The comprehensive campaign includes a Facebook contest, billboard advertisements in Vancouver and Seattle, flash mobs and ambient media with the placement of “handcuffs” in various downtown locations. Enter to win 1 of 5 dream escape packages by ‘Liking’ their page on Facebook.  Check out the commercial and billboard advertisement below.

But the best part is this: all these great escapes are located right in our back yard. The campaign not only promotes the amazing things Victoria has to offer to those visiting but reminds Victoria residents of all the amazing activities and opportunities we are so lucky to have. Victoria isn’t just a great place to visit, it is also a great place to live and work.

Well done, Tourism Victoria and Eclipse Creative for bringing more people to see and experience the beautiful city in which we are so lucky to live. Eclipse Creative is the Vancouver Island Technology Park’s preferred supplier for creative services.

Nikki de Goey is the Manager of Culture and Corporate Relations at Vancouver Island Technology Park.

Cost: $25 annual fee (cash only).  This cost will go towards the purchase of gardening supplies.  The Park will be donating most equipment, but minor supplies will be required. The garden will be watered once daily by the installed sprinkler system.

Plot size: 4’x8’

Maintenance requirement: Plots will be monitored for usage.  If it is determined that a plot is not being used or has been abandoned, the owner will be contacted, and the plot may be sold to another employee.

If you are interested in participating in this fantastic initiative, please contact Nikki de Goey, VITP Manager of Culture and Corporate Relations, at ndegoey@vitp.ca

Greg Conner, VP of Human Resources of HP Advanced Solutions Inc. has taken on a new role as Globe and Mail NINE TO FIVE Expert!  Check out the column below to hear what Greg has to say about cubicle living and how to handle a chatty neighbour. HP Advanced Solutions Inc. has been a tenant of the Vancouver Island Technology Park for seven years.

Globe and Mail Update

Published Sunday, Apr. 29, 2012 8:00PM EDT

Last updated Monday, Apr. 30, 2012 9:42AM EDT

THE QUESTION

My cubicle neighbour is driving me crazy. She never shuts up. She’s either asking me questions or spouting off about something or she’s loudly talking on the phone to clients, colleagues and friends. I’ve resorted to wearing headphones and listening to music so I can get work done but sometimes I need some peace and quiet to do my job. How can I deal with this? Shut her up? Tell my boss? Move desks? Help!

THE FIRST ANSWER

Greg Conner

Vice-president of human resources, HP Advanced Solutions Inc.

Let’s face it – we live in a cubicle world and it’s here to stay.

Assuming telecommuting is not an option and your employer doesn’t supply the materials required to construct an office during coffee breaks, here are some steps to consider.

Talk to your co-worker. Many “talkers” don’t realize they’re causing their colleagues grief. Let her know you’re trying to concentrate and suggest she take scheduled work and personal calls somewhere more private, such as a vacant meeting room. Or, when you have a deadline to meet, seek out places where you can work quietly.

If your co-worker attempts to engage you in a conversation which you have no interest in – or time for – politely let her know you have work to complete and suggest that you get together during a break to chat.

If necessary, ask your manager to intervene. Your manager may first choose to remind all employees to keep noise level, chatter, and personal matters to a minimum, or may opt to talk to the employee directly. The relationship between you and your colleague will help determine the best approach.

If you have a good relationship, you’ll probably find her receptive to your request. If not, manager intervention may be the better route. Either way, it’s important to be honest and to do whatever is needed to get your work done. Most people will respect your honesty and be happy to accommodate.

THE SECOND ANSWER

Sheila Copps

Former deputy prime minister

Every office has one: a chatty Cathy who is oblivious to the deaf ears who don’t hang on her every word.

Before you jump to the wrong conclusion, do your homework. Your co-worker may truly have a hearing problem, which could explain the dialled-up volume of her speech.

You should quietly take your boss aside and explain that noise pollution is affecting your productivity. Your manager needs to find out just what is causing this cacophony.

You also mentioned that your cubicle buddy is asking lots of questions. Are they of a business nature? Is she new? Can you, and/or your boss, help smooth her transition in a way that will create a more calming atmosphere for everyone? Perhaps this conversation overload is prompted by the insecurity of not knowing what her own job is and how she fits into the work environment.

Your boss may want to designate a specific site for daily group discussions. A half-hour morning briefing in an adjoining workroom could set the tone for less cubicle conversation.

At the end of the day, the solution is not in your hands. It is your supervisor’s responsibility to facilitate a tranquil workspace.

But noise levels in a cubicle environment will always be challenging. Absolute silence is impossible in these circumstances. You may need to work on better personal focus, too. Training your own mind to stay on track means concentrating on the job at hand, not on your neighbour’s conversations.

If music ear buds have been already been successful in calming your workspace, you might consider sound-muffling stereo phones sans music.

When all else fails, there is a simple answer: relocation, relocation, relocation.

Are you facing a burning issue at work? Need help navigating that minefield? Let our Nine To Five experts help solve your dilemma. E-mail your questions to ninetofive@globeandmail.com. Confidentiality ensured. Weigh in with your view at tgam.ca/careers.

They have called their new product HERO; it is a free utility application that will be available in both the iTunes App Store and Android Markets. Developed locally in Victoria, HERO aims to promote community and provide security to families.

 How does it work? If a child is reported missing, the HERO App instantly alerts HERO app users within a 10-kilometer radius of the incident by receiving a notification on their smartphone and/or tablet. This alert includes a detailed profile of the missing child. If they see the child, the app provides access to the contact information of the Guardians and a direct 911 call button.

Everyone can sign-up to be a HERO. If HERO’s want to add children to the HERO network, they can sign-up for a GUARDIAN membership. By paying a one-time membership fee of $2.99, the GUARDIAN membership allows members to take a photo of the child with their smartphone, complete the child’s profile and the child is registered in HERO’s secure database.

Congratulations Media One and WEC Networks Inc, and thanks for making our community a safer place!

Who would look the best wearing this dress?

VITP’s Victoria Women in Need Fundraiser deadline is a week and a half away and currently Dale Gann is in line to defeat Roberto Racca and Greg Conner. We’ve caught Dale secretly watching scenes from ZOOLANDER and practicing his walk down VITP’s hallways. He’s taking the challenge quite seriously so if you’re not sure who to vote for Dale is an excellent choice! The winner will get the opportunity to tear up the cat walk and model an outfit chosen by the losing executives.

So who would you like to see most wearing this dress (or a similar garment) in this years Fashion with Passion Fundraising Gala on May 4th at the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort?

Please gather all those useless pennies hiding under your bed or in an old cookie jar and donate to a really good cause. Our goal is to pledge and raise $1000 so we need your help! Don’t have any pennies? Then feel free to donate any loose change because each cent is counted as a vote and the most votes wins!

Contest closes at 12pm on April 27th!

Interested in attending the Gala?

Tickets are $80 for an individual ticket.  Tables of 10 can be purchased for $750.

If you would like to find out how to sponsor Fashion with Passion, or to donate an auction item, please contact Tami Tate at 250.595.8381 or email at tami@womeninneed.ca 

Last year’s event was held on Friday May 6th featuring a Fashion Show, Buffet Dinner, Dessert, Silent Auction and Live Music!  Over 150 people attended, and it was a great success thanks to our incredible sponsors, and the models made up of well known people in our community who volunteered their time to strut their stuff on our catwalk!  For a look back at last 2 years’ event photo gallery, click here.

If you’d like to be kept up to date on the fundraising contest make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Nikki de Goey is the Manager of Culture and Corporate Relations at Vancouver Island Technology Park.

The Victoria Women in Need Community Collaborative (WIN) is hosting their 4th Annual Fashion with Passion Fundraising Gala on May 4th, 2012 at the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort.  As the Vancouver Island Tech Park is committed to giving back to our local community we thought we’d take part this year and pledge to raise $1000!   As I have been asked to  ”model” (I say this with great sarcasm) in this years fashion show and strut the runway in sassy outfits from the WIN stores, I thought that it would only be fair to invite a prominent executive from the VITP community to participate in the event with me.

So the QUESTION was raised: How can we get the VITP community involved, raise some money for the cause all while having fun?

The ANSWER: Let’s take Dale Gann, President of VITP, and put him up against two other prominent executives from the VITP Community, paste each of their faces on a large glass vase and have a penny drive. We’re asking you to empty your pockets and fill the vase representing the person you’d like to see WIN and model in this years show! On April 27th at noon we will count the coins with each cent counting as one vote and the person with the most votes will get to strut the runway with myself and all the other daring models.

The CATCH: The “losing” executives will get to chose an outfit from the WIN stores for the “winning” executive to wear down the runway.  Did we mention WIN primarily carries women’s attire?

Now you must be wondering who the two lucky executives are that have agreed to go up against Dale in the battle extraordinaire? Greg Conner, VP of Human Resources at HP Advanced Solutions and Roberto Racca, Director / Chief Communications Officer at JASCO Applied Research have agreed to participate!

So bring in those pennies that are useless now anyways (and of course coins and or bills are more than welcome!) and fill up the jar of the executive you want to see win… remember the losing executives will choose the outfit that the winner will model in the show.  Lastly, don’t worry about a lack of media presence as this event has the Times Colonist, CTV, Kool FM and CFAX on board as Media Sponsors so there will be plenty of documentation!

Interested in attending the Gala?

Tickets are $80 for an individual ticket.  Tables of 10 can be purchased for $750.

If you would like to find out how to sponsor Fashion with Passion, or to donate an auction item, please contact Tami Tate at 250.595.8381 or email at tami@womeninneed.ca 

Last year’s event was held on Friday May 6th featuring a Fashion Show, Buffet Dinner, Dessert, Silent Auction and Live Music!  Over 150 people attended, and it was a great success thanks to our incredible sponsors, and the models made up of well known people in our community who volunteered their time to strut their stuff on our catwalk!  For a look back at last 2 years’ event photo gallery, click here.

If you’d like to be kept up to date on the fundraising contest make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Nikki de Goey is the Manager of Culture and Corporate Relations at Vancouver Island Technology Park.

Contact us today to book your meeting! 250-483-3206 or email meet@vitp.ca!

More info on the Test Tank Facility here.

Video produced by UberDave Video Productions

In the “Casadia” region, which includes Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, Greater Victoria was cited as being in the top five places in which to do business, separated from first place by only 0.9 of a point. The study measured the combined impact of 26 significant cost components that are most likely to vary by location, such as labour, facilities, land, construction, transportation, utilities, and income taxes. The study further refined the data to focus the cost results by industry.

Greater Victoria placed first among the five communities in cost-competitiveness in such fields as software design, research and development, and digital industry. It places second in electronics assembly and manufacturing.

The baseline number used for comparison is that of the US average with other countries and cities measured with costs either above or below that baseline. Victoria’s competitive scale came in at 97.4 while Vancouver was 96.5. Greater Victoria handily beat other locations like Seattle, Spokane, Portland and San Francisco.

The Comparison tables can be found on the web here.

As we all know, the tech industry in Victoria is strong, and is predicted to continue to grow by double digits. According to VIATeC, by the end of 2011 total revenues of the top 25 tech companies in Victoria had grown to $820 million in 2011, a five per cent increase over 2010. The median revenue figure for companies on the list is now at $16 million, up from $15 million last year and $11.5 million five years ago.

Have Victoria technology news? Let us know!