On Monday February 20th Vancouver’s Fairmont Waterfront Hotel’s ballroom was full with women and men from the Business Community in support of Sparkle - the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs’ 10th year Anniversary Gala. As the event planning company CountDown Events was thrilled to involved with this fabulous gala.

The crowd was a mixture of British Columbia’s top CEOs, like-minded small business owners, and driven business professionals who were all brought together for an evening of networking, mingling and a good cause. With Special Guest the Honourable Premier of BC Christy Clark, who gave an inspiring speech on women in the workforce.
Here is Part I: Some photos as we finish setting up this amazing event, enjoy!

Name: Shingo Kido
Occupation(s): Social Media Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver
Who is your role model: Lauren Breuning from the Beverly Wilshire; she brings hipster chic to the Four Seasons through her posts!
What do you like most about your job: My job allows me to have creative freedom of course with some guidelines. I also enjoy the role I play with all the different departments in the hotel as well as connecting with clients and other partners.
Daily ritual: Twitter, Facebook, coffee, emails, Revinate, TripAdvisor; lunch, creating material, researching, and then either swimming or yoga. Sometimes I cheat after work and join a friend at a bar.
The most rewarding part of my job is: I am a firm believer of positive reinforcement; but, who doesn't enjoy hearing that they have done a great job? Sometimes I enjoy the reaction from other people when they look at creative material that I have done. I also like the humanist side of social media, such as, when someone has an inquiry or if there is a negative situation that I can assist the team in turning it around.
What has been your biggest strength that’s helped you succeed in your industry? I believe my biggest strength is perseverance. At our early stages, we couldn't really figure out social media as another channel to communicate with our guests. We started off with Twitter and we were very unsure if this was just a venue users just randomly posted status updates like, “I am eating an apple”. We started working on developing tweets, researching about Twitter and how it was in fact an effective way not only to communicate, but inform users about interesting events or products. Eventually Twitter, for us, became a powerful tool to better understand our guests to create those “WOW” moments. We then added two Facebook pages, one for the hotel and other for the restaurant. Social media is a growing entity, and perseverance is a vital trait as we, people who work with social media, are always looking for the “next best thing”.

This loveliness really needs no big introduction. A gorgeous bride and definitely a wedding we will be crushing on for years to come! The formal portraits of the bride are so stunning that we wanted to dedicate a single post to just that...which makes me want to share how important it really is to give your photographer sufficient amount of time early in the day to capture you and your bridesmaids at your best fresh from hair and makeup. Hope you enjoy these photographs as much as we did!
Xoxo CountDown Events

On Valentine’s Day, when most couples like to go out to a restaurant for that romantic dinner for two, some choose to stay at home to test their culinary prowess and have their romantic dinners by the fire place. Well here is a little treat for those choosing the latter, brought to you by the Pastry Chef Kim Collishaw of Culinary Capers. A tasty dessert for you and the love of your life to enjoy on the most romantic day of the year.

Bon Appétit!

Orange Anise Poached Pear with Mascarpone Cream and Toffee Sauce

Serves 2

2 firm Bosc pears
2 cups dry white wine, Champagne or sparkling wine
1 cup water
¾ cups granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
4 Tbsp freshly grated orange zest
4 Tbsp anise

Name: Colin Upright
Occupation(s): Colin J. Upright CEO, Senior Creative Director at Upright Décor Rentals & Event Design
Who is your role model: Calvin Klein, we have lived similar lives, we share the same birthday (altho' he's 20 years older) After reading his biography I realized the duality of our lives and have admired his work ethic, drive and business model.
What do you like most about your job: Doing something that I truly love, and have a great passion for, and being my own boss.
Daily ritual: Taking some "my time" in the morning, starting with a good breakfast and long shower. In my dream world I'd wake up everyday with a laid out yummy brunch and a spa treatment.
The most rewarding part of my job is: Having all the hard work we've done in designing an event and watching it all come together. Also seeing the reaction and smiles on our clients' faces when they walk in a room that we have just transformed.
What has been your biggest strength that's helped you succeed in your industry? Following my gut and choosing to do things that really make sense, doing the right thing, and never compromising.
Memorable celebrity encounter/interview: I have had several, but the one that stands out is meeting and doing Pamela Martin's wedding many years ago. She was so gracious and sweet, and very inspirational in building my success.
Favourite quote: Always remember to take some time to slow down, because if you are going too fast, anything that is worthwhile won't be able to catch up to you.