By Cybele Negris

I was invited to attend a reception hosted by the Metro Vancouver Commerce Host Program on February 22. The reception was held at Vancouver House at Live City in Yaletown and attendees included the who's who of the Digital Media, ICT and Technology community, policy makers, investors, Olympic sponsors, a number of foreign businesses visiting during the Olympics as well as an RBC Olympian training for the 2014 winter Olympics. Great networking, positive energy, a nice venue, and the videos showcasing the Metro Vancouver region as a great place to invest and do business brought home the message quite clearly that the region is open for business! Congratulations to the Vancouver Economic Development Commission and the Metro Vancouver Commerce group on a job well done.

Jonathn Kassian, VEDC; Cybele Negris, Webnames.ca; Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver

I compare snowboarding injuries with RBC Olympian Jonathan Redman. We both have broken collarbones on the right side.

Entry to Vancouver House for the Metro Vancouver Commerce Host Program Reception

Vancouver House glows in the dark

LiveCity in Yaletown

More Information:

Metro Vancouver Commerce developed a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) program that leverages the world-wide focus that accompanies the Olympics. Fifty foreign companies were invited and guests participate in a variety of activities with a significant emphasis on business content and opportunity matching, interspersed with Olympic events.

The MVC program is the first time municipalities of the region collaborated at this level. Participating municipalities include:

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

By Cybele Negris

As part of my continuing look at how the Olympics are affecting the business community, I chatted last week with George Hunter, CEO of Small Business BC.

Walking into the Small Business BC office on Cordova Street (inside “The Station” where the Skytrain, Seabus and West Coast Express meet at Waterfront Station), I noticed a dramatic difference. Typically sixty or seventy people are reading resource materials, meeting with advisors or registering business names and using the other services Small Business BC offers. Today, only a handful of people were around. SBBC anticipated the drop in walk in traffic given its location and planned accordingly.

As anticipated, things are quiet at the Small Business BC Office during the Olympics

During the Olympics, the office is still open and maintaining basic levels of service but they are taking the opportunity to do outreach during the slower times. While the regular seminar program is on hold until March, they front-end loaded their seminar series prior to the Olympics and even included seminars in collaboration with the 2010 Commerce Centre on how businesses can best participate in the Olympics and get engaged. The Small Busines BC Education Centre is taking the opportunity to run focus groups from different regions to better understand clients and their needs and to ensure programs are client centric. SBBC has also taken the opportunity when key groups and stakeholders are in town for the Olympics to reconnect. For example, they met with the Nisga’a (who are here to participate in the aboriginal reception) to discuss specific programs including video conferencing to support their economic development initiatives.

I asked George Hunter for his sense of how the Small Business community has faired in the last year, how they are doing during the Olympics and where he thinks the state of things will be post Olympics. “Small Businesses have been very resilient.” He recognizes some sectors have been affected more than others by the recession but says those he has talked to are very optimistic. “Many of the businesses are taking a pause and using the end of the Olympics as the spring board for the business year. There’s lots of optimism and excitement for the economic recovery. The confidence level out there is high.”

Hunter describes the impact for local businesses as, “those that are well-located near Olympic venues will do exceptionally well. All the businesses in the Waterfront Station are reporting that business is booming and all of them have brought on more staff. Steamworks Restaurant next door is doing record business of all time! Those that are putting an Olympic focus are doing well and definitely those that are carrying official merchandise or using the spirit of Olympics to promote and market are seeing a benefit.”

In terms of negative impact of the Olympics to local business, he hasn’t personally heard of many. According to Hunter, many businesses planned in advance and mostly, the sentiment is that “the party has come to town; most businesses recognize any inconvenience is temporary and we’ve invited the world so we will make it a good experience for everyone in true Canadian fashion!”

George Hunter, CEO of Small Business BC reports some businesses are booming and even those that are inconvenienced understand it is temporary. "We've invited the world so we will make it a good experience for everyone in true Canadian fashion!"

Small Business BC – Plans for Post-Olympics

After the Olympics, Small Business BC has a number of initiatives planned. There is a dramatic The Successful You Business Awards ceremony taking place in June where they have expanded their annual Business Plan Awards to include the Company of the Year and Small Business Champion Awards. They expect to double or triple participants. “It will be a very exciting event where small business entrepreneurs can come and celebrate the success of peers,” says George Hunter, CEO of Small Business BC.  The deadline is end of March. A sign of the level of interest in the awards, all formal sponsorship spots have already filled! Small Business BC is still accepting sponsorships for the Entrepreneurial Showcase event, however, which will take place in the Fall.

Another exciting development is the Accelerator Program which Hunter describes as “just in time business information geared towards established businesses looking to make dramatic changes in their growth.” The fee for service program will provide highly specific and very relevant information for businesses by partnering with subject matter experts and will deliver the information within a 24 hour turnaround.

Also coming soon, look for the Small Business BC website to include a new “Marketplace function” where people and business can meet online and share interests and post opportunities.

More information on Small Business BC

Small Business BC Website

Small Business BC Digital Business Card - smallbusinessbc.tel

Get your own .TEL and a portion of the proceeds go to support Small Business BC

Seminars offered by Small Business Education Centre

The Successful You Business Awards – Deadline March 31, 2010; Awards Ceremony June, 2010

Related Posts:

Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics- Part I of Series – Eclipse Awards by Cybele Negris

Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics – Part II of Series – Forum for Women Entrepreneurs by Cybele Negris

Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics – Part III of Series – Residential Construction Industry by Cybele Negris

Despite the lack of financial-windfall, Granville Island vendors get in the Olympic Spirit by Kassandra Linklater 

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

By Cybele Negris

There was a lot of talk prior to the Olympics about whether the construction industry would be impacted with road closures during the Olympics. Another issue people were talking about was the city permits department potentially being understaffed due to city workers being seconded to volunteer at the Olympics. I decided to talk to M.J. Whitemarsh, CEO of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of BC to get the straight goods.

MJ Whitemarsh, CEO of Canadian Home Builders' Association of BC, voice of the residential construction industry in BC.

But first, I was interested to find out more about the woman CEO behind the organization in a male dominated industry. M.J. Whitemarsh admits that 29 years ago when she started in the industry, she was an anomaly – “There weren’t many women out there on job sites wearing jeans, a hard hat and work boots. I have enjoyed working in all aspects of the housing industry – both onsite and behind the desk. Before coming to the association, I went back to university to complete a 3-year Executive Marketing Program at UBC. This past month, I just celebrated my 10th anniversary as the Chief Executive Officer of the association. Over these years I have had to work twice as hard for my achievements, but at the same time I have had the pleasure of mentoring other women in the industry and have been able to support their incredible successes.  Today, the face of the industry has certainly evolved to be more inclusive with women now leading companies in the various sub-sectors.”

So according to Whitemarsh they have not heard that the Olympics caused any significant obstacles for their builder and renovator members. “Not unlike how Christmas or summer holidays affect business, many of our members are taking advantage of this time to celebrate the Olympics and having the world visit our city and province.” 

On the question of what Whitemarsh expects the Olympics to do for the residential construction industry in the months and years after the Olympics, she feels it will be positive. “Like the positive impact the World Exposition had on the housing industry after 1986, we see the Olympics having a similar result. The Olympic legacy will be a boom for our industry attracting business and newcomers to not just Vancouver, but the province as a whole. We have invited the world to visit and as an industry we have been preparing for them to stay!”

More information:

A critical mandate of CHBABC is to improve the education and training of the industry. Over the past decade they have been instrumental in the formation of the Residential Construction Industry Training Organization (RCITO) to address the shortages and professional training of apprentices in skilled labour. They offer courses around the Province, where builders can learn and earn the designations: Registered Master Builder (RMB), Certified Master Builder (CMB) and the Graduate Master Builder (GRB). Additionally, they brought forward the Built Green™ BC program - a not for profit program that encourages, educates/trains, and certifies builders to build using environmentally friendly products and technologies when building a home to lower the energy costs, reduce water consumption and create a sustainable comfortable Single Family Home or Multi Unit building. Homes and renovations can be branded Built Green™ once they meet certain construction standards. More recently, CHBABC has been working with government on the introduction of the HST and ensuring that it does not negatively impact housing affordability for British Columbians.

Canadian Home Builders’ Association BC Website

Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association Website

Other Regional Offices

Membership

Membership in CHBABC is voluntary and once a member passes a thorough application approval process, they must meet a strict code of ethics that calls for high standards in customer relations and business practices. Membership rates vary depending on location within the province and size of company, and each membership includes representation in the local, provincial and national levels of the organization. More information on membership.

Related Posts:

Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics- Part I of Series – Eclipse Awards by Cybele Negris

Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics – Part II of Series – Forum for Women Entrepreneurs by Cybele Negris

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

One of Webnames.ca's clients from Nova Scotia kindly sent me an invitation to go to the "Count Down to Nova Scotia Day Reception" at Atlantic Canada House on Granville Island. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend but I was able to pass on the invite to our staff. One of our senior developers Dave took his wife and had a great time. Below, he shares his experience with all of us!

Dave at Atlantic Canada House

My wife and I were excited to see our first Olympic pavilion of the 2010 games. We took the Canada line to the Olympic village station and hidden behind the station was a temporary station for the Bombardier Streetcar. Although the trip is short, it felt like a trolley, but with 2010 look and feel. I really enjoyed it.

Canada Line to Atlantic House

When we arrived on Granville island, we walked around the island and the Olympic spirit was in the air. The Swiss were at Bridges restaurant celebrating (the official Swiss house) and the Canadians were partying at Granville Island Brewery.

We arrived at the Atlantic Canada House and it was busy with people, some were waiting in line for the samples of food while others were waiting in line to see the music group Sloan at 10:45pm. The line was quite long and it was just past 6pm.

Outside Atlantic Canada House

We waited in line for the countdown to Nova Scotia day. When we were allowed in we were given an official Nova Scotia Olympic pin and tickets to see DRUM! Once inside we tried the many different cheeses from Nova Scotia and wines from local wineries. Although we were not originally from Nova Scotia like many of the people there, we had recently travelled there and was able to talk to a number of couples about our trip. Everyone was extremely friendly.

Dave at Atlantic Canada HouseInside Atlantic Canada House

Well, after the show was done, we were both very impressed at our experience at Atlantic Canada House. It was a total blast!

More information:

Atlantic Canada House - with daily schedule of events. Doors open daily at 11am until February 28th.

DRUM - The cast of 18 drummers, dancers and singers tell the story of the settlement and coming together of four of Nova Scotia's founding cultures (Aboriginal, Black, Celtic, Acadian).  Each cultures's unique rhythm is featured and then finally brought together into an electrifying rhythmic fusion of dance, music and song.

Related posts:

The German House by David H.
Rocking the Irish House for the 2010 Olympics by Shane Gibson
Olympic Hockey Rocks Social Media House by Rich Patterson

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

By Cybele Negris

I was invited to attend the Government of BC Climate and Clean Energy Reception on February 15, 2010 at the Terminal City Club; and the room was packed!

BC Climate & Clean Energy Reception February 15; Launch of Clean Works BC.

The 2010 Winter Games has set a new standard by which all future Games will be compared with the first carbon-neutral Olympics (accomplished in part by investing in clean technology offsets). Organizers took the opportunity to use the Olympics as a launching pad for promoting the clean tech and clean energy sectors and the new brand Clean Works BC.

CleanWorks BC is the new brand and marketing campaign to promote the $100 billion investment opportunity in BC's clean technology and clean energy sectors. The campaign materials describe it as "a chance to build a global clean energy powerhouse for power generation, clean fuels, technologies and services." Some key messages include the fact that more than $15 billion in new clean energy projects are ready for active development now.

"You are here. Right place. Right people. Right energy. Right now."
"New Energy. New Future"

CleanWorks BC is a partnership between BC’s Clean Tech CEO Alliance, the Independent Power Producers Association of BC (IPPBC), the BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) and supported by the Province of BC, Vancouver Economic Development Commission (VEDC) and UBC.

Entrepreneurs take note. Clearly there are all the key stakeholders in support who will be driving the clean technology and clean energy sector. I foresee a thriving industry cluster in BC and you may want to be part of it!

I had the opportunity to meet some of the interesting companies developing technologies in this area. One such company is SyncWave Energy Inc. which has developed new technology to capture the up and down motion of wave energy which is then transmitted to shore via undersea cabling. 

John E. Gunton, President & CEO of SyncWave Engergy Inc. which develops technology to capture the up and down motion of wave energy and converts it to electricity.

More information:

CleanWorks BC  website

SyncWave Engery Inc. website

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

By Cybele Negris

This is part II of my series on the Vancouver Small Business community and how companies and their owners are taking advantage of the Olympics as billions around the world cast their eyes onto Vancouver.

I spoke to Jill Earthy, Executive Director of the Forum for Women Entpreneurs to find out what members of the organization were doing to leverage off the Olympics in their businesses.  Jill provided some great examples ranging from official licensed suppliers for the Olympics to innovative products and promotions:

Kathryn Adrian of Please Mum who has the officially licensed merchandise for children's wear.

Debra Lykkmark of Culinary Capers which also caters many of the FWE events is catering a number of events during the 2010 Olympics. She had planned many years ago first by pursuing the catering contract for the BC-Canada Place pavilion at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. Her company then catered the BC-Canada Pavilion in Beijing from May to September 2008. She went after these contracts to gain the experience and learn the expectations from these clients who would then be in Vancouver. Her strategy has led to great success.

Stacey Hall of Justin Stitches is offering a wide selection of Olympic merchandise, iconic Canadian mitts, hats and sweaters at her location near Granville Island including Toque Town where they make custom toques on the spot.

Andrea Scott of Skoah is offering the "fan-friendly facial" until the end of the Olympics where for only $55, they will make your skin medal worthy.

It was great to hear how some members were finding success through the Olympics and being creative. I wanted to hear more about the general state of women owned businesses in BC. Jill feels it is a very positive time for women in business. There are over 35 women business networks in BC and they are becoming more collaborative. Many of these women's groups have started to engage with each other and support the promotion of each other's events and activities. And some of the groups, like the FWE for example, has an integrated approach where it is not just about women helping women but both men and women as supporters. Membership is also open to both men and women although programs are geared towards female entrepreneurs.

In terms of how women entrepreneurs are fairing economically, while many businesses including FWE members had a tough year in 2009, many spent the last year re-evaluating their strategic goals, developing stronger core values and trimmed the fat.  Jill says that while it is still early in the year, there is positive and cautious optimisim all around. People are bracing themselves to see what happens after the Olympics. She is also seeing many more partnerships and a lot of collaboration happening on the business front.

Symbolic of such partnership was the event we both attended the same morning hosted by FWE and Price Waterhouse Coopers Being The Torchbearer In Your Business And Community which fellow blogger Natalie Sisson wrote about. The collaboration goes beyond a sponsor just writing a cheque and providing space but a much deeper relationship of support in so many ways. Jill thinks that after the Olympics, people will continue to recognize the importance of strategic partnerships and be innovative to create opportunities rather than wait for them to come along.

Jill Earthy, Executive Director of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs

Jill Earthy, Executive Director of FWE and Tracey McVicar, FWE Board & Olympic Torch Bearer

More about the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs:

Don't miss the upcoming FWE Roundtable event in May "Capitalizing on Change". More information will be posted on the FWE Website.
Join the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs for only $150 per year (open to men and women)
Digital business card: fwe.tel
Website: fwe.ca
Twitter: @fwebc

Related Posts:

Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics- Part I of Series – Eclipse Awards by Cybele Negris
Being The Torchbearer In Your Business And Community by Natalie Sisson
The Olympic Torch Relay – Great Way to Get the Community Engaged by Cybele Negris

Add your comments below if you have a story about how your business is being impacted by the Olympics whether positively or negatively.

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

By Cybele Negris

I will be doing a series of posts about the Vancouver Small Business community and how companies and their owners are taking advantage of the Olympics as billions around the world cast their eyes onto Vancouver.

Last week, I went to pick up five-year service awards which I had ordered for two of my employees. I have used Eclipse Awards (they specialize in personalized crystal awards, sustainable awards, wall plaques and gifts) for many years because they are local, they produce a great product, have very quick turnaround times, great service and they are socially conscious. Their CEO Toby Barazzuol has a company wide environmental action plan and is also Chair of the Strathcona BIA Sustainability Committee.

With my interest to see how local businesses are leveraging off the Olympics, I asked Toby to answer some questions about how the Olympics is affecting his business.

1. What has Eclipse Awards done to prepare for the Olympics? Did you change staff work hours to allow for them to attend events or to avoid traffic?

Most Eclipse Awards clients are located outside of Vancouver, so our business won’t change that much.  We’re located in Strathcona as well, so there aren’t many road or travel restrictions.   Of course I definitely plan on closing the office and taking the staff out a few times while the games are here – can’t forget about having fun!

2. Are you seeing any additional business as a result of the Olympics? 

Though we bid on a few projects in the lead up to the Olympics, none of them really worked out for us, so we took a wait and see approach to see if anything new would emerge closer to the games.  Recently though, we’ve done a few awards projects, using our newly designed green awards for VANOC’s Sustainability Champion Awards, and our LEED plaques for green buildings, including the Richmond Olympic Oval.

3. In your opinion, will VANOC live up to the goal of the “greenest games ever”?

Though there is still room for huge improvements, I think that VANOC has done a great job of raising the bar on sustainability.  No doubt these will be the greenest games ever, and hopefully, there will be even greener games in the future.  I think VANOC’s greenest legacy will be instilling a deep sense of Canadian pride around sustainability, while also branding Vancouver as a green leader in the world’s eyes.

4. As a small business in BC, what do you think the Olympics will do for Vancouver’s business community?

It will definitely have a mixed effect.  I don’t know many small businesses that have direct contracts with VANOC, however I’m sure that there are many that will benefit from the influx of people and attention being focused on Vancouver during the Olympics.  There will also be some that suffer because of disrupted traffic patterns or poor attitudes.  Overall though, I think it’s a unique event in our city’s history and I hope that the shared experience will make our small businesses more stronger, knowing we can compete with the best in the world.

5. Are you attending any of the networking or sporting events?

I don’t have tickets to any sporting events, but I’m planning on spending time with friends and checking out as much as possible.  I’m really just looking forward to walking around the city and feeling the amazing energy in our streets – there’s something special when this many people get together in celebration!

Toby was kind enough to show me around his production facility and I was excited to see the green roof that I have heard so much about.  They built it using refurbished deck materials and recycled materials throughout. From their roof, you can see the large cruise ship being used as accommodations during the Olympics. Check out some of the photos and the view from the green roof.

More info about Eclipse Awards: EclipseAwards.tel

Related Posts:

Preparing your Business Before the Olympics  by Cybele Negris
 Gold Medal Brands: Jones Soda - Love, Loss & the Art of the Brand by Rich Patterson

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada's Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

By Cybele Negris

What a great morning yesterday! I was on my way to meet Miriam Laroche, President of Vancouver Eco-fashion Week at the Blenz on West Hastings.  More on that in an upcoming post...

As I walked out onto Water St. in Gastown, the torch was right there! Crowds in their Canadian gear were all around me. I followed the torch down the street and as the flame was passed on from one torch bearer to the next at the exact moment the flames met, the Steamclock went off! It was a magical moment and somehow, that made all the years of listening to the Steamclock go off every 15 minutes seem worthwhile.

Torch Relay by the Steamclock

 See more photos of the torch relay in Gastown taken by the Webnames.ca staff.

 Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

By Cybele Negris

The city of Vancouver is really transforming for the Olympics. I asked some of the Webnames.ca staff to hit the streets and take some photos of how businesses are getting into the spirit and how our city is being transformed.

Here are some early photos I thought I’d share.

Coca-Cola display at a local supermarket - gold-medal and all. (Photo from Lisa Wills)

Procession of Olympic vehicles; view from the Webnames.ca office. (Photo from Steve Smith)

Two military helicopters in security training mode as seen from the Webnames.ca office. (Photo from Steve Smith)

Alberta Pavilion, host to a huge line-up of free music,  under construction. (Photo from Lisa Wills)

Skating at Robson Square with the official Olympic mascots. (Photo from Andre Darche)

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada's Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

By Cybele Negris

I was thrilled to watch my friend Christina Anthony carry the Olympic torch today. Christina was chosen as a torch bearer for her community leadership; and well deserved. She is the founder of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs BC of which I and many of her fans today are board members. 

Her entire family was there including her three young children (and one more on the way), husband, parents and lots of friends and co-workers.  We all gathered, cheered, took photos and everyone got into the spirit of things. As Christina approached in the procession of vehicles and was dropped off, the excitement grew even more. There were screams, hollers, chants, cameras and videos all happening at once. I managed to get some really great shots and thought I'd share it with everyone. You can see the emotion and joy in everyone's faces.

If you haven't been to see the torch relay yet, I highly recommend it. Everyone should experience it at least once.

Here is the Interactive Map for the Torch Relay for the next 2 days. There will be Metro-Blenz News Squad members at various Blenz locations along the Relay Route so be sure to say hello.

For those of you who are members of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, don't miss the upcoming event "Being a Torch Bearer in your Business and Community." Christina Anthony and another FWE Board Member, Tracey McVicar (Torch Bearer February 11th) among other leaders will discuss leadership and how to become one of the driving forces in your business and community.  

By Cybele Negris

The 2010 Olympic games are set to begin in less than 4 days! We are having hundreds of thousands of visitors descend on our beautiful city and will bring athletes and media attention from around the world. Admittedly, I’m not usually a huge sports fan; I simply don’t have time between business, volunteer work and family to follow sports. But something in me is transforming as the Olympics hit town.  It is partly patriotism I suppose but perhaps it is more than that. 

For many business people, we’ve worked long hours building our companies. I have seen many entrepreneurs sacrifice not only time but money, energy and even relationships to build their business.  I have fond memories of our start-up days when we worked 7 days a week and slept only 2 to 3 hours a night for the first year and a half of our business.  It was mentally and physically grueling but the hard work paid off.  As we continue to grow our business, we still work long hours and continue to make big sacrifices. So perhaps in my little way, I can relate on a small scale to these athletes.

I am looking forward to bringing my family to see some of the sporting events and getting into the spirit of cheering on our amazing athletes. What an experience for all of us and for our children to see the outcome of the tireless dedication, hard work and training our athletes have taken on.  Whether my children choose the route of sports, entrepreneurship or something entirely different, I can’t wait to show them what it really means to “try your best”.

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada's Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

By Cybele Negris

I was asked a few months ago by someone whether our office was shutting down for the Olympics.  I was surprised by the question.  In our business, we track every minute of phone calls and emails that come into our contact centre. We serve customers across Canada and globally. We couldn’t shut down for a day!

I started to wonder about businesses that could close down for a day, or for the entire Olympics for that matter, and what kind of business impact it might have. I started to think about why anyone would want to do that when we have hundreds of thousands of new people in the city to expose our businesses to? In upcoming posts I will discuss how local businesses are taking advantage of the Olympics. In the meantime, what the question did was get me thinking about how to maintain 100% productivity. 

There was a lot of talk about road closures, the inability for people to get to work or for deliveries to be completed. So I asked our office administrator Meryll to help us put a plan together to ensure that we have no down time and full productivity at Webnames.ca. She has graciously shared some of what she has found out below in hopes that it will help other businesses.

Getting To and From Work & Meetings

1. It's helpful to determine which transportation routes each employee takes to work ahead of time. There are road closures all over Vancouver and understanding where employees are located will make your research more targeted and effective.

2. Once you have determined everyone’s mode of transportation (eg. bus, seabus, skytrain, etc.), call TransLink and ask if the busses used by your employees are going to be re-routed. This information will help your staff plan alternate routes.

We asked about key dates and what procedures they (Translink) are taking during the Olympics to ensure that all passengers get to their destination in a timely manner.  We found out that bus detours will be in effect between Feb. 1-28. Extra busses to accommodate more passengers will be available Feb. 12-28 and there will be night busses on all major bus routes till 3:00 AM.  Seabus will be departing every 15 minutes during 6 – 10 AM and every 10 minutes during 10 AM to 12:30 AM. Skytrain will arrive every 108 seconds and the West Coast Express will add 8 more trains a day.

Here are a few helpful links for your planning:
Official TransLink Website and phone number: 604 953 3333
Translink Extended Services
Travel Smart 2010 Website
West Coast Express Olympic Schedule

3. All Olympic venue areas will have high traffic during scheduled events, so identify where all the venues are and avoid them during event times. Refer to the Olympic Venue Map as well as the Games Schedule to help plan.

4. Finding out where all road closures and Olympic lanes are can help avoid delays. Olympic lanes will have one lane of traffic transporting Olympic accredited vehicles only (media, athletes, etc.). Keep pedestrian only areas in mind and identify which places have parking and stopping restrictions as well. It is highly recommended that you don’t drive, especially in and around downtown. Make an effort to start work early and leave your home an hour before you typically would.

To establish where the road restrictions are, refer to the following pages on the City of Vancouver 's website: Venue Road Closures , Olympic Lanes, Pedestrian Only Corridors  and Parking Restrictions.

I also suggest that you visit and/or bookmark  the following TransLink pages so you can keep up to date with real time schedules and alerts:
Transit Alerts
Updates on delays, station closures and re-routing
Next Bus - Text messages the next bus arrival at your stop
Mobile transit schedules - Access bus schedules on your phone
Trip planner - Maps out your route and provides several options

Work from Home as a Backup Measure

For some staff it will not be easy to get into the office. At the very least, adjust work schedules as necessary. Prepare a contingency plan for each employee in the event they cannot get into work.

If you can, secure VPN connections for staff to work from home and ensure remote access to any important data and systems. Remember that staff will be using their home computers so make sure they have access to updated contact details like phone numbers and emails for co-workers, clients and suppliers.

Schedule conference calls or use web conferencing technology to meet rather than fight the traffic when you can. If staff are using their own phones, be prepared to reimburse for long-distance expenses, or make sure they have a Skype account set up and how to use it.

Deliveries to your Office

Contact all your suppliers and make sure that deliveries will proceed as scheduled. Ask about what steps they are taking to ensure all goods are delivered to your office in a timely manner. It will probably be best if supplies are ordered ahead of time. Keep in mind, if you have stopping or parking restriction around your area, it can be difficult to make deliveries around those zones. Here is more information relating to deliveries from the City of Vancouver.

Related Posts:

Bonnie Sainsbury’s Survival Guide to Transit in Vancouver

Marc Smith’s Tips & Tricks to getting around Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics

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