The BreakFest Blog
News about Ottawa Festivals and our Member festivals, special events and fairs.
CTM’s Ettractions ExploreBoard WINS The Digital Signage Expo Gold APEX Award
If you would like to check-out the ExploreBoard, Ottawa Festivals has one installed at our Information and Ticketing Office located at 47 William Street in the ByWard Market.
[Source: Press Release]
CTM Media Group, known as a leading provider of valuable visitor information for the past 29 years, has let the launch of our new out-of-home and place based media product out of the bag!
We’re excited to announce Ettractions ExploreBoard took the gold in the Interactive Self-Services category at the 2012 Digital Signage Expo!
The APEX Award presented at a banquet on the opening night of DSE in Las Vegas showcases innovation in the development and deployment of technology in the global Digital Out Of Home industry. The award chose ExploreBoard amongst 88 other entrants from 18 different countries.
ExploreBoard provides an intuitive and easy to use interface allowing visitors to browse the vast array of local tourism information including content rich descriptions, directions, high quality images, videos, special offers and upcoming events.
The touch screen, digital keyboard and QR codes allow visitors to share content with their personal device for on-the-go access.
“We are thrilled to have won the Apex Gold award. Ettractions ExploreBoard has been enthusiastically received by our location partners and visitors alike. The user experience and content is certainly what sets ExploreBoard apart. With over 50,000 images and 200 videos embedded in the Ettractions.com database the traveler has a wealth of information to assist them in making their entertainment choices.” states Peter Magaro, President of the CTM Media Group.
Spectator sports, event promoters, artists and related services industry reached an all time high in 2010
According to a Stats Canada report, the spectator sports, event promoters, artists and related services industry reached an all time high in 2010, with combined operating revenues of $7.3 billion, a 20.7% increase over the $6.0 billion operating revenue of 2009. The large increase in the industry’s operating revenues for 2010 was driven by the impact of the Vancouver Winter Games. The largest industry group, promoters (presenters) of performing arts, sports and similar events accounted for 47.5% of the total operating revenues, followed by spectator sports at 35.0%, independent artists, writers and performers at 12.8% and agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures at 4.7%.
ART + LAW: National Conference for Visual Artists & Art Lawyers
June 8 – 10, 2012 – Ottawa
This year, CARFAC is pleased to invite visual artists and arts lawyers from across Canada to come together and discuss the intersection of art and the law. CARFAC’s work involves educating artists about their economic and legal rights. Many of the questions that our artist members call us about are legal in nature – everything from copyright to contract disputes and tax issues. This year’s conference will explore the unique challenges faced by artists and arts organizations when things get legal.
Schedule:
FRIDAY, JUNE 8th:
Evening: SAW Video Panel: Keeping Time / Time Running Out: Preserving Video Art and Technology in and out of the Archive
SATURDAY, JUNE 9th:
Morning: Labour Panel
Catered Lunch
Afternoon: Copyright Panel
Downtown Ottawa gallery hop
Evening: CARFAC National Visual Arts Advocate Award presentation and reception
Creative social mixer, co-hosted by Spins and Needles
SUNDAY, JUNE 10th:
Morning: Artist’s Resale Right panel
Catered Lunch
Afternoon: CARFAC AGM
Visual Artists open forum
For details, visit our website.
Accommodations and Transportation:
Travel and hotel discounts are being offered to participants by Porter, VIA and the Lord Elgin Hotel. Visit our website for details.
A small number of travel bursaries are available for participants in two programs. Four bursaries will be given to emerging artists and law students through a video contest. Six bursaries will be given to participants through an application process – two bursaries will be reserved for artists from equity seeking groups and two for artists from outside Ontario or Quebec. Visit our website for details.
Ontario’s tourism welcome doesn’t travel to Ottawa
18 visitor centres, but none here
By Mark Sutcliffe, Ottawa Citizen
Ontario has 18 Travel Information Centres, placed strategically across the province and at which, according to the government’s website, “friendly staff” will “help you customize an Ontario itinerary as unique as you are.”
At these centres, tourists can pick up brochures, get answers to their questions and even book hotel rooms. “We are travel experts familiar with local attractions, but also knowledgeable about all that our province has to offer,” the tourism website says.
Read more: Ontario’s tourism welcome doesn’t travel to Ottawa
Goodbye OCRI; hello Invest Ottawa: Organization has new name, mandate
As the #3 industry in the Capital, it is good to see that the tourism sector will have representation at Invest Ottawa.
Vito Pilieci, The Ottawa Citizen
After three decades of advocating on behalf of the technology industry in the nation’s capital, the Ottawa Centre for Regional Innovation is expanding its scope with a new mandate and name.
As of Tuesday morning, the organization will be known as Invest Ottawa, dropping its familiar OCRI acronym and taking on lobby efforts for other areas of economic development including travel and tourism, film and TV and non-technical small business creation.
To help with the expanded focus, new spots have been created on the organization’s board, for Ottawa Tourism and another for an advocate from the TV and film industry, and Mayor Jim Watson has been added as the board’s co-chair.
Full story: Hello Invest Ottawa
FEO Beyond Borders Conference provides diverse education over three days
[Source: Press Release]
With just over two weeks until Beyond Borders begins, Festivals and Events Ontario is proud to announce the completed schedule for the three days of education and networking taking place at the Sheraton on the Falls March 1-3. With the wide range of speakers already announced, the additions to the Conference program round out the educational sessions with topics on family programming, educational partnerships, cultural festivals, sponsorship and the relationship between the festival and event industry and Regional Tourism Offices (RTOs).
Le Conseil approuve le Plan d’action pour les arts, le patrimoine et la culture
Le Conseil municipal a approuvé aujourd’hui le Plan d’action sur six ans pour les arts, le patrimoine et la culture. Ce plan renouvelé mise sur les forces d’Ottawa, reflète son identité distincte et authentique, vise à renforcer la fierté à Ottawa en tant que ville dynamique et culturelle et ouvre une voie qui permettra de tirer profit de chaque occasion.
« Les arts, la culture et le patrimoine nous permettent de nous rappeler nos origines, de célébrer notre identité actuelle et de rêver à notre identité de demain, a déclaré le maire Jim Watson. Ces trois domaines continueront de jouer un rôle déterminant dans notre succès, à l’heure où nous nous préparons à célébrer le 150e anniversaire du Canada en 2017. »
« Le processus de renouvellement a permis d’obtenir une diversité inégalée dans la représentation et la participation en matière de planification culturelle à Ottawa, a expliqué le conseiller Mark Taylor, président du Comité des services communautaires et de protection. Le nouveau plan permettra de réduire les lacunes en matière de culture, de répondre aux besoins émergents et de continuer à accroître l’investissement culturel dans la ville d’Ottawa. »
Le plan comprend quatre stratégies :
- Célébrer l’identité culturelle distincte d’Ottawa et rendre la culture accessible à tous.
- Préserver les lieux et les espaces culturels et créatifs et encourager leur développement.
- Faire connaître la culture locale dynamique et l’identité unique d’Ottawa.
- Investir dans la culture locale et renforcer le leadership culturel.
Ce processus a permis de rassembler des membres des Premières nations, des Inuits, des Métis et des groupes de leurs communautés, des représentants de la mosaïque culturelle anglophone et francophone, des résidents des diverses collectivités rurales, suburbaines et urbaines, des nouveaux Canadiens et des représentants du domaine des arts et du patrimoine et de l’industrie des foires et festivals.
Selon une étude économique récente, l’industrie culturelle d’Ottawa-Gatineau (à but lucratif et à but non lucratif) représente environ 4,1 % du PIB, soit 1,98 milliard de dollars. En 2010, la participation aux activités culturelles locales se chiffrait à 4,1 millions de participants, et 21 861 bénévoles ont offert au secteur culturel d’Ottawa 519 755 heures de bénévolat (d’une valeur de 9,1 millions de dollars).
Council approves action plan for arts, heritage and culture
Today City Council approved a six-year action plan for arts, heritage and culture. The renewed plan builds on Ottawa’s strengths, reflects its unique and authentic identity, aims to build pride in Ottawa as a vibrant, cultural city, and sets out a path aimed at leveraging opportunity.
“Arts, culture and heritage are about remembering where we come from, celebrating who we are today and dreaming about what we can be tomorrow,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “These will continue to be the keys to our success, especially as we prepare to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.”
“The renewal process brought together the strongest diversity of representation and participation ever for municipal cultural planning purposes in Ottawa,” said Councillor Mark Taylor, Chair of the Community and Protective Services Committee. “The plan will close cultural gaps, meet emerging needs and continue to improve cultural investment in the City of Ottawa.”
The plan includes four strategies:
- Celebrate Ottawa’s unique cultural identity and provide access to culture for all
- Preserve and develop cultural and creative places and spaces
- Get the word out about Ottawa’s vibrant local culture and unique identity
- Invest in local culture and build cultural leadership
The process brought together First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals and communities, representatives of the Anglophone and Francophone cultural mosaic, diverse citizenry from rural, suburban and urban neighbourhoods, new Canadians and arts, heritage, festival and fair representatives.
A recent economic study reported that Ottawa-Gatineau’s cultural industry (non-profit and for-profit) represented approximately 4.1 per cent of GDP, totalling $1.98 billion. In 2010, attendance and participation in local cultural activity totalled 4.1 million, and 21,861 volunteers provided 519,755 volunteer hours (valued at $9.1 million) to the local cultural sector.
An arts plan for Ottawa
Phil Jenkins, Citizen Special
I mention all this art/community hand-in-hand stuff because city council will, in a few days, be voting on the municipal arts policy for us to enjoy and struggle with for the next five years. Back in 2003 the city consulted like crazy with art makers and art enjoyers and came up with a 20-year plan, that was to be reviewed and tinkered with and tuned-up or down in five-year chunks.
That review has been taking place online and inline and outlying over the last few months, and then a committee tried to put all that input into a policy paper, and that paper was unfurled a couple of weeks ago. In what I think may be a first, the policy received a rousing cheer from the attending crowd at City Hall. Head over to the city’s website when you have a moment and you can, on a good day, find the cheerful paper in all its detail and have a look, remembering that the primary function of elected councillors is to broker some portion of your hard-earned taxes towards the, to quote the city back at themselves, “development of a renewed Ottawa 20/20 Arts and Heritage Action Plan (which) will influence the future of Ottawa’s cultural development, identity, creative potential, sense of place, economic strength, environmental integrity, and the well-being of its residents.” That’s some lofty rhetoric, but if anything can make it happen it’s the arts and heritage community.
Read the full story: An arts plan for Ottawa
Grants Ontario is Live: Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport
Grants Ontario an online tool that provides one-window access to information about grants offered by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.
Grants Ontario supports elements of the 2011 Partnership Project report where non-profit organizations asked the Ontario Government to ‘… institute standardized application forms, timelines accountability and reporting requirements across ministries by moving as much as possible online.
Benefits of Grants Ontario
Simplified application process
By replacing antiquated software Grants Ontario now allows you to locate, draft and submit grant applications, check application status and manage reports – all online!
Grants Ontario’s automated features relieve the burden of repeated manual input of information which reduces the amount of time spent on submitting applications. Once you have registered, the system will automatically record your contact details such as name, address and title, and uses common application questions to simplify online submissions.
The addition of online report filing in April 2012 will further reduce workload and demonstrates a commitment to a cleaner environment. Payment processes to successful applicants will also be streamlined.
Secure information
Grants Ontario is a secure system that can only be accessed via the Government of Ontario’s encrypted ONE key log-in system. Until data is submitted to the ministry only the applicant will see it.
Get Ready for Grants Ontario
While program application material is not yet available, grant recipients and prospective applicants are encouraged to register on the Grants Ontario system to obtain their One-Key ID and password as soon as possible.
Applicants must complete the enrolment process on the new Grants Ontario before applying to any of the Ministry’s funding programs.
Find out more about Grants Ontario
Visit Grants Ontario ( www.grants.gov.on.ca) to access the online training material and a Frequently Asked Questions section. Technical support will be available during regular business hours.
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