We are delighted to be working with Muscular Dystrophy Canada in the run up to their Empowerment in Action Summit 2014.  This engaging and informative event will take place at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport from the 22nd – 24th August and will feature interactive workshops and panel discussions providing valuable information and inspiration to anyone whose life is directly impacted by a neuromuscular disorder. If you would like more information go to http://muscle.ca/we-can-help/educational-events/empowerment-in-action/

The deadline for registration is 8 August 2014.

Cadillac Fairview's redevelopment of the former Sears building / new Nordstrom building reached its next milestone today. The crane that has been doing all the heavy lifting was dismantled and removed in a 12 hour operation. Here are some stunning photos.

Next time someone asks Elettra's Lorna Allen what a typical day in the life of a PR person is like, we think she should just show them this picture.

In the pic, Lorna is high atop Vancouver's TD Tower working with photographer Rob Kryut to get some spectacular snaps.

What of?

....All shall be revealed soon.

Elettra Communications is working with Saint Bernadine Mission Communications to showcase Harbour Centre’s variety of retailers through soccer with a social media contest called “Spot the Footie”. As part of its “Spot the Footie” contest, Harbour Centre is offering a chance to win a grand prize of a pair of 5-pack Whitecaps FC tickets.  Each day from June 12 to July 16, 2014 there will be a Whitecaps soccer ball placed at a different Harbour Centre retailer.   @Harbour_Centre will tweet a daily clue describing the location of the footie.

In order to participate, individuals need to take a photo of the Whitecaps Footie in its newest location and share the photo on Twitter and/or Instagram.  To keep track of the submissions, participants are asked to include #HarbourCentre and #Footie, and are required to follow @Harbour_Centre on Twitter.  Every participant can enter once a day throughout the contest.  To bring attention to the contest we worked with Vancity Buzz on some separate contesting for their readers and followers.

So far we have seen many submissions, a substantial increase in both Twitter followers and interaction with the @Harbour_Centre account.  This has been the result of strategic hashtag usage, monitoring and consistent engagement from the @Harbour_Centre.

More contest details can be found on Harbour Centre’s website. Look forward to seeing your entry!

On Monday, June 16, 2014 the Vancouver Police Foundation launched its Kops’ Shades for Kids Campaign.  Back by popular demand, the campaign connects the public to the police via iconic, mirrored aviator sunglasses - a signature look inherently tied to police. Introduced last summer, the campaign raises funds for Vancouver Police crime prevention projects and early intervention community outreach programs. It also seeks to strengthen the link between the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and the community it serves.

“We have been reminded in recent weeks of the vital role that police officers play in our communities – here in Vancouver and across the country,” said Peter Brown, Vancouver Police Foundation Chairman. “The sunglasses serve as a visual sentiment that all citizens can wear to show their support for, and pride in, Vancouver’s police officers.”

The launch event was held at the corner of Granville and Georgia. There were four cameras and two reporters who attended, along with many people walking by who stopped to see what was happening.

This was a hard to miss event, because right on the side of the street were two large police horses, a police dog and his trainer nearby.  There was also music and free popcorn courtesy of Jack FM.   Policemen and policewomen were available to answer questions from anyone who wanted to chat.  This event brought in a crowd of people, and it was a great opportunity to share with the public what the Vancouver Police Department and the Vancouver Police foundation do.

Great program for a great cause. Click here if you are interested in learning more, or buying your own pair of shades.

After six weeks of learning about PR in the SFU PR Program, I felt like I had a solid ‘tool kit’ to prepare for my practicum at Elettra. In class, we learned a little bit of everything from media kits, pitching, and social media for PR, but there is only so much you can learn in a classroom. The practicum component of the course is a chance to give that newly developed ‘tool kit’ a try, and taking advantage of the opportunities that come with it, whether the opportunity is presented to you directly or not.  When I started my practicum with Elettra, I had no idea how many opportunities would come my way.

Direct Opportunities: The first day of any practicum or job is always nerve-wracking, so it was nice to find out that on my first day of Elettra I was given a list of smaller and lower priority tasks. These tasks were a direct opportunity to show my capability, even if it was on a small scale. In my perspective, every task that you are assigned is an opportunity to do well.

Indirect Opportunities: Your practicum is what you make of your practicum. Yes, your supervisor will assign you tasks, but you also have the opportunity to find ways to go above and beyond those. For instance, my supervisors gave the team a brief overview on an upcoming project and let us know that there would be a brainstorm for ideas later on that day. Even though this was not “assigned”, I took advantage of some extra time I had, and did a mini brainstorm on my own. I essentially prepared a little pitch for my idea, anticipated problems and prepared answers for those problems. When I presented this to my supervisors at the brainstorm that day, they invited me to not only be part of the project but they also asked me if I would like to be hired on after my practicum to complete the campaign! This was a bit of a ‘aha’ moment for me, because I realized how initiative can help you make the best of your practicum and how you have the power to form your own opportunities.

Reflection: The SFU PR program really helped me to start thinking from a PR perspective and gave me a little more confidence with the skills I had developed. My experience at Elettra was a fantastic way to learn in a supportive environment, a chance to try out my skills in assigned tasks, and a chance to take advantage of some really great opportunities.

Beyond the Article: If you would like to see the campaign I helped with, take a look at Vancity Buzz’s page and the Harbour Centre website’s contest page.

By Natalie Pope Natalie never considered public relations as a career option, but upon investigation she realized it was a perfect fit.  Natalie is currently enrolled in the SFU PR Certificate and has joined Elettra Communications to complete the 3-week practicum component of the course.

For the longest time PR was a mystery to me. But as a recent SFU Communications and English graduate, I learned that Public Relations is an area that many students in my field enter. As graduation approached, I began to chat with communications professionals from IABC  and through various Vancouver events. I didn’t know what my career path would be but I did know that I love working with people, writing, social media, and events. After a lot of thought and self-reflection, I realized that PR was something that might indeed by a fit for me.

I decided to act on this realization and enrolled in the SFU PR certificate program. Because of the program, I’ve learned relevant and hands-on skills that are integral to being a professional communicator. I also met many exceptional individuals including the industry-professional instructors and my classmates who will be the future of PR, I’m sure.

The SFU English Department held an event called “What can you do with your English Degree?”, where SFU English Alumni spoke about their current profession. Simone was one of the speakers at the panel and she spoke passionately about how Elettra makes a point of finding meaningful opportunities that the team feels strongly about. This was something I was immediately drawn to and it was even more appealing when I found out how passionate Elettra is about providing exceptional learning opportunities for their interns or practicum students. Again, this was music to my ears.

I am thrilled that Elettra Communications is part of my PR journey. So far, my journey into PR has been a path of discovery, and I look forward to continue learning and discovering during my time here!

Beyond the Article:

• Connect with Natalie on Twitter or LinkedIn
• Want to hear more about Natalie's career journey? She has written about it for the SFU Online Learning Community

This week's Business in Vancouver features a story on Cadillac Fairview's geo-exchange retrofit 777 Dunsmuir, which includes an office tower, as well as the Holt Renfrew and Sport Chek portions of Pacific Centre.

The issue on newsstands now.

Buzz is building for Sandhill's newly opened winery in downtown Kelowna. Global TV's Rick Webber joined us for last week's VIP and media sneak peek party where he took in the festivities and talked to Master Winemaker Howard Soon about his vision for the winery. Rick also talked to Heather Schroeter from Manteo Resort and the folks from Okanagan Life. Watch Global's full story here. Speaking of Okanagan Life, here is their story on the new winery.

Meanwhile, the Kelowna Daily Courier's Steve MacNaull asked the question, why make make the unusual choice of locating a winery in the downtown core instead of at the vineyard? Read Howard Soon's response here.

Kelowna Now's Anita Sthankiya told readers all about the new space and the fun that was had at the opening party.

Thanks to Kelowna City Councillor and Kelowna Capital News reporter, Maxine Dehart for her lovely piece on the new winery, which you can read here.

Gary Symons of Wine Traveller also checked out the space during the party. Read his take here.

And thanks to Ian & Christy, Sun FM's dynamic morning show duo for coming to the party and telling their listeners all about Sandhill's new home.

Look for lots more to come on the Sandhill front!

With summer fast approaching things are really heating up at Elettra HQ and we have lots of exciting projects on the horizon.

To help us implement these campaigns we are delighted to announce a new addition to our team - Lorna Allen has joined Elettra as an Account Executive.

Lorna hails from Northern Ireland and has an extensive background in PR and journalism from the UK and Ireland.

Lorna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities Combined and a Master of Arts in Media Studies – both from the University of Ulster. She has also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Film Journalism from the British Film Institute, in conjunction with Sight & Sound Magazine, and is currently completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Online PR from the Fitzwilliam Institute.

Elettra is delighted to welcome Lorna, and we look forward to introducing her to our clients and suppliers.

Gwen Hardy, Lorna Allen, Cassandra Parsons, Elettra, PR, public relations, agency, media relations, vancouver, bc, firm, company, awards, excellence, Bronze Quill

Last night, the International Association of Business Communicators BC Chapter (IABC/BC), hosted their annual Bronze Quill Awards Gala. The Bronze Quills recognize communications excellence in British Columbia across a number of categories, including media relations, research, publications, and crisis management. Elettra Communications was thrilled to be honoured with two awards, including an Award of Excellence in Communications Management Award for our Long Table Distillery Launch media relations campaign. Elettra also received an Award of Merit in Communications Management for our Tsleil-Waututh Nation Cooks Program media relations campaign.

It was a wonderful evening, shared with many of our communications industry colleagues who are shining in their field. Thanks to everyone at IABC/BC for putting on a great event.

92 per cent of office space at Pacific Centre redevelopment now leased; Sony Pictures Imageworks joins Microsoft and Miller Thomson as tenants

Vancouver, BC, May 30, 2014 - The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd. is pleased to announce that Sony Pictures Imageworks is the third major office tenant confirmed for Pacific Centre’s 725 Granville redevelopment project. Sony will lease the entire 5^th floor, which includes 71,500 square feet of office space. 725 Granville offers four levels of office space above Nordstrom’s future Canadian flagship location. With this announcement, 92 per cent of the space is now leased.

Sony Pictures Imageworks will move into the 5^th floor of 725 Granville Street in Spring 2015.  This announcement comes just weeks after confirmation that Microsoft will lease the 6^th and 7^th floors of the building. In January of this year, Cadillac Fairview announced law firm Miller Thomson will move into 48,000 square feet on the 4^th floor.

“We are pleased to welcome Sony Pictures Imageworks to 725 Granville,” says Tom Knoepfel, Senior Vice President & Portfolio Manager, Cadillac Fairview Western Canada. “725 Granville’s central location in the heart downtown, coupled with its unique large floor plate office spaces has attracted internationally recognized brands and global leaders in their respective industries. We look forward to them moving into 725 Granville Street starting in 2015.” 

The new office space is part of the redevelopment of the former Eatons/Sears building. The top four levels of the building are being converted to 290,000 square feet of AAA class office.  Each floor has 17-foot ceilings, slab to slab, and offers 72,500 square foot floor plates, a unique feature in the downtown core.

Nordstrom will have 230,000 square feet on three floors below the office space. A new 44,000 square foot multi-tenant retail space will be built on the lower mall level. Local and renowned architect, James K. M. Cheng, designed the project. As part of Cadillac Fairview’s commitment to sustainability, the project is targeting LEED Gold Certification under the LEED: Core & Shell Program.

Construction is well underway on the site. The office space is expected to open in early 2015. New retail stores on the lower level are expected to open in Spring 2015. Nordstrom is expected to open in Fall 2015.

By Leanne Kedrosky As my internship at Elettra Communications comes to a close, I’m reflecting back on how much I have learned, accomplished, and progressed over the past nine weeks. I started my time at Elettra with a faint inkling that public relations is in my career future, and I am finishing the internship with a solid conclusion that I want to be a PR star.

What I Learned at Elettra Communications:

How do you become a PR star? I have complied some of my favourite tips gathered throughout my nine-week internship at Elettra.

The people make the job. The people at Elettra made my internship a highly enjoyable experience. I’m thankful to work with Managing Partners that made me feel like part of the team and were available for any of my questions. Personal relationships are important to the Elettra team and this reflects in numerous previous employees who have returned as clients.

Choose accuracy over time. Take the time to triple and quadruple check you work! Clients will never appreciate sending off wrong or misspelled information; that time to check facts will save your reputation. Then when you think it is perfect, have someone else read it over.

Mom was right, patience is a virtue. If a situation is tough take a deep breath, ask questions, and respond with a goal in mind. The people around you will notice how you respond to others and your future workload will reflect your capabilities.

Write EVERYTHING down. From small tasks to weekly reminders, write it all down. As an intern you may be focusing on many things in a day, don’t let the small things slip out of your organizational grasp.

Small is important. Doing a good job on small tasks will lead to more responsibility. Don’t consider any task unimportant. When you put effort into the small things it will be noticed, you will gain respect in the workplace, and slowly receive more responsibility and projects.

Thank you to the Elettra team for teaching me so many valuable practices and helping me progress towards my career goals. I am looking forward to working here longer and absorbing more information from such a knowledgeable team.