Icing recruits dancers to be event staffers.
Photo: Craig Boyko Photography
Camera Ready: After traveling the country to interview musicians and report on events as a producer and host at Country Music Television, Tiffany Richardson found she was spending more time on the road than at home. When her contract ended, she decided it was time for a change and plunged into her own business: an event staffing company called Icing, which she launched in September. “There seemed to be a hole in the market, and over the years I’d been in contact with many beautiful, talented women,” she says. “So I thought, Why not use them to better a product or an event?”
Big Break: Richardson’s role as the coordinator of the Toronto Rock dance team—a group she joined in her second year of university—led to a call from the organizers of November’s Grey Cup and, consequently, a big gig for her new company. “It was the first time the Canadian Football League hired hospitality teams [for the tournament], and for us to work an event that size was unbelievable,” she says. “All things considered, it went really well.” Richardson’s 85 staff members helped rev up the crowd, acted as hostesses at the bar, and danced on the field during Lenny Kravitz’s halftime performance.The Grey Cup led to work at other events, including a hosting gig at the Molson Canada national conference, where Icing staffers greeted more than 1,200 of the beer company’s employees and directed them to their seats. Kristy Pinder, the sponsorship, events, and promotions coordinator at Molson Canada, worked with Richardson on the conference, as well as the Coors Light Mystery Mansion party. “The [Icing] girls went above and beyond what we wanted,” Pinder says, describing them as outgoing and team-oriented. “Tiffany is very involved, and she’ll let them know exactly what you need beforehand, which makes the event flow a lot more smoothly.”
Dancing Queen: With a background in dance, Richardson has hired Icing applicants with a similar passion. Most of the 92 women on the company roster—who range in age from 20 to 38—have dance experience and are available to perform at events. (Thirty of them put on a dance routine at the Maxim Players Party during the Grey Cup.) Richardson says she also looks for women with diverse interests and career experience. “We want our girls to be head-turners, but they have to have the personality to back it up.”
Looking Ahead: Richardson is expanding Icing to Calgary and Vancouver and working on building her roster up to 120 women. She’s also been putting her past career experience to good use. “There’s a huge connection between events and television,” she says. “You have to know how to act on the fly, because no matter how much you plan, something can go wrong.”
Big Break: Richardson’s role as the coordinator of the Toronto Rock dance team—a group she joined in her second year of university—led to a call from the organizers of November’s Grey Cup and, consequently, a big gig for her new company. “It was the first time the Canadian Football League hired hospitality teams [for the tournament], and for us to work an event that size was unbelievable,” she says. “All things considered, it went really well.” Richardson’s 85 staff members helped rev up the crowd, acted as hostesses at the bar, and danced on the field during Lenny Kravitz’s halftime performance.The Grey Cup led to work at other events, including a hosting gig at the Molson Canada national conference, where Icing staffers greeted more than 1,200 of the beer company’s employees and directed them to their seats. Kristy Pinder, the sponsorship, events, and promotions coordinator at Molson Canada, worked with Richardson on the conference, as well as the Coors Light Mystery Mansion party. “The [Icing] girls went above and beyond what we wanted,” Pinder says, describing them as outgoing and team-oriented. “Tiffany is very involved, and she’ll let them know exactly what you need beforehand, which makes the event flow a lot more smoothly.”
Dancing Queen: With a background in dance, Richardson has hired Icing applicants with a similar passion. Most of the 92 women on the company roster—who range in age from 20 to 38—have dance experience and are available to perform at events. (Thirty of them put on a dance routine at the Maxim Players Party during the Grey Cup.) Richardson says she also looks for women with diverse interests and career experience. “We want our girls to be head-turners, but they have to have the personality to back it up.”
Looking Ahead: Richardson is expanding Icing to Calgary and Vancouver and working on building her roster up to 120 women. She’s also been putting her past career experience to good use. “There’s a huge connection between events and television,” she says. “You have to know how to act on the fly, because no matter how much you plan, something can go wrong.”
