Event Report

Niagara Icewine Festival – January 15 – 31, 2010

Chestnuts over an open fire,  gala evening events, outdoor dining in January and icewine, the star of the show everywhere you go.

Just over 20 years ago icewine AKA ice wine or eiswein was not made in Ontario and now it is one of the premier locations in the world. In the summer, tour buses arrive at the wineries, the passengers pour out and snap up the bottles of icewine at 1/10th the price they would pay at home. Icewine sells at $300.00 and up per bottle in Asia. (375ml)

Starting this weekend The icewine festival begins and festival passes can be purchased for $30.00 entitling the holder six tasting events at many of the different wineries in the area. A great place to pick up the pass is at Magnotta Winery in Beamsville, one of the first areas on the trip from Toronto. More will be written on this winery in a future blog on event planning for a wine and cheese party.

This trip can be done as a day trip from Toronto or as a weekend with a hotel room that can be had for under $80.00 at the Capri Inn. This is a great price in the Niagara region sometimes known as “Niagara on the Take”. This inn is listed at tripadviser.com as the #1 hotel in the area.

This blog is intended to be a shameless self promotion for ASAP Tent and Party Rentals so we are going there to check out icewines for a wine and cheese party that you will be planning  and will be calling to rent wine glasses from us.

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December 7, 2009 Virgin Galactic Tent Collapse MOJAVE, CALIFORNIA

Here is what happens when a tent installation goes wrong.

A major disaster was  averted when The Kern County Fire Department and the management of the Mojave Air and Space Port ordered  the evacuation of the 25 X 50 metre structure. It almost certainly saved lives at the flashy rollout of the Virgin Galactic’s  SpaceShipTwo just minutes before the temporary structure was destroyed by the wind.

Wind gusts were recorded at the airport in excess of 62 knots (71 mph) . The 25 x 50 metre clear span tent that was erected as a press conference room and hospitality lounge for the media and 800 guests collapsed.

This tent was installed using 4000lb weights every 16′.

Virgin Galactic’s founder Richard Branson threw the event for the Virgin Galactic’s  SpaceShipTwo rollout. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico were at the event but left before the evacuation. In Richardson’s case, just minutes before the evacuation was ordered.Also in attendance were Lindy Brockway, Victoria Principal,  Eve Branson along with about 1000 guests and staff.  Among those invited were guests that had paid $200,000.00 for tickets on the first flight of SpaceShipTwo.

The party was in high gear  when the evacuation was ordered att 7:36 PM. The tent collapsed at 8:12 PM, according Kern County Deputy Fire Chief Mike Cody.

Fortunately the tent was evacuated and guests bussed out before the wind lifted the structure and destroyed two domed hospitality tents.

“Please go to buses”
“At 7:36 p.m. we asked Virgin Galactic’s event management firm to evacuate the structure and two inflatable tents. That was accomplished in an orderly manner,” Witt (The Airport Manager) said in a press release.

“Hundreds of attendees were loaded on buses and the structures were empty when the building collapsed,” Witt said. “As a result, no one was injured.”

As the upcoming festive season quickly approaches here are a few timely hints.

1 The Invitation

Success starts long before the party begins. When writing the invitation use creative expression to impart high energy long before the actual event date. Some feel anticipation is everything so use it to your advantage.

Invitations may be printed of course but a handwritten one makes an event very personal.

2 Greet Guests

First impressions are everything One of a person’s most basic needs is a sense of belonging. Meet your guests at the front door and welcome them personally. If the event is larger it could be appropriate to hire a mime to act as greeter and guide. One of the most interesting that I have run across was an event where the guests were met with a 21 gun salute by the Fort York Guard in full uniform and marched from the bus to the event venue.   This is pretty impressive.

3 Create an Ambiance

You can start in the driveway with mini lights in the trees or luminaries. In the house change some lighting to pink or red. This will enhance women’s makeup and make people look younger.

Change some furniture around. Your house is set up for everyday living, make it different.

4 Involve Guests

Give your guest something to do. Whatever happened to corny party games?

5 Fun Food

A varied menu including meat and chicken is good. Don’t forget to add a couple of vegetarian items so no one will be left out. Serve something different or tailor it to your theme.

Create a signature drink for your event. This is much easier than you might think. Vodka and clear mix poured carefully on top of grenadine starts a nicely multicoloured drink. You may change the variants or just simply change the title of the drink to suit your party.