twestival local - Tweet.Meet.Give. - March 24, 2011

About 130 Whistlerites crowded into the Whistler Brewing Company last night to experience Whistler's first ever Twestival. In total, the event raised $6196.37* for our charity, Zero Ceiling Society of Canada through ticket sales, a silent auction, hot dog sales, raffles and grab bags. Twestival Whistler is thrilled to have distinction of having most donations per capita out of all Twestivals held around the world!

The giving continues as our donation page remains open through to March 31 so please help us get to our goal of $5,000. Give genrously to Zero Ceiling, a wonderful charity that helps provide at risk youth with mentorship programs and access to action sports.

Guests were greeted by roaming candy girls, Lauren Everest and Tabetha Boot, wearing handcrafted art costumes designed by Paintertainment.

Local artists Suzanne Johnston, Mark Colbert and Penny Eder Martyn of the Whistler Arts Council were painting live throughout the night, and guests could also contribute their own art to blank snowboard canvases.

Big Mountain Rhythm got the house rockin' with some classic tunes, while later in the evening, DJ Foxy Moron spun some funky beats well into the evening.

Guests also enjoyed an array of appetizers and breads from Purebread, Nonna Pia's gourmet balsamic vinager and other tasty treats, provided by Nester's Market.

Olympic gold medal winning ski cross athlete Ashleigh McIvor was in attendance.

Ashleigh's Olympic skicross teammates Julia Murray and Davey Barr also joined in the night's festivities with local snowboard athlete Patrick Tunnicliffe. Whistler Councillor Ralph Forsyth also stopped by, as well as a host of industry photographers, filmers, writers, and PR and marketing pros.

The evening was light and fun, a reflection of Whistler's lighthearted spirit. One of the cool things about the event is it brought long-time and established Whistlerites together with "newbies;" unifying everyone with the spirit of giving and social media.

Thank you to our fantastic photographer for the evening Anastasia Chomlack!

Visit our Flickr Group for more photos from the evening and contribute your own too!

* Please note, we recalculated our total over the weekend and made more money than we thought through the silent auction: Our total has gone up to $6196.37 from $4,321.

On Thursday March 24, Twestival brought thousands of people from around the globe together in their respective cities to Tweet, Meet and Give. Twestival Whistler represented in a big way for our community, raising almost $6,000 for Zero Ceiling, and donating the most money per capita out of all Twestival events around the world.

As the organizers of the first ever Twestival Whistler, Amber Turnau, social media strategist for Whistler Blackcomb and Michelle Leroux of Reine Communications, would like to send a huge thank you to the many community partners that helped put on one amazing event.

Big tweets and much love to Whistler Brewing Company, Origin Design & Communications, Pique Newsmagazine, Rebound Sound, Paintertainment and Candy Girls Tabetha Boot & Lauren Everest, Burnt Stew Computer Solutions, Ace Mackay-Smith, Big Mountain Rhythm, local artists Suzanne Johnston, Mark Colbert and Penny Eder Martyn, Pure Bread, Nester’s Market, Nonna Pia’s and the talented Anastasia Chomlack for our gorgeous event images. 

Kasi Lubin, executive director of Zero Ceiling, also generously lent her time and expertise to the event, ensuring the silent auction was a huge success! We would also like to send special thanks to Heather Clifford, Dee Raffo and Quentin Emeriau for going above and beyond. We had so many friends and prizing partners help out, please see our event blog at www.whistler.twestival.com for the complete list.

Thank you to everyone who came out to revel in a night of social media nerdery and plain ol’ Whistler fun. For more adventures in Twitter please join Whistler’s Social Media Nerdery group; we meet once a month and would love to see more of this amazing community come out! Find out about the next event here: http://www.meetup.com/WhistlerSocialMedia/

Michelle Leroux & Amber Turnau

If you aren't able to make it to Twestival Whistler you can still participate. Here's how:

1) WATCH THE TWESTIVAL LIVESTREAM

2) FOLLOW US!

- #twestivalwhis

- #twestival

- @twestivalwhis

- Facebook.com/twestivalwhistler

3) DONATE!

Visit our online donation page to donate to our charity, Zero Ceiling Society of Canada. We all work to play in Whistler and Zero Ceiling affords at risk youth and street youth the opportunity to learn and grow through the experience of adventure sport such as skiing and snowboarding. Since the charity's inception it has helped over 4,000 youth over 13 years.

Hello Twestival Whistler friends! Thank you for choosing to attend Whistler's first annual Twestival. Tomorrow we will be gathering to support  Zero Ceiling an amazing non-profit
organization that affords at risk youth and street youth the opportunity to learn and
grow through the experience of adventure sport such as skiing and snowboarding. Here
are a few key items to note for tomorrow and a preview of what to expect on-site.

DIRECTIONS (google map)

Whistler Brewing Company is located in Function Junction at 1045 Millar Creek Road

TWEETING

Please use @Twestivalwhis  #Twestivalwhis or #twestival for event updates on Twitter. We'll be placing signs throughout the venue with the twitter handles of sponsors so you can tweet about the cool things you're experience.  If you don’t use Twitter, don’t sweat it.

WELCOME
When you arrive at the Whistler Brewing Company we’ll have a handy little card for you with Twitter handles on it and a drink ticket for a fresh and tasty Whistler Beer. You can also
grab a name tag to show off your Twitter handle, if you have one.

MUSIC, ART & PHOTOS…oh my!
We will have lots for you to see and do. To get the night rocking Big Mountain Rhythm
will be onstage from 7-8pm, followed by the groovy turntable stylings of DJ Foxy Moron
from 8-10pm.

Art stations hosted by artists from the Whistler Arts Council will have the creativity
flowing all night long as they cover blank skis and snowboards with their artistry. You
are welcome to make your mark with art pens and Sharpies too!

Later on in the night, cold smoke and hot dust inspirations will roll out on the big screen
with encore showings of the top three Deep Summer and Arc’Teryx Deep Winter
slideshows from 2010 and 2011 respectively.

WI-FI

Free wi-fi will be provided at Whistler Brewing Company. Username and password will be available at the venue.

REFRESHMENTS
Two of Paintertainment’s beautiful Candy Girls will bring some sugar to our sweet event
and Pure Bread will provide some nourishment with fresh baked bread complimented
by Nonna Pia’s rich and delicious balsamic vinegars and savoury cheeses courtesy of
Nester’s and Garden Market IGA.

We will also be grilling up hot dogs for $3 each for those that come with their hunger
on. Each guest will receive one fresh Whistler Beer upon entry and the bar will be open
all night long and you can purchase additional refreshments at the bar.

THANKS TO OUR FRIENDS
None of this would be possible without the support of our community friends. Thanks to
the following for their generous donations:
Sponsors
@BurntStew
@OriginVoice
@whistlerbrewing
@purebreadwhis
@zer0ceiling
@anastasiaphotog
@PiqueNews
Big Mountain Rhythm
DJ Foxy Moron
Rebound Sound
Nesters Market

PRIZING PARTNERS AND VOLUNTEERS:

@socialhost
@pix6z
@deeraffo
@whistlerheather
@LaurenAEverest‎
@altabistro
@scandinavewhis
@namasteteaco
@CDNsnowmobile01
@sidecutsteak
@FairmontWhistlr
@whistlerblckcmb
@wssf
@CFitWhistler
@skiisandbiikes
@longhornsaloon
@whistlerglow
@adamlevitt
@whistlergolf
@thethuggie
@airholefacemask
@starbucks
@panpacificwhis
@wildplayparks
@vincorcanada
@nicklausnorthGC

Farfalla Hair & Esthetics
Powder Mountain Catskiing
Robin O’Neill
The Loft
Ruby Tuesday
Affinity Sports
Ric’s Grill
Showcase Snowboards
Re-Use-It Centre
Wedge Rafting
Garden Market IGA
Meadow Parks Sports Centre

Thanks so much for your support and we can’t wait to tip a glass with you tomorrow!
Your Twestival Whistler Co-Organizers – @AmberTurnau & @MichelleLeroux

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the little things that sometimes you need to look at the bigger picture. In this case, the "big picture" is more than just a metaphor. It's actually a photo - of two Zero Ceiling participants, sitting on top of Whistler Mountain with a stunning mountain range behind them and not a care in the world.

But, to them, this is so much more than a casual day on the slopes. Snowboarding - a sport that many of us in Whistler take for granted - is a way out for these young men. A step up from a not so pleasant future...or past.

And this is the bigger picture of what funds raised from Twestival Whistler will be used for: a chance to break that glass ceiling and elevate the lives of those who need it. Using beautiful surroundings, healthy and active living and mentorship programs.

So buy your ticket to Twestival Whistler. They're only $10. Look at the bigger picture ^^

We are less than one week out from Twestival Whistler! Amber and I are back on the road to Whistler and when we aren’t driving, we are busy with our heads down on our laptops, pulling together all the details for a fantastic event on March 24. 

Ticket sales are starting to pick up and with only 150 up for grabs make sure you buy early!  We are going to be drawing for a Scandinave Spa Whistler pass from the first 50 sold, and then we’ll draw for an even bigger prize when we hit 100, and an even bigger prize than that for the 150th! 

Big Mountain Rhythm will get the party started and we’ll have a killer silent auction, raffle and grab bag fundraiser so bring some cash or cheques if you want to score some cool swag and help us raise more money for Zero Ceiling.

DJ Foxy Moron will get on the decks after Big Mountain Rhythm but our event isn’t all about the music.  It will be a feast for the senses with Paintertainment’s Candy Girls in the house, live art stations where you will be able to express yourself on blank skis and snowboards with Whistler-based artists, showings of the top three Deep Winter and Deep Summer slideshows, not to mention tasty nibbles from Pure Bread Whistler and Nester’s.

Tweet. Meet. Give.  We hope to see you at this fantastic fundraiser for Zero Ceiling!  Buy your ticket here!