The following article appeared as part of a sponsored supplement within Strategy.

After 20 years and 34 million visitors, the CN Tower is still tops with out- of-towners. But now, Torontonians are coming back for another look. And many are surprised to find the only thing that hasn’t changed at the CN Tower – after 20 years – is the view.

But what a view. Spectacular. Heart-stopping, for some. At 1,815.5 feet, the CN Tower has held onto its title as tallest building in the world and still offers the highest man-made point from which to take in the sights below and beyond.

I was 11 years old when the crowning piece of antenna was placed on the CN Tower by helicopter on March 31, 1975. From start to finish, construction took 40 months, proceeding on schedule, but testing the patience of curious onlookers who were eager to switch vantage points from ground level to space deck. Three years of watching the tower grow piece by piece, and its dramatic completion, put a visit to the observation level on every kid’s must-do list in 1976. Fortunately, it was on the list of almost every parent in the city, as well.

And the visit didn’t disappoint. I can still remember quite vividly the thrill of shooting into the sky in a glass elevator, nose pressed to the window, primarily in enthusiasm, but also under the compression of a dozen or so other sky riders. A trip up the CN Tower meant that you had accomplished something. Reached a pinnacle of height no other human being could outside Toronto without climbing a mountain. And I had the documents to prove it. An official CN Tower height sticker, specifying our exact altitude and date of arrival, was fixed to the inside left corner of my Grade 5 binder for most of the ’76/’77 school year.

A defining mark of a modern Toronto, the CN Tower was the icon that put Canada on the world map. Toronto had become an official world-class city. The tower was a monument to emerging technologies in broadcast communications and a marvel of engineering never before seen by the world. In fact, it became so identifying and permanent a fixture on the Toronto skyline that it soon became difficult to imagine the city towerless.

But I confess by the time I returned for another visit 20 years later, I had pretty much forgotten about all the hype, the world records and engineering breakthroughs. I wasn’t even completely certain that the tower remained the tallest in the world. As part of the Toronto decor, it was always in sight, but never as a place to go for an afternoon or evening diversion. It was one thing for the million or so first-timers who toured the tower each year, but quite another for those of us who had ‘been there’ and ‘done that.’

Time hasn’t stood still in the CN Tower

That was until I went back and saw how time hadn’t exactly stood still inside the tower. It was late in the summer season, so I expected to breeze through central ticketing in the lobby at the base of the tower and carry straight on to an awaiting elevator. Instead, I found myself having to navigate a path through a few hundred very eager people who lost no time setting their course after scanning the ticket board for descriptions and price listings of attractions that I had never heard of.

Turns out, the CN Tower has been sprucing itself up, and a ticket to the observation level goes further than it used to. In addition to making major investments in high tech entertainment attractions on the ground, tower execs have installed a number of visual enhancement attractions on both floors of the main observation level that alter – not the view of Toronto and surrounds – but the way you look at it.

EcoDek and the Glass Floor are the two new main attractions in the sky. Both are included in the $12.00 elevation ticket for adults, and both attractions have become the newest ‘must see and do’ things at the CN Tower.

Launched by David Suzuki in 1995, the award-winning EcoDek offers a unique tour of the environment, taking observers around the world via satellite images and then zooming in on ecosystems at work in our own backyards as seen from the CN Tower. EcoDek allows viewers to observe the toll that pollution and development have taken on air, land and water ecosystems from a perspective not possible from the ground. With the use of specially designed viewers called ‘ecoscopes,’ it’s possible to find remnants of marshes in and around Toronto, for instance, or witness the formation of smog and ‘purple haze’ as traffic crosses the Gardiner Expressway below.

While EcoDek clearly demonstrates the effects of a deteriorating environment , more importantly, it’s a consciousness-raising exhibit that emphasizes learning and respect for fragile ecosystems. Rob Walcot, director of attractions at the CN Tower, says, ‘We want to raise awareness, and hopefully inspire people to look at the environment in a different way. EcoDek presents the information and allows viewers to draw their own conclusions.’

Billed as an outstanding teaching tool, EcoDek was a collaborative effort combining the efforts of educators, government agencies and corporate sponsors. Walcot says that hundreds of schools have booked visits to EcoDek, drawing on the expertise of an on-site education team and incorporating teacher/ student information packages that accompany special bookings into the classroom.

Further, because the exhibit is rooted in technology, Walcot emphasizes that the presentation will be dynamic and receptive to expansion opportunities in association with interested sponsors. ‘EcoDek is a living organism,’ he says, ‘and because it’s technology based, certain features are likely to become obsolete quickly. It’s important that we continue looking for ways to evolve with that technology.’

Glass Floor can trigger the worst case of vertigo

Meanwhile, laughter and shrieks of sheer terror are your best guide toward the infamous Glass Floor one level below EcoDek. As a dedication to the bravery of people who worked at dizzying heights while constructing the CN Tower, the clear floor makes the point well. Walking across 256 square feet of clear glass at 1,122 feet above ground can trigger the worst case (or first case) of vertigo you’ve ever experienced. But it’s an adventure you won’t soon forget.

Watching the reactions of others is almost as much fun as braving the floor yourself. Even the most courageous test the stability of the glass with a few toe taps before leaping, running, even dancing across. Some dare to drape themselves across the expansive surface for a terrific photo opportunity, but few linger after the camera flashes. Launched in 1994, the Glass Floor is one of the CN Tower’s most popular attractions. So popular, in fact, that proposals to construct a second glass floor on the same level have been granted serious consideration.

John Tevlin, president of the CN Tower, says additions like EcoDek and the Glass Floor are the result of a five-year expansion plan, beginning in 1993, which set out to reinvent the tower as a premier indoor entertainment and learning complex.

‘When it opened in 1976, the CN Tower was a breakthrough in engineering technology, and even today, it’s recognized as one of the seven wonders of the modern world,’ Tevlin says. ‘But ironically, the interior had become tired technologically over the years. And despite the fact that it was always the #1 tourist attraction in Toronto, repeat use was low. Our objective was to pull the CN Tower off the wallpaper of the skyline and offer the kind of complex that would appeal to both visitors and residents of the GTA.’

Record-breaking attendance last year

Evidently, the changes resulting from Tevlin’s five-year reimaging plan have strong crowd appeal. Attendance at the tower hit a growth spurt last year at 1.7 million, breaking a 17-year record. About 1.2 million people came in from out of town in 1995 – well ahead of the general tourist industry. Throughout the year, 35% of visitors typically come from the United States, another 30% to 35% from Canada, and the remainder from countries abroad. After peak season ends in October, the tower relies on the GTA for up to 81% of its attendance.

A two-time winner of the Toronto Tourism Award, the CN Tower has made an impact with countless visitors who rank their experience there as the best and most memorable they’ve had in the city. In addition to the view and the attractions, Tevlin attributes the award to a high calibre of employee professionalism and enthusiasm. ‘People tend to remember experiences, rather than places,’ he says, ‘and a big part of that involves their experience with staff members.’

In the Toronto area itself, the CN Tower has taken the spotlight once again not only as a premier family destination but as an innovative spot for business meetings, motivational workshops and for entertaining colleagues with a dash of style and elegance not easy to replicate elsewhere. Often the site of film galas and high profile product launches, the tower has come to represent the latest and greatest happenings in the worlds of entertainment and business.

‘Our greatest area of growth has been in group sales and corporate functions,’ Tevlin says, noting last year’s 25% jump in corporate revenue. ‘And we’ve hosted all kinds of events for groups as large as 800 to as small as 20.’

Upgrading the talent at 360 Revolving Restaurant

Renewed interest in the CN Tower as an exceptional culinary experience followed the April 1995 reopening of the newly named and enhanced 360 Revolving Restaurant. From menu to esthetics, organizers completely refashioned 360, upgrading the quality and talent at all levels.

Executive chef Brad Long heads a team of chefs drawn from some of Toronto’s finest restaurants, including Centro, Pronto, Waves and Opus. The menu offers fresh regional cuisine served in a pleasing array of flavours, colours and styles. Complementing the distinctively Canadian menu are the more than 300 selections of wine from the award-winning ‘cellar in the sky’.

In spite of the many improvements, drawing diners back to the restaurant, after years of suffering a reputation that was worse than poor, has been no small feat for marketers at the CN Tower. Memories about how and where the meals were prepared have been difficult to conquer. ‘The restaurant had an awful reputation,’ Tevlin admits. ‘Much of it was based on misconceptions. But since perception is reality in any business, we took a number of steps to dispel the myths.’

Considered one of the city’s finest

Chief among the changes was a redesign of the kitchen. To shatter the image of food being cooked in the tower basement and carted up elevators, diners now have an open view of the kitchen in the centre of the restaurant. The kitchen itself is also entirely new, using innovative convection heating technology, to ensure the chefs have only the best facilities at their disposal. Positive reactions from both the public and restaurant critics (the restaurant averages 250 people a night) may have finally secured a place for 360 among the city’s finest.

Up to 400 guests can be seated at elegant window tables or in curved leather booths in the deceptively large room. And the view is spectacular from all points of the 72-minute rotation. At eye level, small commuter aircraft zip by noiselessly to and from the island airport, while down below, the city and surrounds reach out beyond the horizon in intricate patterns that are as mesmerizing as they are intriguing. Dining at 360 is probably the best way to appreciate the entire view from the CN Tower. It’s a way of lingering while enjoying an exceptional meal and watching the world go by as though in slow motion.

The restaurant can be accessed by elevator or by the spiral staircase that connects to Horizons Bar one floor below. For a light casual lunch, or for evening cocktails, Horizons offers a comfortable retreat along the west windows. The open layout and inventive team of chefs make it a popular spot for hosting private parties and business functions for crowds between 250 and 300 people. Not surprising, Horizons has been a frequent host of film festival schmoozes, press conferences and scores of other special events.

Futuristic attractions a new and intriguing dimension

Those after a faster pace won’t be disappointed by the latest line-up of high tech simulator rides and cyberspace attractions on the ground floor of the tower. Second only to the ultimate 58-second, 22 kms-an-hour elevator ride, these futuristic attractions add a new and intriguing dimension to the CN Tower.

Q-Zar, the laser tag game, was one of three attractions to open under the five-year expansion plan. Players enter a fantasy world of excitement and strategy where they attempt to find and deactivate opposing team members using highly advanced laser equipment. The game is played in an adrenalin-charged atmosphere to high energy music. ‘Q-Zar is a hit with kids,’ says Rob Walcot, ‘ but it’s also a fun morale booster for business groups, like sales teams, for example, who really love the competition.’

‘Cosmic Pinball,’ held in a motion simulator theatre off the main lobby, is like a rollercoaster that’s been beamed in from the future. The experience is primarily visual, but try telling that your wobbling legs afterwards. Sufferers of motion sickness beware; Cosmic Pinball catapults its audience into a massive pinball machine and gives you a pretty good notion of what a pinball would feel careening full tilt through a maze of bumpers and tunnels. Be prepared to buckle in and white knuckle your way through this high velocity show.

If virtual reality is more your style, try piloting a flight through cyberspace at the latest attraction – Virtual World. Launched in cooperation with Tim Disney and Virtual World Entertainment Inc., it’s an experience that immerses players in a computer-generated world of 3-D using simulator technology that’s only recently been made available for applications outside NASA and the military.

‘Virtual world is one of the hottest products on the market,’ says Walcot, noting the tower’s efforts to stay in line with industry trends in high technology entertainment. ‘We’re not trying to create a carnival-like atmosphere,’ he says. ‘We’re taking a peek at the future with entertainment that’s visual, interactive and quite unique.’

Each of the CN Tower’s high tech attractions can be reserved for groups at a discounted rate.

More retail, restaurants & shops

According to Tevlin, the new attractions are just the start of an ambitious plan that will expand the tower by another 300,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, attractions and lobby space with links to the growing convention centre. ‘We want to become the indoor place to go for a full day of fun downtown, which includes having a wide selection of shops and restaurant options within handy walking distance,’ he says.

When construction on the convention centre wraps up in 1997, Tevlin is confident that improved road connections from the south and west will make the Tower easier to access. As the tallest building in the world, the CN Tower suffers from the ironical problem of becoming increasingly difficult to locate the nearer you are to its doors. And without an immediate street address on Front Street, finding those doors can be confusing.

‘Our #1 barrier is accessibility,’ Tevlin notes. ‘In addition to better connections leading in from the south and west, we hope to become more convenient with the addition of a large underground parking lot with direct links to the subway.’

In the meantime, Tevlin will focus his attention on the Tower’s interior, looking for ways to improve ‘vertical access’ to the observation deck. As Toronto’s #1 tourist destination, the CN Tower, in peak season, can transport as many as 1,200 people an hour skyward. Inevitably though, line-ups occur, as ticket holders wait for one of four elevators working at full capacity.

‘I personally hate line-ups and I sure don’t like leaving people in them,’ Tevlin says. ‘So we’ve made it a priority to build two additional elevators facing north to help alleviate some of the backup.’ The stairs leading to the top of the Tower, which are now visible from the city, will be transferred into one of the Tower’s hollow fins to accommodate construction of the new elevators. When they’re complete and operational in March 1997, the elevators will provide passengers with a first-ever view of downtown Toronto as they travel up the Tower.

Designed for the future

As the CN Tower was being designed in the early 1970s, Toronto was in the midst of a building boom which saw office buildings constructed quickly and at record heights (750 ft.) for that time. Communications systems, hampered by low transmission towers, were almost an afterthought. When signal bouncing became prevalent, pressure mounted to remedy the problem by constructing a single transmission tower.

Today the CN Tower is as functional from a communications perspective as it is entertaining. Recognizing the likelihood of downtown office towers growing much higher than 750 feet in the future, tower designers went beyond conventional standards in the 1970s and set the antenna mark at an unprecedented 1,815.5 feet where it remains, unrivalled in height, even today.

Tevlin says the original team has been called in to consult on the design and construction of other transmission towers in Auckland, N.Z. and in Kuwait. With towers sprouting all over the world, is it possible that, one day, the CN Tower will surrender its exalted status as the tallest?

‘I’ve heard rumours about kilometre-high buildings in Japan or about the Russians adding 50 feet to their Ostankino Tower to bring it just above us,’ Tevlin laughs. ‘It’s in mankind’s blood to reach for the sky, so, one day definitely, we will be surpassed. What’s important though is the CN Tower will always be a prominent part of Toronto’s skyline and, more importantly, a breakthrough that was a Canadian-first.’

From Weird to Wonderful: The CN Tower is where it’s at

Remember ‘Spider’ Dan Goodwin’s famous climb up the observation deck windows commemorating the tower’s 10th anniversary? What about Microsoft’s own daredevil who rappelled down the tower to launch Windows 95?

Whether it’s an outlandish stunt or a slick product promo, or whether you’ve toasted the town amongst the stars at 360 Revolving Restaurant or hopped up 2,570 stairs for charity – memorable occasions are built into the history of the CN Tower.

Andra Zondervan, director of marketing and public relations, has seen product launches and special events run the gamut from the most extravagant fte to simple product sampling at the base of the tower. ‘The possibilities are limitless,’ she says. ‘We’re open to any suggestions and make every effort to accommodate whatever specific requests we do get.’

Those requests are numerous. In addition to recent corporate events which included large-scale promotions for Molson Breweries, Mr. Big and the BBS fall launch, the CN Tower has become synonymous with charitable involvement as the annual site of famous stair climbs that benefit the United Way and the World Wildlife Fund.

On its own anniversary on June 26 this year, the tower celebrated by inviting the public to join in on a full day of entertainment and games, and in the process helped raise $6,000 to support Operation Herbie at the Hospital for Sick Children. ‘The CN Tower is an icon of Canada, so we have a responsibility to support the community both locally and nationally,’ says Zondervan. ‘It’s important that we so by hosting publicity events that reflect a spirit of Canada that’s truly unique.’

The latest launch from the tower this fall is Walt Disney World’s 25th anniversary promo. Since many of Disney’s roots are in Canada, (Winnie the Pooh was reportedly conceived in Winnipeg), organizers are billing the event as Disney’s homecoming. It’s Disney’s largest anniversary promotion outside Florida. As part of the launch, the CN Tower is donating seats at 360 Revolving Restaurant for a special Disney character breakfast to benefit the United Way. As well, Canada Post will lend its support by issuing a limited collector series of Winnie the Pooh stamps.

Zondervan says this event, like many others, is mutually beneficial. ‘Disney World and the CN Tower are two well-known family entertainment venues,’ she says, ‘so the marketing partnership made sense. Disney benefits from tremendous ongoing exposure and Toronto gained an outstanding profile in the U.S. media. As for the CN Tower, being associated with Disney underlines our focus as an all-entertainment destination.’

CN Tower a good fit for corporate message, say sponsors

It combines all the benefits of a well-travelled commercial site with the social benefits of supporting educational exhibits like EcoDek, sponsors of the CN Tower say. Fuji Film, Unilever and Sanyo Canada, along with CN and the ministries of environment and agriculture, describe the CN Tower as ‘a unique opportunity’ to reach the public and make a statement about their priorities.

‘EcoDek and our relationship with the CN Tower is a unique opportunity for Unilever to provide visitors from Toronto and around the world with a snapshot of environmental issues,’ says Ruth Richardson, manager of environmental and corporate affairs. ‘Unilever has been making great strides in improving our environmental performance in policy issues, plant management and in-house education. EcoDek is just one way to further our environmental initiatives and to include our consumers and corporate partners.’

At Fuji Film, advertising manager Sharon Litwin says it’s beneficial simply being associated with a feature attraction that ‘people feel good about. The CN Tower is the top tourist attraction in the city.’