The other week High Road Communications got themselves into a rather cheesy situation. But not just any cheese.  Mozzarella di Bufala DOP to be exact. On Wednesday May 11, HRC partnered with Obikà Mozzarella Bar to help launch its first location in Canada.

Neapolitan dialect for “Ecco Qua” (meaning ‘Here it is!’), Obikà served up a VIP Opening Party fit for Italian royalty. With Prosecco, wine and Peroni flowing, guests dined on Obikà’s finest fares and danced the night away to some stellar tunes provided by, the one and only, DJ Chuck Barrett and Lexx Decibel.

Bright and early the next day (with the Obikà espresso machine in full effect), the HRC and Obikà team were bright eyed and bushy tailed for a day full of media interviews.

Without a doubt, both the Obikà VIP Opening Party and media day proved to be nothing but a recipe for success.  With coverage in every daily and the #ObikàTO burning up a storm on Twitter, Obikà was able to make its way into every Canadian household to say “Here it is!”…. Obikà  

Wanna see what you missed? Check out the video for a glimpse into the Obikà VIP Opening Party.

High Road’s own Danna Barak took social media to the next level, braving frigid temperatures as she and Canadian Tire’s social media specialist Tweeted their way from Toronto to Calgary, stopping in places such as Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina and Edmonton.

Accompanied by the world’s largest mobile rink refrigeration truck, this custom-built  53-foot truck houses all of the materials needed to transform McMahon Stadium from a football field into an ice rink for the 2011 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic.

Canadian Tire is the official sponsor of the rink build for 2011 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, the second outdoor game of the 2010-11 NHL season. This event will mark the first outdoor game for the Calgary Flames in their franchise history, and the second for the Canadiens. The game will take place on February 20, 2011 at McMahon Stadium.

The Truck Stop tour visited local Canadian Tire stores for special fan events in Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary. Consumers were invited to enjoy some Tim Hortons hot chocolate and coffee, fan giveaways, and take a commemorative photo in front of special green screens.

Fans also had the opportunity to check out the truck which carried a 300 ton capacity refrigeration trailer that is responsible for keeping the ice cool at McMahon Stadium, 350 gallons of paint to make the ice white, and 3,000 gallons of coolant used to freeze the rink.

Danna and Canadian Tire’s social media specialist Tweeted along the way and posted photos and updates to Facebook, stopping at local landmarks and hockey sites such as the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame, and  West Edmonton Mall which features an impressive indoor rink.

Media were involved in the truck tour every step of the way, getting the word out to consumers prior to the events, and showing up on site to take pictures and video of the truck. Coverage for this campaign has been outstanding, further driving Canadian Tires message of hockey pride.

Watch for more blog posts on the Heritage Classic as High Road will be on site for the game on February 20th.

We recently celebrated the first year anniversary of Windows 7 + Windows Live with over 30 of Toronto’s favourite bloggers at the Canadian Air and Space Museum. Set up under the wings of historic aircrafts like the WWII Lancaster, the Eaton family plane and the famed Beaver, attendees took an engaging journey through the features of Windows 7, Windows Live and Windows Phone 7. As @RicksterCDN put it:“Holy Crap! I am demoing Remote Media Streaming with Windows Live UNDER THE WING of an Avro Arrow!”

The energy and excitement of the Microsoft demo team and Windows Consumer Business Group Lead Aaron Coldiron was palpable as they showed attendees how to create, connect and share using Windows Live Essentials features like Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Mesh and Windows Movie Maker. While munching on pad thai, candy pop corn and mini cupcakes (iced with the Windows colours, of course), folks learned handy tricks like how to remove blemishes from photos, how to create the perfect group photo and how to make amazing panoramic images. Exclamations like “Wow, I didn’t know I could do that with Windows” echoed through the museum.

And what better way to wrap up a day of working in the cloud than to take a trip up in the clouds? The truly brave among our esteemed group of attendees were given a rare opportunity: a helicopter tour from Downsview Park to Toronto Island, where theygot a truly unique view of the city. Take a look at some of the great photos taken by Richard Budman of Shot7:

Sean Ward and Chelsea McDermott #InTheCloud

As Sean Ward said, “It’s not every day that you get the chance to snap a picture of the CN Tower from above!”

The event was a great success and even became a Twitter Trending Topic in Toronto and in Canada thanks to more than 300 tweets from participants! Attendees have said they’ve starting using Windows Live Mesh and SkyDrive and have even recommended Windows Phone 7 to their friends since attending the #InTheCloud event, showing the changing perception of Windows among the Toronto tech community.

Want to know how you can start creating, connecting and sharing in the cloud, too? Download Windows Live Essentials for free here!

Special thanks to Karim Kanji and Carolyn Van of Third Ocean for co-hosting this awesome event with us.