Things to do in Montreal to beat those winter blahs - Part 1

As February comes to an an end, all of us Montrealers are really starting to get anxious for winter to end and spring to rear it's beautiful head.  The winters here are long, and even though this winter has actually been much more bearable than winters past, those winter blahs are starting to kick in.  Some people like myself, are lucky enough to have the opportunity to escape the winter for a short time and take a trip to a sunny destination.  It is amazing what even just a week away from the cold and snow and in the sun and sand can do for your morale.  A healthy dose of vitamin D is one of the great ways to cut the winter somewhat short.

Some people however aren't as lucky, and simply cannot get away to sunny beaches and absorb all that vitamin D, so how can we beat those blahs and keep busy until spring finally makes it's first appearance?  Here are a few things to do in and around Montreal to get your mind off winter and get you ready to spring forward into the upcoming season:

1) The Montreal Highlights Festival - February 16th to 26th 2012

Photo credit: Victor Diaz-Lamich
for Festival Montréal en Lumière
All rights reserved.

This is a huge annual winter festival drawing over 900,000 people, that is meant to get you to experience the joys of winter.  There are several different activities for all tastes combining art, food and many free outdoor activities.  Some of the free outdoor activities include many fun, family favorites such as an Urban Slide; A giant outdoor slide about 110 meters long, with sound and lighting effects to regale everyone young and old.  For those in search of a bit less of an adrenaline rush, there are various gourmet stopovers in various locations around the site, that are sure to please any fine pallet.

Even though this event has just ended, you can check out all of the activities associated with this great 10 day Winter Festival, to titillate you for next year's event on the festival website www.montrealenlumiere.com.


2) 'Papillons en Liberté' (Butterflies go Free) - February 16th to April 29th 2012

Photo courtesy of
montrealspaceforlife.ca

Probably one of the most beautiful and interesting exhibitions this city has to offer in the dead of winter, Butterflies go Free is a great family outing that consists of over 2,000 different butterflies and moths flying freely in two greenhouses attached to the Montreal Botanical Gardens.  This exhibit is held indoors, so you can visit it any time, no matter what the weather outside is like.  Easily accessible by metro and a minimal entrance fee, this event will surely make you forget about winter at least for an afternoon.  Check out the website http://bit.ly/wiAyn7 for more details.






3) An then there was light! - Ongoing

Photo credit: Stéphan Poulin

This may not be that much needed natural sunlight or that dose of vitamin D, but in my eyes it's the next best thing.  This visually stunning light and sound show takes you on a historical journey of the history of this grand Montreal monument that is renowned world wide for its impressive architecture.  Construction of this magnificent structure began in 1824, and took over 15 years to be fully completed.  Don't miss this beautiful journey through time.  For more information on showtimes and ticket prices go directly to the website www.therewaslight.ca.



4) A good old Ice Skating Party at Parc Lafontaine

Photo courtesy of bonjourquebec.com

Anyone who knows me knows how much I dislike winter, however, I have to admit that a good old Ice Skating party at Parc Lafontaine when the weather is nice, is a surefire way to lift my spirits.  Skating on that little water way on a sunny day is a fun way to not only beat the winter blahs, but also to get some fresh air and exercise.  If you don't have skates, don't worry, there is a skate rental facility inside the connected chalet that can accommodate you and your entire family at minimal cost.  Afterwards you can warm up at the chalet with a piping hot mug of hot chocolate to refuel.

As you can see there is no lack of things to do in Montreal even in the wintertime.  Stay tuned later on this week for part 2 of my series of Things to do in Montreal to beat those winter blues.  Now go out and enjoy what's left of winter!

Great promotional gift ideas

Whether you're planning a corporate event, a wedding or a family gathering, It's always a nice touch to give away a little gift or souvenir at the end of your event. It's that little extra something that can make a good event great! Here are a few ideas for nice gifts to show your guests just how much you appreciate them:

1) Miniature camera for the gadget lover

Photo & description from hammacher.com

This is the world's smallest digital camera, measuring just over one inch in all dimensions and weighing only half an ounce. Providing automatic focus, it uses a 2 MP image sensor that takes still images at 1600 x 1200 resolution and captures video at 30 fps at 640 x 480 resolution. Images are taken as JPEGs and videos as AVIs, both saved onto an included 2 GB microSD card (supports up to 32 GB cards).  Impressive results for such a small unit and at only $59.95, this item is sure to impress all of your guests.  To order, simply click here.





2) Luggage tag for the travel bug

Photo & description from buzzlush.com

Make your luggage stand out on the turnstile with this unique piece. Unsnap, slide your info in and you're off to you next destination!

At only $10 a piece, this is the most affordable gift that is not only practical but attractive too!  Click here to get one today.





3) An always handy Flash Drive

Photo & description from anopportunityknocks.com

8 Gb Wine Bottle Style Flash Drive.  This great branding power, logo'd product is used everyday to store pictures, music, data. This is a must have for anyone who's ever been at a meeting or event and needed to download or upload something and didn't have a flash drive to do it.  This is a great way to promote your company or event with your very own ''Wine label''.  Click here for pricing details.





4) 4 in 1 Ruler Pen

Photo & description from uncommongoods.com

Simplify your desk and your pockets with this super-thin innovative ruler pen that features an orange highlighter, a black ballpoint pen, a pencil and a PDA stylus all in one.  No more searching for your pen or stylus, this item has it all wrapped up into one 5.63" L x .34" W package.  Click here for pricing and additional options.








5) Personalized Clip Hand Sanitizer

Photo & description from mapleleafpromotions.com

Wholesale Custom Clip Hand Sanitizer Personalized or Blank. Inexpensive, Promotional. 15 ml -0.55 Oz., in EVA case. This is a perfectly inexpensive way to ward off all those germs that one can come into contact with in a day. I know that I've often needed some of this when I just couldn't get to a bathroom to wash my hand. The small packaging is super convenient and can clip on anywhere. Prices starting at $1.29, this is definitely one item I would love to get my HANDS on at an event! Click here for all the details.



So there you have it, 5 great gift ideas for all types of events, that can accommodate budgets big and small.

Got more gift ideas? Share them with me in the comments section!

Acquiring clients is no easy task!

I've searched for years and years for the perfect job for me and after a lot of hardships and wrong turns, I've finally found my passion and the one thing that I am really good at...Event Planning.

My title at my last job was event manager and I thought this would be my chance to really shine and grow my passion for event planning and coordination. Although I had some good opportunities there, this just wasn't enough because this place was a retail store and they only threw 1 big event per year. Thankfully I was lucky enough to see this event through from beginning to end and loved every minute of it. This was a huge 3 day trade show type of event and It was right up my alley to prove my exceptional organizational skills and really show my true passion for organizing and planning events. The event was an enormous success and everyone involved praised my skills and said how this was the best year for this event, that it was so much better organized than previous years. I was thrilled with the outcome and couldn't wait to do more of these events. However, unfortunately this company took a different turn and many things happened within our department that were just not right for me and so, once again, I chose to leave this job and try my hand at freelancing one more time.

My biggest challenge at this point and time is still trying to acquire clients. I've done a bit of advertising in a newspaper, online and created a professional page on Facebook and got my personal website back up and running but so far I haven't gotten any results. I got an e-mail from someone looking for a quote, but this person also CC'd about 20 other event planners for a quote, and I haven't heard anything back. I got a call while I was on vacation from someone who I thought might be a potential client, but when I called the person back and left a message, they were no longer there and they still haven't returned my call. I have one more resource that I may be able to use who is an expert PR person. If I can manage to work out a deal with this person where I could pay her by commission with the first job that she would bring in, then this could potentially work out really well. Other than that, I am not a PR professional and therefore am still not quite sure how to go about getting new clients.

If anyone out there has any good tips for building a client list, than please don't be shy and communicate these tips to me, I need all the help I can get.