Simply Elegant Puts Life in Corporate Parties – Calgary Herald

Simply Elegant puts life in corporate parties
Making It Simple For Businesses

Mario Toneguzzi

Monday, September 07, 2009

Small Business

Simply Elegant – Owner and CEO: Robert Vidra; – Location: #6, 3600 19th St. N. E.; – Phone: 403-242-0598; – Website: www.sim plyelegantcorp.com; – Founded: 1996; – Employees: 10 full-time, 30 part-time; – Description: Catering and event management company.

Robert Vidra throws great parties.

It’s actually his full-time business venture through Simply Elegant, which started as a catering company in 1996 and now has grown into a multi-faceted enterprise also encompassing event management.

“We are a full-service company. We work primarily in the corporate industry working with our clients to provide products for their needs, for their marketing, for their employees, for customer relations, employee retention. Those are the things we’re here for, ” says Robert Vidra, founder and CEO of Simply Elegant.

The company began in a small location on CFB Calgary land. Vidra says Simply Elegant started as a catering company with full intentions of expanding beyond catering to full event management. Today it has moved into other divisions which include event management, professional services and decor.

…read more

Calgary Event Planning: Sysco interview with Rob Vidra

by Joe Sheptak

Playing poker with Rob Vidra, owner and CEO of Simply Elegant, might not be wise as he likes to
hold his cards close and thinks every step through and when he does play his hand he is always holding 4 aces.

Founded in 1997, Vidra has taken the time to truly learn the best way to meet Calgary’s ever evolving catering needs. Making catering deliveries from the back of a cab might not be the way most people would think ‘this is how I am going to start a catering company’, but this allowed Vidra access to a wide variety of individuals who provided him with endless market research, thinking all the while he was just chatting them up.

Since their inception Simply Elegant has grown continuously year after year, and has grown from a catering company to Calgary’s premier event planning company.

The key to their secret really is not a secret at all it is customer service. “We are really good at customer service, we are really good at listening to what our clients want and give them what they want,” Vidra states.

…read more

Canada.com article – December 11, 2009 – Featuring Simply Elegant

Canada.com

By Kim Covert, Canwest News Service

OTTAWA — It’s not quite the star in the east, but the return of the company Christmas party provides a little glimmer of hope at the end of 2009′s long, dark economic tunnel.

Most festivities this December will have nothing on the boozy free-for-alls of years past, but 79 per cent of respondents to a survey of Canadian companies say they plan to reward their loyal employees with a bit of a holiday do.

“I think having a party is a clear communication from the organization that (employees) are valued, the contribution that they’ve made in a tough year such as 2009 is appreciated,” says Prashant Chadha, a compensation consultant with Hewitt Associates, which conducted the survey.

In the last few months there’s been a growing optimism that the economy is recovering, he said.

“I think that’s helped organizations feel better about their budgets and they are actually expecting to do better in the coming year, so have kind of loosened the purse strings and said ‘ . . . you guys have done a great job, let’s have a party and let us show our appreciation’.”

Small business owners, in particular, are feeling more optimistic this year than last, said Dan Kelly, a senior vice-president with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

“It was a pretty dark holiday season in many respects at the end of last year and business expectations are up fairly significantly from that, which is terrific,” Kelly says.

Small businesses aren’t the ones renting out hotel ballrooms for their holiday parties, Kelly noted, but given how closely the owner tends to work with the staff in smaller firms, “they are often loath to cut things like employee perks and rewards and some sort of holiday party is a regular part of the operations of a small business.”

Chadha said the last time human resources consultant Hewitt conducted this survey, in 2005, 83 per cent of employers planned a holiday party. Event planners interviewed by Canwest News Service said they saw a definite drop-off in business last year.

Robert Vidra, of Calgary’s Simply Elegant, said he prepared for the downturn but if he hadn’t, his business would have been down by as much as 70 per cent in 2008.

…read more

Father’s Day

Here’s a fun fact: Father’s Day dates back almost 4,000 years.

The story goes that a Babylonian youth named Elmesu carved the first known Father’s Day card in clay with a special message that wished his dear old dad good health and a long and happy life.

We’re sure his dad appreciated it.

But let’s be honest, ever since that first clay card, a lot of dads have been shortchanged when it comes to their big day. Father’s Day just doesn’t get the recognition that Mother’s Day gets…

Father’s Day, as we know it today, was first originated 100 years ago this month by Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. While listening to a Mother’s Day sermon, she decided to establish a celebration for fathers as well. And the tie industry has never looked back…

Dodd’s father, a widower and Civil War veteran, raised her and her five siblings for 21 years after their mother died.

She encouraged local churches to institute a day of observance for fathers. And because her father was born in June, she chose June 19, 1910 as the celebration day.

But even though it was widely celebrated for decades, Father’s Day wasn’t officially recognized as a national day of observance until 1972.

Like we said, Father’s Day just doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.

There are several reasons: Father’s Day is celebrated in the middle of a very busy month. It’s surrounded by graduations, proms, weddings, and the beginning of summer vacation. Mothers are smart for so many reasons, not the least of which, their special day falls in the oh-so-less-cluttered month of May.  
With fathers increasingly involved in family life, observing Father’s Day is becoming more important to many. If you’re looking for something that is not too over the top (and isn’t a tie), how about turning Father’s Day into a special event for dad?  It might require a little more thought, but he’s worth it.  Here are a few suggestions…

- Breakfast in bed: Gooey eggs and burnt toast aren’t just for Mom anymore…

- An awesome toy.  He’s still a big kid, so why not light up his life with a power drill or a putter, or an iPad, or… well, you get the idea.

- A day off.  He may have a “to-do” list – maybe you can do one or two of the “to-do” things on it. Sometimes the best gift is just to help your dad.

- Barbecue accessories for your favorite grill-master.

- A new snazzy shaving kit – shaving is something most dads do every day, so he’ll always think of you.

- Books.  There are millions of them out there.  There’s bound to be one with his name on it.          

- Time together.  For most dads, just spending the day with him is the greatest gift you can give. 

- Make him a handmade card.  He’ll love the personal touch.

- Participate in a Father’s Day Run or in another event in which the proceeds go towards charity, perhaps prostate cancer research.

- Oh, and like moms, most dad’s like clothes and chocolate too!

Whatever you choose, this is a day for you to show your love and appreciation for your father. And that’s the best gift of all.