The conference stage at Academy in the City

Working with Team Jilly and The Atelier was an incredible experience as we brought together hundreds of women for Academy in the City at The Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The two-day event began with a gala on the Wednesday night and a conference the following day.

The Gala

Hosted in the iconic Ballroom at The Royal York Hotel in Toronto, The Gala was a night to remember. VIP guests were invited to arrive early for a meet and greet with Jillian, then Canadian jewelry designer Melanie Auld let each guest select a piece of her jewelry to take home.

Food was provided by The Royal York and the bubble bar was sponsored by Trius, a local winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Purdy’s Chocolatiers provided a chocolate bar, there were cookies from The Cookie Bag. and live artists drawing fashion portraits. If you weren’t dancing your heart out, there was still plenty more to enjoy!

The Pop-up

We pulled an all-nighter and transformed the Ballroom into a pop-up shop for Thursday, where guests could shop from some of Team Jilly’s favourite female-founded, Canadian brands. The towering trees adorned with flowers (by Rachel A. Clingen) were such a beautiful way to accent the rooms already ornate high ceilings. We couldn’t have found a more suitable location! There was also had a beauty bar and hydration station where guests could get make-up touch ups and electrolyte and collagen drinks.

The Conference

The conference was held in the Concert Hall and featured so many incredible speakers. The Royal York provided the food and did an incredible job.

We designed the conference space to emulate everything that Jilly loves. Airy, earthy colours, lots of incredible florals (by Rachel A. Clingen of course!) and feminine accents. Jilly is the queen of giveaways, so there were tons of gifts for guests including water bottles and notebooks.

VIP guests had access to a VIP Lounge where they had access to complimentary coffee from Pilot Coffee Roasters, and products and services from Elate Beauty and PURA Botanicals.

The whole event was absolutely perfect and the team that put it together could not have worked harder and deserves all of the praise for how well it turned out. We look forward to working tougher on another Team Jilly event soon!

A labour of love with the best team:
Venue: The Royal York Hotel Toronto
Hosts: Jillian Harris and The Atelier
Presenting partner: BMO
Floral design: Rachel A. Clingen
Art: Emma Allen
Furniture: Details Couture
Linens: Simply Beautiful Decor
Staffing: Magnetic Staffing
Wine: Trius
Jewelry experience: Melanie Auld
Cookies: The Cookie Bag
Chocolate bar; Purdy’s Chocolatier
Fashion portraits: Nessa Lilly and Becky DiLeo
The Food: Fairmont Royal York
Snacks by: Made with Local, Mandy’s Salads, Well.ca, Kanel, Healthy Crunch, Salted
Beauty bar: Elate Beauty, Fancy Face
Hydration station: WithinUS
VIP Lounge sponsors: Pilot Coffee Roasters, Elate Beauty, PURA Botanicals
Swag bags: Poppy and Peonies
Photos by: Vicki Bartel