Coast Eco Timber on Global BC/Global National from Lara Gerrits on Vimeo.

Looking for something to do this weekend?  Here are 3 of LBMG’s top picks:

1. Celebrating 100 years, Playland at the PNE has something to offer ride enthusiasts of all ages – from the iconic 1958 Wooden Roller Coaster and the hair-raising Crazy Beach Party to the Wave Swinger and the Kids Playce – there’s something for everyone.  Rides not your thing?  Check out the Midway Games, Pacific Adventure Golf and much more!  Open 10am – 8pm all weekend.

2. If you’re looking for an indoor adventure, check out the highly popular, FREE Animal Grossology at Metropolis at Metrotown.  The interactive 3D exhibit gives visitors a larger than life look at nature’s blood-sucking, vomit-munching, slime-making and dookie-loving creatures!

3. If the weather turns nicer (or if you head to the interior where summer weather has already arrived) – rent a boat and enjoy life on the water.  Just make sure you have your Pleasure Craft Operator’s Card, or you could face a hefty fine!  Don’t have your card yet?  It’s not too late – visit BoaterExam.com and you can take the test online and print out a card before you go!

Even us non-hardcore football fans here at LBMG are becoming masters of the pigskin while working on media relations around an exciting new addition to the Pacific National Exhibition: Empire Field.

The turf is laid, the scoreboards are up and the B.C. Lions even played their first home game yesterday afternoon.

Last week, we organized a media tour of the $14-million facility. Designed to offer reporters a look at the beautiful new stadium, the tour was successful in securing widespread and varied media coverage previewing the return of Empire Field. Check out this story from The Vancouver Sun.

Watch for many more media events and exciting announcements at the PNE, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

It’s almost that time…. time for British Columbia’s favourite May Long Weekend event: the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair. How can you go wrong with country music, world-class rodeo action, the Fraser Valley’s largest traveling midway, and a Country Fair packed with family-friendly fun and entertainment? Well, you can’t.

In addition to all the staple ingredients, we’re also happy to be promoting the highly anticipated Desi Mela South Asian Festival, as well as a terrific Art Zone showcasing the best and brightest of the City of Surrey’s thriving arts community – both brand-new elements to the Country Fair.

See you there May 21-24!

… Wine! With the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival underway, we’re thinking a lot of about those lazy days spent on the patio sipping a glass of crisp, white wine. Better yet = a fun winery-tour trip through the Wine Capital of Canada: Oliver, BC!

And we’re not the only ones. Our client, Rustico Farm & Cellars is entering into its first full season and we’re thrilled to be providing media support to help spread the word about how laid back and fun this winery is – yet how AMAZING its wines are. Check out this interview we recently secured for Proprietor Bruce Fuller to talk about his love for wine and why he decided to skip retirement altogether to follow it.

Cheers!

Bruce Fuller of Rustico Farm & Cellars Estate Winery from Lara Gerrits on Vimeo.

Members of the Consortium representing one of Italy’s most famous brands, Parmigiano-Reggiano, are visiting Vancouver as part of their ongoing support of the Italian National Olympic Committee.

Among the dignitaries is Consortium President, Mr. Giuseppe Alai, who represented the Consortium at a number of functions during his stay. LBMG was excited to facilitate media relations for members of the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium, who visited premier Vancouver-area restaurants including CinCin, Araxi (Whistler), Don Francesco, Al Porto, Campagnola, Cibo, Capones, Il Giardino, Caminetto di Umberto (Whistler) and Quattro (Whistler). Each of these renowned establishments featured Parmigiano-Reggiano in their menus during the Olympics.

Of multiple high-quality domestic media earned on behalf of our client, check out this awesome clip from Global BC’s Noon News.

Parmigiano Reggiano on Global Noon News from Lara Gerrits on Vimeo.

It’s the Winter Olympics, and an unprecedented media spotlight continues to shine on Vancouver. While the Games are obviously synonymous with sports, LBMG is extremely pleased to be able to capitalize on all opportunities that allow us to inject our clients into that spotlight – showcasing them to viewers, readers and listeners from all corners of the globe.

Today, Forestry Innovation Investment – the provincial agency that promotes British Columbia’s forest practices – was highlighted as part of Forestry Day activities at Coal Harbour and the BC International Media Centre. We also continue our long term, strategic communications for clients including the Forest Products Association of Canada, the Vancouver Economic Development Commission and impossible2Possible.

LBMG also continues to manage, on behalf of the Winter Games Secretariat, operations for the BCMC: the most successful unaccredited media centre in Winter Games history.

Meanwhile, we’re also helping to highlight the Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano and the province of British Columbia by supporting BC Street, where 82 communities from every corner of the province are highlighted at the Richmond O Zone. Designed to highlight a slice of “Beautiful British Columbia” within a one-block radius for Olympic Games attendees and media representatives from around the globe, BC Street is a chance to experience the attributes and unique characteristics of seven regions of the province. Individual pavilions from each region offer visitors a chance to take in the entire province in a short walk.

We’re also thrilled to support DigiBC (The Digital Media and Wireless Association of BC) in and around the technology being unveiled in and around the Olympics, including Parking Mobility – an iPhone app recently featured by Global BC’s News Hour, the province’s most watched nightly newscast.

There are 16 days to go until the 2010 Winter Olympic Games kick off in British Columbia, Canada – and the B.C. International Media Centre opens its doors to international and domestic media beginning February 1. Thus, it’s an incredibly exciting (and busy) time for us at LBMG as we put the finishing touches on our design and operations plans on behalf of the 2010 Winter Games Secretariat. The BCMC is already the most successful unaccredited media centre in Olympic Winter Games history with top media outlets representing countries from all corners of the globe utilizing permanent newsroom space and broadcast locations.

The team at LBMG spent the past weekend building sweet media swag bags for media working from the B.C. Internatinal Media Centre. This is the largest media bag build in our company's history – we're ready to tackle anything now!

People have great ideas all the time, but it takes guts and sheer perseverance to turn one into a successful business venture. LBMG is in the midst of working on media relations around the launch of a brand-new product: Hockey Sudz.

Today we secured the cover of the Small Business section in The Vancouver Sun and a video on its website for our client, with more coverage on its way over the coming days.

Budding entrepreneur Keith Howlett says it was about two years ago when he and fellow hockey-dad-turned-business-partner Bill McDougall were en route to a game with six young players and six bags of gear – all inside of one SUV. About an hour into the two-hour wait for the Albion ferry, the smell could no longer be ignored.

It sparked an idea.

Read more here about how the duo turned that idea into something more…

Thousands of women flocked to the West Coast Women’s Show October 23 to 25 for the most successful show in the event’s nine-year history. More than 26,000 guests attended B.C.’s largest women’s event, which occurred October 23 to 25, 2009 at TRADEX in Abbotsford.

Attendance surpassed last year’s record turnout and has now risen by 150 per cent over the past four years, and this year’s visitors showed unprecedented support of the more than 400 show exhibitors including Suzanne Fetting, owner of Absolute Confidence and High Heel Appeal, who taught the do’s and don’ts of walking in high heels on Citytv’s Breakfast Television leading up to the event.

With celebrity guests, new exhibits and one-of-a-kind special events, the West Coast Women’s Show has built on its reputation as a must-visit show for women from all walks of life. In fact, it was recently named one of the 50 Fastest-Growing Trade Shows in North America for the third straight year by Tradeshow Week, a respected industry magazine.

LBMG works on advertising, promotions and public relations for the West Coast Women’s Show and wishes show producer Murat Olcay lots of luck as heads to Houston, Texas on November 14 for the Fastest 50 black-tie gala, where the fastest growing trade show overall and category leaders in the private sector, the association sector, and the consumer sector will be unveiled.

WCWS presenter on Citytv’s Breakfast Television from Lara Gerrits on Vimeo.