BIMINI BAY RESORT OFFERS FREE WEDDINGS FOR CANADIAN BRIDES

Sapona Wedding package is the effortless way to say “I do”

April 6, 2010 – TORONTO – Just in time for the spring and summer wedding seasons, Bimini Bay Resort, one of The Bahamas’ newest upscale getaways, is offering Canadian brides the opportunity to experience the wedding of their dreams – for free.

Bimini Bay’s vow to Canadian brides: for every couple in attendance that books four nights in a $400 per night room category or higher, she will receive two complimentary guests at her wedding reception, as part of the Sapona Wedding Package. Available throughout December 31, 2010 for Canadian brides only, the Sapona Wedding package offers simple, understated luxury and is regularly priced at $200 per person.

No matter the venue – whether beachside with white sand between your toes; on the edge of paradise by the infinity pool or under the pristine sunshine in the elegant wedding gazebo, the Sapona Wedding Package also includes a wedding ceremony set-up and officiant, four hours of premium open bar, unlimited passed hors d’oeuvres for the cocktail hour, Veuve Cliquot champagne toast, a three course sit down dinner or buffet and wedding cake from one of the most well-known cake artists of South Florida, Ana Paz.

“We are thrilled to extend this extravagant offer to Canadian brides,” said Danielle Dunfee Event Manager, Bimini Bay Resort and Marina, The Bahamas. “Recent research has shown that destination weddings have increased by 400 per cent in the last ten years in Canada and now make up as much as 20 per cent of the market.”

Straying from the typical destination wedding but keeping up with current trends, Bimini Bay Resort and Marina offers an off-the-beaten-path experience where guests will enjoy the tropical yet laid-back ambiance of the intimate island, easily reachable by air or sea. Bimini Bay Resort’s experienced wedding coordinator will help from start to finish – from floral arrangements and cakes to color schemes and industry trends.

The Sapona Wedding Package allows for complimentary guests to the wedding reception for those booking a four-night stay at Bimini Bay Resort in a one-bedroom treehouse villa, two-bedroom luxury suite (both $400 per night) or higher room category. Bimini Bay’s signature treehouse villa experience offers beautiful water views and is furnished with a king size bed and two bathrooms.

Bimini Bay Resort offers an array of first-class amenities for its guests including two pools, three restaurants, massage services and the largest marina in The Islands of The Bahamas.

Canadians get free match tickets in 2010 FIFA World Cup packages

Emirates and MyEscapades offer fans seven match package options

TORONTO – March 31, 2010 – With less than 75 days to go until the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Emirates and MyEscapades have upped the ante by offering free match tickets as part of their fan-tastic package deals. The offer applies to new air-inclusive bookings made between now and April 15, 2010 at emirates.com/ca or myescapades.com/special_offers.

Every Canadian soccer fan who books an Emirates and MyEscapades FIFA World Cup™ package will receive a minimum of one free Group Match ticket. Full details of all the packages available can be found at MyEscapades.ca.

As an Official Tour Operator for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Emirates offers a number of tailor-made travel packages that include flights, accommodation, ground transportation and match tickets, in addition to the minimum one free match ticket.

The award-winning airline also provides a unique ‘follow-your-team’ component to tour package offerings, a testament to the airline’s commitment to the beautiful game and its followers. Emirates packages guarantee fans gold-dust tickets for each of their team’s matches, right up to the final on July 11.

“We are thrilled to offer our first-class expertise in travel services to soccer fans in Canada and around the world. We believe the free match ticket incentive compliments the air-inclusive offerings,” said Mary Heron, Manager Canada, Emirates airline.

Firdosh Bulsara, General Manager, MyEscapades says he has a severe-case of soccer fever as “the (soccer) frenzy is reaching its peak and this promotion delivers a dream-come-true for soccer fans travelling across the world. Now, they’re going to see at least one more game for free.”

Canadian fans will travel from Toronto aboard the Emirates A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft to Dubai, then connect on one of five daily flights into South Africa, with the options of travelling to Johannesburg, which hosts 15 matches including the opening match and final; or Cape Town, host city of eight matches, or Durban, which is home to seven FIFA World Cup matches.

About Emirates and FIFA World Cup

Emirates’ partnership with FIFA began at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany when it became the first airline to sponsor the prestigious sporting event. Following the success of this tournament, Emirates cemented its status as an Official FIFA Partner up to and including the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

For more information on booking your dream ticket to the ultimate sporting extravaganza, visit emirates.com/fifa or emirates.com/ca.

Conditions: Free ticket/s is only applicable in the case of flight inclusive bookings. The free group game match ticket would be for another team within duration of his/her stay. Free ticket/s will only be confirmed after the payment for the package has been received in full. Free ticket/s is subject to availability and will be confirmed within 3 days of receipt of the booking form. Free ticket/s is non-transferable and must be used by the customer who books the package. Free ticket/s will be issued in the same name as shown in the package booked. Free ticket/s would be Category 1 match tickets. The free ticket does not include transportation to and from the base camp to the match venue. Transfer arrangements from the base camp to and from the match venue are the sole responsibility of the customer. If free match tickets redeemed are at a different base camp than match included in original package, a mandatory 24 hour breaks between the matches is necessary.

The 2010 Toronto Sportsmen's Show a Resounding Success!

The 2010 Toronto Sportsmen's Show a Resounding Success!

Having made a big move in 2010, The Toronto Sportsmen's Show fit perfectly into its new diggs at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre after spending 62 years at The CNE.

More than 100,000 spectators flooded the North and South buildings over the course of five days enjoying this rite of passage into the spring season. More than 400 exhibitors offered an exciting lineup of the latest gear for camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, canoeing, travel and boating.

My personal fave? The Great Dane Rescue: the organization takes in abandoned Great Danes and finds them good homes. At any given day of the show I could be found with my 120 pound friend Emmett and he lay sprawled on the floor as I babied him.

Our friend Bob Izumi was a media darling drawing crowds and media to the show alike. Speaking of media, it was our most successful year on record. Jessica Patriquin wowed everyone at the office securing Canada AM, Breakfast Television and CP 24 in support of the show, just to name a few.

Now that we're all recuperated, can't wait to do it again next year!

Thomas Cook ready to PUNCH out in 2010

Great news! PUNCH Canada has been named Agency of Record for Thomas Cook Canada solidifying its position as THE travel and leisure Marketing Communications firm.

Thomas Cook ready to PUNCH out in 2010

Thomas Cook has named Punch Canada its agency of record, ending its seven-year relationship with Brainstorm Group.

The company began an agency review last autumn when it altered its vendor policy, making it necessary to regularly review third-party relationships. Brainstorm was invited to defend the account along with Punch and three other unnamed agencies.

Paul Larcher, senior director of marketing for the travel brand, said he was "perfectly happy" with Brainstorm, but ultimately opted for Punch.

"We were immediately drawn to the energy and creative thinking that Punch demonstrated in the selection process," Larcher said. "The agency has strong travel credentials and they made the connection between creative ideas and strategic thinking that we were looking for."

Punch has done work for Emirates airlines and managed the "It’s Better In the Bahamas" campaign.

During the review process, Punch was assigned a separate project organizing a media event for Thomas Cook’s newly launched travel insurance services.

"We kept it separate from the RFP," Larcher said. "Perhaps in going through that process, it did give us a little insight into their agency and more confidence in selecting them."

Larcher initially invited Punch to the review because of an existing business relationship with Erin McNeill, the agency’s vice-president, group accounts.

"I left [Thomas Cook] in 2000 for six years, and while I was away I worked [at Echo Advertising] with Erin," Larcher said. "I had heard she was at Punch, and knew they did work in our category, so I contacted them."

Thomas Cook has a 14-member internal marketing team that handles most of the creative, media buying and public relations work across its multiple brands. (The company’s consumer-facing brands include Sunquest and ALBATours, while its business-to-business ventures include Fun Sun Vacations, Encore CruiseEscapes and The Wholesale Travel Group, among others.)

Punch will "augment" the internal team’s work, handling overflow as well as consulting on long-term strategy and advertising plans and serving as an events and public relations team.

Punch is currently working on two assignments for 2010.

The Out Islands of The Bahamas

Check out the latest slide show from TripAtlas.com profiling the beauty and splendor of The Bahamas Out Islands. Featured are Bimini, Andros and Long Island. Gorgeous weather included.

From the melting pot into the fire

I just returned from the media preview for From the Melting Pot into the Fire at the Gardiner Museum and it is -- in a word -- extraordinary.

The exhibition of conceptual work by Israeli ceramic artists that explores the issues of land, identity and home in contemporary Israel. The exhibition does not endorse any single political, social or artistic point of view. Instead, visitors are encouraged to reflect on the work and form their own opinions about the issues it raises. Notably, the labels that accompany each work, usually written by an exhibition curator, were written by the artist and provide an intensely personal response to the complex issues addressed.

The intimate and personal nature of this exhibition provides visitors with an individual rather than a political perspective of the issues that have and continue to shape life in contemporary Israel.

From the Melting Pot into the Fire has its origins in the Fourth Biennale for Israeli Ceramics that was organized by the Ceramic Artists Association of Israel (CAAI) and hosted by the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv in 2007. (The CAAI is a non-governmental, non-profit professional organization that supports ceramic artists in Israel.)

Yael Novak from the Ceramics Artists Association of Israel acted as that group’s curatorial liaison to the Gardiner Museum, and was on hand this morning. She recounted beautiful, intimate and sometimes sad stories about the pieces. Here is her piece below.



She has created the Israeli landscape with her pottery, using negative space as well.

I was also drawn to Avner Singer and Varda Bar Shamai's The Building Blocks of Memory / Monument for the Hebrew Language. There are 30 cubes: 27x27x27 cm each. I wasn't aware that the Hebrew language wasn't a spoken language until relatively recently -- about 200 years.




I found the whole experience moving. Perhaps it was because of Yael's personal tour... Regardless, From the Melting Pot will surely encourage discussion and maybe get you to think of ceramics a bit differently.

IT’S ALL CHILD’S PLAY AT THE GARDINER MUSEUM IN 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IT’S ALL CHILD’S PLAY AT THE GARDINER MUSEUM IN 2010

TORONTO (January 7, 2009) – The Gardiner Museum invites children and families to unearth their artistic muses at one of the museum’s exciting array of kid-friendly camps, classes or special events in 2010.

2010 Winter and Spring Clay Classes
Under the guidance of the Gardiner Museum’s education team, children registered in one of the two-month clay classes can create water fountains, birdhouses, balcony and patio pots to enhance their outdoor space. Register soon – these classes fill up quickly.
• Saturday Winter Kids Clay Classes
$200/$170 for Gardiner members’ children and grandchildren
January 9 to February 27, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday Spring Kids Clay Classes
$200/$170 for Gardiner members’ children and grandchildren
April 24 to June 12, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

March Break at the Gardiner Museum
Every day during March Break (March 15 to 19), from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., kids can keep busy at the Gardiner Museum with crafts and scavenger hunts. Kids can make a family tree, find the hidden rabbit and enjoy a visit to the Gardiner Museum. These programs are free with the price of adult admission and children must be accompanied by an adult. As always, children 12 and under are free.

March Break Clay Camps
Kids can get their hands dirty at the Gardiner Museum’s March Break Clay Camp. This half-day camp is a fun, active way to learn about art and human history. They explore the museum’s permanent collection and special exhibits with a hands-on clay experience. The camp runs March 15 to 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and costs $250 ($215 for Gardiner members’ children and grandchildren).

Family Days
On the second Sunday of every month (with the exception of Easter), the Gardiner Museum will host Family Days from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extra fun with hands-on crafts, scavenger hunts and more. The schedule is as follows:
• January 10: In conjunction with the exhibition Bigger, Better, More: The Art of Viola Frey and the Medallic Art Society of Canada display in the lobby, children will make their own big badges, for themselves and for their deserving friends and families.
• February 14: Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year! Make dragons and Valentines and enjoy fortune cookies and chocolate!
• March 14: In conjunction with the exhibition, Family Matters: Love, Marriage and Maiolica in the Italian Renaissance, children can learn how to make their own paper and pipe-cleaner family trees of life!
• April 4: Easter Sunday chocolate egg-hunt through the Museum. Paper crafts and music!
• May 9: Make special presents for mothers and grandmothers on Mother’s Day. Create and decorate a frame for a photo taken on the spot.

Also, on January 23 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Gardiner Museum welcomes guests to The Kaleidoscope of Tea at the Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West). The Orient Dance Company will perform traditional Chinese dances at the Isabel Bader Theatre followed by a light buffet dinner at the Gardiner Museum’s Terrace Room. This special family event will cost $30 for adults, $15 for children under 12.

The Gardiner Museum continues to host its Drop-in Clay Studio, Fridays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Suitable for clay enthusiasts of all levels, this drop-in clay studio allows you to try various techniques in a studio setting. Two professional ceramic artists are on hand to guide you. Costs are: $10 for adults / $8 for Gardiner Members, seniors and full-time students / $5 for children 12 & under / $5 firing fee (per piece). Studio enrolment is limited to 40 participants per class.

Registration for all Gardiner Museum events can be done online (www.gardinermuseum.com) or by telephoning the Gardiner Museum at 416.586.8080.

Finally, post-secondary students receive free admission every Tuesday (with valid ID).

ABOUT THE GARDINER MUSEUM
The Gardiner Museum offers an intimate look at one of the world’s oldest and most universal art forms -- ceramics. The collection spans continents and time, giving a glimpse into the development of ceramic processes, decoration and form. Year-round the Museum mounts special exhibitions, events, lectures and clay classes to complement its permanent collection.

The Museum also features a café that serves delicious local fare prepared by Jamie Kennedy Kitchens as its executive chef, and the Gardiner Shop, which specializes in artist-designed, artist-made merchandise. More information about the museum and its exhibitions can be found online at www.gardinermuseum.com

Members of the media can register to access the Gardiner Museum’s online media room (www.gardinermuseum.com/mediaroom) where they may review and download images and additional media materials.

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For more information, contact:

Mary-Margaret Jones
PUNCH
416.360.6522 ext. 241
marymargaret@punchcanada.com

Danna Barak
PUNCH
416.360.6522 ext. 240
danna@punchcanada.com