Elettra Communications has been thrilled to be involved in the Forestry Friendly Communities initiative for nearly a year now. Through videos and features, we tell the stories of hard working forestry and logging folks – everyone from foresters to pulp mill workers; educators to students; truck drivers to scientists; as well as community leaders, business leaders, and local groups like outdoors clubs.

Our main platforms to date have been the FFC website and Facebook page, but this week something very exciting is happening. We're heading to Port McNeill for the first annual Forestry Proud Day event. It's a concept we've been developing over the past six months along with the FFC committee. The idea is to get people together in person, and stand up together and say: “we’re proud to work in forestry!” 

The event includes a flag raising, fun activities, and a BBQ, and we're looking forward to making it an annual event. 

If you're on the North Island, come to Port McNeill on Wednesday to see what it's all about. If not, take a look at this video and the head over to Facebook to tell us why you're forestry proud.

Our intern, Sara, played an integral role in organizing the ever-popular Chefs’ Showcase at this year’s Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. Here she shares her takeaways on making it a success:

On April 13th, we helped Vancouver Magazine celebrate its 27th Annual Restaurant Awards. Hosts Gloria Macarenko and Stephan Quinn from CBC handed out nearly 50 awards ranging from Restaurant of the Year to Best Food Truck. A panel of 18 judges spent the past year preparing for this event, tasting more than 2,000 dishes all over Vancouver and BC, narrowing their list down to 150 restaurants in 48 categories.

Elettra Communications (and its principals) has been the producer behind the event for 14 years. Their work includes everything from organizing the event set up (alongside the Sheraton Wall Centre, the host venue), to getting key influencers within the community to participate.

The Chefs’ Showcase is an opportunity for all nominated restaurants to share their work with their peers and local influencers. During the first couple weeks of my internship at Elettra, I had the responsibility of planning and executing the Chefs’ Showcase. Before my internship at Elettra, I had never planned an event. I had help organized events but I had never executed one from start to finish.  Looking back at the event, there are a couple tips that everyone planning an event, either big or small, needs to know that make your job easier:

1. Details are huge

People say that the details really make an event. Once the big things are booked, the details have to be taken care of. This could be everything from double-checking that the sponsors have everything they need, to making sure the flower arrangements are exactly how the client envisioned them. Having the details thought out before the event ensures you deliver exactly what the client wanted and frees you from worrying about any unexpected hiccups.

Before I called a restaurant to ask them to participate, I found out a little bit about the restaurant. The simple things such as who their Chef and General Manager is and how long they have been open. Just having a quick browse around their website before calling helps to get a feel for the restaurant and how best to approach them.

2. Organization is key

You may have a vision as to what the event should look like, but without having a plan, it makes the vision hard to accomplish.  Being able to put together a plan of what the event will look like will make it easier to connect with different vendors and have contract and contact available to you. Having this information will make the weeks running up to the event is less chaotic, and if there are any issues, the information is right there to access.  

Starting with just an Excel spreadsheet listing the restaurants who were nominated, I had to craft a system to keep participating restaurants and their information organized. If I received an email or a phone call from a nominated restaurant, I would have to input it right away otherwise I knew it would just get lost or forgotten about. Having this information printed out made the registration of the showcase go more smoothly.

3. Be a problem solver

Things will never go exactly as you planned. If something comes up, being flexible will help you think on your feet and solve problems in a creative way.

With 36 different chefs (and restaurants) with over 46 dishes there will always be some issues. Despite requesting otherwise,  of the dishes arrived on site the same time which made matching up the dish with its label challenging. Having critical information printed out before hand allowed me to match the dishes to the information. If something didn’t match up properly, I got creative and figured out ways to match the dish to the restaurant.

A big thank-you to all of the participants in the 2016 Chefs’ Showcase at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. You can check out all of the winners here. From having seen their work up close, I highly recommend you pay them a visit. 

Earlier this week, Pacific Centre officially open its new retail expansion. New shops include Ted Baker, Kate Spade, TUMI, Weekend MaxMara, Hugo BOSS, and Vancouver's first AllSaints. More retailers will be opening later this summer and into the fall.

To celebrate the opening, Pacific Centre charged Elettra Communications with planning and executing an outdoor fashion event on Granville Street. Thirty stunning models walked our open-air catwalk and 300 ft red carpet, showing gorgeous looks from Pacific Centre's newest shops.

Here are some pics of Elettra's event set up and the fashion show. Enjoy!

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/