Jennifer Zimmerman, manager of special events for the National Ballet of Canada, plans 110 events per year, from private dinners for six to large galas for 2,000. Zimmerman has been with the National Ballet for almost four years, starting as the officer of special events. She was previously an event coordinator for the Carnegie Foundation in New York and Pittsburgh. Zimmerman is currently preparing for the ballet's season opening in November, at which donors are treated to a welcome-back party, private dinners, and the opportunity to watch show rehearsals.
Audiovisual Production: “Westbury National Show Systems does our staging, lighting, and sound. We had Mikhail Baryshnikov come for a private dinner at a private home, and Westbury set up the lighting, the sound, and the microphones for the M.C. Westbury is consistent, always on time, and doesn’t require a lot of instruction.”
Tenting: “We used Advanced Tent Rental for the same private dinner. They custom designed a clear tent for us that looked absolutely gorgeous. It had to fit in a backyard space in the middle of the city, and they were able to accommodate it.”
Venue: “Eighty percent of our events are held at the Walter Carsen Centre, where our offices are, or at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. We also often use the Carlu as our event venue because it was the first home of the National Ballet of Canada in the early 1960s. The Carlu shut down for a number of years before Jeff Roick and his partner reopened it and made it an event venue. We’ve worked with Jeff very closely on a lot of different events. The Carlu has a theatre and a lot of separate rooms for groups and is very versatile.”
Catering: “Les Louises is the in-house caterer at the Walter Carsen Centre. We have a full-time cafeteria set up for the dancers, and every day they cater to the dancers, who require a special menu. Les Louises caters for movie sets and is also the head caterer for Aveda Salon. At the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, the official caterers are Ala Carte and North 44.”
Flowers: “We have a huge need for flowers because we require so many bouquets to present to dancers at the end of performances, as well as centrepieces for tables. Terrain Flowers provides us these. Owner Darrin Butler has been in business for five years. His company is growing; they just moved into a new space and renovated. I think it’s been a great partnership for both of us.”
