RENDEZ-VOUS CANADA – BC VANCOUVER NIGHT

Rendez-vous Canada is a premier international tourism marketplace and as the 2014 host city, Destination British Columbia and Tourism Vancouver came together to host the all delegate event – BC Vancouver Night.  

Let’s face it, a visit to British Columbia does not require a lot of persuasion. The effort is in trying to showcase the abundance and diversity of BC adventure and outdoor experiences in one night, indoors! It was crucial that we create an event experience that allowed guests to show their adventurous side, west coast style. To accomplish this mandate we needed to satisfy the thrill seekers, entice the inner explorers, intrigue the cultural enthusiasts, and indulge the food and wine travellers.  

Guests were taken on an elaborate, adrenaline driven, outdoorsy expedition. The carousel of adventure began with a 150’ aerial line of skiers, surfers, snowboarders, and kayakers sailing overhead, professional mountain bikers flipped, flew, and balanced to a custom blended high energy DJ mix, and a 9’ grizzly bear complete with animatronic head foraged in the forest before dancing with guests.  

To make the outdoor experience come to life, 3,400 square feet of video walls enveloped guests in stunning imagery of BC’s mountain, ocean, desert and city landscapes. The visuals also included a custom-designed projection wall of Instagram feeds from two live sites.  

The event was a diverse network of neighbourhood themed bars, locally inspired food stations, mini golf course, a wine stomping competition, First Nations Longhouse, full sized RV with camp set up, a YVR airport lounge complete with charging stations, acoustic performance by Colin Bullock, a Bollywood flash mob, interactive photo station with three iconic backgrounds, and an interactive floor projection of river salmon, step too close to one and it swam away [to the bear’s dismay!] A special attraction was the giant BC Adventure vending machine with coin slot, pull handle and prize slot; prizes dispensed included mountain bikes, kayaks and ski equipment! 

It was truly an adventure filled wonderland of scenic beauty, excitement, and the great outdoors; what British Columbia is so well known for.

Not only did this event bring out the guest’s adventurous side, it brought out ours. “e” pushed the limits with a finale of mountain biking aerial stunts on high-speed ramps and back flips, transitioning into a high energy Bollywood flash-mob that finished with a finale of fireworks on 150ft of wall projection. The Famous Players Band took over the stage after performing classic hits that had partygoers dancing with shoes in hand ending the evening with the exact adventure everyone had only hoped for.