November 2010

While AHA is a Canadian communications agency, we have clients, friends and family in the U.S. On this day of American Thanksgiving – inspired by a Crenshaw Communications blog post “Things We’re Thankful For As PR Professionals” – we have created our own list of thankfuls. You should read Crenshaw’s post, it’s very good and we are thankful for many of the items on their list too.

Like the team at Crenshaw, we decided to write about some of the little things we’re grateful for, the big things like our health, family and friends are written in our hearts.

Some of the things that AHA Creative Strategies Is Thankful For…

  • Deadlines. Without them nothing would ever get finished.
  • Clients who understand that without their input, we can’t meet our deadlines.
  • The AHA espresso machine and a never ending supply of caffeine.
  • The shift in perception that a small Vancouver PR agency (that’s AHA) can deliver world-class excellence throughout Canada.
  • The shift in perception that a small Vancouver PR agency (that’s AHA) can provide U.S. clients with world-class service.
  • The shift in perception that now allows a range of clients to see the value in a virtual agency (that’s AHA).
  • Our AHA Crew in Gibsons, Vancouver, Calgary, Peterborough, Toronto, and Halifax, NS. They deliver that world-class excellence we mentioned above – every time.
  • The fact that the partners will get up at 2 a.m. to work on urgent client issues or crises. (We need to live on East Coast time zones.)
  • Social media – it has re-energized the industry, AHA and our clients!
  • Our dog-friendly office.
  • The Naked Cowboy, AHA’s recreation room – a two-car garage turned into part Texas honky tonk and part beach bar. (The name was inspired by New York’s PR wonder – The Naked Cowboy.)
  • Our client partners. Not only are we proud to work with them, there isn’t one of them that we wouldn’t invite over to The Naked Cowboy to hang out with after hours. That says something.

Happy American Thanksgiving!

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Santa Monica, CA – Cycling enthusiasts look no further – the first of the New Zealand Cycle Trail’s “Great Rides” just opened near Hanmer Springs on the South Island. This is the first chance for cyclists to cover New Zealand on the nationwide cycle network.

The trail passes through the iconic backcountry of St. James Conservation Area and is marketed and branded as one of the country’s Great Rides under Nga Haerenga, The New Zealand Cycle Trail.

The 64 km-long St. James Cycle Trail offers iconic scenery and a mix of trail standards. Ride down spectacular river valleys, past high-country lakes, through beech forest and grassland valleys.

Of the 18 nationally promoted cycle trails, it requires the greatest level of experience to complete.

Experienced mountain bikers are expected to complete the full trail in roughly 10 hours. There are four huts along the way, providing a chance to make a weekend of it.

-END-

For information about New Zealand’s extensive vacation options, log onto the 100% Pure New Zealand website at http://www.newzealand.com/. 

For other media information, log on to http://www.media.newzealand.com/. 

For high-resolution images, visit http://www.images.newzealand.com/. 

For year-round travel deals to New Zealand, visit:
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/getting-to-around-nz/getting-to-nz/travel-deals/canada/.

For more information, please contact Paul Holman at paul@ahacreative.com or 604.303.1052.

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Kristen Ridley, a communicator who is a regular contributor on Ragan.com, has an excellent (and amusing) blog post entitled: “How to make a communicator violent in one easy step!”  If you are a communicator, you will find yourself nodding your head and grinning. You will recognize several scenarios here. If you work with a communicator – in-house, at an agency like AHA or with a freelancer, see if you recognize yourself in this post. And if you do, have a respectful and open conversation with your communicator. It will make the relationship better and it will make the work you do together better.

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