The 6 Most Innovative Industry Parties of 2014

Every year, members of the new home industry throw fun and exciting parties for a variety of reasons; to celebrate construction milestones, the opening of a model home or a new release, etc. The majority of these parties involve food and drink of some description and perhaps speeches. We’re not pointing this out as a negative - it works - people will flock to free food and then listen to whatever anyone has to say (especially if there are free drinks involved). But, some builders and developers, as well as others in the industry, take it to the next level, and we want to recognize them for it right now!

Listed below are a few of the most innovative industry parties of 2014 (in chronological order):

Company: Minto

Reason to party: Year of the horse

At the beginning of the year, Minto celebrated the year of the horse at the Minto30Roe presentation centre. There were two highlights of the event: The giant whole roasted pig, which was carved up on the spot and served, and Feng Shui master Paul Ng making predictions about what 2014 holds for people based on their horoscope signs. Have you ever eaten a whole roasted pig while a Feng Shui master told you your future? Thanks, Minto.

Company: Adi Development Group

Reason to party: Burlington’s blossoming art scene

We’ve already featured the ARTINDEX party in our #Bestof2014 feature about charitable contributions, but it’s worth another mention because of its creativity. When Adi hosted the preview opening for LINK Condos + Towns, there were two artists live painting pieces inspired by Bronte Creek. At a later date, Adi hosted the ARTINDEX party, where the two paintings, amongst other art pieces, were auctioned off to raise money for the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Company: Curated Properties

Reason to party: Redeveloping an old yarn factory

This old yarn factory is being transformed into Lanehouse on Bartlett, a luxury, boutique condo. So, what better way to preview the development than to host a Yarn Bombing party? Yarn bombing goes by many names: graffiti knitting, guerrilla knitting, urban knitting ,etc. In a nutshell, the factory was covered in yarn, and models in yoga/workout attire swung from swings that hung from the ceiling - so it was quite memorable.

Company: RAW Design

Reason to party: Toronto’s overflowing talent pool of creativity

RAW Design throws an annual party and invites Toronto’s top designers and creatives in the industry. Each year has a theme, and this year’s was #RAWMATERIAL. The party was hosted in a giant storage locker at Planet Storage and featured installations fabricated with bricks, wood, metal, glass, and fabrics. The idea was to breakdown the concept of a physical building into its original, pure materials (or ingredients, if you will). Our favourite installation was probably the giant wooden spiral structure.

Company: The Daniels Corporation

Reason to party: A bunch of celebrities in the city for TIFF

Daniels’ Cinema Tower is located just north of Festival Tower, which rises from the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Naturally, Daniels celebrates TIFF every year. This time, since Cinema Tower is complete, the party was hosted in the party room. The party was slightly more low key than last year, but in a good way. It was more like a “get ready for a night on the town” kind of party. There were masseuses, make-up artists, manicurists, and even a shoe shiner to get you ready for the red carpet! Have you ever been to a party with an onsite shoe shiner? That’s why it’s on the list.

Company: Dundee Kilmer

Reason to party: Illegal photography and faked vertigo

Tom Ryaboi has become somewhat famous for his daring city photography. He scales cranes and buildings and captures the city in a way that most people would need a helicopter to get the same view. Dundee Kilmer transformed the Canary Park presentation centre into an art gallery for about a week, so people could visit and admire the photos. There was also an interactive installation called Aletide, which simulated the feeling of vertigo. You would sit on the swing, put on a pair of headphones with dark ominous music, and then swing towards a screen that reacted to the speed of your swing and mimicked the visual of falling between buildings. Yeah.

This concludes our list of the industry’s most innovative parties of 2014. We can’t wait to see what surprises and fun events 2015 has in store!