Arriving in Vancouver, in 1998, not knowing how to get off the bus, I received invaluable mentoring advice from some of Vancouver’s leading advertising professionals. Richard Hadden at Cossette, Rob Glennie at Glennie Stamnes, Diana Robertson at Robertson Pick, Terry Mercer at Mercer Advertising, Mike Cvitkovich at Palmer Jarvis, Pam & Alan at Brain Communications, Russell Brink at Miller & Leonard, Kirstin Sharr at MacLaren McCann, Doug Conn at Wasserman & Partners & Tim Johnson at Grey Advertising. I was so grateful and impressed by these people, their openness, creativity and generosity. Not knowing anyone here, when I arrived, it meant the world to me.

In the spirit of gratitude, generosity, industry collaboration and good fun, I put forward the following initial ideas for Frank’s visit to Elevator Strategy in Vancouver. I’m sure the team at Elevator will come up with better ideas, but the following, I offer up to line the melting pot.

BRAINSTORM
Frank Palmer at Elevator Strategy

• Film of Frank talking about why he got into advertising and his advice for anyone starting out.
• Photo session of Frank as swashbuckler D’Artanian.
• Photo tour of Frank standing outside the office of every company he has helped in Vancouver.
• Poem about starting out in advertising, Bob’s story & Frank’s story.
• Illustration of Frank dressed as Samurai Warrior fighting a 1000 leagues under the sea type monster.
• Original orchestral piece conducted by Frank in a white tux, Bob on Piano.
• Chocolate dessert creation: The Palmer Elevator.
• The Palmer Elevator Hot Dog, new White Spot Nat Bailey food offering.
• Planting of one tree in Stanley Park for every year Frank has been in business at ‘The Palmer Elevator Grove’, with Yoko Ono New York Imagine Strawberry Fields type installation. A place to imagine and help Vancouver with creativity.
• The Palmer Elevator: A real elevator you can take to an Industry Wide brainstorm space, available to anyone working in advertising to brainstorm and collaborate on City & Province wide problems. Funded by everyone working in the Advertising Industry.
• Video Interview of Frank & Bob: Top Ten Advertising Steps for new businesses, any industry, in Vancouver.
• The Palmer Elevator Wine: Wine available in Vancouver, 5% of sales go to NABs. Design of Wine bottle label. A must buy for client meetings and industry events. Partnered with an Okanagan Winery.
• The Palmer Elevator Coffee: Available at Independent Coffee shops for client conversations. 5% to NABs.
• Photo of Frank dressed as a cowboy sitting on a white horse in the mountains. Bob behind on a black horse holding a bunch of colourful helium filled balloons, shaped into squares.
• The Frank Palmer Award: An annual award, presented to an industry professional for persistence in the face of adversity, which, I personally think, Frank has always exemplified.

Kind regards – Jeremy