ayoko Magazine - Vol2 - Winter 2013

2ND FLOOR, 250 PORTAGE AVENUE 204.415.5643 WWW.BNBFINEJEWELS.COM

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BUSINESS

in er JULIE PEDERSENA im you rSmar tphonehe re to v i s i tAyokoMagaz ine .comDETA ILS PAGE 2

IN THIS ISSUE...

Marketing MustsGoing MobilePromotional EventsWord-of-Mouth Marketing

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QR CodesWhen you see this barcode,there’s MORE information

waiting for you!

STEP 1Download a FREE

QR Code Reader Applicationon your mobile phone

STEP 2On your Smartphone,

launch the application & snapa picture of the QR Code

STEP 3Watch your phone for

a coupon, video, websiteor message!

SALE!

What’s this? i n c .

D E S I G N I N G Y O U R B U S I N E S S

I D E N T I T YBRANDING• logo & ident i ty design | graphic design• image bui ld ing | brand enhancement• customer appreciat ion promot ions

PRINT MARKETING• business cards | postcards• business stat ionery | g i f t cert i f icates• business col latera l | brochures• s igns | posters | labels | packaging• magazine & newspaper ads | f lyers

I N T E R N E TINTERNET MARKETING• websi te & b log design• websi te copywr i t ing• strategic p lanning & organiz ing

ELECTRONIC MARKETING• c l ient data base management• newslet ters | e-b lasts• e-v i tes | hol iday greet ings

SOCIAL MARKETING• Facebook & Twit ter

M E R C H A N D I S I N GIN-STORE MARKETING• point-of-purchase {pop} d isplays• store d isplays & s ignage

OUTDOOR MARKETING• store s ignage• window displays• b i l lboards | st reet presence

TRADE SHOWS• booth design consul tat ion• booth s ignage & set-up

P U B L I C R E L AT I O N SPROMOTIONS• specia l events & promot ions• media a ler ts & outreach | press re leases

NETWORKING SOLUTIONS• business contact data base management• workshops & seminars

CLIENT RETENTION SOLUTIONS• customer appreciat ion promot ions

Y O K O C H A P M A N @ G M A I L . C O MW W W. AY O K O D E S I G N I N C . C O M P

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waiting for you!







SALE!















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Featured BusinessesOur Sponsor:BNB FINE JEWELS

Neeta & Rajiv Gupta | 5

VINTAGE VERUCA

Monique Buckmaster | 32

EVENTS BY EMMA

Emma Singh | 34

DIVINE & CONQUER

Shannon Klymchuk | 36

VINTAGE BLING

Dayle Goertzen | 38

WSI DIGITAL MARKETING

Ralf Klenke | 40

BROOKS FINANCIAL

Tesia Brooks | 42

HOME SAFE HOME

Jim Corps | 44

MOVIN’ ON UP

Clara Mitchell Enns & Yolanda Meneses | 46

JEREMY HIEBERT PHOTOGRAPHY

Jeremey Hiebert | 48

KNUDSON LAW OFFICE

Curtis Knudson | 50

Contents

© 2013 AYOKO DESIGN INC.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced online or in print without the expressed and written permission of Ayoko Design Inc.

Printedwith soy ink on recycled

paper

AYOKO MAGAZINE VOLUME 2 | Winter 2013

www.AyokoMagazine.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF + ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Yoko Chapman | [email protected]

WRITER + EDITOR

Daniel Billinkoff | www.blackbirdcreative.ca

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Ayame Ulrich | www.ayamekea.com

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Erin Alexander www.erinalexanderphotography.com

Jeremy Hiebert www.jeremyhiebert.ca

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Erin AlexanderEric AllanDenis HamelRalf KlenkeAndrea ManciniAlexandra MorrisonJudy MurataMark Nowell

PROOFREADER

Nanci Dagg

PUBLISHER

Ayoko Design Inc.

202-1311 Portage AvenueWinnipeg, Manitoba, CanadaR3G 0V3

P: 204.612.5944 | F: 204.505.3034www.AyokoDesignInc.com

FOLLOW US ON

In This IssueA NOTE FROM YOKO | 6

JULIE PEDERSEN URBAN MUKLUKS

& ACCESSORIES

Ayoko Design Business Makeover Winner | 8

A MOVING TARGET

Reaching Your On-the-Go Mobile Audience | 12

BE READY & REALISTIC

Treat Social Media Like a

Core Business Process | 15

PLAN LIKE A PRO

Tips for High-Impact Corporate Events | 17

EVENT EXPERTISE

The Benefits of Hiring a Professional MC | 19

PERFECT PERFORMERS

Choosing the Best Corporate

Event Entertainers | 20

BEST IN SHOW

Ensure Your Trade Show Booth

Leaves a Lasting Impression | 22

HELP YOUR PRODUCTS SHINE

Professional Product Photography

Tips & Tricks | 26

PEOPLE POWER

Establishing a New Definition of

Business Networking | 28

PUTTING INK ON PAPER

Ayoko Magazine and Why Print is Here to Stay | 29



akeoverCONTEST

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IN THIS ISSUE...


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SEE STORY ON PG. 8 PHOTO: ERIN ALEXANDER PHOTOGRAPHY

Julie Pedersen

ON THE COVER

THE FINE ART OF CRAFTING UNIQUE HANDMADE JEWELRY

T H A N K Y O U T O O U R S P O N S O R

eeta Gupta, President of bnb Fine Jewels, has been an artist all her life.

She emerged as a talented painter in university, and went on to hold art exhibi-tions showcasing her paintings and sculp-tures at the most respected art centres in New Delhi. Her work was well appreci-ated and reviewed by art critics and con-noisseurs alike.

Although Neeta studied math in university, she also designed jewelry for friends and family as a creative pursuit throughout her life. After moving to Winnipeg, she pursued her interest in art at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. After wit-nessing her adept hand in jewelry design, her teachers and colleagues strongly encouraged her to launch her designs on a larger scale for the Winnipeg com-munity. The city didn’t have anything like this, she was told.

“I loved the jewelry design process, but explaining my designs to goldsmiths and relying on them to carry out my vision was frustrating,” Neeta said. “This is why I needed to make jewelry on my own – I needed full control to bring my visions to fruition.”

Neeta and her husband, Rajiv Gupta, Vice-President, decided to open

bnb Fine Jewels in downtown Winnipeg. They specialize in deco deluxe jewelry which is unique, exclusive and extremely delicate to create. All of her beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces are made from 18 karat gold with high-quality diamonds and gemstones.

Her new path has proven to be a wise choice – her wide range of clients flock from across Canada to purchase her one-of-a-kind designs. They remark that Neeta’s creations are much more than jewelry, they are investment pieces that can be passed along to future generations.

“Over the years I’ve learned that my true passion lies in designing beautiful jewels for the most wonderful creation on earth called woman,” Neeta said. “Success to us is the smile and satisfaction our cus-tomers get when they enjoy wearing the jewels bought from us.”

Although Neeta’s unique designs are inspired by art and literature from around the world, her store and business are grounded firmly in downtown Win-nipeg.

“When most businesses were leav-ing downtown to move elsewhere, we chose to open our store in the heart of downtown,” Neeta explains. “We had the conviction that the downtown is the place

to be and we would like to be participants in its revival.”

Neeta and bnb’s success is rooted in their dedication to lifelong business rela-tionships. To reach that goal, customer satisfaction is their “Number One Pri-ority.” To help forge strong, lasting rela-tionships and ensure that her clients find their perfect piece, Neeta requests that all store appointments are one-on-one by appointment.

Ayoko Magazine would like to thank bnb Fine Jewels for sponsoring this issue. If you are interested in learning more about bnb Fine Jewels, call 204.415.5643 or visit www.bnbfinejewels.com to book an exclu-sive, one-on-one appointment to explore Neeta’s designs.

RA JIV & NEETA GUPTA

for you to enjoy

Shining Talent

“I WANTED TO BRING A LITTLE OF

NEW YORK SHOPPING TO DOWN-

TOWN WINNIPEG.”

-Neeta Gupta, Owner/Designer

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ANoteFromYoko

moved a lot as a child. I packed a lot of boxes and attended 11

different schools. This unique child-hood afforded me the opportunity to compare a very diverse group of people and communities. What I learned is that Winnipeg breeds world-class talent worthy of praise, recognition and discussion. Win-nipeg entrepreneurs are making a huge local impact and taking over the world one customer at a time.

Behind every successful busi-ness, there is a mastermind. In some cases, there may even be a creative army behind a business… even if it’s an army of one! You can’t always see them, but these special people are where it all begins. The goal for Ayoko Magazine is to help spread the word about these great Winni-peg professionals and their unique success stories.

Building a business is like building a city. It takes infrastruc-ture and a community. This maga-zine is for people who want to rec-ognize and celebrate good business and help extraordinary leaders shine in their best light! Our community depends on the success of local

businesses, and this is why I am pas-sionate about buying local, promot-ing local and selling local.

Ayoko Magazine was created to bring our community to life, to spread the word. So why publish a print magazine? As social media, iPads and smartphones continue to take the world by storm, I have decided to stay grounded to my roots in print media. All of the entrepreneurs highlighted in this magazine are real. Their stories are real, their dreams are real and their struggles are real. This is why I have chosen print – to create something real and tangible that can be shared organically.

So how do you ‘Share’ or ‘Like’ a paper and ink magazine? I urge you to read and share these sto-ries, to support these bold Winni-peg entrepreneurs and to pass this magazine along. Handing it off to a friend or leaving a copy in your office is a small gesture, but it will

do wonders for the great business leaders found inside.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Ayoko Magazine and continue to celebrate extraordinary Winnipeg businesses long after you turn the last page.

YOKO CHAPMAN

Editor-in-Chief + Artistic Director

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WWW.VINTAGEVERUCAANTIQUES.COM 1342 MAIN STREET 204.339.5301

red riverGENERAL STORE

WWW.REDRIVERGENERALSTORE.COM 1.204.661.8393 5700 HENDERSON HIGHWAY, NAROL, MB

8 AyokoMagazine.com

JulieUrban Mukluks

Accessories

Pedersen&

Text by Yoko Chapman

Photos by Erin Alexander Photography

AYOKO DESIGN BUSINESS MAKEOVER WINNER

AyokoMagazine.com 9

“ W i n n i p e g e n t r e p r e n e u r s h a v e b e e n a c o n s t a n t s u p p o r t a n d d r i v i n g f o r c e f o r m e a n d m y b u s i n e s s – t h e y c o n t i n u e t o a s t o u n d a n d a m a z e m e w i t h t h e i r t a l -e n t , p e r s e v e r a n c e a n d k i n d n e s s . T h e A y o k o D e s i g n B u s i n e s s M a k e o v e r C o n t e s t w a s c r e a t e d t o s a y t h a n k y o u f o r t h e i r u n e n d i n g i n s p i r a t i o n . ”

~Yoko Chapman

ongratulations to Julie Pedersen, the grand prize winner!

The judges awarded Julie Peder-sen Urban Mukluks & Accessories the grand prize based on her sound vision, endless creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and strong commitment to growing her business in a progressive direction. Julie’s designs and creations are inspired by her life here in Winnipeg, yet she has laboured to create a globally sought after brand.

Julie Pedersen Muckies, Spats and fashion accessories are known for their unbelievable comfort – many of her customers call them foot pillows! Her unique designs and their incredible dura-bility have made them a favourite for a diverse range of women and children across North America.

Winnipeg winter-inspired mukluks are being worn by Hollywood celebri-ties. Julie’s Muckies have been worn by Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Jeanne Beker, Jaime King, Anna Paquin, Meaghan Waller, Kristin Cavallari, Rumer Willis and Hannah Taylor.

The Marketing Plan

Before any changes could be made to Julie’s branding and marketing tools, a business design consultation and inter-view was conducted with Ayoko Design to identify Julie’s business goals. From this initial consultation, we discovered that Julie’s brand was in good shape, but it needed some tweaks. Julie’s main goal was to improve her website to reach a wider audience and facilitate more online

sales. Julie had recently made the deci-sion to start a family and moved her office and studio back home. By increas-ing her online sales Julie will be able to conduct business from home, travel less and spend more time with her young family.

The main goal of this makeover became clear: tweak her brand, turn her website into a lean mean marketing machine and create some new marketing tools to help her gather new leads and stand out from the crowd.

Simple Brand Tweaks

Julie loved her existing logo. The only thing missing was a descriptive tag line. As simple as this may seem, adding a tag line to all marketing materials is critical and goes a long way towards establishing a consistent brand message.

After much deliberation, we agreed on Urban Mukluks & Accessories. This small addition clearly describes the prod-uct for customers, and it is also extremely useful for search engines.

THE $10,000 GRAND PRIZE

Our $10,000 Grand Prize Busi-ness Makeover was designed to give the deserving winner the best marketing tools possible to promote their unique products and services world-wide.

Julie Pedersen

JuliePedersen

AYOKO DESIGN BUSINESS MAKEOVER WINNER

10 AyokoMagazine.com

A Full Website Revamp

With the dramatic increase in the use of mobile devices, Julie’s website and shop-ping cart needed to be fully accessible on all web platforms. Responsive Website Design (RWD) is an emerging web page creation approach that makes use of flex-ible layouts and images. Her new Respon-sive website automatically detects the visitor’s screen size and orientation and resizes the website layout accordingly.

The shopping cart images are

fullscreen on handheld devices like iPhones and iPads, making it easy for shoppers to browse the store.

To ensure Julie’s designs truly shine, we incorporated high-quality product photography by Winnipeg photographer Erin Alexander placed against a white background to maximize impact.

Julie’s website was professionally written and edited, and all pages incorpo-rate keyword rich phrases carefully chosen to increase search engine optimization (SEO) and visibility. We also added criti-

cal social media links including Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to help drive more traffic to the site.

A New E-mail Marketing Plan

We added a new sign up form to the site to help Julie build a solid, permission-based database of customers who are interested in receiving her newsletters, special pro-motions and product updates. Julie can now use her freshly designed newsletter template to e-mail her customers impor-

Julie’s new branding features chalk hand lettering.

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AyokoMagazine.com 11

Meet Our Judges Lindsay Brzus-

kiewicz’s talent

in design, skilled-

eye for fashion,

and keen vision

to see past

today’s styles to

focus on tomor-

row’s up-and-

coming trends

have made her

a trusted source of information and highly-

regarded professional among her staff and col-

leagues in the Fashion and Design Industry.

As owner of Pure Design • Build, a com-

pany that works with clients in designing, orga-

nizing and staging home and office spaces, Lind-

say strives to continually bring fresh, innovative

and cutting-edge ideas to her clients to make

their vision tomorrow’s new reality.

Lindsay has a Bachelor of Human Ecology

Degree from the University of Manitoba and

accompanying major in Clothing and Textiles.

Visit www.puredesignbuild.net to learn more

Josephine Pul-

ver is the prin-

cipal designer

for Josephine

Designs, an

interior design

business pro-

viding consul-

tations for resi-

dential, office

and commercial design. As an instructor of

decorating and interior design at Red River Col-

lege, Josephine teaches sustainable develop-

ment, level two decorating as well as computer

aided design in the Residential Decorating Pro-

gram.

Prior to teaching, Josephine worked on

many different design projects in Winnipeg,

Manitoba including Redwood Hearing Centre,

Yurkiw Chiropractic, Matheson Dental Cen-

tre and numerous residential projects. Jose-

phine has also participated as a decorator and

designer in the annual Parade of Homes.

Josephine holds a bachelor’s

degree from the University of Winni-

peg and a Professional Interior Design

degree from the University of Manitoba.

Learn more at www.josephine-designs.com

tant information whenever something exciting comes along!

Print Marketing Perfection

The new designs for Julie’s business card, hang tag and postcard feature a beauti-ful new photograph of Julie wearing her products. Incorporating her photo helps customers make a more personal connec-tion with the designer, and it helps them remember her. When visiting a trade show with hundreds of other businesses, anything you can do to stand out on a per-sonal level is a wise choice.

As a final touch, QR codes were added to all pieces to help create additional website traffic from mobile customers.

The Result

Julie Pedersen’s newly designed website is

now live, and she’s ready to take the world by storm! Most importantly, Julie feels rejuvenated and excited to push forward into new markets.

“Yoko Chapman, owner of Ayoko Design Inc., has truly enriched the face of my brand, and has designed and created my new website,” Julie Pedersen happily exclaims. “I am so grateful for her vision, dedication and need for perfectionism. Yoko is responsible for not only the web-site’s clean design and fresh new face, but has also made order processing and navi-gation effortless.”

Congrats Julie and best of luck!

Be sure to check out Julie Pedersen’s new 2013 line of Urban Mukluks & Accessories at www.juliepedersen.com

JOSEPHINE PULVER

LINDSAY BRZUSKIEWICZ

Contest QualificationsTo qualify for the Ayoko Design Business Makeover Contest, businesses

needed to be a full-time enterprise, in operation for at least one year and

based in the city of Winnipeg.

OUR FINALISTS:

Dental Access Winnipeg

Divine & Conquer

EPH Apparel Inc.

Events by Emma

Julie Pedersen Clothing & Design

Luckygirl Photography

McDiarmid Flowers

Mountain Bean

ODT Filharmonic Music Ensemble

Photography by Michele

Vintage Veruca Antiques

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NUMBERS DON’T LIEWHY MOBILE WEBSITES ARE CRUCIAL IN 2013

Text by Ralf Klenke, WSI Winnipeg

y the end of this year it is expected that more than 50 % of all Inter-

net access will be from smartphones and tablets. This is one reason that mobile website marketing and mobile apps have become the largest growing segment of the digital marketing mix.

Businesses of all shapes and sizes have taken notice and have dedicated resources to creating dynamic mobile experiences for their clients and prospects.

Here are some great reasons to con-sider a mobile website:

The Stats Don’t L ie

Smartphone usage continues to soar and there is no sign of it slowing down. The International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasted 2012 smartphone sales to reach 686 million, and they predict that sales will rise to 982 million in 2015. IMS Research expects smartphones to reach one billion in annual sales in 2016. The stats don’t lie – smartphones are all around us.

Increase Search Engine V isibility

People continue to search more and more

for local products and services on-the-go. Search engines display different results when the same term is searched on a desktop or on a mobile device browser. If you have a mobile site, your listing will be ranked above a website that doesn’t have mobile capabilities.

Content Optimized for Different Platforms

Traditional websites are designed for large horizontal screens and the user experience doesn’t transfer well to the tall, small screens of smartphones. It’s like forcing a round peg into a square hole. It’s also important to note that cer-tain web technologies simply don’t work on mobile devices. For example, iPhones are unable to render Flash video; this issue has made a large number of web-sites basically obsolete on-the-go.

Create a Wow Moment

Despite the stats and benefits, the major-ity of businesses still do not optimize their websites for mobile platforms. This creates a great opportunity to impress clients with your fantastic mobile experience.

One of the main reasons businesses avoid creating mobile websites is price. It’s important to note that mobile web-site development is surprisingly cost-effective. Because all of your content is already created, it’s much less time-inten-sive than creating your original website.

Ralf Klenke is the President of WSI Win-nipeg. He helps business owners understand the value of the Internet and helps them gen-erate more leads and sales with less money. To learn more, visit www.whywsi.com

REACHING YOUR ON-THE-GO MOBILE AUDIENCEApple released the first iPhone in 2007 and things have never been the same. We have more power than ever to work on-the-go, explore on-the-go and communicate on-the-go. It’s truly become an on-the-go world. This shift has created a myriad of unique challenges and opportunities for businesses. Here are three great ways your business can adapt and evolve to reach and engage your new mobile audience.

ATarget

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MOBILE MANIAGREAT TIPS FOR JUMPING ON THE MOBILE BANDWAGON

Text by Alexandra Morrison, xLAB Interactive

obile is the way of the future – in fact it’s here right now.

The majority of people under 30 use text messaging rather than e-mail as their primary form of communication. An astounding 82 % of searches for restau-rants, bars and entertainment are made on mobile devices. According to Giga-com, in the last quarter of 2011, Apple sold at least 28 million iOS devices vs. 4.9 million Macs.

If you’re not on the mobile band-wagon, the parade will pass you by.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Keep Campaigns Fun

If you are asking someone to scan a QR code, make sure to reward them for their efforts with value added content, a special video, a coupon code or another interac-tive experience.

Be Mobile Friendly

Have you visited your website on a smart-phone or tablet? How does it look? Are there any non-mobile friendly elements like Flash? Does it do your brand justice?

Make Your Contact Info Clickable

Ensure your contact info on both your website and e-mail signature is text, not images, so viewers can tap the number to call you. Likewise, ensure your address on your website is in text so viewers can click it and be taken to a map of your business location. These steps will also help Google index you in their special Mobile Search engine, adding link bait to your regular site rankings.

Always Consider Context

Your mobile audience is on-the-go, so cut to the chase. Give them what they need to know about your business in a mobile context. Make it crystal clear where you’re located and when you’re open, post spe-cials and consider adding a video – if a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video on-the-go is worth a million!

Link All Print Advertising

Use QR codes to link your business cards to your mobile site and you’ll be able to track the effectiveness of your marketing collateral!

Link Mobile Campaigns to Social Media

Create viral coupons that spread when someone “likes” them on Facebook. Send QR codes to your Twitter followers for special Twitter only deals.

If you’re not a marketing genius, have a mobile marketing consultant help you with at least the first few campaigns – they’ll make sure that the concept, tech-nology and implementation will get you your return on investment.

Alexandra Morrison is the President of xLAB Interactive, a web and Internet mar-keting company based in Winnipeg. Learn more at www.xlabinteractive.com

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ALEXANDRA MORRISON

An example of a mobile friendly website.


Text by Eric Allan & Mark Nowell, MobiCom

n 2009, four billion mobile users sent five trillion messages. Accord-

ing to Potio Research, by 2013 this number will double to ten trillion.

Many businesses are already reap-ing the rewards of mobile marketing:

• Retail stores are driving more foot traffic, seeing a higher average spend per customer and increasing cus-tomer loyalty.• Real estate agents are increasing their open house attendances.• Bars and restaurants are increasing patronage and uptake of daily spe-cials.• Auto dealers are converting more sales.

Mobile Marketing includes Short Message Service (SMS) Text Mar-keting, QR Code Marketing, Mobile Coupons, Text to Win, SMS Contests, Mobile Voting/Polls, Appointment Reminders, Text to Screen and Mobile Rewards/Loyalty Programs.

Here are five big reasons why SMS is a marketer’s dream:

Popularity and Reach

The mobile phone is the most perva-sive media on the planet – with about five billion subscribers (according to The International Telecommunica-tion Union), it’s equivalent to 70 % of the world’s population. 80 % of mobile phone subscribers use SMS regularly.

Staying Power

The use of SMS hasn’t been dented by the popularity of other mobile media including mobile Web, e-mail, applica-tions, multi-media messaging or mobile social networking. This is because text is far more widely available, more affordable and it’s easier to use.

Permanence

SMS doesn’t require both parties to be available at the same time. The marketing message can still be sent even when the recipient’s phone is switched off or there is no network signal. It will be delivered when the phone becomes available and sits in the inbox until the recipient is free.

Versatility

There’s much more to SMS than 138 characters of text. Messages can include binary data and marketers can also send – or receive – digital content such as ring-tones, pictures, logos, wallpapers, anima-tions and money-off coupons/vouchers.

Two-way Communication

Media companies (radio, TV etc.) have been quite successful in encouraging view-ers/readers to send in feedback, tips for stories, pictures and to join promotions using SMS.

No matter what industry you’re in, mobile marketing campaigns can be more effective than traditional marketing

methods and they are often even cheaper to create and deliver. If you’re interested in reaching out to a new audience, SMS marketing can help you reach a new crowd on-the-go.

MobiCom is a national mobile communica-tion company based in Winnipeg. They help clients of all sizes develop and implement SMS marketing plans. For more informa-tion, visit www.mobicom.ca

THE SECRET’S OUTHOW MOBILE SMS MARKETING CAN GROW YOUR BUSINESS

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MARK NOWELLERIC ALLAN

ATarget

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Be Ready & RealisticTREAT SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE A CORE BUSINESS PROCESS

Text by Daniel Billinkoff & Yoko Chapman

ocial media is one of the most affordable and far-reaching mar-

keting tools available for your business.That being said, many business own-

ers have a hard time deciding whether we love it or hate it. With so many different social media platforms to learn and use,

maintaining a social media marketing campaign for your business may seem impossible and overwhelming.

Although we may resent the new obligations that come with social media, these new marketing platforms do open countless doors that were never acces-

sible to us before. As business owners and professionals, we need to make it a prior-ity to find ways to embrace these invalu-able tools and implement plans to get our social media engines roaring.

Here are some simple tips to help you design a manageable social media plan:

Identify Your Priorities

Choose to join the networks that sup-port the strategic goals of your business. It’s better to create a strong, consistent presence on one or two networks than to spread yourself thin over five.

Create and Follow a Schedule

Determine how many posts or updates you would like to make and when you would like to make them for each plat-form. Consider using an app like Hoot-Suite where you can schedule batches of posts in advance to multiple networks.

This way you can dedicate an hour or two on Mondays to plan and schedule your posts for the rest of the week.

Make a Time Commitment

Create realistic goals and create a daily time limit. Schedule social media man-agement in like an appointment and stick to it. View social media as a core business process and don’t spend any more or less time on it than scheduled.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Just because you can do it yourself doesn’t

mean you should do it yourself. If you just can’t find the time to keep up, or feel that you could be making a better impact, call a social media professional to help you get the job done.

Considering social media’s potential reach, and how tough it is for other forms of marketing to compete, it seems hard to believe that so many people choose to miss out on such an incredible opportunity. If you can’t find the time or you’re simply not interested in learning the myriad of social platforms, hire someone to help you fulfill your daily social media obligations and keep your business on the map.

Text + Styling by Andrea Mancini, Soirée Event Planning

Photos by Jeremy Hiebert Photography

Venue: Niakwa Country Club, Flowers: McDiarmid Flowers, Stationery: In So Many Words

ANDREA MANCINI


Plan Like a Pro

orporate special events go far beyond meetings, conferences and

celebrations. In fact, when you hire a spe-cial event planner you are developing and executing a marketing plan for your com-pany. Corporate events help to build bet-ter relationships, open up new networks and spread the word about dynamic com-panies and people.

A corporate event is one of your best opportunities to build relationships with your clients. It is your opportunity to take the relationship out of the office and into a more relaxed environment.

Building Relationships Builds Businesses

It is incredibly important to relate to your clients on a personal level. When a cli-ent views you as a personal contact, their loyalty grows and their desire to refer you

to others increases. It is human nature to feel connected to those who take interest in your personal life and want to share excitement, joy and life’s successes with you. I have witnessed many clients expe-rience a growth in customer loyalty once they have fostered a personal connection.

Some easy ways to begin this pro-cess are to send the invite to their home address rather than their office, invite spouses to the event and include spouses or significant others’ names when address-ing the invite. Some companies will also consider holding an event where people can bring their children.

Spend Money to Make Money

Spending money to make money is an old philosophy, but it still rings true in today’s society. When a client perceives

you as successful, their trust will automati-cally grow in your ability to manage their needs. Your event will never be forgotten if you inject some wow factor into it! Give your planner the freedom to spend money on décor, great entertainment and amaz-ing food and beverages that will elevate your event to the next level. When a client senses that immense thought and effort has gone into an event, they will leave with lasting memories and a desire for more.

Keep it Fresh and Interesting

In the past, corporate events all had a sim-ilar format. They usually began with a wel-come from the host, service of wine and cheese, add in some small talk and head home after an hour or two of being there. Our planners strive to create events that

TIPS FOR HIGH-IMPACT CORPORATE EVENTS

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are current, interesting and innovative to keep up with today’s sophisticated clients. These ever-changing formulas will leave your clients wanting more and help to make your events the ones that they want to attend. Hosting a casual movie evening at a local theatre or a summer barbecue in your own backyard will allow your clients to spend time with you and your family and see you in a new light.

Create Networking Opportunities for Your Clients

Your corporate event can often serve as a networking opportunity for your clients. If you feel that your clients may have an opportunity to work together, take the time to make the introduction and help start the conversation. It is always impor-tant for your clients to feel appreciated, but if they also sense that you care about their success it is only natural for them to return the favour down the road.

What a Planner Can Do for You

An event planner is an invaluable resource for busy companies that want to keep their

events ahead of the curve and impress their clients time after time. A planner is dedicated to your event and is able to come up with new ideas and improve-ments to make your events stand out. It also takes the pressure off your in-house staff and allows them to focus on the job they were hired to do.

We are very well connected in the event industry and can easily identify ven-dors and sources that will save you time and keep you on budget. We also have experience with many vendors and can ensure that the best of the best is hired for your event. Many of our clients simply give us a date and a budget and the rest of the details are up to us.

Hiring a professional planner allows you to focus your energy on your clients and your business, and it ensures that your event is the best it can be.

Andrea Mancini is the owner of Soirée Event Planning. She has over eight years experience in event planning, design and fundraising. Visit www.soireeplanning.ca to learn more.


Text by Daniel Billinkoff

ne of the most important and best investments of any event is the role

of a professional master of ceremonies. “We’ve all been to them… the events

that have no direction, drag on, are con-fusing or just plain un-fun! Organizing an amazing event is great, but if there is no captain of the ship it can quickly sink!” said Aisha Alfa, Winnipeg comedian and MC extraordinaire. “A quality Host/MC can help ensure proper flow and maxi-mum fun at any event.”

Aisha is the perfect example of a pro MC: she’s hilarious, charming and has worked enough events to know how to manage the pace and flow of any evening. Carol Ploen-Hosegood, Founder of the Happy Monkey Club, agrees. She hired Aisha to host multiple Power of Posi-tive events and has seen first hand how a professional MC like Alfa can make an event excel.

“Aisha relates to her audience whether they are 14 or 50 and without a doubt consistently receives the highest reviews from participants,” said Ploen-Hosegood. “What I love the most about Aisha is that she is authentic and takes a true interest in her audience and what they are feeling. Love, love, love her.”

If you’re planning a corporate event, hiring a professional MC may be the best decision you make. Here are some great reasons to invest in a quality event host or MC:

Stay in Control & On Schedule

Longwinded speakers will not only make things run late, they will be boring and the audience will quickly lose attention. A professional MC will ensure your event proceeds seamlessly by keeping your speakers’ presentations on time,

ensuring smooth transitions from one person to the next.

Ensure a Captive Audience

For any size or type of corporate event, an experienced professional MC adds incredible value by injecting style, flare, wit and just the right amount of comic relief to maintain the attention of the audience.

Provide Damage Control

An experienced MC wears many hats. They can improvise in sticky situations as well as adapt to any unexpected cir-cumstances. In the event that a speaker is absent, late or unable to perform, an MC will be able to fill in any gaps and keep the potential for disaster well under control.

A Valuable Event Planning Resource

Make the most of your MC’s knowledge

– an experienced event host can be a valu-able resource throughout the planning process. They will be able to give you great advice when it comes to unexpected chal-lenges or key decisions.

Make Your Event Memorable

With any form of marketing or advertis-ing, you want to leave a lasting message with your clients and customers. When you hire a professional MC to host your event, you are sending the message to your guests that you care about quality and you’re willing to offer them something unique!

When thinking about ways to plan a fun and memorable corporate event, keep in mind how a professional MC can keep continuity, maintain a captive audience and, most of all, leave the right lasting message.

To find out more about booking Aisha and her event MC services, visit www.aishaalfa.com

WE’VE ALL BEEN TO THEM…

THE EVENTS THAT HAVE

NO DIRECTION, DRAG ON,

ARE CONFUSING OR JUST

PLAIN UN-FUN!

- Aisha Alfa, Winnipeg comedian

and MC extraordinaire

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Event ExpertiseTHE BENEFITS OF HIRING A PROFESSIONAL MC


Text by Daniel Billinkoff

hoosing your corporate event entertainment is a sink or swim

proposition.Great entertainers can make it a

night to remember. They can engage your crowd, set the mood and keep the tempo going. Bad entertainers can empty a room or, even worse, offend your guests and tarnish your reputation. Unlike private events, corporate entertainment requires a special set of skills and experience. There is a lot more riding on corporate engage-ments, and it is imperative for the enter-tainers to be able to read the room and act accordingly.

One act quickly rising up the Winni-peg event ranks is the Joy Diamond Band. They have been able to appeal to a wide rage of crowds because of their eclectic music mix – they play sing along, stomp your feet tunes from the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and “whatever.”

“We like appealing to a wide range of audiences,” says Joy Stadnichuk (aka Joy Diamond), the lead singer and general man-ager of the band. “We choose songs that we like to play and the result is an energy that exudes our love of playing music.”

For Joy, choosing the right songs is key to getting the crowd on their side. Likewise, if you’re planning an event, you can win or lose the crowd with your plan-ning choices. Here are several tips to help you through the process:

Choose the Right Act for the Right Crowd

Choose the right entertainer to set the tone for the event. Ask yourself this: what type of entertainment would please the most people? The kind of event (launch

party, training session, a formal get together, annual celebration, etc.) will often determine the most suitable choice.

Choose the Right Entertainers for Your Venue

Is there a big stage or small stage? What is the sound system like? Is there room for a circus act or would a single entertainer fit better? Or, alternatively, if there is a large crowd and huge stage, a small act might get lost in the shuffle.

Create Some Hype for the Event

One of the biggest reasons to hire corpo-rate entertainers is to get your audience excited to attend. Once you’ve booked your entertainment, be sure to add it to your event marketing materials. The more

your potential attendees know about your exciting entertainment offering the better.

Ensure Your Guests Leave With a Story

Traditional musical acts are great to get your crowd dancing and singing, but con-sider adding a non-traditional act to the bill as well. Hire a contortionist, magician or comedian and your crowd will have something to talk about the next day at the water cooler – word of mouth is one of the strongest forms of marketing, so don’t be afraid to get creative.

You can see the Joy Diamond Band regularly at Juss Jazz and The Bella Vista Restaurant and Pizzeria. For more information, visit www.joydiamondband.com. Visit YouTube to hear samples from their live performances.

Perfect Performers CHOOSING THE BEST CORPORATE EVENT ENTERTAINERS

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The Joy Diamond Band. Left to Right: Cliff Clark, Terry Youmans, Dan Leonhardt, Joy Stadnichuk and Mike Warbanski. Missing: Steve Clemis

AyokoMagazine.com 21 D A N I E L B I L L I N K O F F | 2 0 4 . 9 9 9 . 1 8 2 9 | D A N I E L @ B L A C K B I R D C R E A T I V E . C A | W W W. B L A C K I R D C R E A T I V E . C A

We provide professional writing & editing services to help business owners communicate more effectively.

Services include:• Website Content Creation• Corporate Bio & Profile Creation• Article Ghostwriting

Daniel Billinkoff is the owner of Blackbird Creative and contributing writer to Ayoko Magazine. You can find his stories throughout this magazine.

IT ALL STARTS WITH A STORY.

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FIT IS EVERYTHING. CUSTOM BUSINESS WEAR FOR WINNIPEG’S MODERN PROFESSIONAL.

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Best in ShowENSURE YOUR TRADE SHOW BOOTH LEAVES A LASTING IMPRESSION

Text by Yoko Chapman

aking the time to properly prepare for a trade show is critical – you

need to go big or go home. Trade shows are unique as you will

not only be required to show your products in their best light to win new customers, it’s also a setting where you will be directly compared to your competition. You need to find ways to make your presentation the best, and stay top-of-mind with your cus-tomers long after they leave the show.

Here are some tips to help you become best in show:

Do Your Research

Learn what your competition has done in the past and, if possible, what they plan to do this time so that you can come up with new ways to set your business apart from all the rest. Speak with the event coordi-nator to find out the amount of printed materials required so you do not run short. Look at the floor plan to determine the best location in proximity to aisles, major traffic areas or special features at the trade show that may create a draw.

Brand Your Display

Your trade show display should incorpo-rate your company’s current logo/logos, graphics and photography from your branding. Display other marketing mate-rials including printed advertising. You need to be consistent, recognizable and visible.

Plan it All Out

Experiment with drawings, colours, tex-tures, finishes and creative lighting. Con-sider the placement and design for all the structural and decorative elements, and

consider using three or four simple clip-on lights to add the polish you need to make your booth look professional.

Create Special Promotions

Create a special promotion that is unique to the trade show. That does not necessar-ily mean that you have to give everything away for free. If you are creative and think it through, you will be able to find new and original ways to add value for your customers.

Talk to Strangers

This is your big chance to grow your busi-ness network and gather new leads. Con-test ballots are the oldest trick in the book, but are a great way to get contact informa-tion and e-mail list opt-ins from potential new customers.

Incorporate the V irtual World

Use the trade show as a way to drive traffic

to your website. Ensure that your printed marketing materials and signage include your website address. Also, consider add-ing QR codes as a way for people to quickly connect to you using their mobile devices.

Trade shows are a great way to reach a large new audience and build relation-ships. The key to success is being well pre-pared and not skimping when it comes to your branding and personality.

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Branded trade show displays


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w w w . c a r d s b y c r i s t i n a . c o m


Text + Photos by Erin Alexander Photography

Styling by Jessica Ehlers, With a Flourish

ERIN ALEXANDER

Help YourProducts

ShinePROFESSIONAL PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS & TRICKS


rofessional photography can help your products pop and your business

shine. Investing in quality product photog-raphy does more than simply show off your product – it helps you tell your story.

When done properly, brand or prod-uct photography can help you capture your audience’s attention, establish brand credibility, conjure positive emotions and, most importantly, leave a lasting message.

Here are some quick tips to ensure your products are photographed properly:

Use Appropriate Lighting Unwanted light patches or shadows

can drastically change the look and mood of the photo.

Use the Right Background I recommend using white for cata-

logue and shopping carts, and textured or coloured backgrounds for a more stylized look for print and web advertising.

You can also use a contextual back-ground to help viewers establish a connec-

tion with the products.

Be Crisp and Clean Eliminate all unwanted wrinkles,

creases, price tags and labels. Ensure prod-ucts and backdrops are balanced, aligned, clean and free of lint, dirt and debris.

Don’t Count on Editing Don’t assume that imperfections

can be edited out later – this mistake can be very costly. Be properly prepared and do it right the first time.

Be Consistent If groups of photos are intended to

be presented together as a gallery or store, they need to be consistent in lighting, scale and placement.

Plan, Plan, Plan This is especially critical if you have

a large number of products to photograph. Meet with your photographer beforehand to ensure you’re prepared and organized for your photo shoot. If the logistics of the shoot are already sorted out, your brain

will be free to come up with great new ideas and inspirations during the shoot.

Understand Photo Quality Your photos don’t always need to

share every little product detail. This is important for catalogues and online shop-ping carts, but is not necessary to stylized shots used for print and web advertising. Ensure that your photos show the main product and the style of the shoot sum-marizes the main message.

When working with a professional product photographer, the key is clearly communicating your brand, your needs for the shoot and your budget to ensure you’re on the same page.

Erin Alexander is a versatile photographer specializing in stylized product photos and technical catalogue photos, as well as photo-graphing babies, children, families, weddings and documentary style photos. View her work at www.erinalexanderphotography.com


Text by Judy Murata & Denis Hamel, Executive Directors of BNI Manitoba

etworking has changed. In years gone by, networkers did the Las

Vegas Shuffle – they milled about busi-ness events, collected business cards to update their database, and then moved on to the next event. The bigger the list, the better their “hunt” and, in their often mis-guided opinion, the better their network. Others viewed networking events as an opportunity to make a quick sale on the spot, while others viewed it as a time to schmooze and booze.

Although some aspects of those old-fashioned methods have remained, the overall concept of networking has evolved.

Two decades ago, Ivan Misner, the founder of the world’s largest networking organization, Business Network Interna-tional (BNI), summarized networking as, “The process of developing and using your contacts to increase your business, enhance your knowledge, expand your sphere of influence or serve your com-munity.”

Since then, two key words have changed in that definition: “Use” became “activate” and “contact” became “relation-ship.” These changes truly exemplify the

major shifts in how networking is viewed and utilized today.

The first linguistic change occurred as professional networkers realized that “using” is a one-way street, while “activat-ing” is a major two-way highway. Activat-ing a relationship is more powerful, more true to who we are – or need to be – if we want to engage potential clients.

Furthermore, to understand the evo-lution of business networking, it is crucial to understand the difference between hunting and farming mentalities. The hunter wants the quick kill – a quick, right now sale. A farmer understands that you need to till the soil, plant the seed, fertil-ize and water it before you can harvest the crop. In the same way, building your business using networking means that you must cultivate or develop genuine and authentic relationships – only then can you truly expect to receive referrals, or harvest the crop.

The antiquated goal of collecting “contacts” is no more; today’s networking centres around building “relationships.” It is really about helping others as a way of growing your business. The people you

help are more willing to help you or con-nect you to people they know. This is the basic thinking and methodology behind creating referral-based business growth.

By simply changing a couple words in the original definition, the true mean-ing of effective networking becomes clear. It is much more congruent with the style of networking we teach every day, a style that really works.

Judy Murata & Denis Hamel are the Execu-tive Directors of BNI Manitoba, a world-wide marketing organization specializing in word-of-mouth referrals. Learn more at www.bnimanitoba.com

ESTABLISHING A NEW DEFINITION OF BUSINESS NETWORKING

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PeoplePower

DENIS HAMEL & JUDY MURATA


Text by Daniel Billinkoff & Yoko Chapman

s the marketing world’s focus con-tinues to move towards digital

advertising, many businesses are wonder-ing whether print advertising – or “ink on paper” – is obsolete. The answer is a resounding no! Print advertising contin-ues to be an extremely powerful medium and, when combined with other marketing channels, it becomes even more effective. Most importantly, print offers something digital advertising cannot: enhanced cred-ibility.

Pete Blackshaw, former President of the Board of Directors of the Council of Better Business Bureaus and a consumer-generated media guru, says it best, “to suc-ceed in a world where consumers now con-trol the conversation, and where satisfied customers tell three friends while angry customers tell 3,000, companies absolutely must achieve credibility on every front.”

Credibility isn’t easy to quantify, but it’s a critical element that must exist for a business to be successful and achieve con-tinued growth. Participating in Ayoko Mag-azine is a great opportunity to share your story with the local business community and your customers. It combines two of the strongest and most-effective means to gain brand credibility: print and word-of-mouth marketing.

Here are some key ways your business can benefit from advertising in a print pub-lication like Ayoko Magazine:

Reach a Brand New Business Audience

If you are a new business or don’t already have an established database of social media followers, magazine advertising is a fast way to reach new customers. Your fea-ture article or advertisement in our high-quality, perfect-bound magazine will reach

over 5,000 readers consisting of talented Winnipeg entrepreneurs, experienced business owners, local professionals, as well as their clients, colleagues and customers. Your feature article or advertisement also includes blog and social media posts to help you reach even more customers and loyal followers.

Leave a Lasting Message

Unlike online ads that flash by in seconds, magazine advertising has a long shelf life and stays in circulation – potentially for months or even years. No other advertis-ing method provides that much potential longevity from a single investment. Many readers have commented that Ayoko Maga-zine is a mainstay on their coffee table and they never want to throw it away!

Increase Your Website Traffic

Print advertising is a great way to reinforce your brand’s message, drive traffic to your website and introduce new products and services. Your feature article or advertise-ment in Ayoko Magazine includes a free QR

(Quick Response) code that will help read-ers bridge the gap between the physical and virtual world. By using their smartphones, readers will bring your printed message to life by linking directly to your promotional ad, video, webpage, contest or coupon.

Enhance Word-of-Mouth Referrals & Grow Your Business Network

Showcasing your business and services in Ayoko Magazine will grow your network and drive new and repeat business. You will receive several copies to distribute to your own clients and customers – the perfect tool to enhance word-of-mouth referrals from happy customers and business con-nections.

We hope you enjoy this magazine and urge you to consider getting back to basics, and consider using ink on paper to adver-tise your business.

Are you an extraordinary Winnipeg business owner interested in extending your marketing reach? Send a note to [email protected] if the answer is yes. We would love to help you tell your story.

Putting Ink on Paper AYOKO MAGAZINE AND WHY PRINT IS HERE TO STAY

L I N K I N G A L E G A C Y T H R O U G H C O L L A B O R AT I O N

INSPIRED DESIGN

ayoko D E S I G N i n c . c o m 9

I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y M A R I LY N C H A P M A N , N E C K L A C E D E S I G N B Y D AY L E G O E R T Z E Nclearly recall the day I first had the idea for this portfolio magazine. I was looking through my jewelry collection with my then 8-year-

old daughter, Elle. I had so many beautiful pieces that came from family but were not likely be worn on their own. Elle and I both own many vintage jewelry pieces made by my good friend, Dayle Goertzen, owner of Vintage Bling. I decided, then and there, that I would ask Dayle if she would take on a very special project - putting together all of these family treasures on one necklace for me to pass along to my daughter one day.

I knew the result would be exactly what I had in mind, and sure enough, Dayle nailed it! I guess we have collaborated on enough projects now, that we just get each other. Dayle worked very hard on this and I truly believe that this necklace perfectly symbolizes my entire life… it is a collection of special memories, illustrates strong connections, collabora-tions and relationships, combines all my passions (my family, friends and business) - an incredible legacy! What could be more perfect to pass along to my daughter as well as illustrate the evolution of who I am today?I knew this project would not be complete until my mother, Mari-lyn Chapman, drew an illustration of this necklace and helped me create this legend documenting our family history. I could not have been more pleased with the final result!

1. 14K white gold, diamond Art Deco pendant belonged to my paternal

grandmother, Alice Peebles (née Jakilazek).2. Small 14K gold Oval Locket, “Yoko + Curtis 8-11-95”, was a wedding

gift from my parents, Marilyn & Garry Chapman. Photo on left is Yoko,

photo on right is Curt.3. Gold cross pendant was worn by my paternal grandfather, Jack

Peebles.4. Scottish Lion Coat of Arms bracelet link belonged to my maternal great

grandmother, Marion Elliot (née McQueen).5. 10K gold heart was worn by my grandmother, Alice.6. Antique gold heart belonged to my mother, Marilyn, purchased at an

antique store on East Boulevard in Kerrisdale (Vancouver, BC).7. Vintage Bling tag was added by Dayle Goertzen, the creator of this

necklace.8. Main chain, costume jewelry was worn by Curt’s maternal grandmoth-

er, Dorothy Campbell (née Irish), aka Gigi.9. Scottish Lion Coat of Arms bracelet on main chain purchased in Scot-

land, belonged to my great grandmother, Marion and was given to her by

her son, Bob.10. Scottich Lion badge, “WON BY S.T.W.T. 1902”, the “X” is the “Scottish

Horse Regiment” symbol, “S.T.W.T” is thought to stand for “Scotland Trans

World Trophies” and to have belonged to my mother’s paternal grandfa-

ther, Frank Elliot.11. Skeleton key belonged to my maternal grandmother, Marjorie Elliot

(née Betts), and was used for her black metal lock box containing her

important papers. She used to keep it under her bed and my mother,

Marilyn, still has the box.12. The Chinese coin was part of my father, Garry Chapman’s, coin collec-

tion when he was a boy. 13. Large gold oval locket, “ GOLD FILLED B”, “MCB” stood for “Marjorie

Christina Betts”, my grandmother. It was a gift from her brother, Harry,

and holds a photo of her brother, Garnett Betts, who died in WWII when

the plane he was flying crashed in Belgium. Inside is engraved “IHIL” and

“III IL” and “April 1949”.14. Large silver heart (costume jewelry) with rhinestone border, “100

Kisses (heart) Elle, Jay, Curt & Yoko”, was a gift to Curt’s grandma, Doro-

thy (Gigi), on her 100th birthday. Gigi’s birthday was on Valentine’s Day.15. Large clear acrylic heart pendant with my grandparents’, Jack &

Alice’s, photo at the Red River Exhibition in the 1940s.16. 14-18K gold and diamond wedding band and wedding ring belonged

to my grandmother, Alice. The main diamond was re-set into a new ring

that I currently wear.17. Centre small pendant is an amber coloured glass bead, one of my

mother, Marilyn’s, earrings (1990s).18. Centre large pendant is amber coloured glass. My mother’s aunt,

Chrys Chalmers (née McQueen), got it from Scotland and gave it to my

mother as a gift.19. Silver dog tag (costume jewelry), “ Merry Christmas 2002 Elle”, was a

gift to Curt’s grandmother, Dorothy (Gigi), from my daughter, Elle. Etched

photo is Elle at one.20. Small 10K gold ring is my Human Ecology ring, from the University of

Manitoba, 1994. 21. I found the 14-18K gold and diamond engagement ring at Wood-

wards grocery store at Arbutus Mall In Vancouver, BC (1981). The con-

tainer of milk fell off the checkout counter, and when I bent down to pick

it up, I found this ring. I was 11 years old and took it to the lost and found.

No one claimed it after 4 months and I was able to keep it.22. Large gold heart locket engraved “GHB” for “George Harry Betts”,

my mother’s grandfather. The left photo is his father, the right photo is

his mother. On the left hand side, there is a second photo behind that is

George.23. Pocket watch (costume jewelry), “SIMPLON” & “SWISS MADE”,

small hand is at the “11”, missing the large hand, and the jewel is missing,

purchased at the Bay in downtown Winnipeg. It was a “first Christmas”

gift from my father, Garry, to my mother, Marilyn, in 1966. My mom was

15 years old and my dad was 16. My dad gave it to my mom with 2 stuffed

tigers, one big and one small with the pocket watch around its neck.24. 14K gold watch with 2 diamonds, “SWISS” & “Cornell 17 Jewels”,

belonged to my grandmother, Alice. I wore it in high school.25. Bronze medal, “M.B.C.S.U” on front, “1/2 MILE 1927 3rd C. Camp-

bell”, stamped “R.J. ORR” on back, won by Curt’s maternal grandfather,

Charles Campbell, for snowshoeing.

Legend

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12 ayoko D E S I G N i n c . c o m

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S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E A T U R E


Vintage Visiononique Buckmaster, owner of Vintage Veruca, has found a way to celebrate and share memories

and pieces from the past in a fresh new way. Specializing in the buying and sell-ing of antique furniture, artwork, lighting, jewelry, décor, replacement china, silver and crystal, Monique has an eye for qual-ity and an ear for the right story.

By utilizing cutting-edge online mar-keting tools and technology, she has been able to establish a thriving local antique business with global reach. With a jam-packed eBay store and stunning website shop, Monique has cleverly leveraged internet marketing tools to help custom-ers around the world connect with Vin-tage Veruca.

Although most of her business is conducted online, her beautifully arranged storefront on Main Street gives her ample storage space and a way to say connected to the local community. For many people, the rarest find in her store is the propri-etor – a woman with charm and passion like no other.

“For me, it’s all about the people – it’s all about the stories,” Monique explains. “I love vintage pieces, I love beautiful, nos-talgic items from days past. I encourage people to drop in, take their time and dig deep. There’s no rush and quite frankly, I love meeting new people in the store!”

Vintage Veruca has evolved into a store that is as much a time capsule as it is a business. Her second store, Red River General Store, is no different. Located in Narol, Manitoba, the Red River General store carries antiques (of course), but also stocks organic produce and dry goods, soaps, jams, loose leaf teas and locally crafted birdhouses and weather vanes.

With two thriving stores under her belt, Monique is proud that her unique combination of old school charm and new school marketing has a place in Manitoba.

“I am definitely most proud of sur-viving the first five years of business,” Monique said with a smile. “Purchasing my first commercial building was a huge milestone, but I think that I’m most proud of being able to raise three children in the shop without the assistance of day care. It’s been incredibly rewarding.”

Vintage Veruca was featured in the Parade of Homes and the 2011 Winnipeg Free Press Gift Guide. Monique has also been featured in the Winnipeg Free Press for the Red River General Store.

Visit www.vintageverucaantiques.com or www.redrivergeneralstore.com

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OLD-FASHIONED VALUES MEET MODERN MARKETING TOOLS

Monique Buckmaster | 204.339.5301 | 1342 Main Street

vintage veruca www.vintageverucaantiques.com


Unique antiques & collectibles from

Vintage Veruca


Cool Under Pressurevent planning is high stress, detail oriented and you only get one chance to get it right.

Emma Singh, Founder & CEO of Events by Emma, strives under pressure – her ability to keep her cool and, time after time, deliver impeccable results has made her one of Canada’s most sought after event planners. Events by Emma offers couture planning and design for every occasion. With over 15 years of experi-ence, Emma and her creative and dedi-cated team are proven industry leaders in high-quality event management.

Events by Emma’s success can be seen in the company’s growth: what was once a

small home-based business has expanded into a firm of planners with over 5,000 square feet of warehouse, décor, production space and showroom – she has even more exciting expansion plans in 2013.

“We are currently one of the largest event firms in Manitoba and have been recognized nationally for our work on all types of Events – big and small,” Emma said. “We have also been recognized as one of the top five planners in Canada which is a great honour.”

Although event planning is highly competitive, Events by Emma has set itself apart by specializing in world-class couture planning and design. Emma

brings class and panache to every occasion including corporate events, non-profit events, social events and weddings. From custom themes to haute design packages, Events by Emma has established itself as Winnipeg’s top choice for high-end events and planning.

“Our unified approach, creative energy and family focused atmosphere have helped us to develop lasting and strong relationships with all of our clients, vendors and venues,” explains Emma. “The entire event experience needs to shine. It’s these relationships that we pride ourselves in and we believe that our fin-ished product is like no one else. Each and every event needs to wow the guests, and we work extremely hard to ensure every-thing runs flawlessly. We try to infuse a special bit of EBE or ‘Emma style’ into every event we produce.”

Events by Emma’s clients include Rendez-Vous Canada, Cineplex Entertain-ment, Marymound, Special Olympics, Peter Nygård, Tourism Winnipeg, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada, Children’s Wish Foundation, Plug In Institute of Con-temporary Art, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

In a recent interview, Emma revealed the source of her passion, “I love meet-ing new people every day and I love the challenges of our ever-growing industry in Manitoba. Winnipeg is a city that is vibrant and growing rapidly and I love all the changes and exciting things happen-ing. Being the culture capital of the coun-try, I love the diversity not only in the events I produce but the different cultures and heritages I get to celebrate and get to bring to life through my events.”

Learn more about Events by Emma at www.eventsbyemma.com, or call 204.779.8812 to book an appointment.

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BRINGING COUTURE EVENT PLANNING TO WINNIPEG

Emma Singh | 204.779.8812 | 141–143 DeBaets Street

events by emma www.eventsbyemma.com


www.eventsbyemma.com


A Passion for Fashionhannon Klymchuk followed in her grandfather’s footsteps and became a third generation

accountant. While working full time for a local accounting firm, she completed a fashion merchandising course in her spare time.

“I really only entered account-ing because it was what I knew best,” Shannon explains. “And it helped me get the money I needed to go traveling to shop for awesome clothing – I loved searching out new styles and designers I couldn’t find in Winnipeg. The fashion course truly opened my eyes to new pos-sibilities.”

In the midst of corporate restructur-ing, her role was no longer needed and Shannon realized that it was the per-fect time to pursue her dreams. Shan-non wasted no time and opened Divine & Conquer, a boutique fashion store on Academy Road. Specializing in upstart Canadian designers, Divine & Conquer built a name for itself by carrying clothing lines not found anywhere else in Mani-toba.

“I’ve traveled to New York and Las Vegas to source clothing – what I learned was that Canadian designers are every bit as exciting as those in other parts of the world,” Shannon said. “A lot of our cus-

tomers feel good knowing that they’re helping the Canadian economy and help-ing Canadian fashion designers climb the ladder of success.”

Divine & Conquer’s Canadian designers/fashion lines include Alex Espi-nosa, Dee Karpa, Lennard Taylor, Kol-lontaï, SLAK, Voyou, Eve Gravel, Narcis-sist, Chloe Angus, Elroy Apparel, Marika Brose, Abel Muñoz, Thieves, Jennifer Glasgow, The Paddock, NADO and Gaya.

Along with supporting Canadian fashion designers, Shannon is also an active member of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, WBOM, Happy Monkey Club and CFIB, and dedicated to helping local charities.

This February, Divine & Conquer will be working with Easter Seals SMD on a fashion show at Inferno’s Bistro on Academy Road, and later in the month Shannon is participating in the Red Dress Gala fashion show for Heart & Stroke.

“I love supporting great Winnipeg charities,” Shannon said. “It’s a great feel-ing helping those in need. One of the rea-sons I love fashion is that it helps people – it’s transformative. Beautiful clothes that really fit are great for your confidence, mood and self-esteem.”

To help Winnipeg women find their dream dress or perfect print, Shannon offers private group shopping events fea-turing complimentary wine, cheese, fruit, discounts and prizes. If you’re unsure whether you need a new style in the com-ing months, Shannon has some advice:

“Why wait for an event to dress up? Make a fashion statement and let the event come to you. You only have one chance to make a first impression. Make it memorable.”

You can learn more about Divine & Conquer fashions at www.divineandconquer.ca

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ONE WOMAN’S JOURNEY FROM ACCOUNTANT TO FASHIONISTA

Shannon Klymchuk | 204.415.7656 | 400 Academy Road

divine & conquer www.divineandconquer.ca


Divine & Conquer, specializing in

Canadian designer fashion


Heart & Stroke Sweetheartshe cache of vintage jewelry that Dayle Goertzen has amassed over the decades shines and sparkles.

Gems and jewels, silver and bronze – she has collected a true treasure trove of fun, elegant costume pieces.

Several years ago she got an idea: why not transform all of these beautiful old pieces into something new?

The result is Vintage Bling, a unique line of hand made costume jewelry made using recycled vintage components.

Inspired by Dayle’s passion for vintage flavour and nostalgia, Vintage Bling has made its way to the pages of Elle Canada, Chatelaine, Weddingbells, Splash and Pre-miere magazines, as well as onto The Red Carpet in Hollywood.

With rave reviews and outstanding press support, her customer base grew and Vintage Bling took off.

Amidst her growing success, things took a turn for Dayle and her family. In February of 2011, Dayle lost her mother

Norma to congestive heart failure.“We buried her on Valentine’s Day,

which is bittersweet because she was such an incredible sweetheart,” says Dayle. “I miss her so much.”

To honour her mother, Dayle began designing a series of vintage heart locket necklaces lovingly named ‘Sweethearts.’ Each of these beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces featured a heart somewhere in the design and Dayle decided to donate a portion of the proceeds to The Heart & Stroke Foundation. The entire line sold out within a month.

Most importantly, Dayle found great comfort in designing the Sweethearts line.

“I found that this process has proven to be great therapy,” Dayle explains. “It’s been so great, in fact, that I’ve decided to make this an annual tradition – I plan on releasing a new line of Sweethearts this winter. And with February being Heart & Stroke Month, the symbolism is perfect.”

Vintage Bling’s second annual Sweethearts line will be released Febru-ary 1 with a portion of the proceeds going to support the Heart & Stroke Founda-tion. Each one-of-a-kind design features a heart to honour people and families who have battled heart disease.

This year’s Sweethearts line will be available on the Vintage Bling website and Facebook page, for the month of Feb-ruary only, in a special Sweethearts photo album.

“Remember that they are one-of-a-kind,” Dayle warns. “If you see something you like, don’t wait and hope it will still be there later – you may end up disap-pointed.”

Learn more at www.vintagebling.ca or www.facebook.com/vintagebling and check back February 1 for the launch of Sweet-hearts for Heart & Stroke.

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VINTAGE BLING FOR A GREAT CAUSE

Dayle Goertzen | 204.661.9566

vintage bling www.vintagebling.ca




Climbing the Ranksalf Klenke is the owner of WSI Digital Marketing in Winnipeg. WSI is the world’s largest network

of Certified Digital Marketing Consultants with over 1,500 offices in 87 countries.

When asked how WSI’s approach differed from smaller local digital market-ing companies, it became clear that scale is a tremendous benefit.

“WSI has a team of over 150 support staff at our head office in Toronto,” Ralf answered. “This team provides constant training and also researches the best prod-ucts and services to be included in the WSI

system. WSI’s global knowledge, competi-tive pricing and outstanding purchasing power simply can’t be matched by compa-nies who exist only in local markets.”

The following case study is a typi-cal WSI story. A few months ago, Ralf received a call from a local retailer who was concerned about the lack of new busi-ness coming in from their ad in the local telephone directory. He also realized that, when important keywords were searched, his website wasn’t ranking on Google’s first page. He also knew that any traffic that did get to his site didn’t seem to lead to new

business. Ralf had a few theories as to why the

website was underperforming, so he rec-ommended his standard website review process to begin diagnosing the issue.

“We ran a web scan that analyzes the website and compared it to competitors’ sites,” explains Ralf. “It quickly became obvious why search engines ignored the site. We were also able to analyze the traf-fic pattern to better understand how visi-tors arrived at the site and what they did before they left.”

Ralf and his client were now in agree-ment that a switch was needed – they decided to dump the telephone directory ads in favour of a new digital marketing strategy.

WSI developed a customized digital marketing strategy that required a $600 per month investment – Ralf ’s research predicted that the new plan would lead to almost $15,000 in new business. The client loved the plan, especially since there were no additional costs over and above the reallocation of money already being spent on the telephone directory ads.

In this case study, searches for prod-ucts and services increased from 11,566 to 12,114 during a six-month period. The total search engine traffic from non-branded key terms increased from 512 to 847 visitors in this same period. The num-ber of visitors staying on the website for more than 30 seconds almost doubled. The results were impressive.

“We started implementing the strat-egy in early Summer 2012 and the differ-ence was immediate,” Ralf said enthusias-tically. “In their first year alone my client has profited over $16,000 from our online marketing strategy – we’re on target to far exceed our expectations.”

For more information about WSI Digital Marketing, visit www.whywsi.com P

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A SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION CASE STUDY

Ralf Klenke | 204.294.9974 | 100 –1483 Pembina Highway

wsi digital marketing www.whywsi.com



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Embracing Changes an accountant, financial plan-ner and divorce financial analyst, Tesia Brooks, owner of Brooks

Financial, is dedicated to serving the needs of her clients. Specializing in retire-ment income planning, changes in marital relationships and career transition, Tesia understands that people need the great-est support when a significant change has occurred in their life.

“The Brooks Financial team has per-

sonally dealt with divorce, raising families, children leaving home, career changes and the death of family members,” Tesia explains. “We have great understanding and compassion for our clients who are going through these changes.”

Divorce is often an emotionally chal-lenging, and sometimes chaotic, experi-ence. It is difficult to work through the financial impact of these changes when you are experiencing so much emotional

and spiritual turmoil. Yet, it’s during divorce that people need to make some of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.

Brooks Financial ensures that clients make wise decisions based on objective facts instead of overwhelming emotions. The end result is a “Life Plan” to help them achieve sound long-term financial stability.

“I have experienced divorce twice, one with no children and one with one child,” Tesia explains. “Divorce is extremely dif-ficult on everyone involved. I have made it my career journey to support my clients and help them make it through.”

When establishing Brooks Financial, Tesia knew that she needed to include her clients in the planning process. In past career roles she was tasked with creating financial plans for clients, but the client was never involved in the process. In fact they would never even meet face to face.

“We take the time to work with clients to assist them in visioning their future. They understand by actually being involved in that process,” Tesia explains. “This enables clients to see for themselves that the planning software simulates their real life circumstances and wants. When people can visualize and become part of the process they can then effortlessly act on that plan. It is the action that brings about success.”

As a professional dealing with enormous life changes every day, Tesia reminds us that perspective is key.

“All transitions come about from a need for change,” Tesia said. “My advice to my clients is to try and see their change in this light and have some excitement for where their new path is taking them.”

Learn more about Brooks Financial at www.brooksfinancial.ca

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CREATING A LIFE PLAN IN THE MIDST OF MARITAL TURMOIL

Tesia Brooks | 204.612.3879

brooks financialwww.brooksfinancial.ca




Home Safe Homenstances of dangerous mould in Canadian homes are on the rise. Many experts attribute this in

part to global warming and higher overall year-round temperatures – this encour-ages the spread of moulds and other fungi. Furthermore, new homes are designed to be more energy efficient and are built with reduced airflow – this includes the cre-ation of more dead air spaces, which also leads to mould.

Mould and other airborne irritants (dust mites, pollen, pet dander, etc.) can be quite harmful, causing nose and throat irritation, severe fatigue, blurred vision, rashes and flu-like symptoms. These issues are even worse for people with asthma or other breathing issues.

As a contractor, Jim Corps learned first hand that mould, particularly in base-ments, is more prevalent than most people think. What he found the most shocking,

though, was the lackadaisical attitude that Winnipeg contractors had when dealing with mould issues.

“When I saw how things were being built in Manitoba and the poor solutions that were being provided, I was shocked,” said Jim Corps, owner of Home Safe Home. “No one seemed to care about the home owner and how mould affected their health and lives. Many contractors were hiding the problems and the mould would just reappear.”

In response, Jim founded Home Safe Home to offer mould remediation, air purification systems, water filtration sys-tems and industry leading clean air reno-vation services.

Their methodologies differ from regular contractors, as mould prevention and air/water quality are top priorities, not afterthoughts. Utilizing state of the art products and methodologies, Home Safe Home has managed to surpass code requirements while staying within the same price range as their competitors.

Their dedication to quality means that they make a bit less on the bottom line, but the health of the families they help is well worth it.

“One day, after removing the mould from a young family’s home, their little girl came up to me, gave me a giant hug and said ‘Uncle Jim, thank you for making our Home a Safe Home – Mommy and Daddy are so happy now,’” Jim recounts. “The smile on our customers faces … that’s how I measure success.”

Home Safe Home has been in busi-ness for 11 years and is looking forward to a busy, mould-free 2013.

Visit www.homesafehomeonline.com or call 204.774.HOME to learn how Home Safe Home can give you a healthier, mould-free home.

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HELPING FAMILIES BATTLE A GROWING THREAT

Jim Corps | 204.774.HOME | 1870 Notre Dame Avenue

home safe home www.homesafehomeonline.com


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Movin’ on Upn a highly competitive industry where only the hardest-working and most-dedicated people sur-

vive, Clara Mitchell Enns and Yolanda Meneses, real estate agents at Hearts & Homes Property Group with RE/MAX Performance Reality, have not only sur-vived, they’ve thrived.

The key to their success? Happy clients.“We offer a unique 100 % Buyer Sat-

isfaction Guarantee Program,” explains

Clara. “Within the first ten months of ownership, if you don’t like the house you’ve bought with us, we’ll sell it for free. We also offer $250 towards legal fees when you buy or sell with us. It makes things a little easier for our clients.”

Clara and Yolanda don’t just help their clients purchase a new house, they also help them build equity for their dream home.

“The best advice I can give to some-

one thinking about becoming a new prop-erty owner is to get into the market as soon as you can,” Clara says. “You may not have your perfect dream home or invest-ment property at first, but it will be your launch pad to get there. It’s the best way to build equity because very few of us can save money as quickly as the prices rise.”

Clara has over three decades of real estate experience and is bilingual in English and German. Yolanda is bilingual in English and Spanish. Visit www.heartsandhomes.ca to learn more.

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INVESTING YOUR WAY TO YOUR DREAM HOME

Clara Mitchell Enns and Yolanda Meneses | 204.452.9627 | 942 St . Mary’s Road

hearts & homes property group www.heartsandhomes.ca


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Capturing Emotionseremy Hiebert still remembers the very first camera he was given as a teen.

“Back then I never imagined it would lead me down this path,” Jeremy said. “From early on my dream was to freeze time and capture emotional, poignant and beautiful moments through photography. However, I always imagined doing that as a photojournalist somewhere overseas.”

His life changed when he fell in love

with his wonderful wife Meagan. He real-ized that he wanted to build a family – he wanted to set his roots in Winnipeg. He needed to find a way to continue his pas-sion for photography on a local level.

This all happened at an opportune time – digital photography emerged as a high quality, cost-effective option and the entire wedding photography industry shifted. He had a viable new way to con-tinue photography without sacrificing his

home life.After working with Patty Boge

and Trevor Brucki, two established and accomplished wedding photographers, Jeremy chose to join the Professional Photographers of Canada and went out on his own. Almost a decade later, he has no doubt that he made the right choice.

“I feel very blessed to have had a successful business for eight years now,” Jeremy said. “In that short time I’ve been featured in a number of publications in North America and Europe and have even won awards for the best wedding image and wedding album of the year. It’s been unbelievable.”

Succeeding as a wedding photogra-pher in a saturated market is a huge chal-lenge. Jeremy knew that he needed to be different right from the start.

“I made the choice to focus on pro-viding the best customer service possible, to prioritize quality instead of quantity,” he explains. “I also understood that in order to capture those beautiful and can-did moments I needed to cultivate friend-ship and trust with each of my couples.”

From the initial meeting and booking to the actual wedding day, Jeremy ensures that he and his couples build a strong con-nection – he’s more than just some person they hired to take pictures.

In the end, it’s Jeremy’s love of wed-dings that drives him – his love of love inspires him.

“I always strive to exceed my clients’ expectations,” Jeremy said. “From captur-ing breathtaking, heartfelt moments to building beautiful custom albums, I want all of my couples to relive their wedding with a sense of pride and poignancy.”

Learn more about Jeremy Hiebert and view samples of his award-winning photography at www.jeremyhiebert.ca

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A WINNIPEG PHOTOGRAPHER DISCOVERS HIS TRUE CALLING

Jeremy Hiebert | 204.470.6144


jeremy hiebert photography www.jeremyhiebert.ca


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Home Buying Realityurtis Knudson opened Knudson Law Office in 2012, right smack in the middle of Winnipeg’s most

aggressive real estate market in recent memory. Amidst the home buying panic, Curtis noticed a trend amongst his clients, friends and family: people purchasing homes without understanding the total cost of the proposition.

“Buying a home may be the most significant financial transaction you ever

face,” Curtis said from his firm on Portage Avenue. “One of the big mistakes people make, especially when buying a home for the first time, is underestimating the fees, taxes and costs over and above the actual mortgage.”

To help new homebuyers, Curtis has prepared the following quick guide to outline some of these extra costs:

Land Transfer Tax – With very lim-ited exceptions, Manitoba homebuyers

are required to pay Land Transfer Tax. Land Transfer Tax is calculated based on the fair market value of the property – this is usually the purchase price. The percent-age used by the provincial government to calculate Land Transfer Tax differs based on the value of the home.

Interest – It is common for the pur-chase transaction to be closed without the mortgage funds being available to the buyer; in this scenario, the proceeds will not be available to the seller until two to four weeks after possession. The standard Offer to Purchase provides that, during this delay, interest is payable on the bal-ance owed to the seller, calculated at the same rate as charged by a buyer’s lender.

Property Taxes – Winnipeg prop-erty taxes for the calendar year are due on June 30. Therefore, depending on whether taxes have been paid for the current calen-dar year, the seller of the home may need to be reimbursed for any prepaid taxes.

Legal Costs – Lawyer fees when buying a home will include such things as title searches, exchanges with the seller’s lawyer, purchase documentation, negoti-ating satisfactory closing trust conditions and documentation reviews. Knudson Law Office outlines all costs at the begin-ning of the process to ensure there are no surprises down the road.

All of these costs are manageable, but the key is being prepared and factor-ing them in when deciding whether or not you can actually afford to purchase a specific home. If you would like more information on the costs you may face as a homebuyer, contact Curtis Knudson.

Knudson Law Office provides legal services in real estate law, family law, civil litigation, wills and estates and corporate law. Learn more or receive a free quote by calling 204.505.3033 or visit www.knudsonlaw.com

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UNDERSTANDING THE FULL COST OF BUYING A HOME

Curtis Knudson | 204.505.3033 | 202–1311 Portage Avenue


knudson law officewww.knudsonlaw.com


waiting for you!







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ayoko Magazine - Vol2 - Winter 2013