“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is a success.”
Henry Ford
In experiential marketing, the backbone of any successful event is the teamwork that goes on behind the scenes. From conception all the way to implementation there are many individuals who play an important role to ensure an event is seamless for attendees. After such a turbulent period, it felt great to be back on the ground running a safely executed in-person event. I am so grateful. And, I would like to take the opportunity to celebrate the vendor community I recently collaborated with on the 2021 Ford Bronco – First Canadian Media Test Drives event.
Our event took place at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), in Bowmanville, Ontario, and the surrounding area on Aug 9-12. National media had an exclusive opportunity to test drive the Broncos’ capabilities in a dynamic off-road experience. It was a journey!
There were many moments throughout the entire process where the troops rallied together to get the job done, and I would like to share a few of the many highlights.
Pandemic Patience
I will start by saying that event planning during a pandemic is all about patience and my team had heaps of it. When I think back, it’s hard to believe my first site visit to CTMP was in the Winter of 2020 with the intention of delivering a Winter 2021 event for Ford of Canada. Well…we are all acquainted with what transpired in March 2020 and the subsequent fallout. Unfortunately, this event—like many, was pushed multiple times until it was finally able to come to fruition over 12-months later. CTMP was accommodating, my team was on standby, and I really appreciate it.
Mother Nature Has a Mind of Her Own
If event managers could ‘manage’ the weather, we would. But regrettably, Mother Nature cannot be influenced. Over the course our event, it was brutally hot. When your event showcases a vehicle that at times was traversing a tough terrain of excessive mud and water, as you can see, at the end of a test drive—the vehicles required a ‘little’ cleaning.
Thankfully, GLS-Vehicle Cleaning tackled both the heat and the mud, so everyday the Broncos were sanitized and in pristine condition ready for the next driver.
Food Creates an Atmosphere
Ask any event planner and they will concur food is an integral part of any event experience and our food vendors hit it out of the park. It makes me hungry just thinking about the welcome dinners served at Bistro 12 and the special menu Toben Food Truck prepared for our attendees.
double smoked bacon, jalapeno, shallots, melted cheese, chipotle cream sauce
As for Chef Baxter’s Smoked Brisket Sandwich picture this…a slow smoked brisket, cider-molasses BBQ sauce, heirloom vegetable slaw, pickled mustard seed dijonnaise on a brioche bun.
There was also a Mexican street corn & watermelon salad. This was delicious and given the humidity a real crowd pleaser.
As for the dessert, I am still dreaming about the deep-fried cheesecake topped with chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, and Oreo cookie crumbs!
Safety First
I would also like to acknowledge that when you’re navigating a multi-day event amid a pandemic there are a lot of additional factors at play. Be it provincial guidelines, wearing masks in-doors, maintaining the 6’feet physical distancing, hand sanitation as well as individual meal service our team did an outstanding job employing all the safety protocols.
A Great Big Thank You
With the event behind us, I have had the opportunity to review the fantastic images that were captured by Pinpoint-Photography and for me, it really drives home—the value of teamwork. I am thankful for all the hard work and dedication that was poured into our not one, but…four-day event! It is because of all of you and our collective effort, the 2021 Ford Bronco – First Canadian Media Test Drives event was a triumph.
– Henry Ford
A great big thank-you to: Advance Tent Rentals, Black Car Limousine, Encore-Audio, Videographer, Pinpoint-Photography, Drone Boy, GLS-Vehicle Cleaning, 12 Bistro, Toben Food By Design, CTMP-Facility, Tellico-Off-Road, Hilton Garden Inn, Ajax, Print Ink, Robin Buck Racing and Mackie’s Transport.
I look forward to the next collaboration!
After a distinguished thirty-three-year career at Ford of Canada this was Christine Hollander’s last event—and what an adventure it was! Christine, it was an absolute honor and may this next phase of your life be filled with many more adventures.
