Pink Ponies: Check out this video!

This Youtube video was recommended to me by a student in the Special Event Management class I teach at Humber College. It is a fantastic case study about planning a young girl's birthday pary. This video demonstrates perfectly the importance of knowing your audience, using emerging social media for event marketing, and building an event that not only attracts but retains your guests. It goes to show that your event doesn't need to have a huge budget or thousands of guests to be a success. Check it out!

My Online Portfolio

I've created an electronic online portfolio that showcases pictures of events I've coordinated and highlights my professional event coordination resume in greater detail. Feel free to browse through my pictures!

www.krop.com/rebeccacotter/portfolio/

Instructor of Special Event Management at Humber College

I have joined the part-time faculty in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism at Humber College as the instruction of Special Event Management in the Hospitality and Tourism Operations post-diploma program.

Check out my bio featured on the Humber College website here: http://hospitality.humber.ca/content/rebecca-cotter-0

I'm looking forward to sharing my experience with budding event coordinators!

Appointed Race Director for Girls on the Run GTA

After two years of working with Girls on the Run GTA (GOTR), http://girlsontherun.ca/, in various capacities I am pleased to undertake the role of Race Director for the 2011 "It's Cool to Be Me" 5K Race on June 11, 2011.

Girls on the Run Greater Toronto Area is a life-changing, charitable non-profit prevention program for girls in the 3rd through 8th grade that promotes its mission "to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living." through training for a 5K running event with healthy living education. GOTR programs instill self-esteem and strong values through health education, life skills development, mentoring relationships, and physical training - all of which are accomplished through an active collaboration with girls and their parents, schools, volunteers, staff, and the community.

Check out the GOTR website for more information about this valuable program, http://girlsontherun.ca/. If you'd like to volunteer with the GOTR race, email me at cotter.rebecca@hotmail.com - we're always looking for running enthusiasts and people looknig to make a positive impact on their community.

Water-on-Wheels - Making your event bottled water free!

In 2010 I started a business called Water-on-Wheels (WOW), wateronwheels.ca, that provides mobile water refill stations to events and festivals across Ontario. Water-On-Wheels stations connect to existing municipal water sources to provide event guests with the opportunity to refill their re-usable water bottles onsite at events.

Water-on-Wheels meets the growing bottled-water-free trend in the event industry. Having a WOW water station at your next event, festival, concert, or sporting event is a great way to decrease the event's environmental impact and improve its sustainable initiatives. WOW stations allow guests to re-fill their reusable water bottles for free thereby helping to decrease or eliminate the presence of commercially-packaged bottled water at your event.

WOW stations are great for indoor and outdoor events, athletic competitions, concerts, and public festivals. Having a fully-staffed WOW station at your next event is economical and environmentally friendly.

Visit the WOW website for more information wateronwheels.ca/ or to book a WOW station email me at bookings@wateronwheels.ca.

My Profile in Biz Bash Magazine

For anyone who subscribes to Biz Bash Toronto's events magazine, check out the bottom of page 14 - I'm on it. I was contacted by the magazine in the early winter to be featured as a "new face" in Toronto's events industry and my profile appears in the spring/summer 2008 issue.

Check out my profile in the PDF version of the magazine: http://www.bizbash.com/toronto/reporter/bbto_esr4.1_c1-21.pdf

For anyone unfamiliar with Biz Bash, check out the website: http://www.bizbash.com/toronto/. The site is updated daily, sometimes more than once a day. The content is lively, relevant, and extremely comprehensive of the Toronto events industry.

Any take your experience with Biz Bash one step further, if you haven't already, and subscribe to the magazine. In my opinion it's the best Canadian events publication and a great event planning reference resource. And best of all, it's free. Click here to subscribe: https://www.cambeywest.com/biz/biznew.asp

Blog Your Event

Check out http://blogto.com/events/. It's a fairly comprehensive Toronto events calendar and community features website that allows users to post and advertise events, and find out what's happening in the city's arts and entertainment scene.

Perhaps the best feature about this blog, setting it apart from the majority of the community calendars on the web, is that it's linked to a Facebook application - allowing for opt-in targeted event marketing. Posting your event on blogto.com connects your information with a network of Facebook users looking to find out what's happening in Toronto.

One down...

Check out the City TV press coverage of my first PDP event:

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_19454.aspx

Hockey not your thing? Check out my next event in this year's line up - Earth Day at Downsview Park, April 20th, 2008.

"CAR!"

Relive your youth at Downsview Park's 4th annual 3/3 Street Hockey Tournament - Saturday, Feb. 9th! Find some friends - like the ones you used to play with on your block when you were 12 - sign 'em up, and show up at Downsview Park for a day of street hockey that will undoubtedly remind you how out of shape you are.

For more information check out: http://www.pdp.ca/en/events/hockey.cfm

$100/team to register (that's a steal!) - online or call 416-952-2222.

Find us on Facebook: Group --> Downsview Park (PDP) --> 3/3 Hockey

Event Planning, Toronto-centre style

It is the popular opinion of Ontarians and have-not provinces alike that Toronto is the centre of the universe - at least where Canadian cities with a population >1M are concerned.

For this reason, I am proud to announce myself as Toronto's latest inhabitant. I got myself a swanky 20-something's apartment, a metropass and a flak-jacket; 'cause now I live in the city. But I do more than just live here...I'm also proud to be the Event Planner at Downsview Park (http://www.pdp.ca/). Now, before you either ask me where that is, or equate it to some event that involved the Pope or the Rolling Stones, inform yourself, and check out the website - because I would hate for you to be one of my Toronto-based friends who doesn't know where the place is.

At the Park I am looking forward to a position that will undoubtedly offer me a variety of opportunities in my chosen events field of special events and festivals, my line-up this year includes Canada Day, FamilyFest, Fall Fair and many concerts and shows along the way. So, if you're in the city looking for something to do this spring-summer-fall, stop by, we've got lots, and I'll be there.

10th Annual Celebrity Sports Dinner

OTTAWA – For his commitment to charitable causes, Brad Marsh, president of the Ottawa Senators Alumni, will be presented with this year’s Ottawa Citizen Brian Kilrea Award at the 10th Annual Celebrity Sports Dinner November 13th in the Salons of the Civic Centre.

The Ottawa Citizen Brian Kilrea Award recognizes the Ottawa sports personality who has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to community leadership by making significant contributions to the advancement of charitable causes.

Upon retiring from the Senators after their inaugural season, Brad was named Director of Team and Business Development. It was within this role Brad implemented many of the team’s charitable initiatives and community development, some of which are still in existence today. Also in 1993 Brad began to lay the groundwork for the creation of the Ottawa Senators Foundation. In those years following his playing career, Brad also spear-headed the growth of the Ottawa Senators Alumni, where he continues to serve as its president. The charitable work of the Ottawa Senators Alumni has contributed over 2 million dollars for local charities and community organizations in our community.

In 2006 Brad’s commitment to the community also earned him a Community Builder award from the United Way. Brad has also been very committed to the advancement of amateur hockey and speed skating in our community, serving as both coach and administrator respectively.

2007 marks the 10th anniversary of the Ottawa Celebrity Sports Dinner. Over the past nine years the dinner has raised over $700,000 for several great charitable causes, including this year’s beneficiaries the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, Football Canada, the Soloway Jewish Community Centre and the Ottawa Senators Alumni Foundation.

This year’s dinner features Hockey Hall of Famers Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Steve Shutt, and Bryan Trottier along with Rick Middleton, Terry O’Reilly, Billy Smith, and Rejean Houle. TSN’s Michael Landsberg will serve as host for the evening.

The dinner will also salute 15 years of Ottawa Senators hockey in our community with several of the original 92-93 Sens in attendance.

In addition, Bryan Murray, Elizabeth Manley, Roy Mlaker, Jeff Hunt, and Neil Brady will be in attendance along with 90 other sports and media celebrities.

My thoughts on MPI's WEC 2007

Here's a blog post I orginially posted to the MPI WEC Blog: http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/wec2007/wec_allblog.aspx?groupblog=3

A perspective from a web 2.0 event planner -- Posted by Rebecca C Cotter, Event Mgm Cert. on 7/31/2007 5:52:22 PM

WEC 2007 was my first experience with what MPI has to offer in the field of professional education, and I must say I was thoroughly impressed! As I am embarking on the first steps of my career in the events' industry, I am, as Don Tapscott indicated during his discussion at the Opening Session, one in the demographic that has 'grown up' with the web tools that are quickly revolutionizing our industry. From this tech-savvy perspective, I must commend MPI and the 2007 WEC for making such a priority out of exposing this year's attendees to what I feel is the significance held by this new technology.

I'd like to extend a sincere 'thank you' to those MPI members that attended Sunday afternoon's "Reality 2.0: Attracting and Engaging the Next Generation Member" education session -- I was one of the panel members, and it was an honour to have the opportunity to share my knowledge of and experience with the new collaborative internet with you. In an effort to extend our networking oppotunities beyond our time spent together in Montreal, I invite you to read and contribute to my blog at: http://www.theeventplan.blogspot.com/ -- I look forward to seeing you on the web.

-- Rebecca Cotter, MPI Ottawa Chapter

Canada Retirement to Host Ottawa's Largest Ever Hawaiian Luau

Over 1,000 Expected to Attend Mega Client Appreciation Event

Ottawa, June 13, 2007 - The Hellenic Banquet Centre will be transformed into a Pacific paradise when the sights and sounds of Hawaii come to Ottawa on Thursday, June 14, as the Canada Retirement Information Centre entertains its clients at a special "Tiki Thursday" client appreciation luau, barbeque and concert.

Canada Retirement’s clients can expect a fun-filled evening of Hawaiian entertainment, including a 4-piece jazz band that will play traditional Hawaiian favourites all evening long in tribute to the legendary Don Ho, and a performance by one of the world’s top professional Hawaiian dance groups, trained by internationally renowned signer and dancer Ohu Lani. Well-known Ottawa radio and TV personality Ray Stone will MC the five-hour summer luau, concert and barbeque. Guests are encouraged to dress up in their wildest Hawaiian outfits and participate in exciting hula contests, with the best-dressed and longest-lasting receiving gift certificates worth up to $500 from the Carlingwood Shopping Centre. Judging begins at 5:45 p.m.

“This event is going to be a lot of fun for everybody,” said Canada Retirement CEO Fred Bowie. “With all the great performers and events we have lined up, I truly think this could be the biggest and best client appreciation day we’ve ever hosted.”Canada Retirement began its tradition of organizing client appreciation events over 15 years ago. Since then, its summer party has grown to become the largest annual “thank-you for your friendship and business” party in Ottawa.

“We think it’s vitally important to give back and honour our clients in a unique way to show them how much we appreciate their support and loyalty,” said Canada Retirement President Franco Frangione.

Since 1980, the Canada Retirement Information Centre has helped thousands of people build towards safer and more prosperous retirements through its customized and worry-free approach to retirement income planning. All media are invited to attend and interviews are welcomed.

“Tiki Thursday” Hawaiian Luau BBQ Thursday, June 14, 2007, 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Hellenic Banquet Centre, 1315 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa.

Contact: Rebecca Cotter - Marketing Breakthroughs Inc.

Interviews: Fred Bowie and Franco Frangione - Canada Retirement Information Centre

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