Transcontinental Media’s Elle Canada is hosting the Elle Canada Fashion and Beauty Event next month, offering fashionistas a chance to chat up some ‘xperts, meet some editors and buy new threads from some thirty vendors there. The one-day event, which takes place on Apr. 25 at Toronto’s The Carlu also offers seminars on clothing, shoes and accessories, as well as makeup and hair trends.
‘The goal is to provide our advertisers and consumers with a way to interact beyond the pages, web and mobile,’ Elle Canada publisher, Jacqueline Howe tells MiC. ‘In today’s media environment you have to meet your customer where they’re at: This multi-platform approach to brand building is not a luxury; it’s a necessity and providing these services and experiences to our customers is our strategy.’
The format, new for Elle, is a combination of an all inclusive day of seminars, fashion shows, lunch, shopping and fund raising for TFI with the grand finale being the New Labels competition in the evening (for whom it hopes to also raise $40,000).
The mag has advertisers sponsoring the event’s seminars (Shoe Obsessions by Browns, The Perfect Fit by Melmira, Make up Trends by Revlon), fashion runway shows, exhibit, lunch and the Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) cocktail reception/VIP dinner.
‘We often get asked to host one-off events for clients and they can be very taxing,’ adds Howe. ‘This provides our clients with a high impact event that is more cost effective for them as well, and the event provides terrific promotion and exposure for the Elle brand through our advertising and PR efforts for the event.’
A runway show featuring creations by Canadian designers like Simon Chang, Renata Morales and Tavan & Mitto will be followed by a Project Runway Canada fashion event featuring Brian Bailey and three finalists from the show. The event later slips into the annual Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) New Labels fundraising gala, which begins with a cocktail reception and silent auction followed by a VIP sit-down dinner and the TFI New Labels Design Competition where emerging Canadian designers will be showcasing their work and interacting with judges from the fashion industry for a chance to win an Elle Canada prize package (valued at over $25,000).
While it’s the only event planned for the mag this year, Elle Canada‘s strategy is to expand to more markets in 2010.
Elle Canada has an audience readership of 1,595,000 according to PMB 2008.
