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MC for Heart and Stroke Foundation

By Seanna · Comments (0)
Saturday, February 4th, 2012

FEBRUARY is Heart Month .. and I recently MC’d the kick-off to the first ever Death Defying Challenge Victory Weekend event at the Chateau Lake Louise for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Amazing event, amazing venue and amazing weather! 

I have been a supporter of the Heart and Stroke Foundation for years! I think it’s safe to say that we all know someone who has either had a stroke and lived .. or a heart attack and died.  The scary thing is, some of these people are not that old. I’m sure you’ve seen the new radio and TV commercials for Heart and Stroke Foundation .. the MAKE DEATH WAIT campaign. They are hunting, chilling, and very scary. Whenever I hear that piano and that male voice start talking, I know what’s coming – a reminder that death could be around the corner if I don’t start taking better care of myself. It’s made a huge impact on me and so many people I know .. spreading the message that we all need to hear. We need to do more to MAKE DEATH WAIT. That voice on those commercials, is the voice of death. Death is the stalker watching us – people are talking about them ..they remember them and who they are for – the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

After doing some research, it seems we believe heart disease and stroke only affects older men when, in reality, it truly affects us all.

  • One in three Canadians will die before their time as a result of heart disease and stroke – in fact, every seven minutes someone dies
  • Heart disease and stroke is the number one killer of women
  • Almost 70,000 Canadians die each year from heart disease and stroke
  • Nine in 10 of us have at least one risk factor and most of us don’t know it
  • 80 per cent of premature heart disease and stroke onset is preventable

 

This month, make a point of going to the Heart and Stroke Foundation website (www.heartandstroke.com)  for all kinds of great information on heart health. Lowering your risk can start with knowing your cholesterol number. Becel is offering free tests across Canada all month – go to www.becel.ca for testing locations.

Thanks to Sharon, Donna and the entire staff at the Calgary and Edmonton offices for the invitation to be part of the DEATH DEFYING WEEKEND this year. And of course to the entire staff and the thousands of volunteers across the country who do what they can to bring awareness and extra funds to this amazing organization.

MAKE DEATH WAIT.

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Spokesperson for Big Brothers Big Sisters

By Seanna · Comments (0)
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

I was thrilled to ask to do the virtual tour of Dream Home #32 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton and Area. I have supported this organization for many, many years and have been their media spokesperson for the last 20. I am proud to be associated with such a great group who make being part of their society, such a please.

Dream Home #32 is amazing .. well, all the Dream Homes have been amazing! Again this year it’s been built by Avanti Homes .. it’s just over 3,800 square feet of living space. It’s a bungalow this year which is perfect for the growing family or if the kids have moved away, you’ll love the basement for when they visit. As always it’s been professionally decorated and everything you see if the way of furnishings, stays in the home for the winner to enjoy.

Tickets are on sale now and the Grand Prize Draw is May 11th.  Thanks for your support of Big Brothers Big Sisters!  They also need adults to be “bigs” to the kids which only takes about four hours a week or mentors where we need a one hour commitment a week. Or maybe, you simply want to volunteer for events – we need you for that as well.

And thanks to Liz, Ruth and the entire team at BBBS for taking such great care of me and allowing me to be part of such a FABULOUS organization.

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MC – Blue Angel Dinner

By Seanna · Comments (0)
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

I have been asked to MC a certain event for the past few years – the Blue Angel Dinner for St. Michael’s Health Group. A fabulous event for a great cause in Edmonton.  Christine, their Director of Fund Developments and Communications, is terrific. She makes sure the script is very well prepared and emailed to me a few days prior to the big night. Having it before hand gives me a chance to prepare any questions I might have for her and we also make time to meet when I arrive to go over any last minute changes. By the time I hit the microphone,  I feel confident that I have all the information needed and the event runs smoothly because of it.  From my end, the night is a HUGE success and I’m sure the committee can say the same thing with thousands of dollars raised which helps to continue the great services and programs at St. Michaels’ Long Term Care Centre. Yesterday I was asked to MC again in November … ten months prior which is great!  Of course I said YES – see you then!

PS: On a side note, if you’re looking for home-made Ukrainian Food, you can buy it at St. Michaels – it’s FANTASTIC. Go to their website at www.smhg.ca and look for BABA’S OWN FOOD PRODUCTS.

 

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Bridal Fantasy 2012

By Seanna · Comments (0)
Monday, January 23rd, 2012

It was another FABULOUS event – the 30th Anniversary of Bridal Fantasy January 22nd at the Edmonton Expo Centre.  I have hosted the fashion show many times over the years – the first year was 1987. For the last number of years, the fashion show has been produced by the Fashion Guy – Edmonton’s John Chwyl who is simply .. AMAZING. In some of my recent blogs, I talked about why it’s so important to have a script ready for your MC so you don’t forget anything and the event runs smoothly. Well, John is a master at this.  I never do a rehearsal with him or the models because his scripting is THAT good. Word for word – the directions are as clear as can be .. he doesn’t miss a thing. At Bridal Fantasy I wear a ear piece so I can even take directions if needed from John in the booth. He is so particular about how well his show goes (yes, he’s a control freak) that love workign with him for his professionalism. I admire him for that. As an MC, his shows are the BEST. In fact, there have been times where John simply emails me a script for a fashion show – we don’t even talk  – and the show goes off problem free.

So the next time you plan an event, take a lesson from John. Own your event .. make the script you provide for you MC as thorough as you can. Provide every detail. I often ask the event organizers to put themselves in the shoes of the MC and go through the script. Ask yourself if you knew nothing about the event, does the script explain everything from A to Z? A good MC would rather receive more than not enough information so they can do the job you hired them for. If anything major is forgotten, you can’t blame the host if you didn’t pass along the information. Be well prepared.

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When do you book an MC?

By Seanna · Comments (0)
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

When do you book an MC? Since an MC is one of the key accessories to a successful event, you need to get someone in place ASAP. Once you know who you want, contact them. Good MC’s are often booked a year in advance! If they do an event and do a great job, many organizations will ask them back for the next year on the spot.  I’m already booked for seven events in 2012 that I hosted last year and the year before that .. that’s 12 months in advance. For some MC’s, they don’t like to commit themselves that far ahead but for me, I like to start booking my schedule. When I’m asked so far out, I do make it clear in writing, that if for some unseen circumstance I am no longer available due to a move from the city or a new job offer that puts me in direct competition of another media outlet that is presenting the event, I will have to cancel but because I keep in contact with my clients during the year, I keep them up to date on any employment changes on a regular basis.

Don’t confirm your MC until you are sure of the date of your event. If you book someone and then change your date, they may charge you if they have already turned down another offer. Since many MC’s make a living hosting events, they can’t afford to accept an offer only to have the client change their mind for any reason – some may even ask you for a non-refundable deposit for their services. Just last year I was booked for an event that had to change their date at the last minute due to a conflict. I was already booked for the new date they picked so I couldn’t do their event and they had to search for a new MC.

If your MC agrees, even a year in advance, get it in writing and stay in touch with updates on how the event planning is coming along. This will keep your MC in the loop and your event in top of their mind. Be sure to give them event updates on a regular basis so they can help you with public service announcements should they work in the media, send mass emails to their clients and/or social media updates.

The MC you choose should want your event to be as successful as you do!

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