This weekend (on Sunday), I came to the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to pick up my Mom (who lives in Mexico, but comes to visit me every summer for about a month). I have been flying worldwide through YVR since 1996 (yes, 15 years already) and I still travel through at least a solid 20 times, if not more (in the past month alone, I went through the Vancouver International Airport 7 times). I have an extreme appreciation for our airport, I have to say.

As I was sitting in the International Arrivals I realized how much of a world-class airport YVR is. I’ve lived in cities with outstanding airports (Paris’ Charles De Gaulle, Madrid’s Barajas, London’s Heathrow and Gatwick’s and Mexico City’s Benito Juarez), and yet I’m still very impressed with Vancouver’s YVR every time I come home. Had the funky contest to find the Vancouver International Airport’s 80th Anniversary Storyteller (or as they call it, “Live at YVR”) happened during a time I don’t teach or when I don’t do client work, I probably would have applied to be the airport’s storyteller for 80 days and 80 nights.

To celebrate YVR’s 80th anniversary, Vancouver Airport Authority is going to provide someone with the opportunity of a lifetime. They are running a contest to find YVR’s resident Storyteller to LIVE at the airport for 80 days and 80 nights. That’s right- Live.at.the.airport. For 80 days. But if you’re going to be a houseguest for 80 days, you’re going to have to earn your keep. The winner of the contest will be provided with an HD video camera, editing software and access to the people, places, and behind-the-scenes spaces most have never seen. Until now. The Storyteller will shoot video footage every day, editing together stories and uploading them to the Live@YVR website (LiveatYVR.ca) – an online channel where they will share their 80 day experience with the world…as well as the stories, people and secrets that make YVR the number one rated airport in North America.

The Live@YVR Storyteller will also tweet and update the Live@YVR Facebook page regularly, as well as turn the camera on him/herself with weekly video diaries. (we want to know how they will feel on day 1…and on day 40…?!) The storyteller will not be allowed to leave the airport and Sea Island for 80 days. But… the lucky Live@YVR storyteller will get to sleep at The Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel every night. Nice.
Do you love to meet people? Are you a storyteller at heart? Do you have strong video and editing know-how…lots of stamina…and most importantly, do you think that living at YVR for 80 days sounds pretty sweet? (Because we’re not kidding when we say that the winner can’t leave the airport or Sea Island for 80 days.) If this sounds like you, visit LiveatYVR.ca to learn how to enter.

Key dates:
· June 23 – July 18: Submit your video entry (all approved video submissions will be posted on the LiveatYVR.ca site for the public to view)
· July 25 - YVR will announce up to five finalists
· July 25 – August 5: Public votes on the finalists and chooses the Live@YVR winner
· August 17 – Live@YVR Storyteller is announced and he/she starts day 1 of 80 days at YVR (until November 4)

A discussion on the PR strategy behind Live At YVR

I wanted to add this bit at the end of the post, because it’s an indication of how a PR company changed my mind about a pitch that I originally was not going to write about. I include this information not only for the PR company to learn more about what they did right, but also for other PR companies as a case study.

I will fully admit that the copy submitted to me as a pitch totally hit me the wrong way (hence why I didn’t write about the contest at first). I’m not a fan of “you won’t be allowed” and “you’ll have to earn your keep” language. I prefer language that is much more “action-positive”, like “you will get to enjoy getting to know our airport better by staying within the bounds of Sea Island for a full 80 days“. But hey, I’m not the PR company behind the campaign, and I am not going to tell anyone how to do their job.

BUT. Here’s what the PR company did, after I responded the reasons why I didn’t think it was a good fit for my blog and why I didn’t want to blog about it. Below is an extract version of my online email conversation with the PR representative.

Raul - Saw your contest, and did retweet it. I’ll admit I find it a bit creepy. That’s why I didn’t blog about it. I find the contest kind of creepy. There must be ways to improve/redesign the contest with the client so that it doesn’t sound as claustrophobic as it sounds to me.

PR company - I really appreciate your feedback and can understand where you’re coming from. However, I just wanted to clarify that having to Live@YVR for 80 days and 80 nights doesn’t mean the contest winner will be stuck inside the airport. The assignment not only includes YVR proper but also the rest of Sea Island. Therefore, the contest winner will have ample opportunity to get out, explore and tell amazing stories about the beautiful area around YVR, as well. Hope this makes you feel less creepy about the contest and if you have any more questions/concerns, do let me know.

Raul - Does the blogger receive any sort of compensation? You do realize that this means that someone may not be able to work for a full month and a half – how are you guys dealing with this?

PR company – The Live@YVR contest has some fantastic prizes. The contest winner will receive a $15,000 (CAD) honorarium and for the duration of the 80 days, he/she will also receive: complimentary accommodation at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel, meals, a phone/data plan, and video editing equipment/software. If you would like more information about Live@YVR contest prizes, you can find it here: Prizes for the winner of Live at YVR

I think this is the way to go for any PR company. If I have concerns or questions about your project, have a conversation and build a relationship with me until I’m satisfied. And frankly, knowing that the winner is going to get some amazing prizes is what made me write about Live at YVR. Now, go and submit your entry!

Related posts:

1. Pier 73 at the Delta Airport Hotel
2. Vancouver Twestival is 2 days away – enter the Strutta Twestival video contest!
3. Launching my very first contest!

Credit: Tris Hussey

The words of my PhD advisor (whom I respect quite a lot, and with whom I am very much in touch even after having completed my PhD) have been resonating in my head for the past few days… “Remember, Raul – research is about telling a story with the data you have, the insights you have gained from your research, and communicating it in a clear way to your audience”. This past week and also this weekend, I’ve been contemplating the idea of storytelling as a method and embracing my inner storyteller.

Yesterday, on our way to the WaterDrop event where I spoke at, I shared a few stories about how I came about doing a PhD in environmental studies, where I studied my MBA courses, which countries I’ve lived in, etc. I also shared the story of how I started blogging and where it has taken me. As I was sharing my stories, I thought of the advice given to my by my advisor, the words of my dear friend Erica Hargreave (with whom I shared this morning a lovely breakfast and a walk along the seawall), the musings of my dear friend and neighbour DMcN (who is able to bend the English language to her very whim at will), as well as the powerful insights I’ve gained from my brother HZ (who, like me, is a scholar who is very engaged with the community at large): we are all telling stories.

My PhD advisor always told me that one key element to my success in academia, and to write excellent academic papers, books, thesis, journal articles, was to be able to find one key insight, and tell the story around it. Despite this fact, I never thought of myself as a storyteller. I always thought that I was an academic, a scholar, someone who was supposed to report back on facts, findings and issues. In the past week, however, I’ve come full circle. I’ve come to embrace my inner storyteller. I realize that with my blog, I am sharing not only the pathway of my evolutionary development as a human being, an academic, a scholar, a consultant, but also my very own personal journey through life.

Credit: Tris Hussey

Furthermore, and while we are on the topic of storytelling, I was particularly amazed by the fantastic work that April, Peter, Tris, Marina, Dan, Rebecca and all of my peers did at Women in Film 2009 Bridging Media Day. I think that the wonderful and major effort that Erica put to bring a team of social media specialists of the caliber that were in the room and the panels really paid out well, because we (the social media panel and the social media team) were able to tell a new story: the story of how traditional and mainstream media can create bridges and embrace new media. I think we were very, very successful in doing exactly that.

I am quite disappointed that I missed James Chutter‘s talks both at Orality 2.0 and at Northern Voice ’09 on storytelling, because I think that I would have learned a lot from James. Lucky for me, my dear friend Rebecca captured his NV’09 talk here. I’ll have to say that I’ve learned a lot from everyone who has been sharing their stories with me through their blogs, Twitter, and other platforms, through our continued interactions. I am also hopeful that Mental Health Camp will help people afflicted with mental illness tell their stories in a manner that makes them feel safe, comfortable and protected.

I have also come to embrace the power of telling stories through a variety of media and platforms, and through both my research eyes (see my research blog) and my personal lenses. I do hope that in sharing these stories, the people who read both my blogs can find some insights into their own personal learning journeys. If that is my contribution to the development and growth of our community, I will feel extremely successful.

My name is Raul, and this is my story.

Related posts:

1. On writing, storytelling and my academic work
2. Industrial and urban transformation, land use changes and storytelling
3. Embracing my duality