David G. Wilkinson is president of The Wilkinson Group, a Toronto-based international event marketing, education and strategic planning company.
Donna LeBlanc is research co-ordinator for the Event Marketing column, which appears in each issue. Contributions, ideas, media releases and feedback should be directed to Donna at (416) 510-1692, or fax (416) 510-1694.
Billed as the ‘world’s largest tulip festival’ and voted Ontario’s best tourist activity, the 42nd edition of the Canadian Tulip Festival arrives in Ottawa from May 20-24.
Children’s Village, Craft Area, Lucky Tulip coupons, pre-festival marketing, one million Tulip Month Celebration Guides, point-of-purchase retail signage, media co-operative ads and contests provide businesses with a wide range of sponsorship opportunities.
Categories created to motivate and facilitate corporate marketing commitments and valued between $10,000 and $40,000 include presenting, major and venue/activity sponsor, as well as official supplier status.
Canada Trust, Canada Post, Via Rail, Avis Car & Truck, Cantel, Pepsi-Cola, Japan Camera, Corel and Midland Walwyn have confirmed their participation to date, using the 1993 fesival to raise awareness of their products and services.
For more information, contact sponsorship director Richard Latham at (613) 562-1480.
‘Talk Theatre’
Designed to motivate, challenge, enlighten and help the United Way of Greater Toronto raise critical dollars in the process, a six-night, sold-out lecture series spanning five months opens at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto on Feb. 22.
‘Unique Lives & Experiences 1993’ will feature Lauren Bacall, Ann Jillian, Patty Duke, Barbara Walters, Jehan Sadat and Marlee Matlin discussing current issues and controversies, as well as sharing personal experiences.
A question-and-answer period after each presentation will include Canadian celebrities Shirley Solomon, Heather Reisman, Terese Sears, Pamela Wallin, Ona Fletcher and Jane Hawtin.
Sponsorship of this event has been handled on a ‘speaker/ sponsor’ basis.
cibc is sponsoring Bacall, North American Life is sponsoring Jillian, Wood Gundy, Sadat, Buick Canada, Matlin, Imperial Oil (Esso), Walters, and Eli Lilly, Duke.
Media sponsors are The Globe and Mail, Toronto radio station CFRB AM 1010 and Toronto Life magazine.
For more information, contact Teresa Pagnutti at (416) 777-2001.
Bon appetit
The Toronto Invitational Bar-B-Que Roundup (Rib ‘Fest ’93) scheduled for June 11-13 at Toronto’s SkyDome rounds up some of the finest barbecue specialists in the world to compete for thousands of dollars in prizes.
Continuous live entertainment, games of skill, rides and attractions combine to make this event a festival setting.
Valued at $140,000 and priced at $35,000, title sponsorship offers identification on all advertising and banners, complimentary tickets, trophy sponsorship, six product displays, couponing/sampling, consumer promotion tie-in and a value-added package.
The associate sponsorship, valued at $65,000 and priced at $10,000, includes tv and print identification, banners, complimentary tickets, two product displays and consumer promotion tie-in.
For more information, contact SkyDome vice-president of sales marketing Paul Clark at (416) 341-3148.
