For most people, dinner and a movie are a romantic gesture. But breakfast and a movie? For its annual client appreciation holiday party, the Discovery Channel invited clients and their families to Empire Theatres at Empress Walk for a 7:30 AM breakfast, followed by a private screening of Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Discovery had the permission of advertiser Walt Disney Pictures to arrange the screening, which occurred just one day after the film's release in theatres.Discovery promotions manager Chad Beamish created and organized the event with promotions coordinators Pacifica Santarcangelo and Cosimo Prochilo. "When we saw the trailer for the movie, we immediately knew it could form the basis of a fun, exciting event," Beamish said. "It's targeted perfectly at the families we were planning to create the event for."
To occupy the children during the two hours between breakfast and the film at 9:30, Discovery created several Chronicles of Narnia activity stations, including a decorate-your-own-crown arts and crafts centre, a castle staffed with Discovery employees in costume telling stories, and a lion's den with real lion cubs on loan from the Bowmanville Zoo. Each family was given a map of the locations and descriptions of the activity stations. "When we plan events that cater to children and young adults, we like to think outside the box and come up with fun, interactive, and animated ways to entertain the crowd," Beamish said.
Buffet stations with breakfast fare-mini muffins, sugar-topped cake, mini fruit kabobs, pancakes with syrup on the side, and hash browns, sausage rolls and egg wraps-from Gourmet Cuisine were set up around the perimeter of the space. Pro Shot snapped photos of guest in front of castle-interior backgrounds; they were printed immediately and given to guests to take home. And since this was a kids' event, there had to be loot bags. Each guest received a bag of Discovery-logoed chocolates and cuddly keepsakes such as a stuffed lion.
To occupy the children during the two hours between breakfast and the film at 9:30, Discovery created several Chronicles of Narnia activity stations, including a decorate-your-own-crown arts and crafts centre, a castle staffed with Discovery employees in costume telling stories, and a lion's den with real lion cubs on loan from the Bowmanville Zoo. Each family was given a map of the locations and descriptions of the activity stations. "When we plan events that cater to children and young adults, we like to think outside the box and come up with fun, interactive, and animated ways to entertain the crowd," Beamish said.
Buffet stations with breakfast fare-mini muffins, sugar-topped cake, mini fruit kabobs, pancakes with syrup on the side, and hash browns, sausage rolls and egg wraps-from Gourmet Cuisine were set up around the perimeter of the space. Pro Shot snapped photos of guest in front of castle-interior backgrounds; they were printed immediately and given to guests to take home. And since this was a kids' event, there had to be loot bags. Each guest received a bag of Discovery-logoed chocolates and cuddly keepsakes such as a stuffed lion.
The film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe provided the inspiration for the decor at the Discovery Channel's client appreciation holiday party at Empire Theatres at Empress Walk.
Costumed characters from Statues Alive struck poses prior to the screening, while the children were eating breakfast and visiting the activity stations.
Costumed Discovery employees told stories to the kids.
