It all began with an email received on my BlackBerry from Tourism Vancouver…
The email has a subject line that reads “Congratulations: You Are the Invite The World Grand Prize Winner” and the message says:
Congratulations Cofa -
You have been randomly selected as the Grand Prize Winner of the Invite the World Prize Draw!!!
I was in the middle of something at that time and could not pay too much attention to it; but my mind quickly sent me a message suggesting that it could be just another “LOTTERY PRIZE WINNER” kind of message that I used to receive via email. And of course, this one was subsequently proved to be different!
Later that day when I had a moment to read the message thoroughly I suddenly realized that those ecards that I sent to some overseas relatives and friends via the Tourism Vancouver’s Invite The World Campaign site in November 2011 had now realized into something big! I made a phone call to the sender of the message and finally assured that what had just happened was legitimate and I was indeed the grand prize winner!
I was thrilled! Not only because of the fact that my long time wish of having my relative members in Mainland China visit my family in Vancouver could soon become reality; but also because of many potential opportunities the event could bring to me! There has been so many and so much in life that I have been thinking of sharing with the world. The luck of receiving the grand prize from the Invite The World Campaign can definitely ignite my desire and energy to a new level. Initially I will use this blog to record the activities and feelings of the invited guests related to their visit in Vancouver. Ultimately I hope to keep this Invite The World Blog for long term as an vehicle to help bring up places, things and ideas to share with the communities where I live, and with the blog communities around the world.
Enough introductions why this blog has come about. To learn a bit more about me, Cofa the blog host, please visit page Contact. Because I am totally brand new to managing a blog, I must say that contents on pages of this blog are bound to be reviewed, improved and updated after its launch. And I am sure I have a lot to learn and I invite you to share your thought and idea with me.
To set as a milestone to record the launch of this blog, I wish to send my credit and appreciation to the creator of the background image of the Invite The World Campaign site – it is its gorgeous and panoramic view that has captured and urged me to start clicking right away to send those ecards which in turn had landed me on the grand prize of the campaign. I have no information of the creator of the image; but I do know from whom this super appealing artwork was introduced to help us Vancouverites invite the world!
My sincere thanks and appreciation, and that of my family and the invited guests, goes to…
The team of engaged Vancouver community and tourism partners:
-Tourism Vancouver
-Canadian Tourism Commission
-TELUS
-Lululemon
-The Vancouver Hotel Destination Association
-Downtown Vancouver Business Imporvement Association
-Vancouver Airport Authority
Grand prize providers:
-The Fairmont Waterfront
-Birks
-Bluebird
-Hawksworth Restaurant at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia
And of course, my special BIG THANKS to Tawnya at Tourism Vancouver, for her warm, cordial and friendly way of providing information and assistance related to the campaign and prizes.
Finally, my milestone image from the Invite The World Campaign site (credit as outlined above):
(Version 2012-03-12.)