Canadians Shake Things Up in New York’s Bryant Park

Bryant Park…a New York City destination that cannot be missed, especially in the wintertime. Experiences include the only free ice skating rink in NYC, amazing holiday shops for that last minute shopping, and a 50-foot holiday tree! But for one week in December, the Canadian Tourism Commission added a special touch to the park – the world’s biggest snow globe! Standing over two stories tall and 24 feet wide, the globe came across our northern border from Ontario and made a week long guest appearance at The Pond at Bryant Park. The snow globe had four actors shooting hockey pucks, drinking “ice wine” and provided endless entertainment to the passersby. It even included snow fluttering around inside (no shaking necessary).

Canada has added a very special presence to The Pond at Bryant Park for the past few years by provided a holiday tree and host visitors in the toasty and colorful Celsius: A Canadian Lounge.

Canada also brought everyone’s favorite Canadian icon, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (“Mounties”) to the park every Monday from November 26-December 31 to meet and greet the public and celebrate the Canadian activities at the park. Visitors took home a free keepsake photo with their new Mountie friends in front of the Canadian tree. Lines formed to take photos with the Mounties and they were asked anything and everything from “where are your horses” to “are you actors?” To hear our “Monday Mounties” describe their experience and crazy consumer encounters, click on the link below from their interview which recently ran on NPR’s “The Bryant Park Project:” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17717196. And don’t forget to check out Canada when it comes back to Bryant Park in October 2008!

One Last Look Back

If it seems curious that my recollection for 2007 actually took place in 2006 it’s because my jet-setting trip to Canada feels like only yesterday and will always be one of my favorite stories…Back in September 2006, with only three months of Travel PR under my belt (I had been a Consumer Practice gal for many years), I was given the opportunity to plan and execute a press trip of a lifetime. After a month and half of work days packed with correspondence and itinerary planning with different Canadian tourism partners, creating an invite, inviting and following up with media, negotiating contracts with jet vendors, I had secured 10 amazing journalists to accompany me on a private jet trip across Canada. We departed September 14, 2006…129 hours and 46 minutes later (just shy of six full days for those right-brain readers), we had flown coast to coast and stopped off in five provinces.

The trip started off a breeze. We ate fresh lobster and sampled whisky straight from the distillery tanks in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (who knew whisky was really clear, it’s the barrels that turn it brown?). We then traveled to Toronto to experience a five star hotel and sneak peak passes to Toronto’s film fest.

As with all press trips, there were a few ups and downs – our “up” allowed us to be upgraded to a G-4 plane. As we entered our new jet halfway through the trip I was greeted by a flight attendant who had made chocolate chip cookies in the jet’s own oven and found a seat made of soft leather and “gold” plated seatbelts. This was travel heaven.

The trip only got better. Sure there were a few more road bumps (Yukon fog!) but along with my 10 journalists, I was able to experience a dinner fit for a king in Banff; saw the Northern Lights and was the 23,699 person to join the SourToe Cocktail Club in Dawson City, YT (www.sourtoecocktailclub.com); and met a top chef in Vancouver who served us a savory tasting menu. And to top it all off, the client received some of their best print placements from a press trip.

Lisa

Moving In

2007 has been a busy and exciting year, abundant with change. I started working in the travel group at Weber Shandwick at the end of the summer. During my first few weeks as the newest member of the team, due to the lack of office space, my desk was located on a different floor in what was known as the “party pit,” an area of desks occupied by employees from various departments of the firm. As much as I enjoyed sitting with my fellow colleagues in the pit, I was eager to be with “my people”. After a few short weeks at 640 Fifth Ave. The entire New York office moved to 919 Third Ave. Once the office move was complete, I was finally able to join the group (physically) and learn about the excitement of the travel team. For this reason, I would have to say that the move was my favorite part of 2007 as it allowed me to finally sit with and work with the full team and be a part of the group. Full of high energy and creativity, being a part of the Travel Group has been an amazing experience for me.

Working on accounts like Hilton Head Island, Royal Caribbean, and Hard Rock Park, I’ve had the privilege of working with various team members who have all gone out of their way to make sure my first few months at Weber Shandwick have been nothing but positive. From my past professional experience, the people in the work place and personalities are one of the most important factors of a job and I feel so fortunate to work with the great people I’ve met so far. Each day is a new, unique learning experience and you never know what you’re going to get. But that’s what makes it so exciting and challenging and I can’t wait to see what 2008 has in store for us. Wishing everyone a joyous holiday season and happy New Year.

Lauren

A Whirlwind Tour

Two weeks into working at Weber Shandwick, I was pulled into a meeting with some of my Bahamas team members. I dutifully took notes the entire time, taking down all of the important details being discussed regarding the upcoming Bahamas Weather Conference. At one point, I was instructed to “book Keri’s flight.” As I added this task to my To-Do list, I noticed everyone in the room staring at me, awaiting my reaction. It wasn’t until someone asked me if I had a valid passport, did I realize that I had been asked to book a flight for myself to The Bahamas!

A week and a half later, I stepped off the plane in Nassau/Paradise Island on my first ever trip to The Islands Of The Bahamas. I stared out the window in awe of the clear, turquoise water and white sand beaches on the entire ride to Atlantis, where we were staying for the week. The four days of the Weather Conference flew by and upon boarding the plane back to New York, I knew MUCH more about hurricanes, conch fritters, and the intelligent and eclectic group of individuals I work with everyday at Weber Shandwick.

Meredith

Size Does Matter

Looking back at the year in Weber Shandwick travel, I can only think of one word to describe 2007…BIG! It seems like the travel team has been around the world and back this year, generating buzz for our clients. I am personally honored and awestruck to have been involved in the historic launch of the Singapore Airlines’ A380 – the World’s largest aircraft – and to have wandered the decks of Liberty of the Seas – the World’s largest cruise ship – all in one year.

While we helped Singapore Airlines’ A380 capture the attention of the world with its sheer size and significant advances in in-flight comfort and service, the team also orchestrated huge PR success stories with efforts surrounding the return of the famed street cars to New Orleans and even the zaniness of offering New Yorkers a free Canadian diamond.

From sizable dimensions and great big innovations to the little ideas that made a giant splash, after this year the saying “go big or go home” has never had more meaning to me!

Here’s to an ever bigger 2008!

Marlayna

The View from Travelville

Sitting in the corner of Weber Shandwick’s 16 Floor (or better known as “Travelville” to us globetrotters), certainly puts me in a prime location. As I crank out a press release, aggressively pitch media and update my status reports, I can overhear my co-workers chatter about what they’re working and I can’t help but get excited about all of the events happening within our Travel & Lifestyle Practice (as cheesy as it may sound). From Canada’s sponsorship of holiday events in NYC’s Bryant Park to Holiday Inn Express’ Web-based series “The Smart Show” to the launch of a new Royal Caribbean cruise ship, it’s certainly never a dull moment here in Travelville. While we all seem to work on unique projects, I can honestly say that most memorable experience here for me has been working on the multi-market “Forever New Orleans” streetcar tour – a media tour and series of events aimed to bring the best of New Orleans culture to major U.S. cities and help people overcome their misperceptions of The Crescent City post-Katrina. Assisting in the transportation of a 1920s vintage streetcar (one that serves as a mobile museum and billboard) to various cities certainly was a challenge, but in the end, the results made it a one-of-a-kind experience.

Jennifer

Erin

Hailing from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Erin began her career in travel & tourism PR almost 10 years ago after graduating from Florida State University. Her enthusiasm for unique travel experiences has taken her to 21 countries throughout North America, The Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Any mode of transportation is a new adventure - she’s taken to the skies in the historic Goodyear blimp, free fallen out of an airplane at 120mph, trekked on elephants through the jungles of Chiang Mai, sailed into New York Harbor on Queen Mary 2, and even experienced weightlessness aboard G-Force One.

Marlayna

Marlayna hails from the Lobster Capital of the World, Rockland, Maine, where her love of travel developed from a thirst for exploration. Her introduction into PR involved traveling across New England to represent the state and the Maine Lobster Festival. Not afraid of a 12-hour flight, Marlayna earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Fairfield University before putting down roots in the Big Apple.

It's All Downhill from Here...

In many ways, 2007 was a life changing year for me with two new hobbies topping the list: cooking and skiing. Today I write about skiing since I’ve recently hit that tipping point from enthusiast to avid. Recently I met a fellow originally from Mozambique whose wife said she has a hard time getting him to go anywhere north of NYC…way too cold (“you know that Africa thing”). I reassured her that while it took my husband 10 years to convince this warm blooded Brazilian to venture out on the slopes, I am now completely obsessed with the sport and always look forward to winter. This past year we were at Killington, Jackson Hole, Snowbird, Alta, Deer Valley and Park City Mountain. Next year we’re going abroad. (If any of my clients are reading, this gal needs a Canadian ski vacation!) Guess I have a lot of catching up to do for all those years sipping fruity cocktails at the beach. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Come to think of it, becoming a skier is the perfect New Year’s resolution. You get the best work out of your life and eat all the food you want guilt-free…and cozying up by the fireplace sure beats sweating by the sea.

Renata