| VANCOUVER "FAVOURITE FOREIGN CITY" FOR DAILY TELEGRAPH READERS |
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Vancouver won another accolade this December. Readers of British broadsheet The Daily Telegraph voted Vancouver third during the "Favourite Foreign City" category of the 9th annual Telegraph Travel Awards. Vancouver placed just behind Sydney and Cape Town. The Telegraph Travel Awards are the result of a survey completed by readers of Britain's Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph newspapers.
www.telegraph.co.uk
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| WEDGEWOOD HOTEL & SPA JOINS RELAIS & CHATEAUX |
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Vancouver's luxurious Wedgewood Hotel & Spa has been selected to join the prestigious Relais & Châteaux association, recognized as "the collection of the world's finest restaurants and hotels". The association's philosophy of the five Cs: courtesy, charm, character, calm and cuisine, coincides well with the Wedgewood's personalized style of hospitality, and ornate design. Wedgewood is the first and only Relais & Châteaux hotel in Vancouver.
www.wedgewoodhotel.com
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| TWO NEW PRIVATE DINNING OPTIONS UNVEILED IN VANCOUVER |
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Looking for a perfect spot for an off-site private dinner? Two new options have recently been unveiled:
- Four Seasons Vancouver has put the finishing touches on their new restaurant which features a glass enclosed, sky-lit private dining room with a 10-person communal table made from a slab of hand-hewn western maple. Yew Restaurant + Bar integrates sophisticated West Coast design and Pacific cuisine. Named for the rare indigenous Pacific Yew tree, the room features lofty 20-foot ceilings, wood-panelled walls and a floor-to-ceiling sandstone fireplace, capturing the essence of British Columbia's natural environment. The contemporary "raw bar" features stacked alder wood with granite surfaces. The menu, created by executive chef Rafael Gonzalez, includes ingredients from the entire Pacific region. The restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails, and is the first stage of a $5.3 million renovation of the hotel property.
www.fourseasons.com/vancouver
- Blue Water Café, one of Vancouver's top destinations for fresh wild seafood, just announced the highly-anticipated opening of their enhanced private dining and wine cellaring facilities. Located in the hip Yaletown district, Blue Water Café now houses two of Vancouver's most exclusive rooms for groups to dine in privacy and style. Ideal for intimate gatherings, corporate functions and celebratory affairs, Blue's two multi-faceted rooms are easily combined to accommodate up to 80 guests for dinner, or 110 for a reception. With its own separate entrance and cutting-edge audio/visual capabilities, no detail has been left out. Complemented by the exceptional cuisine of Executive Chef Frank Pabst and what will soon be the largest Champagne collection in Canada, you can't go wrong.
www.bluewatercafe.net
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| CIRQUE DU SOLEIL RETURNS TO VANCOUVER IN JUNE |
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Famed Canadian circus Cirque du Soleil has announced their return to Vancouver with the production Corteo. Italian for "cortege", the story of Corteo takes place in the imagination of a clown. Juxtaposing large and small, the ridiculous and the tragic, the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, Corteo brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat and the audience is plunged into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity. Corteo opens in Vancouver on June 12.
www.cirquedusoleil.com
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| JOIN THE CROWD! |
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These influential groups are among many that have recently signed up to host their meeting in Vancouver's expanded Convention and Exhibition Centre (VCEC):
- Not long after Vancouver's new airport-to-downtown rapid transit line is complete, 1,000 delegates from the International Tunnelling Association will experience the new underground transportation system when they meet at the VCEC in May 2010.
- In June 2010, Vancouver welcomes Million Dollar Round Table, an international association of insurance and financial professionals that is expected to attract 7,500 delegates.
- In May 2011, the International Confederation for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (IPRAS), based in Albany, New York will meet in Vancouver, attracting some 2,500 members.
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| A GIFT FROM VANCOUVER |
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Looking for that perfect gift for your delegate bags that just screams Vancouver? Need to find something original and sincere as a welcome gift for your top clients? Try one of these made-in-Vancouver gifts:
- Welcome your top clients with a bottle of chilled Vancouver-made Japanese Sake from the Granville Island. This Japanese delicacy comes presented in lovely bottles starting at $24.95 CAD. Granville Island's sake maker is North America's first premium Sake "winery".
www.granvilleisland.com
- Inspire your top sellers to succeed with
Vancouver 2010 Olympic apparel from the new on-line store. Tastefully logoed men's and women's SMARTech jackets start at $209 CAD. Scarves start at $30 CAD and hoodies cost $69 CAD.
www.vancouver2010.com
- When in Vancouver, do as the Vancouverites do and encourage your delegates to try out yoga - the unofficial civic sport! Gift yoga kits from Vancouver-based fitness emporium Lululemon Athletica. Yoga kits can include mats, blocks, stretching belts, Lululemon's signature bags, teaching videos and more.
www.lululemon.com
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| GREEN MEETINGS |
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As the birthplace of Greenpeace, it's only natural that Vancouver would be one of the world's most environmentally sustainable meeting destinations. Here are some ideas for how your meeting or convention in Vancouver can reach a deeper shade of green.
- Scheduled to open in spring 2009, the expanded facilities of the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre (VCEC), located on the waterfront in Coal Harbour, will have Canada's largest living roof, a rainwater irrigation system, an energy efficient design making use of natural light and ventilation, and onsite water management including sea water cooling.
www.vccep.bc.ca
- Eat well with the VCEC's new "Happy Earth" menus. Predominantly composed of certified organic, free-range and wild foods, these menus offer options for a green breakfast buffet, lunch, dinner and even a coffee break featuring organic teas and fair trade java. The VCEC also avoids disposable plates and cutlery in food and beverage service, and donates leftover food to local charities.
www.vccep.bc.ca
- Vancouver-based All Terrain Adventures & Extreme Limousine can help you meet your transportation needs in an environmentally responsible and stylish way. All Terrain's fleet of Chevy Suburbans run on up to 8 per cent Ethanol, while the newest additions to the fleet have the ability to operate on only four cylinders. This has subsequently decreased All Terrain's overall carbon footprint. All Terrain is committed to moving to the new hybrid Suburban as soon as it becomes available (expected Spring '08), further reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gasses by 20 to 40 per cent depending on driving conditions.
www.all-terrain.com
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