Why an Interview,,,

Over the years we have been able to meet and talk with some very interesting people. They have shared with us their knowledge and have provided us with a great deal of insight as to how and why festivals and events work and why they are so important to our communities and to the Province of Ontario. With this in mind, we decided that we wanted you to meet and hear from some of the wonderful people who work so hard to provide us all with such wonderful Ontario Festivals and Events! We are pleased and proud to present "THE INSIDE SCOOP"!

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

The Science You Eat ~ Ontario Visited Behind the Scenes ~ Canada Agriculture & Food Museum!

We welcome you to come along as Ontario Visited Tours the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum … continues … The Science You Eat!
Ontario Visited captures the set-up
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
"The Science You Eat"!
A new exhibition on food science opened in the month of May at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum. Food Preservation: The Science You Eat highlights the role science plays in delaying food decay and keeping food nutritious and safe from farm to fork.
“The exhibition Food Preservation: The Science You Eat is based on the fact that food rots, but also that in every culture – whether through trial and error or through scientific research – humans have discovered ways to preserve food,” says Kerry-Leigh Burchill, Director General of the CAFM.
The exhibition explores how science helps us to understand why food decays, and how we can extend its shelf life. Today, we eat a staggering variety of food from around the world, all year round. Innovations and new discoveries have made our food safer than ever before, and we are constantly developing new ways to feed a growing world. The exhibit was developed by the CAFM with support from Nestlé Canada, the Government of Canada, and Bernardin Ltd.
“We are proud to help nourish Canadians at all stages of life, at every time of day,” said Shelley Martin, President and CEO, NestlĂ© Canada Inc. “Nutrition education is so important and we’re honoured to be a key partner on this fun, dynamic exhibit that teaches children and families about how food is preserved so that it is safe, tasty and nutritious.”
''Science and technology have a very important role to play in Canada's food safety and security. In this new exhibition visitors will be exploring a variety of food preservation processes and will learn a little bit more about the journey our food takes between the farm and our forks. The museum is well positioned to articulate this message given its growing presence and strong following, our expertise combined with that of partners has resulted in an amazing product we are very proud of,”' said Fernand Proulx, Interim President and CEO of the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation.
In this interactive museum experience, visitors can explore the fascinating world of food preservation both at home and in larger scale operations. Learn the scientific reason why long-used methods of food preservation are still in use today, and discover new innovations that will affect our food choices into the future.
Through the creative interplay of audio, video, and touch screen technologies, the exhibition provides interactive experiences for visitors of all ages, including a rotting food video, food scanning game, or by stepping inside a replica 1890s root cellar from Newfoundland.
Food Preservation: The Science You Eat is part of the CAFM’s five-year commitment to food literacy. To see more of the events and products related to food literacy, visit us online.
Ontario Visited view behind the scenes
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
"The Science You Eat"
In our Tour today, we saw a “pre-view” to an interesting video presentation of “a hamburger rotting” which shows children how quickly food will “rot” if not preserved. To say it was “gross” was an understatement, but, we were able to understand the concept quickly. Here they discuss the importance of how to prevent contamination and food “rot” and teach us how to prevent germs, bugs and all kinds of bacteria. They go through the years of home preserving in the “olden days” and now with the technology and industrial advancements how we preserve today. For example they show why salad does not “rot” in a plastic bag. One of the goals here is to “debunk the myths” about the preservation and importance of food for our future.
Stay tuned for more “Behind the Scenes” Tour with the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum (in the meantime, check out their great website for lots of fun and information at http://cafmuseum.techno-science.ca/en/index.php.)

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

TECHNIQUES IN MANAGING VOLUNTEERS … THE JOY OF FUNDING & SPONSORSHIP … A FUN ANECDOTE


West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle ~ Goderich
New Name ~ Same Great Music!
THE INSIDE SCOOP” is pleased to continue the share the “Scoop” with the West Coast Blues (aka WCB) from the committee chair, Mr. John Harrison. I have had the pleasure of several conversations with both John and colleague, Don Hubick, who both are very passionate about the “Blues” and their Community!
Most Festivals and Events depend on Volunteers. Volunteers are the Key to Success! As Ontario Visited has asked many organizers in the past, particularly focusing our interviews on techniques in managing so many volunteers.  Today we can share with you what John Harrison; Committee Chair has to say about these invaluable Volunteers … “We have our work broken down into committees tied in with specific duties with a person in charge of each committee”. “We value our volunteers and show our appreciation by giving free tickets and merchandise (T-shirts, caps etc)”.
THE JOY OF FUNDING & SPONSORSHIP …
With costs rising and competition becoming challenging for Festivals and Events, we asked the West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle committee chair how they obtained funding. John tells us … “local government, newspaper, radio station, provincial grants, local business and industry, development of a sponsorship program (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels)”. To continue, John shares with us how they keep sponsors happy and interested … “Sponsors are clearly listed on all advertising, marketing and promotional materials free tickets to our events, VIP tables”. And finally, in our discussion about funding, we asked John how our governments play a role in assisting with this event … he replies … “in-kind and financial supports, on line listings”. All of these aspects are great to keep in mind and be aware of when looking at the financial picture.
THE SCOOP … A FUN ANECDOTE … It is always fun when someone I an interviewing shares a fun Anecdote. Here is what John Harrison, Committee Chair shares with us today … “Our very first festival in 2006, we had the late Mel Brown, the Canadian godfather of the Blues perform on our Main Stage. After the show I was talking with Mel and he wished us luck and gave us a good piece of advise, " Keep your event on the same date each year, don't try to get too big too quickly, keep you event small and do it well and if you are still around  5 years, then you will have a festival." Wise words that ring true to this day. 

We hope you have enjoyed these Series of Blog “Scoop” Articles with the West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle experiences. You can check out their website at http://www.westcoastblues.ca/Welcome.html .

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

KEEPING THINGS “FRESH” … STAYING ORGANIZED … OVERCOMING CHALLENGES …


West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle ~ Goderich 
New Name ~ Same Great Music!
THE INSIDE SCOOP” is pleased to continue the share the “Scoop” with the West Coast Blues (aka WCB) from the committee chair, Mr. John Harrison. I have had the pleasure of several conversations with both John and colleague, Don Hubick, who both are very passionate about the “Blues” and their Community!
The name change says it all … West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle … change can be very positive! Visitors travel from as far away as Michigan and New York State, folks from eastern and central Ontario, along with many Southwestern folks make the trip to the Port of Goderich to welcome this Blues Festival … “The Blues, The Whole Blues and Nothing But The Blues”. From talking with both committee chair, Mr. John Harrison and colleague, Don Hubick, I learned that they plan about 8 months in advance of the Festival. I’m sure though with the 10th Anniversary coming in 2015, plans are well under way. As many of you know, visiting a festival or event over a period of time can become less exciting. It is up to the organizers and leaders in the industry to “keep things fresh” for both patrons and vendors alike. With families being cautious about their disposable income these days, they are becoming savvier about finding the best value for their hard earned dollars. I asked John about what they do to “keep things fresh”. I have mentioned the name change, but John shares with us that … “We only have one food vendor for the Saturday night Main Stage Event. We bring in only the best in Canadian talent and stay true to the blues, featuring Juno and Maple Blues winners”. The community supports the endeavors by being aware of this great Festival and knows the audience …
STAYING ORGANIZED …
For every Festival and Event, STAYING ORGANIZED is critical for success! Mr. Harrison, Committee Chair for the West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle tells us … “A system to help stay organized - we have a template developed that includes a comprehensive to do list, step by step with contact info, timelines etc and use the same suppliers each year, It becomes the same festival with different performers contracted for each year”.
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES …
While having “Systems” in place is a great start, inevitably Challenges will arise.  – Here the “Scoop” shares with you John Harrison’s thoughts about some of the Challenges … “There are so many festivals across the province, it gets hard to remain competitive. There are only so many tourist dollars available and patrons have so many choices with the large number of festivals, some that are Free due to large corporate sponsorships”.
“We have actually lowered our ticket prices to remain competitive, while costs have steadily escalated. We work hard at attracting new sponsorships. Being a not for profit organization is also a competitive edge for getting the best prices on fixed expenses and for attracting sponsorships and keeping the community involved”.
“It becomes the community's Blues Festival. We always ensure that our community knows where profits have been reinvested back into our community”.
Next “Scoop” we will talk about “Techniques in Managing Volunteers, The Joy of Funding & Sponsorship; sharing the “Scoop” from the West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle experiences. In the meantime, you can check out their website at http://www.westcoastblues.ca/Welcome.html .

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

What’s in a Name … Giving Back to the Community … Importance of a Festival in a Community!

West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle ~ Goderich, Ontario
New Name ~ New Look ~ Same Great Music!


THE INSIDE SCOOP” is pleased to continue to share the “Scoop” with the West Coast Blues (aka WCB) from the committee chair, Mr. John Harrison. I have had the pleasure of several conversations with both John and colleague, Don Hubick, who both are very passionate about the “Blues” and their Community!
The West Coast Blues Festival recently changed their name to West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle. As a “Blues Festival” with their slogan … “The Blues, The Whole Blues and Nothing But The Blues”, we were able to ask John how important was the “Blues aspect” of the Festival?
He replies … “Unlike a lot of Blues festivals we feature nothing but Made in Canada blues music”. They are very proud of this! We asked Mr. Harrison what the was the philosophy, thought process of decisions in respect to concepts, activities themes, events for West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle. John shares with us … The Festival is “Not for profit, developing community partnerships to host an annual Blues Festival as an economic driver to stimulate our local economy and make Goderich a destination and boost our local tourism for community betterment”.
As proof in point, the West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle is proud to support charitable causes in the community. John goes on to share with us … “we are a non profit organization and reinvest our profits back into our community supporting local arts and culture projects, high school bursaries for graduating student from the Arts programs, sponsoring free Winter Fest and Canada concerts and upgrades for our local Community Theatre through annual donations”. 
Talking about “Free Stuff” and giving back to the community; the recently past Canada Day Weekend the West Coast Blues "Downtown Shuffle" presented a “FREELive Outdoor Concert at the Canada Day Weekend Fireworks night. A true commitment to providing a platform for community spirit!
We were able to ask John Harrison, Committee Chair, why he felt their festival; the West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle was an important part of our society and community. He replies … “Our festival is a designated community event by our town council. Local business is directly involved and it is viewed as a win, win as profits are reinvested back into our community while stimulating our local economy. Many of our downtown business will state that our festival weekend is their best weekend in sales for the entire year”.
Next “Scoop” we will talk about “Keeping things Fresh”, Staying Organized, Overcoming Challenges; sharing the “Scoop” from the West Coast Blues Downtown Shuffle experiences. In the meantime, you can check out their website at http://www.westcoastblues.ca/Welcome.html .