Just two months after the successful launch of Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters, The Canadian Museum of Nature capped off a fantastic 2012 with the grand reopening of the Vale Earth Gallery.  The permanent exhibit is double the size of the museum’s previous Earth Gallery and contains more than 1,000 awe-inspiring mineral, rock and gem specimens.

These samples truly have to be seen to be believed.

In the gallery you’ll find 14 oversize mineral samples (including crystals) weighing from 100 to 500 pounds, more than 30 meteorites collected from Canada and all around the world, and a sample of the oldest rock on earth (3.8 billion years old!).

The museum has also added a number of fun, interactive displays.  Kids of all ages can build volcanos, cause earthquakes and simulate making different kinds of rock with steam-punk machines like the Sedimentator, Magmanator and the Metamorphicator. And for those who want to wield the power of the universe, how about taking the controls of a six-foot animated globe? Make it spin, drain the oceans, see the web of tectonic plates that cover the earth, etc. Last, but not least, explore an incredibly lifelike limestone cave, complete with its very own dripping waterfall.

With High Road’s assistance, museum staff landed some great coverage.  Their team appeared as guests on CTV Morning Live and Rogers Daytime, while great print and broadcast coverage appeared in The Ottawa Citizen (see the Video Gallery here), The Ottawa Sun, CTV, CBC, EMC, and Ottawa Life Magazine.

The debut of the new Earth Gallery even attracted national coverage with articles popping up in the travel pages of The Vancouver Province, The Winnipeg Free Press, The Cape Breton Post, and Sympatico.ca, as well as a number of high profile Quebec blogs.

All and all, it was for a rock solid opening for yet another fascinating, world-class exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Nature. If you happen to be in Ottawa over the holidays, be sure to drop by the Canadian Museum of Nature as kids (ages 3-12) are half-price) until Dec. 24, 2012.

Here is just a taste of some fun we had with Canadian Tire recently. Click the image to learn how to make sure Santa doesn’t miss your home!

Hundreds of people lined up to check out the grand opening of the first international Microsoft Retail Store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre on November 16^th, the first retail hub outside of the United States.

Consumers, customers and Microsoft partners were excited to watch as the curtain dropped and the store doors officially opened in Canada – and High Road was thrilled to work with Microsoft to make it happen.

In advance of the grand opening, over twenty Canadian media were invited to the store for a sneak peek and had the opportunity to play with the latest products including, the coveted Surface tablet and the new Windows Phone 8.  The Microsoft Store manager, Alison Evans, and Microsoft’s Eastern U.S. marketing manager, Pete Harrington, were on hand to talk to media about Microsoft’s store strategy and what consumers can expect from the store.

On November 16^th, Toronto’s top broadcast stations were onsite to capture the excitement of the day.

The result? Tons of buzz both online and offline with attention from top tier outlets including Global News, CTV.ca and the Globe and Mail.  Not to mention, media and consumers were thrilled for the chance to chat with Microsoft Canada’s president, Max Long about the new store opening.

To kick things up another notch, Microsoft celebrated the grand opening with Wayne Gretzky and the band Train who were onsite during opening weekend to celebrate with consumers.  Gretzky was at the store playing Kinect with a few lucky consumers, and Train held a private concert on November 17^th outside of the Yorkdale mall.

Overall, the store opening was a huge success and Torontonians are delighted to have a Microsoft Store close to home.  Check out what people had to say: