Last week, the Loblaw Group of Companies hosted a national conference for 1,200 store managers in Toronto, and to kick off two days of internal meetings, the grocery giant hosted a reception on February 15 at the Allstream Centre. As a way to honour the October debut of a Loblaws store at Maple Leaf Gardens, the event was designed to highlight the history of the former hockey arena.
“If we could clean out all the food, we would have [the event] at Maple Leaf Gardens,” said Julie Peden, founder of Ruby Sky Event Planning Inc., who organized the opening ceremonies and conference for Loblaw Companies. “We can’t, so we’re bringing Maple Leaf Gardens here.”
The opening party brought together entertainment, speakers, and activities to recreate previous events at Maple Leaf Gardens and give employees a unique experience. “The point of any event is, 'I can’t do it on my own; I don’t have access to it; I can’t see it again, but I saw it here,'” Peden said.
The speakers, who were a surprise to guests, had all performed in Maple Leaf Gardens and included hockey icons Bobby Hull and Wendel Clark, boxer George Chuvalo, and an Elvis impersonator—in a nod to Elvis Presley’s Toronto concert in 1957. The notables spoke about their favourite memories of the arena. “You can’t find this in a news reel,” Peden said.
After the speeches, guests were free to explore the numerous activities, from table hockey to a hockey shooting game. Guests also helped themselves to arena-style food like fresh popcorn, Angus beef hot dogs, and Haagen-Dazs ice cream.
