THE LEADERS' CORNER

From Your Co-Leads Laurie Harley & Vlad Haltigin

Happy February!

For those of us facing the challenges of a very SNOWY Niagara-on-the-Lake, we need things to celebrate! The Canadian Team at the 4 Nations Face Off has just given us a huge reason to celebrate. But we have a few of our own Ambassador gems to add to the list.

Let’s start with celebrating the Ambassadors’ contribution to a very successful reimagined Ice Wine Festival in January. The results are in and there is much to celebrate: double the attendance from 2024, 23 wineries participated along with 8 culinary partners, a very popular VIP Program - exceeding sales targets, a volunteer force of just under 100 with over half coming from the Ambassadors, and overwhelmingly positive feedback from the organizers of the event.

“The Ambassador Team was fantastic – highly organized and managed a remarkable number of shifts.”

Next, there was the Icewine Appreciation event hosted by Inniskillin. The weather forced the rescheduling of the event but, on February 19, 33 members of the Icewine Village Volunteer Team gathered together with event organizers to raise a glass to a highly successful event. It was an opportunity to recognize “super” volunteers who contributed over 10 hours over the two Festival weekends:

Hats off to: Patti Fraser
Keith Kennedy
Debra Rowe
Mary Garratt

Volunteers also received a certificate from Attractions Ontario, courtesy of the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival. The Certificate offers a wide range of discounts on attractions and accommodations across the Province.

And finally, let’s celebrate the launch of the 2025 season! You’ll find “save the dates” for the Orientation and Technical Training sessions in this issue of the BEAT along with dates for our Kick-Off meeting and first community visit. We’re offering several dates for the Orientation and Training sessions so you can select the one that best fits with your schedule.

Laurie and Vlad

2025 Calendar of Events

Ambassador Orientation and Technical Training

We’re delighted to announce the confirmed dates for 2025 Ambassador Orientation and Technical Training. All sessions will be held in the Penner Room at the Community Centre. Sessions will be available in MAP for signup on Monday, March 17th. We ask that initial signups be reserved for new Ambassadors joining the Team for the first time. Anyone interested in refresher training, is asked to wait until Friday, March 21 and fill any seats still open. You’ll see we are offering multiple sessions to help accommodate your schedules.

Community Visit

Our first Community Visit will be on Monday, March 31 from 10 to 11:30 am at the Shaw Festival. Due to the limited number of attendees, we ask that initial signups be reserved for those who have not taken a backstage tour before. There will be further information on signup dates early in March.

Ambassador Kick-Off Meeting

All Ambassadors are invited to attend the season Kick-Off meeting on Tuesday, April 29th from 4 to 6 pm at Founders’ Hall, Inniskillin Winery. Watch for more details closer to the event.

Season Start

Our new season to greet visitors on Queen Street starts on Friday May 16th. Standby for some exciting announcements.

Ambassador Team

Carter Simpson competing at 2025 Special Olympics

NOTL Ambassadors wish our fellow Ambassador, Carter Simpson, great success at the 2025 Special Olympics in Turin, Italy. Click here to read all the details in the NOTL Local. Go Carter!

Technology - MAP Support

Your Technology Support Ambassador, Elena Morandi-Bonner, continues to be available to you for assistance with MAP-related questions. Feel free to contact her at info@notl-ambassadors.ca and in the Subject Line please use “Tech Question” and then the subject itself. Also, if you are interested in being part of the private NOTL Ambassadors Facebook group, please drop her a line.

We are so grateful to each and every NOTL Ambassadors for your commitment, your enthusiasm and your special talent for making our Town such a special place to visit.

Co-Leads: Vlad & Laurie

Leadership Team: Cheryl, Elena, Kathryn, Patti, Shelley