Coming out of E3, it is no doubt that Disney Epic Mickey is one of the most highly anticipated games to launch before the end of 2010. For the first time in gaming history, one of the world’s most iconic characters, the mouse himself, will be a playable character. Coupling Mickey Mouse with the game being designed by industry luminary Warren Spector, it was not a surprise that some Canada’s top journalists were dying to step in to Wasteland to give Disney Epic Mickey a test drive.

On Tuesday October 12th, Disney Interactive Studios Canada hosted a successful three-part preview day for Disney Epic Mickey in Toronto, featuring special guest Warren Spector. The day kicked off with Warren appearing on Canada’s largest morning show, Canada AM. Warren then met one-on-one with all top-tier Canadian print and broadcast media throughout the day, followed by a cocktail-style preview event located in a trendy gallery in downtown Toronto. Media, retail partners and influencers joined DIS for an evening of demos and hands-on game play, while being entertained by the painting talents of Disney artist Joe Yakovetic and to tunes spun by a hip Toronto DJ. The event was a huge hit, creating positive buzz and anticipation in advance of the launch of Disney Epic Mickey in Canada on November 30^th.  

LG’s products had been long‐considered the epitome of sophistication and style, so it was only fitting to have the brand extend its association even deeper into the fashion industry with the announcement of LG’s title sponsorship of Toronto Fashion Week in 2009. With the goals of highlighting LG upcoming sponsorship role, the company’s unique fusion of technology and style, and demonstrating the company’s commitment to the fashion community in the year to come, LG hosted the Fashion Fusion Gala at the end of Toronto’s Fashion Week in September 2008.

Located in a reconfigured Fashion Week tent in Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, over 1,000 industry icons, designers and consumers alike mixed and matched while experiencing a fête of fashion. High Road worked with agency partners to stage a full fashion show with designers Agent Provocateur, Greta Constantine, Wayne Clark, Shan and a handful of International design students treating the audience to the full runway experience. Additionally, High Road managed the launch of a new fashion phone series, which was integrated into a Carlie Wong fashion show.

Entertainment was provided by Grammy Award‐winning and International musical talent, Maroon 5, who rocked the runway with their soulful sounds. High Road worked with a variety of agencies and different vendors to coordinate all the logistics of the tent, entertainment, fashion show and catering.

To open up access to the public, LG projected the party on a huge screen outside the tent in Nathan Phillips Square. And when LG conducted an open casting call for aspiring models to strut their stuff on the runway and win access into a variety of fashionable events, High Road did public relations as well as online editorial outreach and social media relations to spread the word..

The Fashion Fusion Gala secured coverage from top‐tier publications, news broadcasts and online sites. The program, which continued with LG Fashion week in March 2009, October 2009 and October 2010, continues to drive home the message that LG is a brand focused on high‐tech and fashionable design.

Learn more at: www.lgfashionweek.ca

Will companies have office headquarters in the future?  What does the future of working look like?

In the week leading up to the May 24^th long weekend, High Road worked with TELUS Business to launch an integrated program to tell people about flexible working this summer. They set up a booth at Brookfield Place in Toronto to talk to Canadians about how they like to work, and to provide more information on ways to work without being in an office environment.

At the same time, TELUS also hosted a virtual press conference for journalists and bloggers across Canada to discuss flexible work.  The conference revealed the results of a TELUS commissioned Harris Decima survey which explored the gap between how today’s employees prefer to work vs. managerial perspectives on flexible working programs. Industry experts and customers on the panel included:

• Alison Konrad, Professor of Organizational Behaviour, Richard Ivey School of Business
• Jennifer Perrier-Knox, Senior Research Analyst, Info-Tech Research Group
• Peter Day, President, Endo Networks
• Tim Lorman, Director of Strategic Space and Alternative Work, TIAA-CREF
• Jeff Lowe, VP Enterprise, TELUS

To find out more about the conference and flexible working, visit TELUSTalksBusiness.com.