From office to jobsite, the Elettra team is always ready for action. One of the best parts of working in PR is the wide variety of projects that we get to work on. One day we are pitching a fashion story and the next we are pulling on steel toed boots to scour a jobsite in preparation for an event. Every day is different and brings a new set of thrills and challenges. One thing is for certain, Elettra’s ready to tackle any project – regardless of the footwear required!

We are pleased to welcome Leanne Kedrosky back into the Elettra Communications office! Leanne first came to Elettra as an intern in March 2014. She completed a nine week internship as part of her BCIT Marketing Communications Program. Leanne then spent the fall coordinating our YVR School Tour Program at Vancouver International Airport. She had a two-part role, both as a tour guide for Grade 5 students visiting the airport and a  support resource for our Airport Authority clients.

Leanne has now taken on a new role as an Account Coordinator at Elettra Communications. We are thrilled to welcome her back into our office where she will provide support to a number of our clients including Vancouver magazine and YVR. We look forward to her continued growth within the company.

Welcome back Leanne!

The Kettle Society, Harbour Centre, and the Vancouver Lookout are inviting Vancouverites to celebrate the season with a twist this year. Instead of photos with Santa, they are offering people a chance to get ‘Snow Globed’. Visitors to Harbour Centre’s lobby can have a photo taken inside a giant snow globe with their own camera or phone between now and December 20th.

A minimum donation of $5 is suggested with 100% of proceeds going to The Kettle Society, a local non-profit that assists people living with mental illness

A sneak peek was held on Friday, November 28 when participants were given the opportunity to have their photo taken with the Whitecaps FC president Bob Lendarduzzi, club ambassador Carl Valentine, and mascot Spike.

The Snow Globe will be open Mon-Fri and on two Saturdays, Nov 29th and Dec. 6th.

Whistler Brewing Company celebrated its 25th Anniversary on Saturday evening at the Longhorn in Whistler with a special customized cask competition. Earlier this month six BC personalities tapped into their inner brewmaster to create a customized cask of ‘anniversary ale’ by developing their own recipes using a Whistler Brewing base beer and selecting their own combination of hops and other ingredients.

The contestants tapped their casks and their special brews were judged at the company’s anniversary party this weekend by a judging panel including representatives from BC Craft Brewers Guild, Whistler Blackcomb Food and Beverage, Whistler FM and headed by Whistler Brewing Company president Bruce Dean.

The participants were:

• Rob Boyd: Olympian and World Cup downhill winner
• Kristin Gordon: Global BC Meteorologist
• Bob Kronbauer: Publisher of Vancouver is Awesome
• Sean Pettit: Canadian freestyle skier
• Sophie Lui: Global BC Morning News co-anchor
• James Walt: Executive Chef at Araxi

James Walt’s “The Missing German” brew was announced the winner and was awarded a special 25th Anniversary trophy.  Sean Pettit came second with his “The Root Beer”.

Pacific Centre and Richmond Centre opened their doors at 7am on Black Friday to cater for early morning shoppers on the hunt for pre Christmas bargains.Cadillac Fairview (operator of both Pacific Centre and Richmond Centre) introduced a special “Fits you” platform this year, focused not only on offering great deals and promotions from top retailers but also on providing customers with a personalized fashion experience through a number of fun initiatives including:

• One-on-one sessions with professional stylists.
• The CF SHOP! App to help customers get the fashion finds they’re looking for.
• Fashion advice from Canadian fashion journalist Patricia Gajo through the CF SHOP! App and the Pacific Centre and Richmond Centre Facebook pages.
• Contest rewarding one lucky shopper in each property with a $1,000 shopping experience with a professional stylist on Black Friday.
• SHOP! CARD giveaways and in-mall “fashion spotting” on Black Friday.

With consumer and media interest in the growing popularity of Black Friday in Vancouver high both Richmond Centre and Pacific Centre attracted journalists and reporters from a number of media outlets including CBC, CTV, OMNI, The Province, Sing Tao and Ming Pao.

Elettra's Leanne Kedrosky has spent the fall at YVR providing tours to grade five students from around the Lower Mainland. In the following post, Leanne relates some of her favourite things about exploring YVR with a group of ten-year-olds.Navigating the Airport with Young Eyes

If you've been to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) recently, you may have seen streams of children being led throughout the terminal. Each year, from September to December, YVR hosts 60 Grade 5 classes for the YVR School Tour program, an educational experience were children learn about the airport's operations, history, and First Nations art. This year, I had the pleasure of navigating groups around the airport and sparking their enthusiasm for aviation. Each day provided new entertainment and lessons for me, as their tour guide. The following are some of my favourite experiences from the last few months.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Did you ever watch the old TV show Kids Say the Darndest Things? These are some of my favourite questions or statements from this fall's tours:

When I asked that students what is a domestic flight? Answers included:

• Is it one that carries animals?
• Is it a very fancy flight?

Students also asked: Can you take a hippo on a plane? And If there were no lights on the runways, could they use fireflies to light it at night?

Favourite Moments

One of the moments that caught me most off guard involved a Grade 5 girl. All the children in this group were exceptionally engaged throughout the tour and ran to give me a hug when the tour was over. One small girl ran up last with her arms outstretched. Expecting her to behave just like the rest of the class, I continued a conversation with another student, but was shocked when I was suddenly being lifted into the air and carried off. This girl was carrying me like it was no problem, which was shocking considering her tiny size! Thankfully I was able to convince her to put me down promptly, and after the shock wore off I was very impressed with her strength.

Tour Take Aways

Leading the school tours was entertaining and enlightening in many ways. I learned more about Vancouver International Airport than I ever imagined. The Airport Authority is highly involved in the local community and I am walking away from this position with a new appreciation for everything the employees do locally. Not only is the School Tour Program fully supplied by the Airport Authority, they also donate $750,000 a year to the Greater YVR Community, making a big difference to non-profit groups across the Lower Mainland. We have a very special airport here in Vancouver, and I am thrilled to have been part of it and to spread the word.

- Leanne Kedrosky

It’s been a busy couple of days in the Elettra office as we prepared a large mail out including bottles of two of Whistler Brewing Company’s new beers. After several days of assembling boxes, wrestling with bubble wrap, folding tissue paper, and printing fact sheets … we are very pleased with the final result!

The boxes included two beers which Whistler Brewing recently added to its line-up during this anniversary year: Forager, the first gluten free beer brewed in BC; and Big Sky UnCommon Lager, a complex and hop-forward lager brewed using a hot fermentation technique which dates back to the

Whistler Brewing celebrates its 25th anniversary this month and is marking the occasion with a special VIP reception followed by a party in the Longhorn, Whistler on November 29.

The brewery is also releasing a special, limited-edition Fox Tail Session Red Ale in a commemorative bottle, which will be available from mid-November in specially marked 25th Anniversary Party Packs at liquor stores throughout BC.

Are you heading to the Okanagan soon? If so, pick up the October issue of Okanagan Life and check out their feature on the new Sandhill Winery and visitor centre in downtown Kelowna. ...And the stop by Sandhill, of course!

The October Okanangan Life is on newsstands now.

Elettra Communications has an immediate opening for a full time Account Coordinator. We are looking for an enthusiastic and driven professional who is keen to take the next step in their PR career. Responsibilities:

Media Relations

• Writing media materials, including news releases, fact sheets, articles, and web copy.
• Developing media lists, distributing media materials, and pitching stories.
• Responding to incoming reactive media inquiries.
• Monitoring media and developing campaign recaps.

Social Media

• Monitoring social media channels on behalf of clients.
• Developing social media content and assisting in strategy development.

Events / Community Relations

• Coordinating events and community programs, working with clients and suppliers.

General

• Supporting senior team members on a variety of communications projects.
• Supporting administrative functions of the agency.
• Contributing to Elettra’s social media profiles. Creating content for Elettra’s blog.
• Conducting research on a variety of topics.

Requirements:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Business, Marketing, Public Relations, or Arts.
• Previous experience (6 months – 1 year) working in a public relations agency or within a communications team. This can include internships.
• Strong media literacy and interest in local, national, and international current affairs and news.
• Active user of social media, including all major platforms. Experience in content development and monitoring.
• Exceptional writing and oral communications skills.
• A wealth of knowledge about, and passion for, the city of Vancouver.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Flexible with hours and able to respond to media inquiries / attend events outside the 9-5, Monday-Friday workweek.

Please apply with cover letter and cv to info@elettra.ca.

We are delighted to be working with alumni UBC to publicize Fashioning Cancer, a fundraiser in support of the Canadian Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Centre at UBC. The event, part of Western Living Design Week, will feature the auction of ten exquisite evening gowns that were designed as works of art by Jacqueline Firkins, Assistant Professor, UBC Department of Theatre and Film, to encourage honest and open conversations about cancer.

The gowns were inspired by colourful microscopic images of cancer cells and cellular systems and auction and ticket proceeds from the event will go to the Canadian Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Centre at UBC.

In addition to the auction there will be a live performance by Canada’s queen of punk, singer/songwriter and cancer survivor, Bif Naked.

The Fashioning Cancer fundraiser will take place in the Porsche Centre Vancouver on Tuesday, September 23

For further information and to buy tickets, visit www.alumni.ubc.ca/fashion.

The YVR School Tour Program  is almost set to take off for another year. This week our two new tour guides Jenna Anderson and Leanne Kedrosky are in the midst of a rigorous training program. It takes a lot of knowledge to be a YVR Tour Guide, so they're spending the next two weeks getting to know the airport, meeting the key players, and memorizing a three hour-long tour script.

Jenna is an SFU Communications student currently on a Co-op work term. Leanne is a recent graduate from BCIT's Marketing Communications Management Program, who did her practicum at Elettra this past spring.

Leanne and Jenna are excited to be a part of the Elettra and YVR School Tour team, and can't wait to meet a lot of smiling young face this fall.

Welcome on board, Jenna and Leanne!

After a summer of all things light and bright on the home decor front, BC Living magazine is easing us into fall with the Home Trends page in their Fall 2014 issue.

Texture, metals, and natural elements feature heavily and beautifully. This includes a luxurious cowhide rug from our client, Burritt Bros. Carpets & Floors.

BC Living Fall 2014 is on newsstands now.

Local company Mahony & Sons opened the doors to their newest location in South False Creek earlier this week and Vancouverites have been flocking to the new restaurant to check out the detailed authentic Irish décor and sample delicious dishes and drinks on the stunning waterfront patio.

Prior to the opening Breakfast Television’s Dawn Chubai came down to Mahony & Sons to broadcast four cooking segments with Executive Chef Paul Nguyen and the Mahony brothers.  Viewers learned how to make Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos (a Mahony & Sons best-seller), Lily Belle’s Shrimp Salad, and Lee’s Lamb Dip, and Bar Manager Barry Quinn gave some useful tips on how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness.

Executive Chef Paul Nguyen prepares a shrimp salad at Mahony & Sons for BTV

The opening of Mahony & Sons Stamps Landing has proved of great interest to the local media and food bloggers with rave reviews appearing on the Georgia Straight website, Vancity Buzz, Modern Mix, and My VanCity (to name just a few), as well as on the websites of national food trade publications such as Canadian Restaurant News and Foodservice and Hospitality.

Follow @MahonyAndSons on Twitter for details on further coverage in the coming days and weeks.