Today Elettra Communications bids a fond farewell and says a big "thank you" to our Tour Guides for the YVR School Tour Program. For the past few months, Jake Sobrenpena, Annalisa Pareja, and Breanna Kato (all Co-op students from SFU) have been leading more than 2,100 grade five students on tours of the airport. The review from teachers have been excellent!

For a Tour Guide's take on the program you can read Jake's recent post on the YVR blog here.

On October 29, the Elettra team was on hand to join in celebrating the first graduating class of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation Culinary Arts Program.  Guests at the showcase luncheon had an opportunity to dine on delicious dishes prepared by students and Lead Instructor Chef Andrew George while learning about the innovative training program. This event received a great response from the media in attendance! Click on the images below to check out the articles from the Vancouver Sun and the North Shore News.

The Vancouver Sun featured two page story on MOV's Retail Collection and 2nd Century Rugs. Read the whole story here.

Check out our friends Harvey Burritt and Keith Donegani in The Province! The story  is about the line of rugs that 2nd Century Rug Company created for the Museum of Vancouver's new Retail Collection. Read the full story here.

We're so honoured to be working with Harvey Burritt's 2nd Century Rug Company on the launch of their line of rugs in the Museum of Vancouver's Retail Collection. The release announcing the project is below and will also post some of the coverage. MOV Takes its Collection to Main Street

Vancouver, BC; November 7, 2012 – The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) and Harvey Burritt’s 2nd Century Rug Company today unveiled a line of graphic area rugs inspired by artifacts from the MOV. The rugs are part of MOV’s new merchandising initiative that sees it working directly with local retailers to both stock and produce merchandise inspired by the collection.

Five rugs are part of the initial launch: a 1950’s streetcar scroll, a 1950’s bus scroll, a 1930’s map of Vancouver, a collage of corporate seals, and a message board signed by Vancouverites following the Stanley Cup Final riots in 2011. Each rug has a specific catalogue number which can be used to view the original artifact at http://openmov.museumofvancouver.ca. 2nd Century Rug Company will add to the line over time, exploring the museum’s collection to unearth impactful images and items.

“This new model is a great way to take the MOV brand and our array of historical artifacts out to the city,” says Kate Follington, Director of Development, Museum of Vancouver. “Given that we can only ever display a fraction of our collection, it is a way for us to breathe new life into artifacts and raise funds to continue our work.”

The rugs are produced by 2nd Century Rug Company and available at Burritt Bros. Carpets, a family-run business that has been supplying Vancouver homes with premium carpet and flooring for more than 100 years. Each rug is individually hand-knotted in Nepal.

“When the MOV approached us to be part of the program, we jumped at the opportunity,” says Harvey Burritt, 2nd Century Rug Company. “We are known for our ability to create high quality, custom area rugs inspired by items that are meaningful to our clients. We have applied this ability MOV’s treasure trove of artifacts. I can’t think of a better way for my family to support one of our city’s cultural institutions.”

A number of other retailers have also joined the initiative. The Cascade Room Restaurant & Bar, Country Furniture, London Drugs, Make Vancouver, Vancouver Special, and Walrus are all stocking products. Items include keychains, coasters, T-shirts, pillows, and beer glasses.

Funds raised through the retail initiative will benefit MOV’s special exhibitions and its school programs that annually teach 10,000 elementary school students about history.

“We hope that these products will help give Vancouverites a sense of ownership of their history and allow them to share their pride in the city,” continues Follington. “We also want to draw visitors to the museum where some of the city’s most fascinating historical objects are on display.”

Femme Quebec has reviewed the Holiday offerings from Jelly Belly and Guylian chocolates. Click here and here to check it out.

It seems Christmas shopping season has officially kicked off!

It was one heck of a busy summer at Elettra Communications. So busy, in fact, that we're only now announcing some exciting news - the addition of Cassandra Parsons as Account Executive on our team. We first met Cassandra back in 2010 when she interned for us. Cassandra knocked our socks off way back then, and we've been keeping our fingers crossed that some day we could welcome her back to our team.

Since her time at Elettra in 2010, Cassandra returned to school to complete a Certificate in Public Relations from Simon Fraser University, worked with Citizen Relations Cossette, and worked in corporate communications and investor relations for several Vancouver-based TSX-V listed companies.

Cassandra also holds Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria, and a Certificate in Entertainment and Events Marketing from New York University.

We're so thrilled that Cassandra is back, and can't to wait for all our clients to meet her!

A busy few days at Elettra as Cadillac Fairview officially unveiled the plans and renderings for their Pacific Centre redevelopment.  Media were excited to share the details of the upcoming makeover at one of Vancouver's most iconic buildings, and the announcement sparked lots of great conversation on social media. Here are some of the highlights from the extensive media coverage the story received – including the front page of the Vancouver Sun!

Elettra Communications is thrilled to be working with the Vancouver Airport Authority on their School Tour Program again this year. Through the program, 2,700 grade five students from schools across the Lower Mainland will have the chance to visit YVR for a first hand look at the operations of a major airport.

We're pleased to welcome to our team Jake Sobrepena and Breanna Kato who are new School Tour Guides this year. A hearty welcome back to Annalisa Pareja, Tour Guide extraordinaire, returning for a second year.

To learn a little bit more about the program, read Annalisa's post on YVR's blog.

Today Pacific Centre shopping mall officially unveiled plans for its high-profile property at Robson and Granville. The company is undertaking a multi-million dollar redevelopment of the existing building to accommodate the arrival of Nordstrom, while creating new retail and commercial mixed-use space. We are loving the renderings:

As expected, interest in the project has been high. Tom Knoepfel, Cadillac Fairview's Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager has had a busy day doing interviews.

We'll be posting the coverage shortly. Stay tuned!

Volunteer Opportunity – Event Coordination Elettra Communications is looking for student volunteers to assist with an air travel industry conference event taking place at Science World. This opportunity will appeal to students who have an interest in public relations or event management.

Event: Future Travel Experience Conference Gala

Date/Time: Thursday, September 6,  4:30pm – 7:30pm

Location: Science World

Duties: Volunteers will assist with a range of activities including: • Event set up • Guest check-in • Providing direction assistance to guests • Coat check

Benefit to you: • Event coordination experience. • Opportunity to build contacts in the PR industry.

Dress code: 
All black. No jeans; no running shoes/sneakers.

How to apply:
 If you would like to volunteer for this opportunity, please contact cassandra@elettra.ca. In your email please provide a brief introduction of yourself, and include a description of your current course of study and your contact information.

In this month's Western Living, there is a great feature on Western Canada's hottest new hotels. Check out the full page feature on The James alongside The Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Hotel Le Germain (Calgary), and the Oak Bay Beach Hotel (Victoria).

The Richmond News picked up our release about the YVR Penny drive. Check out their full article here.