The Delta Grand Okanagan has announced extensive renovation plans that will include all bedrooms as well as the lobby and restaurant. The room renovations has begun and the first of the hotel’s two towers will be completed by June. All rooms are expected to be complete by the end of 2012.

The Delta Grand Okanagan reaches a new level for it guests, meeting & conference

“We are extremely excited about this $11 million transformation to the Delta Grand Okanagan,” says Director of Sales and Marketing, Heather Farris. “The room renovation will take the hotel to a new level for our guests. Our waterfront location and our conference centre have always been huge drawing cards for our meeting, conference and incentive travel guests and we are pleased to be able to maintain our high level of service and product offering with this comprehensive project.”

New color scheme in harmony with its environment for the Delta Grand Okanagan

There are three colour schemes for the rooms, designed to reflect the water, the mountains and the sunshine of the Okanagan in palates of deep orange, a soft green and a sky blue. Delta’s signature mattresses and it’s patented marble-top work desk are just two of elements to be featured in the new guest rooms.

The room renovation will be followed by the lobby and restaurant. The design plans for this area will highlight the waterfront location of the hotel and promises to be a spectacular upgrade to the hotel.

The Grand Okanagan Resort

Set on the shores of majestic Okanagan Lake, the Delta Grand’s unique destination Resort and Conference Centre provides memorable guest experiences in the heart of Canada’s Wine Country. One of BC’s finest resorts, it offers 390 guest rooms, villas and suite accommodations offering lake, city or mountain views. With over 34,000 square feet of elegant and distinctive meeting space, the resort can suitably accommodate programs from five to 1500.

Your Okanagan & Kelowna Destination Manager; Shop the Valley

“The Delta Grand Okanagan is one of Kelowna’s most sought-after hotel properties for meetings, conferences and incentive travel reward programs,” says Tommi Hanley of Shop the Valley Destination Management. “We are thrilled to be able to share the news of this major renovation with our clients and potential clients. The Delta has a solid reputation for delivering outstanding service to its meeting planning customers and the physical renovation of the rooms, lobby and restaurant simply improves the overall product offering.”

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Event Planning Students Produce a Smash Success

As an instructor of the Event Promotion and Management program at the Centre for Arts and Technology (CAT), I am awed and inspired by the creativity and enthusiasm of the young people preparing to enter the event planning industry.

Last month, as a final project prior to graduation from their one-year diploma program, these students conceived, produced and delivered A Fashionable Autumn, held at the Kelowna Community Theatre. It was a fashion show with a twist, featuring local boutiques, a local dance studio, hair and make-up students from Marvel College and their fellow graduating Fashion Design and Merchandising students from CAT.

The event required extensive planning and partnering, not only with the above-mentioned participants but with the Kelowna Community Theatre itself, local media sponsors, and various suppliers who brought added features and value to the evening.

The sponsor boutiques included Frakas, Influence, Raw 69 and Asphalt Shoes and the graduating Fashion Design students created the entire second half of the show, featuring clothing that included looks for men, women and children.

Always Looking for New Events

“We were very pleased with A Fashionable Autumn,” says Randy Zahara, General Manager of the Kelowna Community Theatre. “We are always looking for new and creative events to bring to the residents of Kelowna and surrounding area and this was an idea that was well-planned and executed, which began with a thorough proposal presented to me by the EPM students many months ago.” The Community Theatre helped to fund the event and it’s intent to create an annual fashion show as a result of the success of A Fashionable Autumn.

The evening began with a “red carpet” welcome, whereby guests were encouraged to stop outside the main theatre doors in order to have their photo taken on an actual red carpet, highlighted by A Fashionable Autumn backdrop. The pictures were then posted to the event’s Facebook page so that all guests could visit and access the images after the event.

Inside, the large foyer area was buzzing with displays of the Fashion Design students’ portfolios, displays by the featured boutiques, complete with silent auction products up for bid, and a full bar and beverage service.

Flawless Event Planning

The show itself was produced at a professional level and ran flawlessly, with the students meeting with all of the models and the hair and make-up artists from Marvel College hours in advance to run the show, set the timing and ensure a smooth-flowing evening. The MC for the night was Troy Scott  from the sponsor radio station, Q103.1 who was supplied with a well-written script, prepared by one of the EPM students.

[youtube_sc url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxhNnDndK9A&NR=1 width=540 rel=0 fs=1]

Media attention for the event prior to the evening was plentiful, again due to the promotional and marketing efforts of the EPM students and radio, TV and newspaper articles and features had been plentiful prior to the event, helping to position and promote the show.

At the end of the 90-minute extravaganza, which featured dance productions by the students of Reflections Dance Studio, guests flowed back into the lobby to complete the bidding for silent auction items and enjoy a catered dessert menu. A fun photo booth was a smash hit for creating memories and the “live legs” food table created an exciting buzz as well.

After 12 months of hard work and hands-on experience planning and delivering several large and small-scale events throughout the community, the EPM students demonstrated their commitment and dedication to the industry they have now become apart of and set a precedent for future students who will have the opportunity to continue with the legacy created with the inaugural Fashionable Autumn event. Mayor Sharon Shepard attended the event and recently announced a Spirit of Kelowna Award for this fantastic community-focused event. Congratulations to the event planning Class of 2011!

Shop the Valley Destination Management:  Valleys News and Views

There is always a lot going on in the Okanagan Valley and as a destination management company, Shop the Valley DMC strives to stay abreast of new developments and bring our clients the most creative, exclusive and exciting options for every element of their meeting, conference or special event.

We have had great success with some new team building activities in recent weeks, both indoors and outdoors. For the wine lover we create a “Blend Off”, whereby participants are placed in teams (three to six per team) and learn about a selection of

Okanagan wines, as well as the art of combining different varietals together to create a blended wine like a Meritage, for example. A sommelier leads the group in this fun exploration and educational journey. Once the teams have been thoroughly coached on the in’s and out’s of blending, they are tasked with the job of creating their own blend, which will then be judged by the sommelier to determine a winner. The teams must also name their blend and time permitting, they may even design their own wine label.

Destination management indoors and out

Outdoors is where our destination management skills and imagination soar. We recently ran a fun yet competitive “Quinthalon”, complete with biking building and riding; a relay-style run, sand castle building, frisbee toss and kayak racing. The teams’ combined times in all categories determined the winners and the “flexible” rules allowed competitors to be very creative in how they completed certain tasks. In the end, final times were no more than two minutes apart, so it was a close match. Another option that can be added or substituted is paddleboarding, a sport that is quickly growing in popularity.

When visiting Kelowna, or surrounding regions, groups love to take advantage of one of our destination’s key attractions, 127-km-long Okanagan Lake. This year we introduced three new vessels, all of which are fantastic options for our guests. For the adventurous, board The Decision, a 36-foot sail boat that promises a memorable and exciting experience for all. For those with a desire to simply relax and soak up the warm Okanagan sunshine, an executive-style pontoon boat fully stocked and catered with some fantastic edibles may be the ideal option. Finally, for a group boat cruise, lunch or private dinner, the Lake Lounge does not disappoint. It is a wonderful way to enjoy an evening under the stars.

Creating the “wow factor” in destination management

Destination management companies love to discover new off-site venues for clients’ evening events, as well as new venues which can incorporated into our wide assortment of customized day tours. Kelowna Ranch (below) is one such venue, a spectacular private estate set above the foothills of the city, overlooking the lake and entire Okanagan Valley. This is definitely a “wow factor” venue that is ideal for group of 20 to 150. Tables are set outdoors on the poolside patio, or on the grass lawn next to the patio, where an infinity pool sets the stage for the stunning view of the city and Okanagan Lake. Music, candles, delicious food and some fine Okanagan wine combine to create a magical night for guests. We bring our destination management skills to you.

Plans have been finalized for a Sheraton Four Points hotel to be built adjacent to the Kelowna International Airport. The highlights include:
120 rooms
4,000 sq. ft of meeting & ballroom space which will make it the third largest meeting space in Kelowna behind the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort and the Coast Capri hotel.
Negotiations are underway for a brand name restaurant to be located in the hotel
There will be an indoor pool and fitness facility
Construction is expected to start in October 2011 with a target completion date of November 2012.

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Unique and Environmentally Friendly

Our new line of environmentally responsible products are crafted from British Columbia’s “denim pine” which features a beautiful and unique blue stain throughout the wood. More than 14 million hectares of pine forest have been affected by the pine beetle infestation throughout the province. The good news is the wood is being used for a multitude of purposes and the blue stain is a natural feature which makes the products beautiful to behold. The wood is extremely lightweight making products easy and inexpensive to ship.

Our line includes spectacular salad bowls with matching salad fork and spoon set, or salad “claws”; tealight holders; salt and pepper shakers; gravity defying wine bottle holders, ice buckets and wine coolers which are desiged as mini wine kegs, business card holders, key chains and pens. All items can be customized with laser engraving. Call us for more details, additional images and pricing.

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Kinshira is an Okanagan based fire spinning troupe. Consisting of local artists with various talents, Kinshira, meaning poetic movement, embraces unity through diversity by bringing the audience a unique, interactive and passionate performance.

Shop the Valley Destination Management recently worked with Kinshira, adding a vibrant element to the Funeral Services Association of Canada’s gala eventing event held at Summerhill Pyramid Winery. Set outdoors in the vineyard, overlooking Okanagan Lake, three fire shows were scheduled throughout the evening and wowed the audience with its depth of skill and beauty.

Suzanne Scott, Executive Director of the FSAC commented “the event was great – the food was wonderful and the location is spectacular!  The band was good and the fire-spinners were amazing!”

Delta Hotels is investing more than $7 million in hotel upgrades to its newest western Canadian property, the Delta Grand Okanagan. The resort combines 259 guest rooms in two towers, along with 37 vacation timeshare and 23 vacation condominium units, and 71 private residence units. The renovations include all of the hotels 259 rooms, all of which will be complete by the fall of 2009.

The Delta Grand Okanagan Resort is located on more than seven acres of prime lakefront property in the heart Kelowna. The hotel property is one of the largest in the region, and features a full service restaurant, the Grand Bay Café; an expansive health spa and fitness centre; an indoor/outdoor pool with sundeck; and 25,000 square feet of conference space and an outdoor lakeview feature area for private functions and weddings.

The Delta Grand Okanagan Resort is Delta’s seventh property in British Columbia. The property, which was built in 1992 and expanded in 1999, has operated as the Grand Okanagan Lakefront Resort and Conference Centre since its opening. .

“Kelowna has been identified as a strategic market for Delta’s expansion effort,” said Gordon Johnson, Regional Vice President, B.C. Region, Delta Hotels. “B.C. is a thriving travel market and this is a great opportunity for Delta to become the premier travel destination in one of Canada’s hottest travel districts.”

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