EAT Communications

Vancouver Experience = V for Convergence & X for Intersection

VX is a non-profit, industry-led, government supported initiative giving BC wireless and digital media companies opportunities to show off to the world, to make connections, and to show business leaders that Vancouver is a creative, innovative, and business-driven destination to work, play and profit.  By providing unique, Olympics-related wireless services to locals, visitors and non-accredited media, VX Showcase leverages the games to present the world with wireless and digital media technologies created here in BC.

The VX Directory is to enable BC’s top wireless and digital companies to connect with businesses and delegates from around the world. The directory’s matchmaking functions create a point of contact where world business delegates can discover our industry. In particular, it enables immediate, simple lead generation between visitors and BC wireless and digital companies.  Think of it as an innovative combination between Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter.

Social Media: So You’ve Heard the Hype

Now how do you apply it to your organization?

Social Media has certainly taken off in the past two years. With a vast landscape consisting of online community based properties such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, jumping into the world of social media can often be overwhelming, if not downright confusing. Most organizations foraying into this world of multiple segments and verticals will most likely be plagued by questions such as: “Where do I start?”; “How does social media fit into my current marketing strategy?”; and “How do I measure the value of such an initiative?”

EAT Communications specializes in helping businesses take full advantage of the benefits that social media has to offer, all the while getting your brand increased exposure into new channels and markets.

Why Social Media?

Like any online marketing channel social media if relatively cheap to implement and most of the major social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are free to register and can be managed quite affordably. It is quick, easy and the most efficient way to reach an audience. Furthermore, social media addresses a vast, growing audience that exists in real-time and gives business a genuine way to connect with them.

What Can Social Media Do For Your Business?

Because social media is a hub of internet activity that acts as a network to millions of people around the world, your business presence on a social media network such as Facebook can dramatically increase your online presence. It also enables your organization to effectively engage and converse with your target audience in a more direct and authentic method. Finally, social media can enhance branding and add value to your company’s message.

What Does Successful Social Media Strategy Implementation Look Like?

EAT Communications provides you with social media best-practices that are specific to your business. EAT helps you analyze segments and find viable target audiences and implement the tools you need to reach corporate goals.

Industry-specific Strategy and Successful Social Media Channel Implementation Means:

•    An in-depth analysis and examination your business, your objectives and narrowing your target audience(s).
•    Development of a step-by-step strategy including implementation and management
•    Assisting your organization in implementing Web 2.0 tools for effective reporting and analysis
•    Optimization and effective tool utilization and management
•    Training and Support throughout implementation, development and management stages
•    And explaining it all to you in simple English!

Growth-based Development and Management Strategies:

•    After implementation, we design a personalized check list to assist you in beginning to gather and publish your valuable information so you are equipped to provide rich content to your target audience.
•     EAT provides you with an estimation of time and resources that are required to update and maintain your Social Media Strategy.

When it’s all said and done, you and your company will be comfortably and successfully left with the following:

•    a Social Media Marketing Plan package
•    fully implemented and optimized social media tools
•    complete understanding in community engagement and online outreach
•    a PR Plan that will marry a relationship with an off and online audience

EATComm Getting New Look & Feel

I am really excited to report that I am going to be updating the look and feel of my current website (which is actually a blog) in the next few weeks.

The layout will be easier to navigate and but the branding will still remain the same.

The past two and half years I have been working really hard getting clients what they need to boost their business but I have neglected my own marketing.

This past month I have spent time on brainstorming on what I am looking for in terms of projects for this year as well. 

2010 looks promising, especially since the Olympics are coming up right around the corner. 

Stay tuned for the launch of the new site and features!

Why Hire A Marketing Consultant?

During this time of economic instability most marketing departments are letting go of their full time employees and hiring short-term contractors to execute their marketing programs.

I have been doing some research on the benefits of a person like myself and I came across some articles in which you can read here, here and this one is a lot older but it does focus on hiring a marketing consultant.

Here are some highlights that can help you decide on if it is the right fit for your organization:

•    Quick turnaround time

•    Wide range of experience

•    Outside of the box thinking

•    Reduce Employer expenses - no health insurance or other perks

•    Skills are always being fine tuned with each new project

•    Up-to-date resume

The Future of Digital Art Presented at CODE in Partnership with New Forms Festival

Vancouver, Canada – In anticipation of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, there has been a resurgence of cultural awareness as the city prepares itself for the world stage. Spearheading this renaissance is the New Forms Festival (NFF) and the Cultural Olympiad Digital Edition (CODE). Through this joint partnership, this unique event combines a new generation of music, video manipulation, and interactive art. On February 6, 2010, NFF and CODE will be presenting LA Riots, The Golden Filter, Junior Boys DJ Set, Konrad Black, and an array of local musicians and artists at The Hangar in Great Northern Way Campus’ Centre for Digital Media.

The event, which is being hailed as one of the largest and most innovative affairs in the art and digital media world, will be a celebration of local and international talent. The event will feature a hybridization of musical genres meshed with multi-platform image manipulation, projected on large screens throughout The Hangar which is being entirely remodeled and recreated specifically for CODE. Robert Willis, director of the News Forms Media Society and producer behind the event, anticipates a great reception.

This night is going to be quite the eye-opener for those from around the world and for Vancouverites as well,” states Willis. “The realization of vision in these pieces of art, including the collaboration between sound, sight, and this incredible physical environment will give people a better definition of what we are really about: making new media art, music, film, technology-based installation and performance accessible to a wider audience.

The dynamic selection of music melds with the human expression of dance as audience members groove to music tinged with disco, dance-rock, techno and genres in between. Just as the music gives voice to the installations and pieces on display, the pieces speak to the caliber of talent and skill of the digital artists in Vancouver who see this Olympiad as a great opportunity to showcase their talent to the world.

The NFF at CODE night will be an exclamation mark for Canadian music, art, and multi-media,” exclaims Willis. “Nights like ours help local artists express and present their work on a platform that has international credentials as being at the forefront of emerging movements and modes. NFF is a glimpse at where music and digital art are going in the not-too-distant future.”

With this roster of talent and art being showcased on February 6, it seems the future has already arrived.

Year in Review with EAT & Me

I cannot believe this year has passed like a flash! When I was little I wanted time to go fast so I could grow up and be an adult but now I take that back as time moves faster when you’re your older and all you want is life to go slower and be younger, how ironic!

With that said, I thought I would document some of the amazing things I have accomplished in one year. A pretty well rounded list of personal and work achievements that I will give myself a nice pat on the back.

Let’s start with personal achievements for 2009:

Reno’ed our dream house, which is now 80 percent complete! I also created a site in which our house will be rented out as a vacation rental called Squamish Retreat as I always wanted a bed and breakfast, this will be the closest to it. 

Went traveling; Sasquatch and Hawaii – much needed as breaks are good for the soul and for the brain.

Planned a wedding and got married in our house – let’s say that is the last time I will get married, even for a little wedding in our backyard well, it was lots of planning and work. Very happy with the outcome though, I must say I had the most perfect wedding ever.

Now onto work achievements for 2009:

Got to know the Downtown Squamish business community as the Executive Director for the past year. I pulled off some amazing events, created a successful online presence, worked on political issues and decided to step down after a year. It was an awesome opportunity especially when you first move into a community and want to know what is going on.

Worked with amazing clients like New Media BC on events like Vancouver Digital Week and Fusion Forum as well as worked with the New Forms Media Society on events like Midforms and New Forms Festival.

Built great relationships with reporters, editors and producers – ended up building these connections through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Sponsored a successful Gingerbread Competition that raised funds for Architecture for Humanity.

Met some really great people who I would love to collaborate on projects in 2010.

What does the future hold for 2010? We just have to wait and see.

EAT, communicate and be merry – Happy Holidays!

2nd Annual Gingerbread Competition and Charity Auction

Vancouver, Canada - Creative Room is pleased to announce the second annual Gingerbread Competition and Charity Auction.

Last year we challenged some of Vancouver’s top Architects and Designers to re-envision the traditional typology of the gingerbread house. We asked the entrants to do away with ubiquitous veneer of jujubes and smarties in an effort to re-interpret the gingerbread house within a modern context. The results were outstanding!

Ten delicious submissions from some of Vancouver’s finest Architecture and Design firms, along with a week-long bidding battle, and a gala event (complete with studio critique, music, and drinks) allowed us to exceed our fundraising expectations. This holiday season we are back, challenging the creative class to put their aprons on, get out their poured in place gingerbread panels, and attempt to redefine the gingerbread typology once again.

Houses are to be judged by a celebrity panel consisting of last year’s competition and auction winner Architect D’Arcy Jones, Architect Bill Pechet, Conceptual Artist Ken Lum, and Contemporary Art Gallery Director Christina Ritchie. Entries will be auctioned off such that they may grace the living rooms of a select few Vancouver homes this holiday season. All proceeds from this event will be donated to Architecture for Humanity (Vancouver Chapter).

WHEN:    The Gala opening and auction is December 10th from 7-10 pm.

WHAT:    Tickets are $20 and available online at the Creative Room website.   

WHERE:   Museum of Vancouver

BIDDING: Online as well as on the evening of the gala.

PARTICIPANTS:
The modern Gingerbread houses are being constructed by 10 of Vancouver’s leading architects and designers:

McFarlane Green Biggar Architecture+Design
Romses Architects
Clash Collective
Designers at Large Design Consultants
Mallen Architecture Inc.
Eastside Design & Solus Decor Inc.
Measured Architecture
Busby Perkins and Will Architects
IBI Group (Richmond)
UBC SALA
Nick Milkovich Architects Inc.

It's Gingerbread Time Once Again!

I am so excited to be sponsoring this yummy Gingerbread event again! I want to get as much coverage from this as I can as this event is going to a great cause as well as it is a very cool event for the design community!

Last year Vancouver’s top Architects and Designers re-envision the traditional typology of the gingerbread house. The competition was a candy-filled homage to The Case Study House Program organized by Arts and Architecture Magazine from 1945 to 1964. The results were outstanding, fun and very creative!

Ten delicious submissions from some of Vancouver’s finest Architecture and Design firms, a week-long bidding battle, and a gala event. A really exciting way to celebrate the holiday season.

Houses will be judged by a panel from Vancouver’s pre-eminent Architects, Designers, and Artists community and displayed at Museum of Vancouver. An online auction featuring each team’s entries and background information will be available from December 3rd to December 10th. Check here for updates.

The winning entry will be celebrated at the Gingerbread Gala held on the evening of December 10th at the Museum of Vancouver. Entries will be auctioned off such that they may grace the living rooms of a select few Vancouver homes this holiday season. All proceeds from this event will be donated to Architecture for Humanity.

'Tis the Season for Effective Marketing

The holiday season is almost around the corner, so how will you generate business at this time of year? Here are 4 affordable but effective marketing tips to find customers and generate sales quickly.

Try Different Marketing Methods; 
Look for some unusual marketing methods your competitors aren’t doing. You may discover some highly profitable ways to generate sales and avoid competition. Why not serve hot cider in a cup with your logo on it? Or give-away candy canes with your business information on the wrapping?

Partner Up on Promotions with Other Businesses; Contact a few non-competing small businesses serving customers in your market. Offer to publicize their products or services to your customers in exchange for their publicizing your services to their customers. Why not share a group advertisement?

Focus on Your Customers; Your customers already know and trust you. It's easier to get more business from them than to get any business from somebody who never bought from you. Take advantage of this by creating some special deals for the Holiday Season just for your existing customers. You could announce new products and services to them before you announce them to the general market.

Try Social Media Tools; Get your business out there by using tools like Twitter, Facebook or a company blog. Why not throw a promotion on Twitter that if they mention ‘Twitter’ or a funny word when they come into the store that they receive a special discount. It’s amazing what relationships you can build on-line.

An Innovation Camp Review

The whole idea of Innovation Camp was learning by practicing techniques to generate new ideas and expanding upon those ideas in order to accomplish a shared goal such as creating a product or completing a challenge.

I practiced seeing opportunities and taking advantage of them through creativity and innovation exercises.

We did numerous fun activities, but here are some that really stood out:

Subtracting a feature: I had to think of an object in my living room then subtract one feature or attribute from it i.e. wood burning stove. I had to think of as many uses as possible for my new product i.e. a wood 'less' stove. Some ideas generated were; a fish tank, a place to put plants and a water barrel concept. The objective was to practice a counter-intuitive route to creating a new product.

Another exercise we did was to solve a problem with a random object: I wrote down a problem I had as well as a random object in my home or office. Then as a group we had to create a way to solve that problem using that object. The problem I had was being too busy and my object was my dog, Goose. One of the solutions was to hire a dog-sitter to take Goose on walks so I could have time to focus on other tasks. The objective was to look at obstacles in my life from a new perspective and connecting unrelated concepts.

We also had a discussion "Why is failure an important part of the learning process?"

Everyone seemed to come to the same conclusions; to see failure as a positive learning experience; failure is just information; it's taking a risk, stretching your abilities; it offers learning opportunities; forces us to re-evaluate goals and priorities; it's a sign that you have taken on challenges that expand your skills.

Lastly we had to work in teams to make as much money as possible starting with $5.00 between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm.

Our team, created a local ‘Twitter’ promotion to highlight businesses in Gastown. We took a picture of their business, added a message about their company and a website link to our group of 2000 followers, in turn they had to donate money.

At the end of all this teams combined raised funds that equaled to $5000.00, we donated this to the Vancouver Food Bank.

Read post here.

It was a pretty amazing week, I felt really re-charged and excited of all the opportunities out there for me.