Elite Event: Indiana Jones

Another amazing job by the best community manager any city can hope for. Jennie continues to showcase her ability to bring together the Unilocal community in new an inventive ways. Although we have had events at this location before, each event has a unique theme that is usually connected to the exhibit.
Thank you Jennie!

Thank you to Jennie for organizing another fantastic event along with her helpers! It was held at the Telus World of Science where we enjoyed food samples and the Indiana Jones exhibit. Zinc restaurant was offering two types of meatballs, the lamb was delicious. Desserts were supplied by the Italian Centre with a very nice variety. The cranberry beer was nice and light and the Absolut premium vodka was so smooth that I had to go out to get a bottle!
If you love the Indiana Jones movies, you would have fun here. The exhibit was interactive and you can go at your own pace. The staff gives each person a computerized pad and you go around to see and hear movie scenes, look at artifacts and play «games».
I believe this exhibit ends soon so if you haven’t gone yet, make sure you don’t miss it!

If this wasn’t just the coolest event, then I don’t know what is.
In being a huge Indiana Jones fan, I was beside myself when I heard about this event. Miss Jennie Marshall went waaaay over the top in making the pre-​show Unilocaler party as true to the spirit of our swashbuckling adventurer as possible. I thought it was so cool to get to choose the Holy Grail goblet for some snazzyYelp swag. (thanks for the bandana!)
The food and beverages were all top notch, such as Elyx vodka and tonic from Absolut, Kung Fu Girl Riesling, and beer samples from Yukon Spirits. (Dead Man’s Creek was my favorite) I can’t wait to head down to Sherbrooke Liquor to pick some up. (check out my Sherbrooke review, if you’re interested –shameless cheap pop-​)
I loved Cha Island’s iced tea choices with their blueberry being my number one with the chocolate caramel a close second. Also, having a spice bar from Silk Road Merchants was an unexpected yet utterly brilliant piece of marketing, straying away from the norm. (nice maneuver, Miss Jennie!) Zinc restaurants’ Chef Omar concocted seven different kinds of exquisite meatballs that were absolutely incredible! I had never had bison in a Gorganzola cream sauce before. Magnifique! He was even gracious enough to offer my wife his sauce recipe! The only thing that seemed a little disappointing were the desserts from the Italian Bakery. While they weren’t necessarily bad per se, they just lacked that little extra something that I can’t quite put my finger on. After trying samples of four different desserts, I came to the conclusion that I don’t think I’ll be purchasing any desserts from their bakery, but that’s just my opinion. (their selection of meats, cheeses and olives are out of this world, though.)
As far as the exhibit itself, I was in my absolute glory!
Even though I am a self-​professed Star Wars geek and was blown away by that particular exhibit, I will fully admit that the Indiana Jones’ Adventures In Archeology was far superior in leaps and bounds, bar none.
I tip my hat (pun intended and yes, I bought an Indy Fedora) to Lucasfilm who graciously allowed pictures to be taken of their exhibits, unlike the Harry Potter one. (Thanks a lot, Warner Bros. –sarcasm-​)
I actually lost my breath for a moment when I laid eyes on the actual Ark of the Covenant and the golden Peruvian Idol from the «Raiders of the Lost Ark» movie. (my all-​time favorite film, by the way)
I loved the fact that the powers that be mixed in actual archeological discoveries and treasures in with the movie paraphernalia. For me, it made the experience just that much more special.
I cannot give enough kudos to Jennie Marshall (we’re not worthy! we’re not worthy!) for putting this event together, and for Lucasfilm and the Telus World of Science for having an exhibit that will most definitely stick with me for the rest of my life.
To top it off, on our way out of the exhibit, I got to hold a snake.

Our CM Jennie Marshall outdid herself with this event. Held at the Telus World of Science during their Monthly Dark Matters night with a Free viewing of Indiana Jones travelling exhibit!
That’s right, instead of the old space and science center you might remember as a kid, they transformed it right up.
Giant meatball boulders, zombies, nightmare circus wandering around, spirits and booming music is what you got instead of snotty nosed children and long lines.
Here’s a Review of the night.
1. Amazingly fast Registration. They had massive lines because people were streaming in for the Dark Matters night as well as the Unilocal Event. But the Unilocal team got us Elites in quick. I timed it 1.4 minutes (which is a new speed record in North America. Good job team!)
2. The Unilocal room was hidden on the 3^rd floor and superbly decorated. Hand carved foam sculptures, and other thematic elements made the room scream, «Indiana Jones». They had a guessing game for Unilocal Swag. You had to pick through different grails to get some. My date got a cute bandanna. My only complaint was I got nothing. My cup had Marshall on the bottom but I still have not received my Marshall yet.
3.We got to attend the Indiana Jones Exhibit for FREE. That’s right you non Unilocalers, non elites, we got a private showing with no children and no lines.
My favorite part was the fact I think I’m going to make a short round outfit.
4.Zombies and Nightmare Circus everywhere, with Booze available for purchase and pumping music. I just wished there was a dance floor!
It was like the best goth club ever.
5.Sponsors. They had such great sponsors and so many. Here’s what really stood out for me.
Darcy’s meats provided Zinc the meat for a gigantic meatball boulder and it was awesome.
My favoritey favorites was the Yukon Spirits Dark Stout, Absolute Elyx, and ILLEGAL in the US Tonka Beans from Spice Road!
Pros
Amazing everythingness
Cons
I couldn’t buy a real bull whip. That made me sad.
#yegyelp, #yelpyeg, #worsthermitever, #telusworldofscience, #twos, #nightmarecircus, #spiceroad, #absolutevodka, #absolute, #yukonbrewery

Once again, Jennie knocks it out of the park.
As others have mentioned, the concurrent event («Dark Matters» apparently?!?) was a little confusing to start, but it was clear that us Elites had the upper-​hand… with spirits from Yukon Brewery yet to find their way to Alberta, the multiple meatball options from Zinc and the wonderful Silk Road Spice Merchant, who could really complain?

I was beyond excited when hearing that an Elite Event was being planned for TWoS, coupled with the Indiana Jones exhibit, especially after missing the Harry Potter event last year. The Telus World of Science is quickly becoming a regular stop for me in the city, and I always look forward to visiting the facility.
Initially I was overwhelmed by the number of people arriving at TWoS for their Dark Matters night. I didn’t know that there was another event happening, and it made the arrival confusing, as the two staff members I asked didn’t know what the Unilocal event was or where it was being held. That being said though, I thought the atmosphere of the Dark Matters event to be really unique and unexpected. I loved the lights, dancers and loud music, and the adult atmosphere, although I could have done without being hissed at by the various zombies walking around. It was fun to experience a different aspect of TWoS after going for so many years, and I would consider buying tickets to go to another Dark Matters night.
Our little Unilocal room was quiet and completely transformed by the decorations. The meatballs by Zinc were amazing, and they gladly filled my plate when I asked if I could have a second round of meatballs. I loved talking to the owner of the Yukon brewery, and the people at the spice market, I’m looking forward to visiting their shop to buy some of the spices I smelled at their table. I ate too many meatballs to eat the desserts from the Italian Centre Shop, but my husband said the one he had was outstanding.
The Indiana Jones exhibit was easily the best I have ever been to at TWoS. We went later, so there were no big crowds to handle, and playing along with the puzzles on the provided iPads was a blast. We took our time, watched all the video clips, and spent some time to appreciate and enjoy both the movie props and the real archeological artifacts accompanying the exhibit. It was a fantastic night that totally lived up to expectations.

Edmonton is so fortunate to have Jennie M. as their Unilocal Community Manager — every event I’ve been to has been fantastic and this one was no exception. One of the coolest things about this event? Access to the Indiana Jones exhibit after hours — no children running around, lots of space to wander and wonder (despite the adult zombie party that was also going on), and plenty of time to do it at your own pace. Note that it was a high-​tech, solo kind of exhibit — headphones, tablet, and choose-​your-​own-​info to hear about. Very cool and unexpected.
Elites had access to a cool little room tucked away on the third floor — cozy and intimate. The concept was totally in line with Indiana Jones — lots of booths to explore, taste, drink, meet new friends, maybe take a pic in the selfie photo booth (ok maybe that wasn’t really Indy-​inspired lol). I loved the hidden treasure game — locate a token under one of many beautiful vintage goblets, and walk away with some cool Unilocal swag (caribiner with key chain AND compass?!). Special shout outs to the Yukon beer and spirits guy who spent a good amount of time teaching me all about their different beers, the Zinc meatball people who made the most incredible vegetarian chickpea meatball (and I am a real meat gal), and Megan at the wine booth for introducing me to a nice light white wine and a prosecco that would go great with sushi!
We had loads of fun and are looking forward to see what Jennie comes up with for the next event!
P. S. I almost forgot. There was a lady hanging out with a snake downstairs, before going into the exhibit, and I got to play with the snake! So cool!

Another great Unilocal event. I have yet to be disappointed by any of the special things that get thrown our way — always a great time.
As always, there was a variety of foods/​beverages to sample as local companies display their finest, but it was the Indy Exhibit that really impressed.
Having been to both the Star Wars and Harry Potter events, I knew what to expect — lots of the actual props from all four films and tons of information — which for a film geek like me is nirvana. Just standing by the original idol from the famous opening scene from Raiders was worth the pilgrimage!
Again, well done, Unilocal

I had a really fabulous time at this event and was quite impressed with the great costumes that the other Unilocalers were wearing! The cups game was rather fun and it was nice to come home with some more Unilocal swag!
My favourite thing to eat was Zinc Catering’s vegetarian curry meatballs (they were by far the best!) though all the many meatball flavours that they had were great! I totally tried them all.
I was really happy that Cha Island Tea Company was there with their delicious tea beverages as I don’t generally drink alcohol (and my body can’t handle more than one alcoholic beverage in an evening even if I do find something that I enjoy which is rather rare).
The folks from Silk Road were really awesome and I totally look forward to trying my cinnamon sample sometime soon at home. I also enjoyed the desserts from the Italian Bakery but would have appreciated them being labeled. As someone who detests coffee, I would have hated to have accidentally taken a tiramisu dessert as it would have been lost on me. What I did try was delicious, however!
The exhibit itself was pretty awesome! I enjoyed #DarkMatters thoroughly. The Indiana Jones Exhibit was wonderfully interactive and I really liked seeing some of the film costumes and props along with some of the actual artifacts. An interesting exhibit overall and it really wasn’t too crowded either which made my visit really pleasant!
I did walk through some of the other galleries and tried out the spinning ride (usually it hasn’t been manned or has had too long of a line up in past visits). I also got to draw with ecoli and checkout the oculus rift. I didn’t make it to the film screenings but I did see some awesome zombie costumes and dancing which was pretty nifty.
By the end of my visit I was a bit motion sick (I blame my having drunk a lot of tea and ridden the spinning ride and used the oculus rift demo in short order) and was getting a bit overwhelmed by the noise levels (and a bit of eye strain from the oculus rift and the busy lighting from the dance floor) so was glad to walk away from the event and take a bus home. I would totally recommend events like this in the future! I really enjoyed my visit and I probably should rewatch the Indiana Jones films sometime soon again too!

I have never had so many ball in my mouth before — meatballs that is! My favourite part of the night was definitely the meatballs by Zinc. There were so many varieties and flavours, who knew meatballs were so versatile? I was also in love with the Cha Island tea and will definitely have to make a trip out to the actual restaurant soon! Same goes for the Silk Road merchants. I’m too excited to try out my sample spice!
The zombies wandering around TWoS were definitely creepy and I am eternally thankful for my plus one who graciously acted as a human shield. The show that was put on was TERRIFYING, with a zombie peeling off his own skin, rushing at the audience, and ending with eating a person right in front of us… I was almost in tears.
The Indiana Jones exhibit was also a lot of fun. I’m not a huge artifact fan, so I really enjoyed the little quest that was included with the audio. It was a lot of fun! (also a lot of frustration in one of the middle rooms where my iPad refused to scan the clues).
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this event! Although I could have done with a little less gore from the zombies, but I’m a scaredy cat so maybe that’s just me.

Another fabulous event at TWoS! Te décor was spot on, as usual, and it was lovely to see our favourite spice merchants, Silk Road, handing out samples! Yay! Shawn thoroughly enjoyed the meatballs from Zinc, and I would have gone back for more treats of I could have. Cha island was also serving up some unique tea flavours. I’m not a tea drinker, but Shawn tried them all; I was almost tempted by the caramel chocolate.
The exhibit itself was a winner, above and beyond Harry Potter. It actually had some interactive elements, and the use of tablets was really fun. Instead of just wandering around, gawking at props, there were actual treasures and archeological stories to check out. I love history, so this was winner with me. I would have liked a little more challenge in some of the quests, but I can understand how that would be off putting for some people.
Over all, Jenny did a fab job with the event, and the exhibit was well worth a look.

Indy!!! I was thrilled when i heard Unilocal was throwing a party at the telus space science center with full access to the indiana jones exhibit. So excited!!! But when i got there it was even better than i thought. We had our own private party on the third floor! Free booze courtesy of absolute vodka, beer, wine and specialty teas. This washed down the 7 kinds of meatballs made by zinc. Yum. I liked the little find the cup game which allowed peeps to win swag by being lucky. I scored a cute little bandana. This was a nice little preparty to mingle and drink. It was nice and exclusive. I heard only 60 tickets were provided… and I scored 2! Fabulous.
The best part was that it was a hip night with music blaring. And experiments by the university to keep us entertained. Cow eyeball disections, soap bubbles you could hold, painting with glow in the dark colors… dark matters was pretty cool. I loved how they incorporated beer into the event to make it exclusive for adults. No kids around to avoid or kids screaming to distract you. A nice way to see the exhibits and have fun with other adults. im a mother so the adults only vibe was a nice breather! my plus one and I were super thrilled to see the indiana jones exhibit and left pretty quick to check it out.
The exhibit was small but took 3 hours to browse through everything. Just one hour if you only listened to the behind the scenes audio. When you enter you get an ipad mini that you use at your own pace. Red numbers were for history of artifacts displayed in the movie. Black numbers were for actual behind the scenes tidbits and facts of the movie. There were movie clips with every section that I would advise to skip bc you can save time skipping them and watching the movies at home.
Throughout the exhibit there were mini challenges and games. I felt it kept it interactive and entertaining! listening to facts can be tiresome so this kept the exhibit fresh and entertaining. I really loved the use of ipad minis! It was high tech and super easy to use. Just type in the number and voila… info at your fingertips.
The event was fantastic and I really enjoyed it! The indiana jones feature was fabulous. If you havent checked it already, make it out quick. Its really fun!

Décor — leaf litter cammo tarp, cammo net on the yep sofa in the selfie booth, a myriad of unique and interesting chalices for Unilocalie games, and even our own Indy Gal Jennie!
LOVED the delicious meatballs from Zinc… meat supplied by Darcy’s Meats! Of course Chef Dave Omar was present feeding the masses his variety of goodness — complete with a GIANT meatball! That thing was 18″ across! Plus, he had Gluten Free & vegetarian options! Nice.
Wine (woot Prosecco, Riesling, and Zinfandel), Vodka, beers from Yukon Brewing (complete with an ARK of the Beverages), and some fantastic Haskap berry liqueur from Yukon Distilling.
Got to meet Farrah from Unilocal Houston… momentarily.
The Silk Road — GREAT idea, Cha Island Tea tasting, Unilocalie prizes, a Selfie booth, and some pastries from The Italian Centre, with a side of yummy gummie worms.
The Science Centre, even had a very live, very beautiful snake… gotta say impressive.
Capped off with the other functions of DarkMatters at the Science centre, and tour of the Indiana Jones Exhibit! 3 hours was definitely not enough time to enjoy it all!

…And there the stairs awaited the hero. The final chamber was finally within reach. With each step, it was like ascending to the heavens as stars began to slowly form. Lights danced hypnotically as the candlelight flame flickered ominously.
With the last step cleared, it was almost hard to realize the moment had finally come. With the pupils slowly adjusting to the pulsating shadows engulfing the walls, they quickly darted around getting acquainted to the surroundings. Alas, it snapped to one corner focusing in clarity the subject of desire. Almost hypnotically, the dusty leather boots stepped forward avoiding weather worn crates holding unknown curiosity. Totems of elephants and other animals scattered the pathway most likely an attempt to distract would be treasure hunters. But no, the mind was clear. The eyes were transfixed on what the deepest voices from within were whispering. Brushing away a very large arachnid, the real treasure was now face to face with the explorer.
Bending down to eye level, it was closely inspected from all angles. Details must be taken into consideration to quell any doubts swimming within the mind. It must be confirmed. It must be approved. The brow suddenly filled with droplets of perspiration as the mind came to the conclusion the time had finally come to claim the valuable object. It was real. And it was here. Rubbing the calloused hand against the unshaven face, it was a relief to feel the friction against his face as it helped him think rationally. It indeed would be a mistake to simply grab the treasure and run. For he was must be careful of laden traps and other precautions the previous owners may have left behind. It was strange that such bounty was left unguarded which made him incredibly wary.
With his mind finally made up, he reached for his brown fedora one last time as a reminder of luck before leaping out to touch the prize. His fingers rhythmically strumming the air to feel for any change of pressure, it drew closer in closer within a fraction of a hair. It was now or never, he thought. With one last exhale of breath, he grabbed it with such surprise at how light it was and wheeled back to the front of the chamber. He finally had it and like any excursion it came time to escape.
As he reached a safe distance, he uncovered his prize and a wide smile formed. He took out a napkin and began to slowly savor the prized pastry.
This event was one of the best I have ever been to. I had no idea what to expect when we picked up our name tags from the front desk (Hi Breann!). But after refreshing our memories by watching Raiders of the Ark and The Last Crusade, it was amazing to see the room transform into a middle eastern bazaar, complete with archeology wooden crates, small tribal statues of animals, spiders and flickering lanterns. The only thing missing was the burly Egyptian Sallah. We got something even better: a treasure hunting dressed up CM, Jenny, and Jenn who honestly looked like Balloc or a similar European archeologist.
We were treated to refreshing tea from Cha Island tea adding to the mystique of arriving on a dig site. After find your treasure (the pastry for me), you celebrate don’t you? I got a chance to try the wonderful Riesling as a reward for my hard work from Kung Fu Girl. I’ve always seen this wine but never had a chance to try it and believe me, it’s quite sweet and delicious. With any treasure hunting, you always have to be on the look out for traps. Just like Indiana Jones, there was a giant boulder awaiting us. A giant mound of heavy breathing, coma inducing meatball stood proudly at the Zinc table. Luckily for us, it wasn’t edible but they did offer 7 different types of meatballs. I’m glad I didn’t pre-​eat as the sauce just coats your stomach with such delight as you try the different kinds of meat: bison, lamb, chicken, turkey.
Like a traditional bazaar, we got a nice presentation of spices and bitters from the ever so popular The Silk Road. If you can flare your nose, this is the time to do it as you had a chance to emulsify yourself with some exotic spices and seasoning: Vietnamese Cinnamon. What a discovery!
A selfie photobooth was ready to chronicle your findings and the best part was yet to come: a chance to walk through the Indiana Jones exhibit. This exhibit was hands down the best one. Even better than Star Wars and Harry Potter. You get an interactive tablet and you go on a treasure hunt just like our titular hero. The really cool thing besides learning about the props and film history was it is partnered with National Geographic and actual relics are brought in to expand on the topic of archeology. It was so amazing to see real treasure salvaged from thousands of years ago.
A big thank you to our CM and team for pushing the chips all in and making this event a full blown adventure!

Grateful for this Elite event constructed by Jennie. Tasty meatballs on hand by Zinc. Good old craft beer by Yukon along with some interesting spirits. Absolut with some vodka trials. Spice samples by Silk Road. We will definitely check up Silk Road for some of their bitters later on. Talking to them I had no idea they started a while ago in Calgary and had only started about 5 months ago in Edmonton. There was even a holy grail game for Unilocal prizes. Even had a cute little selfie booth. Set and Jennie were themed appropriately. I think Jennie would of been a great stand-​in for Harrison Ford because she looked the part. Harrison, eat your heart out!
The exhibit was fun. Very lucky to have caught it before the end. Now if only if we could avoid zombies crashing the party ;) Had a great time at this event!

Thanks to Team Jennie for their hard work in making this happen tonight.
The evening started off with a private Unilocal party upstairs where we were immediately greeted by the most persistent tea makers in the world. I politely declined but they kept insisting I have some. «It’s made with real leaves,» one them said. I still politely declined. «The man doesn’t like trees,» the other tea guy obtusely observed. The man (me) isn’t a tea drinker.
But I am a sweet eater so I had no problem snacking on the assorted cakes and pastries from the Italian Centre. The sweet stand was located right next to a selfie photo booth which consisted of a couch covered with an army cam net. There were samples of specialty beers and vodka at other tables but I avoided those because I was driving tonight. It’s no fun to just sample the vitamin K. Go big or go home.
We went downstairs to the Indy exhibit afterward. We had to share the science centre tonight with the weirdos from Dark Matters so we had to plow through the wannabe zombies and freaks to get to Indy. The Indy exhibit is a very modern one which requires the use of headphones and a tablet to take in all the information that it has to offer. With everyone walking around in the dark wearing headphones it reminded me of a Headphone Disco party (look it up) but it works. This way you can get the info you’re interested in without having to ask a tour guide to speak up.
The props in the Unilocal room were designed and built by Jennie’s brother who did a great job of lending those extra-​special Indy-​isms to the event. It was a fun night out and as always, a good opportunity to speak to our Unilocal friends in person.

Um… Unilocal,The Telus World of Science, Indiana Jones and Treats! Yes, please & thank you!
I’m not sure what I did in my past life to be so lucky but thank you oh wise Edmonton Unilocal CM Jennie!
From the meatballs that made me lick my plate with Chef Omar from Zinc to Kung Fu Girl Riesling from Washington, this event was top notch from start to finish!
The Gorgonzola cream sauce with bison meatballs by Chef Omar was out of this world! The yellow pepper aoioli lovingly smothering the turkey meatballs with stuffing and dreied cranberries was a close second! Come to think of it, the Chipoltle mango chicken was sooooo good, too! I think the only solution is to try these all again?!? UYE to Zinc anyone? ;-)
Yukon Spirits treated us to give made beer and liqueurs with no added chemicals! The Dead Man’s Creek — Cranberry Wheat so so light and refreshing!
Cha island treated us to flavoured iced teas — the chocolate caramel was divine!
Baked goodies from the Italian Centre were a plenty — I loved my canoli and stole a bite of my husband’s éclair.
Absolut vodka featured their Elyx served neat or with tonic water.
Silk Road Merchant was on hand to teach us about fine trades and even gave us samples of seasonings to take home like Fire Salt & Vietnamese Cinnamon (no fillers here!).
Where else can you see the world’s oldest map in person depicting waterways in a Science exhibit?!?
Throw in some Dark Matter fun with Zombies and DJ’s and you’ve got the best date night in town! And all on Chinese New Year’s! And no, the fortune cookies on the table did not go unnoticed Miss Jennie!
PS — Special shout out to Elite Rebecca and her hubby that showed up in FAB Zombie attire! LOVED it!

Well, we showed up. Looked like it COULD have been fun.
Discovered that my +1 had no lanyard. The front desk was staffed at that moment by someone who wasn’t even a Unilocaler, who decided to go in search of Jennie. Took us all the way up to the 3^rd floor. Not there. So he was annoyed.
The event not quite ready, so we stood there foolishly trying to figure out where to go, knowing that we’d eventually need to get him a lanyard or stick-​on nametag. The first floor was chaos, with walking dead folks all over the place from the other event going on. The stereo was so loud, you couldn’t hear anyone.
The girl from the Science Center who took us upstairs was telling someone that the elevator was going to be deactivated, and they were wanting everyone to take the stairs to get to the event.
Clue Train: Not every Unilocaler is an able-​bodied 20 year old. Now I was getting annoyed.
We went back downstairs to see if we could possibly get a lanyard for Al yet. They made him a nametag, and we went to try to go back upstairs because the event was about to start. Yep, the elevator was now out-​of-​service. Great.
When we asked (YELLED) at the front table if there was any other way to get upstairs, someone gestured to the other set of STAIRS, on the other side of the building.
I sure was looking forward to this event, but my MS had completely locked up my legs, and I wasn’t about to try to trek up 3 flights.
We left.