Christmas at BAM

30 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Activities Tags: , , , , , , ,

1512795_633826299989536_950272347_n

A couple of weeks back, the BAM team celebrated Christmas with a bang at the Zazou Lounge in downtown Toronto. Not only is the BAM Christmas party a time to relax, have some fun and get to know each other and each other’s families a little better, it’s a time for celebration. It’s a celebration of comradery and teamwork and celebrating the year that was, which, with its ups and downs, was one of our best.

999915_633868226652010_771309518_n
One thing I like in particular about the BAM Christmas party is having the spouses/partners see what BAM is all about. The BAM employees are high-energy people; they’re very engaged and often make personal sacrifices to make sure their job gets done. It’s important for the families to witness that type of engagement in action and I’m sure they took notice of how well we get along. It’s also important to put a face to the names they only hear at home.

The major highlight of this year’s party was the team’s assignment to construct a video about why they should win a set number of prizes. I could not be more impressed with their output. The results showcased the creativity, interest and engagement by a great group of people.

1505333_633826296656203_56592132_n
But ultimately, it’s Christmas. Our party is a way for me to say thanks to everyone for their hard work, determination and sacrifice over the past year in making BAM grow. The party was a huge success and you better believe it set the tone for next year. Our engines are revving and ready to go in 2014.

See a full gallery at the BAM Facebook page.

Robots are Your Friend: Why I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Drone

09 Sep 2013 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Activities, News, Thoughts

In today’s techie environment it’s easy to take progress for granted. We almost expect every new product, gadget, gear or gizmo to break boundaries. We suffer from innovation expectation.

When I think back to my early days and how much the social and business climate has changed I wonder what could possibly be next. With all the talk of technology’s evils we often forget the great opportunities progress has provided us with. We’re more connected than ever, more frequently in the know and have no shortage of convenience. All thanks to progress.

The thought recurred to me while working on our client Byron Hill’s new project, in Pierson Lakes, New York. Developed in the serenity of a forest and overlooking the beauty of two remote lakes, the region is located only 29 miles from the centre of Manhattan.

We were faced with some challenges of how to best capture the top-down beauty of the area while still retaining the important details of individual homesites. The solution we came up with was simple, robot drones.

Our film crew went out to Pierson Lakes with a radio-controlled quad-copter, mounted with a hi-def video camera and the results speak for themselves. I especially liked the shot that began in a living room and flew out of a balcony door to soar above the lake.

A Well-Deserved Labour Day Weekend

31 Aug 2012 1 Comment

by John Amardeil in Activities

eBAM hard at work.

Our online marketing department was particularly busy this week.

I find it’s quite a coincidence that this is the Labour Day long weekend. That’s what we’ve been doing at BAM for the past week — working like dogs. I can’t imagine how much our team must be looking forward to the long weekend, having put in such a crazy amount of hours. I know I am.

The results are worth it, though, and I’ll be happy to share more with you on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, here’s hoping you have a great weekend!

Another BAM Day

23 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Activities

Work Hard Play Hard…

Work hard, play hard. I’ve always been a believer in this philosophy. And because our team at BAM has been working so hard lately (with much more to come), we’re having ourselves a BAM day tomorrow.

I wasn’t part of the committee that organized it all, so I’m not really sure about what’s happening in the morning, other than it’s a scavenger hunt and that everyone’s excited about it. (Those who organized the scavenger hunt aren’t just excited — they have too amused a gleam in their eyes.) Here’s hoping they won’t make me jump out of a plane again.

As for the afternoon, it promises to be more relaxing — we’re going on a boat cruise on the lake with some of our clients. That should be a fun, well-deserved break for all concerned, one that will only reinvigorate us for the coming week.

Do you organize events with your team? What did you do last time?

On Bowling and Marketing

11 May 2012 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Activities Tags: ,

BAM went bowling last night.

What does this have to do with real estate marketing?

Everything, as it turns out. Because last night we went bowling with Empire Communities, a longstanding client of ours. This was actually their idea, but it resonates with me because I’m a big believer in having close ties with our clients.

On a superficial level, having close ties with a client makes work so much easier. You just can’t help caring even more than usual when you’ve had fun together and when you’ve talked about topics unrelated to work. It’s just human nature.

On a deeper level, close ties are automatically established when you and your client stand on the same side of the fence. It sounds basic, yet many agencies only look out for themselves. Likewise, many clients don’t help their agencies excel at the work they’re paid to do.

I for one would rather butt my ahead against a client’s if I knew their direction was against their best interest. I could just take the money and do as I was told. But that’d be the easy way out. And no one who cares should take the easy way out.

What are your thoughts about client relationships?

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries

%d bloggers like this: