beer and DJ entertainment

Climbers will also receive a $5 Harbour Centre Food Court voucher

Daylight Saving Time is this weekend, wand the switch often comes with negative side affects for the population including headaches, lost productivity, and a spike in traffic accidents. What many don’t realize is the profound effect that the time change has on Alzheimer’s and dementia sufferers, for whom a regular schedule is critical to quality of life. Coreena Robertson, Communications and Wellness Director at Fraserview Care Lodge and creator of Boomerang LIFE  products, gave an interview with Richmond Review (see here) on how the time change affects seniors with Alzheimer's or dementia. The time change causes confusion and can increase behaviours known as “sundowning,” which includes acting out, general aggression, a tendency to wander away, and increased feelings of depression and anxiety.

You can also listen to Coreena this Sunday (March 8th) on CKNW. Below are Coreena's tips for helping a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia adjust to Daylight Saving Time:

• Make the transition gradual. The sudden loss of a full hour is difficult to cope with. To address this, on the first day of Daylight Saving Time, allow your loved one to sleep for 45 minutes past their usual wake up time. On subsequent days, gradually move wake up time ahead by 15-minute intervals until the desired wake-up time is reached.
• Engage with your loved one. Take extra time to engage your loved one in the days following the time change. This is especially important around meal times, when what their body is telling them may not match what the clock says. Turn on their favourite TV show or play a game to help focus their attention.
• Relax into sleep. As the name suggests, “sundowning” happens in the early evening. To keep sundowning behaviour at bay, choose an activity to engage them with, but make it something calming such as listening to soft music and or sipping a warm beverage together. This will also help your loved one prepare for going to bed an hour earlier than usual.
• Be present. Meet your loved one in the moment they are experiencing, everyday. Join them in their journey by validating what they are saying. Don’t try to correct their ‘stories’.

Company now operates 16,500 square feet of premium lounge space at YVR

Vancouver, BC; (March 3, 2015) Plaza Premium Lounge is pleased to announce the official Grand Opening of its recently upgraded lounge at Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The lounge, one of four Plaza Premium Lounge spaces at YVR, is located in the airport’s new A-B Connector on Level 3 Departures of the Domestic Terminal.

The 6,390-square foot space continues Plaza Premium’s commitment to offering all travellers a first class experience regardless of airline or class of travel. The opening of the new lounge follows the 2014 facelift of Plaza Premium Lounge in YVR’s International Terminal. The company will also open a lounge in Winnipeg International Airport later in 2015.

 Plaza Premium Lounge Management Limited Founder & CEO Mr. Song Hoi-see says, “Vancouver is a very important market for us, and this new lounge is the next step in our plan to grow the Plaza Premium Lounge brand throughout North America. For 10 years, travellers through YVR have embraced the comfort and convenience of having a lounge option. We are dedicated to continually improving upon the premium experience we offer our guests. And we say to all travellers ‘you are a member at Plaza Premium Lounge’.”

 The stylishly appointed facility has seating for 135, including a comfortable lounge, dining and bar areas, and a business centre. There are also private spaces where travellers can freshen up with a shower or unwind in one of three semi-private resting areas outfitted with comfortable recliners. Guests enjoy a menu of freshly prepared hot and cold food and beverages, and stay connected with Wi-Fi, large screen TVs, and a selection of international newspapers and magazines.

 Designed by Kinney Chan of renowned Hong Kong design firm, Kinney Chan & Associates, the space demonstrates the company’s commitment to first class comfort. Travellers enter the reception area via a soaring glass entrance and head up a sweeping spiral staircase to the lounge level. Upstairs, the expansive, open-air floorplan offers views of the airfield and the Strait of Georgia in the distance. The furnishings and materials are luxurious, with a warm colour palette.

 Plaza Premium Lounge takes traditional airport lounge food to the next level by offering a wide variety of enticing meal options. The focus is on healthy and fresh options that will help prepare travelers for their onward journey. The menu includes everything from freshly baked artisanal breads, hot breakfasts, signature pastas, toasted Paninis, quesadillas, soups, and salads. The bar offers specialty espresso coffees, juices, beers, wines, and spirits.

 “We are committed to providing our customers with remarkable customer service,” said Craig Richmond, President and CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. “This stunning new Plaza Premium Lounge, which is open to all travellers within Canada, is a most welcome addition to the award-winning 170-plus shops, services and restaurants available to YVR passengers.”

 A single visit to Plaza Premium Lounge starts at CAD 40 per person for two hours, and includes use of the lounge facilities, showers and all food and beverages. Semi-private resting areas are charged separately.

 Travellers will find the new Plaza Premium Lounge after security near Gate B15. Other YVR Plaza Premium Lounges are located after security in the International Terminal (Gate D53) and after security in the Transborder Departure Terminal (Gate E86). Plaza Premium Lounge also operates a Distinguished Visitors Lounge on Level 2 of the International Arrivals Hall. This space is available by reservation only.

 Plaza Premium Lounge Management Limited now operates in more than 120 locations in 31 international airports throughout the world.