I’ve just left ‘old’ BC Place for the last time. There still is an Auto Show in late March but I don’t expect to attend (although I am in the market for a new vehicle).  The massive Olympic load out continues but we have completed loading out the show components of the Paralympics and are set to move up to Whistler for the Closing Ceremony.

It really is time to replace the old roof. Although the venue looked pretty good for the Olympics, you can only hide the age so long. I am looking forward to the transition period as having an outdoor stadium back at the PNE will be fabulous. Then in a year and half having a ‘like new’ facility with a retractable roof will be great for the City and future events.

One final view from my vantage point of the Paralympic Opening Ceremony.

Well the Paralympics are open and we can all take a very brief moment to reflect. The last year and half has seen many highs and of course some lows to get to the show we presented on Friday. Throughout the process we commented we should have done a documentary on the process. Although it likely would have been a comedic documentary.

The show began to take shape in a ‘retreat’ to Whistler last year where we all put together thoughts and ideas and left with a clear theme ‘One Inspires Many’. The theme was so strong it helped us stay the course throughout the process. Having something so strong to come back to really helped, as we faced changes and challenges along the way.

Along the way we all met many new and fabulous people. Some of the early highlights for me included a trip to California with Patrick where we met Aaron (extreme wheelchair athlete) and his Mom. Getting to know Luca ‘Layz Legz’ in Seattle and then again in Montreal. And a trip to Toronto and Montreal with Patrick and Rob where we solidified design concepts. The summer also saw us start to put together the amazingly dedicated ‘behind the scenes’ team.

Along the way we always knew we wanted to present a fun, energetic, inspirational show. This is not the scale of the Olympics but it is no less important and we wanted a unique way to present our message. From all reports we succeeded. There are so many more highlights and images but time is tight as we are just finishing our load out from BC Place and leave for Whistler to present the Closing Ceremonies. These Ceremonies will also have high energy and reflect on the 2010 Paralympics. They will also be the final party to the Vancouver 2010 experience which we have been involved with for over 8 years.

One final thought from the Opening Ceremony and perhaps the biggest highlight. On Wednesday night as most of the cast and crew had left the building we rehearsed the final Cauldron lighting. It was then that Zach Beaumont found out from Betty Fox he would light the cauldron. That moment and the actual lighting during the Ceremonies are hard to put into words but as Zach’s dad told me yesterday he (and many of us) are having an ‘emotional hangover’.

At the Paralympic Opening Ceremony we have a very talented team that not only do all the choreography and movement work with the cast but are also featured on stage in the show. In the end, all of the members of this group have not only spent countless hours training performers throughout the Lower Mainland but are also all  in the show as well (including Jocelyn Peden our Co-Director and Head Choreographer who is featured in a special segment early in the show and Tammy Sanderson who has jumped to fill in where required).

Kelsey, Jordan, Heather, Jyla, Jocelyn, Joe, Tammy, Allison, Nicole

The days are long and the nights are longer as we rehearse the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. It seems like there is never enough time but we are confident that the show will be amazing. Things are going well as we are working with a great group of suppliers with state of the art equipment and a very talented and dedicated cast. BC Place Stadium has never looked better.Below are a couple of quick shots of my view for the show.

What an amazing Sunday. The streets of downtown were jammed with revelers as Canada got it’s well deserved Gold Medal in hockey as well as set the record for most Gold Medals ever in a Winter Olympics. For us at PRP, the Closing of the Olympics marks only the beginning of the end of our Vancouver 2010 journey. We wrapped up Robson Square with incredible crowds (and a little good jestered poke at the Americans- see photo below). But now we are in the midst of working around the clock at BC Place loading in for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. It is strange loading in as the rest of the city is either still celebrating, dead tired or recuperating. Nevertheless, things are going well and it is great pulling our entire team together to ‘put on a show’.

Four years ago we got lucky and found ourselves on our one night off in Torino at Canada Russia hockey. At that time I thought it was a once in a lifetime experience. The atmosphere was amazing but the final result was not as Canada lost 2-0. Last night, I had ‘a twice in a lifetime experience’ and attended Canada Russia again. I left the body paint in Italy but yelled and cheered so loud my voice is gone. I  was blown away by the crowd and atmosphere. Who knows perhaps in 4 years I will be able to see Canada Russia in Sochi.

After a day of meetings at Robson Square and BC Place, Patrick and I headed down to Sochi House at Science World. The Vancouver Olympics are not done yet but the end is near so it is time to look forward to Sochi 2014. We are working closely with Sochi 2014 on the handover segment of the Parlympic Closing Ceremonies and were invited to a reception hosted by the Administration of Krasnodar at Sochi House. It was interesting to see their ambitious venue plans and visit with many of their sponsors. We also both met some unique Russians.

Along the way, we went through the Concord Site and watched the end of the Canada/Germany hockey game at the Ontario Pavilion. From there it was off to Quebec Pavilion and Saskatchewan. We didn’t have time to hit Canada Hockey House (maybe another day) There were absolutely no line ups. It seems like the weather and the hard core partying of the first week of the Olympics is taking a toll on Vancouver. Our final show of the ‘Ignite the Dream’ had the smallest crowd to date, which is strange since it was a night Canada won in hockey. I imagine if Canada beats Russia tomorrow the partying will reconvene.

On Thursday a few of us made a quick trip to Whistler in order to see the Whistler Medal Plaza in operation. This is the venue for the Paralympic Closing Ceremony on March 21st. After a very quick uneventful trip up the Sea to Sky highway we arrived to a very relaxed crew and venue. Everything seems to be in a good rhythm. We toured backstage at the venue and met with suppliers and the venue team and then hit the Village for dinner and the Canada-Switzerland hockey game. We watched the shootout at Swiss House which was quite exciting. After that it was back to the Medal Plaza to watch a whole plethora of Medals being handed out. The concert that night was the DJ, Deadmou5. Unfortunately, it was a Sadmou5 as he had audio difficulties.

Whistler had a good vibe but not nearly as energetic and frenetic as Robson and Granville streets in Vancouver. I suppose their is limitation on how to get to Whistler and where to stay. I expect the energy was way higher when John Montgomery won his gold and then accepted his gold the next night.

After a long day, we made it back to Vancouver for the 11pm Ignite the Dream show at Robson Square.

Things started early today watching the Stanley Cup excite early morning on-lookers at Robson Square, which has turned into the Olympic Central.

Then we staged an event for General Electric.  The crowds and the world media turned up to see Olympic figure skaters Michelle Kwan and Scott Hamilton.  Also on hand was Angela Ruggiero,  three-time Ice Hockey Olympic medalist, World Champion, and a leader of the U.S. Women’s Hockey National Team.  However, the crowds went wild for Team Canada Olympic Hockey Team goalie Martin Brodeur !

Downtown Vancouver is still alive with thousands of cheering Olympic fans.  It’s is great to see the city alive with Olympic fever.

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Patrick and I ventured to Richmond on the Canada Line this afternoon for a reception at City Hall. We had time to visit the O-Zone and see the long line for Heineken House. The Main Stage featured a massive Chinese Dragon performance. We were also both quite impressed with the outdoor ice track in the sunshine. City Hall was surrounded by cranberries in all the ponds- pretty cool. At the reception we had a chance to chat with Nancy Greene. On the way back to town we avoided the Canada Line as the line was extremely long so we grabbed a cab and went by the ‘container inukshuk’.