| EVENT REPORT 09.25.08 9:00 AM |
|
Online Partnerships, E-Newsletters Promote Eat to the Beat
|
 | Tartlets from I Do! Wedding Cakes at Eat to the Beat
Photo: BizBash |
|
For Linsay Michael, manager of development and events at Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada, the 13th annual Eat to the Beat fund-raiser at Roy Thomson Hall needed only a few minor changes from years past. "For us, it's about adding a little, but people really like it the way it is," said Michael, who spent a year with staff and committee members preparing for Willow's signature event, which features 60 female chefs.
Close to 950 guests attended the fund-raiser Tuesday night, about the same number as last year. "We tried to branch out and move online to promote the event and target a different demographic," said Kendra Michael, Willow's manager of marketing and communications, citing new initiatives such as an e-newsletter and partnerships with Web sites like Sweetspot and Dine.TO. "We’ve spoken with a number of colleagues, and most fund-raiser attendances have been down this year. That being said, we pretty much maintained attendance rates from last year, largely due, I feel, to some of our new initiatives and to the fact that many of the people who support the event support it year after year."
MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada, Joico, AstraZeneca, C.I.B.C., Pearl Pomegranate Vodka, Salvador's Original Margarita, Hockley Valley Brewing, Cave Spring Cellars, GlaxoSmithKline |
 |
| MY FAVORITE VENDORS 07.31.08 11:58 AM |
|
Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada Counts on 3 Dogz Creative
|
 | | Linsay Michael |
|
Linsay Michael is the manager of development and events at Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada, a position she has filled for the past 18 months. Among her many duties, Michael oversees special events, fund-raising, and additional third-party events. Michael is currently gearing up for the organization's annual signature event, Eat to the Beat, when 60 female chefs make their signature dishes for 900 guests. Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada is a nonprofit that encourages, educates, and empowers all Canadians affected by breast cancer.
Venue: “This year is the 13th annual Eat to the Beat, and it will be our 11th year using Roy Thomson Hall since we outgrew our first venue. We keep going back because the staff are fantastic, they know our event inside and out, and they’re supportive. We need to be able to fit 900 people in an easy-to-access space in downtown Toronto, and this is a venue that doesn’t need a lot of decor. We’re working with an extraordinarily tight budget and are proud of the fact that we return 90 percent of event proceeds back to Willow to be applied to our programs and services.”
MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada |
|
| TOP 100 EVENTS 05.16.08 12:21 PM |
|
Toronto's Top Food, Wine & Hospitality Events 2008
|
 | Restaurants and wineries across the city hosted dining events for Santé.
Photo: Courtesy of NKPR |
|
1. Wine & Cheese Show
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Wine & Cheese show prides itself on being “Toronto’s most aggressively promoted food and drink show ever.” The wine competition has become a well-known fixture, with more than 500 submissions in 15 categories judged by a panel of experts. The 2008 show took place April 4 to 6 at the International Centre in Mississauga, featuring a sip-and-savour stage presented by the Food Network.
MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
Toronto's Top 100 Events, Food Network, Second Harvest, Tourism Toronto, Bon Appétit, Town Media, University Health Network, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Niagara Community Foundation, Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada, Evergreen, Slow Food Toronto, Stop Community Food Centre |
|
| FRESH FACE 03.05.08 10:26 AM |
|
Siblings Start Decor and Rental Business
|
 | Rochelle (left) and Allison Straker
Photo: Daniel Shipp for BizBash |
|
Dream Jobs: After starting their careers in separate industries, sisters Rochelle and Allison Straker realized they had a knack for helping organize events like conferences, receptions, and dinners at their respective jobs—Rochelle as a manager of recruitment at the Michener Institute and Allison as a business analyst at Bank of Montreal. “We both loved events, so we had a brainstorming dinner where we thought of ways we could make this [business] happen,” Rochelle says. Drawing from their own party-throwing experiences and their passion for design magazines, the sisters started a small-scale rental and decor company, Cry If I Want To.
The company caters to corporate, public, and private events such as the Aroni Awards and last summer’s Afri Village Street Festival. When the pair started buying dinnerware, accessories, and furniture in early 2007, they stored the purchases in their parents’ backyard barn in the suburbs. Last July, they opened a store in South Riverdale where they offer a small selection of retail items as well as event design services and product sourcing.
MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
Michener Institute, Bank of Montreal, Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada |
|
|
