Vancouver Sun, Friday, December 12, 2003
Joanne Blain

Offbeat venues for office shindigs let revellers 'party with the fishes'
The Vancouver Aquarium and other public spaces are seeing more Christmas parties

At some office Christmas parties this year, fish are the entertainment rather than the entree.

Marc Chagall was an invited guest at a seasonal reception for 200 clients of HSBC Bank Canada, and members of a film-industry union got the chance to conduct a virtual orchestra at their holiday bash.

Many Lower Mainland companies and organizations are choosing public spaces like the Vancouver Aquarium, the Vancouver Art Gallery, Science World or the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre for their Christmas bashes because they find traditional party venues too ho-ho-hum.

"A lot of clients are looking for something that's outside of the hotel ballroom kind of atmosphere," said Debra Lykkemark, owner of the Vancouver's Culinary Capers Catering, which has staged events at all four locations.

Companies that choose an unusual venue tend to want to make a lasting impression on their guests, she said.

"I think if you spend the time to make it unique, you will get a better impact for the money you spend," Lykkemark said. "It does take a little more work, because there is a little more planning that goes into it, but you can make it something that is really a signature for your company."

Another part of the appeal lies in giving partygoers something to do besides toss back drinks and make small talk with their co-workers.

"When was the last time you had dinner with a black-tipped shark swimming over your head?" asked Marianne Kebe, sales manager for Gray Line of Vancouver.

The tour company made a big splash with the 140 employees who attended its Christmas party at the Vancouver Aquarium last week.

"They were overwhelmed, and I got fantastic feedback after the party," said Kebe. "Most of them had not experienced an event like that, especially our mechanics and people who wash our buses."

One of the appealing things about the aquarium as a party locale is that "it allows a lot of adults to be here without children," said public-relations manager Angela Nielsen.

"It's a different atmosphere completely -- it's relaxing, it's hypnotic," she said. "It's quite breathtaking."

But when kids are involved, the entertainment factor is especially important, said Don Ramsden, president of IATSE Local 891. The film-production union held a party for about 1,500 of its members and their families last weekend at Science World.

"Everybody wants to get the gift and the young ones want to see Santa, but after you've had your hamburger, then what?" he asked. "Science World has a whole bunch of things that can keep kids of various ages interested."

The facility's Eureka gallery is the most popular party venue, said Science World's public-relations coordinator, Claire Goldrick.

"It's all hands-on and it's all interactive," she said. There's a "conduct your own orchestra" station where the music responds to your hand gestures, a basketball

The Vancouver Aquarium has staged functions for as many as 1,000 people, Nielsen said. But it also stages a two-evening event called "Party with the Fishes" that allows smaller companies to get in on the action.

game in which you use air-pressure pumps to guide the ball through the hoop and a huge water fountain where you can build your own locks and dams.

"That's basically what people are looking for," Goldrick said. "They want more of an interactive party where people aren't just standing around with their party hats on getting drunk."

The Eureka gallery holds 250 to 400 people and costs about $1,000 to rent for the evening, said Science World's sales and facility rentals coordinator, Christine Lee. She said the entire facility will host about a dozen Christmas parties this year.

The most popular party spots at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre are the star deck and planetarium theatre, where about 200 partiers can follow dinner with a laser light show, or the courtyard and Virtual Voyages simulator, where guests can take turns experiencing the illusion of space flight.

"They can learn a little bit in an enjoyable atmosphere," said the centre's rentals coordinator, Lalla Davis. "It's not just the food and the drink and the band, because you could do that anywhere."

The Vancouver Art Gallery is booked solid every weekend in December with Christmas parties and a wedding, said Robin Naiman, the gallery's rental coordinator.

Banks, law firms and pharmaceutical companies have all held events at the gallery, she said, and the current Chagall exhibit has proven to be a popular draw.

"I'm finding that more people are trying to do something different and unique, and that's what we can offer them," Naiman said. "It gives them more scope for their event."

Such bashes also provide the VAG with a welcome Christmas bonus. In addition to allowing the gallery to show off its collection, she said, "it's an important source of revenue."

Most companies rent the main floor of the gallery, which has a base price of $2,395 a night, before catering and other costs are figured in. That can accommodate 500 people for a cocktail reception or 250 for a sit-down dinner, said Naiman.

For about $52 per person, companies with up to 50 employees can enjoy a buffet and dancing with their co-workers, but also get the chance to mix and mingle with members of other firms.

"We get some really good feedback because not only do you get to celebrate with your colleagues, you get to meet new people," Nielsen said.

And while many companies opt for chicken or beef as an entree in deference to the captive guests, she said the aquarium's catering menu does include fish -- nothing endangered, of course.

Isn't it hard to chow down on the same kind of animals that are swimming by your table?

"We've had that comment before -- 'what do the fish think?' We don't think the fish really know what's going on."

© Copyright 2003 Vancouver Sun

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Joanne Blain jblain@png.canwest.com