Last March Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), the oldest department store chain in Canada, acquired the right to design Canada's uniforms for the Olympic Games from 2006 to 2012. The collection it created is a modern take on traditional winter clothing, so Geri McCuish, HBC's senior manager of national special events, decided to create a media launch that similarly mixed the old and the new. McCuish teamed with event planner Jeffry Roick of McNabb Roick Events to organize the event, and the pair chose to hold it at historic Fort York Armoury. They also decided to put HBC's iconic green, red, yellow, and blue stripes—associated with the company since at least 1798—prominently on display.
The stripes were painted on the stage, used as colour flourishes on several backdrops from McNabb Roick depicting sport activities, and woven into a carpet leading from the reception area to the main event space in front of the stage. (After the reception guests followed the carpet to the stage area; in the process they crossed an artificial ice surface from Ice Nook where young skaters from Bowmanville Figure Skating Club twirled energetically.) The stripes also appeared in the lounge area on traditional HBC blankets draped over modern furniture from Signature Rentals.
A combination of modern and traditional design elements was used throughout the venue. Vignettes showcasing period sports locker rooms were juxtaposed with the backdrops, which featured sports images painted in a clean, bright contemporary style. In addition, Westbury National Show Systems supplied a large modern video screen that played footage from past Olympics.
In the reception area at the beginning of the event, 10Tation passed hors d'oeuvres such as spicy tuna in a wonton cone, and shaved beef tenderloin with basil mayo and Parmesan shavings on a grilled baguette. Later, it served traditional Canadian dishes such as venison with mashed potatoes from food stations in the main event space. The stations looked like the snack counters at outdoor ice rinks.
The stripes were painted on the stage, used as colour flourishes on several backdrops from McNabb Roick depicting sport activities, and woven into a carpet leading from the reception area to the main event space in front of the stage. (After the reception guests followed the carpet to the stage area; in the process they crossed an artificial ice surface from Ice Nook where young skaters from Bowmanville Figure Skating Club twirled energetically.) The stripes also appeared in the lounge area on traditional HBC blankets draped over modern furniture from Signature Rentals.
A combination of modern and traditional design elements was used throughout the venue. Vignettes showcasing period sports locker rooms were juxtaposed with the backdrops, which featured sports images painted in a clean, bright contemporary style. In addition, Westbury National Show Systems supplied a large modern video screen that played footage from past Olympics.
In the reception area at the beginning of the event, 10Tation passed hors d'oeuvres such as spicy tuna in a wonton cone, and shaved beef tenderloin with basil mayo and Parmesan shavings on a grilled baguette. Later, it served traditional Canadian dishes such as venison with mashed potatoes from food stations in the main event space. The stations looked like the snack counters at outdoor ice rinks.
Young figure skaters twirled energetically on an artificial ice rink at Fort York Armoury during Hudson?s Bay Company?s unveiling of its new uniforms for Canada?s Olympic athletes.
Models posed onstage wearing the new outfits.
HBC?s iconic green, red, yellow, and blue stripes appeared on murals from McNabb Roick Events that depicted Olympic sports.
10Tation served spicy tuna in wonton cones with avocado salsa and mixed greens on handheld vertical acrylic food trays.
