With less than three days to go, Olds College has sold more than 480 tickets for its Cirque du Gala event.
The gala, which was traditionally held at the Olds College Alumni Centre, will now take place in the Ralph Klein Centre this Friday.
“We have targeted a guest list of 500. That is an increase of about 46 per cent (from previous years),” said Jordan Cleland, vice-president of advancement at Olds College.
“We set a very stretching target and we are almost there, with less than a week to go.”
In keeping with the theme, guests should expect to see the unexpected at the gala.
“There will be a bit of a demonstration with juggling, fire-eating and climbing of the scarves throughout the evening,” said Cleland.
“The intent is to wow the crowd. Hopefully, we will have 500 people saying wow.”
Throughout the evening, a cappella group Hoja will entertain the guests. Former Dragon's Den personality Brett Wilson will be the keynote speaker.
“We are really excited about that,” said Cleland.
During the gala, Olds College will honour Jack Anderson as 2012 Partner of the Year.
Anderson donated his antique car collection to Olds College in January. The collection, which is valued at $2 million, will be auctioned off during the college's centennial year.
Many politicians have already confirmed their presence at the gala. Guests can expect to see Deputy Premier Doug Horner, cabinet minister Cal Dallas, MLA Richard Marz, MLA Luke Ouellette, MP Michelle Rempel, MP Blake Richards, Sen. Bert Brown, as well as MLA candidates Bruce Rowe and Darcy Davis. Mayor Judy Dahl will also be there, along with various Town of Olds and Mountain View County councillors.
“We say that we are trying to have a networking event with our stakeholders from government and the industry,” said Cleland.
“We focus on a crowd that is VIP from both the political and the corporate communities.”
While the evening's cost tends to be high, the college still manages to make a profit from it.
“The reason we do that is because notwithstanding we put a lot into it, we make more out of it,” said Cleland.
“It is an opportunity to network, show off, and have some fun with our stakeholders all across the province. We think that providing a real unique experience is part and parcel of getting them here.”
To buy tickets, please call Doreen Thibeault at (403) 556-8232 or email [email protected].
