Energetic Live Auction in the VIP zone

Eat, Tweet, Greet… enter and bid

Throughout the night there was a variety of entertainment, activities and games to participate in amongst the foodie and drinker paradise. From the top , clockwise -

• Dressed up by the Twitter board for hashtag #CabrioletGala
• Mr. and Miss World (Canada?) chatting it up with the ladies of Terra Breads
• Explaining the cheese and meat selection at Bosa Foods
• Silent Auction bidding via text messages
• Tweet tweet tweet
• Deciding between the many flavours of macarons from Soirette

Bustling Aveda Relaxation Zone

From the top , clockwise -

• Cheerily lining up for the surprises at the Aveda Relaxation Zone
• Taking in caffeinated fuel and tea at Cafe Artigiano by the photo booth
• Joey Restaurants serving up chocolate dessert spoons

Rosette belts out Blue Velvet?

If you needed a break from all the food and drink, you can bid on the many silent auction items

From the top , clockwise -

• Provence Mediterranean Grill serving up freshly prepared shrimp
• Get your drink on at the many bar stations
• Or wait for more tapas to be prepared
• Say hi to the chefs at Provence
• Bid more on Silent Auction items
• Have your highball served and chilled by the BMW Ice Sculpture

The lovely Catherine Barr with her hubby by the showcase BMW

Can you continue to drink so they can’t feel the pain your new shoes while hitting up the dance floor? The unintentional (or maybe it was intentional?) showcase of one of the BMW vehicles became the platform for many people taking a few moments off their feet.

DJ Kemo with Rosette

“Don’t stop eating…”

From the top , clockwise -

• 1200 Oysters shucked by the Joe Fortes team during the night
• Diplomatico Rum showcased their Reserve Rums in cocktails and on ice
• Colin James <3

The always crowd-pleasing Colin James

Colin James and the band perform

Colin James rocking it out at the Cabriolet Gala

Overheard amongst the crowd, while stuffing myself few dessert Red Velvet parfaits and macarons from Soirette Macarons and Tea - “Last year’s gala was great, but wow this year is even better. SO much food, drink and entertainment… I don’t know how they’re going to top this next year”.

Congrats again to the Brian Jessel BMW team for putting on such a great gala.
Thanks again to Francis Hui and Sharon Tsang for inviting us to Cabriolet to support the Canadian Cancer Society.

The post Photo Collage Highlights of Brian Jessel BMW CABRIOLET Charity Gala – June 15th, 2013 appeared first on hello vancity.

Most young people spend their days in the classroom learning from seasoned professors with decades of experience. For a group of local youth however, the tables have turned. With a mission to simplify social media for small business, a team of Simon Fraser University students and alumni have harnessed their status as digital natives to empower local businesses.

OMG Social Media Conference, slated for August 15, 2013, is the vision of co-founders Salina Siu, 24 and Lesley Yuen, 22. After attending several social media conferences, the young women recognized a common problem linking each event.

“There’s a gap and small businesses are suffering. They want to sell to millenials, but they don’t know how to reach them.” said Yuen. “For a crowd struggling to get any online engagement, walking them through the process of creating a social media marketing strategy is much more useful.”

This truth resonates with small business owners globally. According to a study done by Balihoo, 71% of social media participants are more likely to purchase goods from a brand they follow online. Acknowledging the potential of social media to empower local entrepreneurs, Siu and Yuen set forth to make their vision a reality.

“As the online media generation, we are extremely familiar with social media – a luxury that we often take for granted,” said Siu. “But it is crucial in the success of small business owners and we want to help bridge the gap between these generations.”

Sponsored by HootSuite, the SFU Beedie School of Business and TELUS, the conference will officially launch on Thursday, June 20th at Hootsuite’s Mount Pleasant Headquarters. The team is inviting over 60 Vancouver small business owners and social media experts to come together for a jam-packed evening including a presentation from HootSuite and a panel of experts.

The launch party is free and registration can be accessed from www.omglaunch.eventbrite.ca. To stay up to date on the event, follow @OMGmedia on Twitter and check out their event hashtag, #OMGTakeOff.

For conference information, visit www.omgsocialmedia.ca or register at www.omgconf.eventbrite.ca.

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What do you get when you take two guys with ingenuity, inspiration, and a lot of sweat equity? Thanks to the hard work and social savvy ways of Clinton and Dane you get Bestie. Opening today at 11:30 am located at 105 East Pender Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown Bestie promises to be a hit!

The short version of the story behind Bestie and the Magic Sausage Card is the inspiration. Using their many connections in the social media world Bestie launched an ingenious plan to raise some seed money before even opening. Thanks to indiegogo.com and lots of friends and family the campaign was a resounding success. Magic Sausage Cards were purchased in various denominations pretty much guarantying ready made customers.

So today is the day all you Magic Sausage Card holders, and non card holders, can drop in to Bestie to redeem your card for tasty currywurst, piping hot French fries, and a beer on tap. Or try one of their bottled German brews or a glass of wine. What would the sausage be without all the wonderful homemade condiments? All their ingredients and products are locally sourced so you know everything will be fresh and tasty. Expect to be wowed. Stop by their convenient take away window if you’re in a hurry.

If you don’t have a Magic Sausage Card yet you can get one on their website BESTIE.ca In addition to making it easy to buy yummy things like sausage, beer and pretzels, you become a Magic Sausage Card member with priority invitations to special events, a sausage lover pinback button and “legitimate Chinatown street cred”. Available in denominations starting at $25.

Photo: Bestie

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Victor Jankovic with replica ship up for Auction

Victor Jankovic is a Vancouver resident who has had the ultimate retirement project. He decided to build a 1/32 scale model of the HMS Royal William – a ship launched in 1670 by the British Navy in 1672 as the “HMS Prince.”

Although Victor has built approximately 18-20 model-ships in his lifetime using Italian Euromodel Kits, he wanted a model-ship that could sail in the water and not simply sit in a museum; realistic enough that it would merge with its surroundings.

It was a major challenge to ensure that model-ship was not too heavy, was waterproof, remained upright when sailing, had easy access to the inner hull for motor placement and, above all, retained its aesthetic qualities.

Did you know?

Victor constructed the 1/32 model entirely from 2-D references. He used a composite of two versions of the HMS Royal William including:

• plan drawings from his Italian Euromodel Kit
• photos of the dockyard model provided by the U.S. Naval Academy Museum at Annapolis

Six years later Victor achieved his goal of creating a model-ship that would not look out of place at the Smithsonian Institute or the Vancouver Maritime Museum. Eight feet long, six feet tall, 17 inches wide and 45 pounds in weight, the model-ship barely fits through a doorway and takes two people to move it anywhere.

Did you know?

Victor’s 1/32 model of the HMS Royal William ship is due to appear this June in a hardcover periodical book Shipwright: The International Annual of Maritime History & Ship Modelmaking (published by Conway Publishing & edited by Jean Hood)

Auction Date

Victor’s HMS Royal William will go up for auction on Wednesday, June 19, at 11:00 a.m.
Maynards Auction House
1837 Main Street, Vancouver

The post Holy Ship! Lifelike replica HMS Royal William ship up for Auction on June 19th, 2013 appeared first on hello vancity.

An overview of Vancouver’s first ever Tourism Master Plan was debuted yesterday by Mayor Gregor Robertson, Tourism Vancouver board chair R. Gordon Johnson and president and CEO Rick Antonson at Tourism Vancouver’s 110th annual general meeting. The AGM took place at the Vancouver Playhouse and was attended by more than 300 members of the regional tourism industry.

The Tourism Master Plan is a joint effort by Tourism Vancouver, the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Economic Commission to guide the development of the city’s tourism industry in a coordinated and forward-looking way. The plan is intended to analyze gaps, identify opportunities and establish priorities to ensure the tourism industry grows in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner.

The planning process started over a year ago and has involved more than 180 one-on-one interviews with tourism industry members and stakeholders, a comprehensive online survey of more than 2,000 people (both residents and industry), two open houses, and a review of more than 400 documents and reports. Resonance Consultancy, a world-recognized leader in destination planning and strategy, was engaged to lead the process under the guidance of a steering committee made up of senior city and tourism officials. The final plan will be released to the public in July.

Yesterday’s AGM introduced the recommendations that came out of the Tourism Master Plan’s eight areas of focus: product development, events, visitor experience design, neighbourhoods, tourism infrastructure development, transportation, advocacy and public affairs, and partnerships and alliances.

These recommendations included establishing a product development strategy to support existing attractions and create new tourism concepts; creating a dedicated events organization to lead, organize and manage citywide efforts in delivering year-round events; and creating a neighbourhood marketing council with Business Improvements Areas to promote the diversity of neighbourhoods in Vancouver.

The full list of recommendations can be viewed on the Tourism Master Plan website, which was created to keep the public and stakeholders informed of the planning process and outcomes: http://vancouvertourismplan.org

“Tourism is one of Vancouver’s most exciting and significant industries, supporting over 28,000 jobs in our city” said Mayor Gregor Robertson at yesterday’s event. “Building on the incredible success of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, it is an industry with vast potential for growth and one that merits the full ongoing support of government partners. It is important that we come together to ensure coordinated development that meets the future needs of residents, visitors, investors and other stakeholders in showcasing Vancouver to the world.”

“The tourism sector is a 2.7 billion dollar industry for Vancouver,” said Joan Elangovan, CEO of the Vancouver Economic Commission. “It showcases the city’s innovative culture, its entrepreneurial spirit and investor-friendly business climate. We look forward to continuing to work with Tourism Vancouver and our business community to continue to grow our local economy.”

The action for a Tourism Master Plan came out of Rethink Vancouver, a Tourism Vancouver-led industry collaboration started in 2010 that identified steps to help Vancouver achieve its goal of becoming a “World City.”

“Rethink Vancouver and the Tourism Master Plan are monumental steps for Vancouver,” said Rick Antonson, Tourism Vancouver’s president and CEO. “The Tourism Master Plan sets both future benchmarks and shared ambitions that will help guide the tourism planning process in years to come. We are particularly heartened by how closely the interests of local residents align with the tourism industry.”

The AGM also introduced Tourism Vancouver’s 2013/14 Board of Directors. Incoming chair Bob Lindsay, owner/operator of Lift Bar, Grill, View will lead a 15-member board made up of prominent members of the tourism industry.

Tourism Vancouver’s focus is on building exceptional customer relationships with meeting planners, travel influencers, travel media and independent tourists. The organization’s brand essence is about “exceeding expectations.”

The eight recommendations from the plan cover these areas:

• The initiation of a product development strategy in 12 areas of opportunity.
• The establishment of an events organization to facilitate the delivery of cultural, sports and signature events around the year, particularly in Q1 and Q4.
• The comprehensive assessment of the visitor experience, including journey mapping, digital visitor experience, hosting, sustainability and wayfinding.
• The creation of a neighbourhood marketing council with BIAs to promote cultural diversity and consider key neighbourhoods as tourism destinations.
• The planning and backing of key development opportunities for tourism infrastructure, including Granville Island, NE False Creek and the creation of a “Tourism Corridor” on Georgia Street.
• The incorporation of the needs of visitors into public and private transportation, particularly with regards to late night public transportation and walkability issues.
• The alignment of advocacy interests of tourism partners for the benefit of visitors and the industry, particularly on issues such as liquor and alcoholic beverages, tourism workforce development and aviation.
• The formalization of an ongoing group of city, industry and tourism partnership to oversee master plan actions and report back to industry and residents.

Photo: jpelletier

The post Vancouver’s Tourism Master Plan Overview Revealed appeared first on hello vancity.

Lens Frames

Lens Frames by Ben Z Cooper

Need a new perspective from peering through the front door? Ben Z Cooper has upcycled a variety of lenses, saving them from a trip from the landfill, into one of a kind frames.

Cymata 3D Song Sculptures

Cymata turns your music into a 3D printable sculpture.

If you’re up for a weekend 3D-printing project, you can take a favorite song and turn it into a 3D sculpture. Currently the open source project is in Processing.org, with tutorials and examples available to play with.

Vancouver Lego Club

Vancouver Lego Club creations

The Vancouver LEGO® Club (VLC) is made up of mature builders and collectors from around the lower mainland who share a love of “the toy of the century”. Monthly meetings are held to exchange ideas, inspirations, and even LEGO® bricks and sets. We enjoy building and displaying our own creations, for each other, and at public events.

Join in on the next event >

Motion Control by Zaber

Motion Control by Zaber

Keeping shots stable is always a challenge for all photographers and videographers. (I still need practice on using a manual slider while shooting video with DSLRs at events).

Zaber had their booth set up with lots of mechanical demos of their various motion control products. They are known as “Linear Actuator and Stepper Motor Controller Specialists” and “Simplifying Motion Control”. Their products can be applied, but not limited to a variety of applications like Photonics, Optics, Testing, Instrumentation, Material Science, Industrial Automation, Surveillance, Biomedical Applications.

If there’s a gamer in your life, maybe get them started on programming their own joystick?

Wooden AT-AT Liquor Cabinet

Steampunk AT-AT Liquor Cabinet / Emperor’s Cabinet by Colin Johnson

Can the man-cave accomodate this functional piece of Star Wars fan furniture? Maybe the liquor collection needs a new way of being displayed and store. View more pictures on Colin’s blog >

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As our guide led us through the process of creating chocolate from cocoa beans and just a few key ingredients, we were encouraged to taste several types of chocolate, from 85% dark to salted almond milk chocolate in order to compare their subtle and not-so-subtle flavours. And then we were offered more samples of their lovingly prepared caramels and confections in the kitchen. If that wasn’t enough, the factory store had yet more samples to tempt us (and our wallets).

Theo started out in 2006 as North America’s first bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer and has grown into a successful example of a socially responsible company. All of their chocolate is certified fair trade through Fair for Life, ensuring that workers are paid a fair wage and have good working conditions. They also boast organic and non-GMO certifications. Talking to the smiling tour guides and watching the (sometimes dancing) factory workers made me love Theo’s story even more.

Fun chocolate facts:

• Theobroma cacao (cocoa tree) is latin for “food of the gods”

• It takes 2-4 cocoa pods to create one chocolate bar

• Cocoa beans go through a fermentation process before roasting

• The darker the chocolate, the more antioxidants it contains and the better it is for you

The Theo Chocolate Factory is located in the colourful Fremont neighbourhood of Seattle. It’s open for tours daily, but if you’re on a tight schedule it’s best to book ahead.

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YouTube Space LA is a state of the art production facility in Los Angeles designed to produce original YouTube content. Bloomberg’s Deirdre Bolton takes us on an exclusive tour of the $25 million production facility.

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We judge everything by its’ price, and so far, it’s really worked out for us. Not only do we have full bellies and happy tastebuds, we’ve also got bank accounts that are (somewhat) staying afloat despite our hollow leg and ravenous appetite. Sorry Thompson, you may have been a world renown author, journalist, and had Johnny Depp play you, but you’re wrong about this one.

Take for instance Tacofino Commissary, another glorious addition to the amazing food truck culture in our city.

Almost the entire menu is made of #ChowDeals (ahem, $5 or less). The fish taco with crispy ling cod, cabbage, chipotle mayo and salsa fresca for $5 is the perfect choice for a hot day. There’s also the pork jowl taco, yam tempura taco, and black bean taco stuffed with random yet ridiculously tasty and innovative fillers like pineapple, fried shallots, sriracha, bonito flakes, and chayote. We have no clue what chayote is, but for $5 to chow on these tacos, we don’t really care.

There’s also the lime-mint freshie for $4.50 or the $2.50 chocolate-diablo cookie for dessert. Because every meal needs dessert. It’s a proven fact.

Needless to say, trust us on this one. Roll out with the orange Tacofino truck and take advantage of these sweet #ChowDeals before they pack up their doors and hibernate for the winter. We shudder.

Where’s the best place to get a taco? Add your review on Chowmenow and share the cheap-eat knowledge!

Photo Credits: Tacofino Commissary; Melissa

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Are you a Chihuahua or an English Bulldog who is tired of just sitting, staying, and rolling over? Want to become a star? If the answer is yes, then Theatre Under the Stars wants to cast you for the roles of Bruiser Woods or Rufus for Legally Blonde: The Musical!

Qualifications?

• Well trained
• Well groomed
• Friendly
• Pretty in pink
• (Both canine and handlers must be available for some rehearsals in June and run of show in July and August)

Sign up for an audition by phone at 604-734-1917 or email info@tuts.ca

Legally Blonde, the musical?

On Broadway (in NYC) in 2008 and with @BAC_Touring in Vancouver

Sorority girl Elle Woods, her little dog Bruiser and other favourite characters take Harvard Law by storm in this sensational Broadway musical, a hilarious and exhilarating re-imaging of the hit film. 

Learn more about TUTs Shows this summer >

OPENS July 8th and performs even days in July and odd days in August until August 17th.
(There are still early bird tickets available also online >)

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