Guess who is performing at Ottawa Bluesfest this summer?

Oh wait, that wasn’t a question to be answered but a statement. The Guess Who, widely considered Canadian rock royalty, is among the headliners at Ottawa Bluesfest, alongside Gwen Stefani, Limp Bizkit, Ella Langley, The Lumineers and others.

The musical lineup was a hot topic of discussion at the Ottawa Board of Trade’s first Business After 5 networking event of the year, co-hosted with Ottawa Bluesfest and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa on Tuesday.

The Ottawa Board of Trade (OBoT), led by president and CEO Sueling Ching, serves as the voice of business in the national capital region, advocating for economic growth and smart policy. It also works to break down barriers, expand opportunities and drive innovation across the community.

“Do you feel like you’re in Vegas?” Hard Rock Ottawa president Christine Crump, dressed like a rock star, asked the first-time attendees at the entertainment destination. By the end of the night, they were fluent in all the lingo — including the verb “Hard Rock-ify.”

Christine Crump is the president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The new $375-million entertainment facility, which officially opened early last summer in Ottawa, has recently announced a new multi-year deal with Ottawa Bluesfest, a nine-day outdoor festival taking place between July 9 and July 19 at LeBreton Flats in downtown Ottawa.

Festival executive director Mark Monahan said the support from Hard Rock Ottawa will make “a huge difference” in helping with the quality of programming while keeping prices affordable for concertgoers. It’s “phenomenal,” he said of the organization’s multi-year commitment.

Bluesfest has done very well with corporate sponsorship, said Monahan. “The last few years have been very good.”

Tuesday’s after-work gathering brought together some 150 attendees to mingle and take in a live performance by Juno Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Angelique Francis and her band. A few lucky attendees left with prizes donated by Hard Rock and Bluesfest. There was also a draw for a pair of 100-level tickets to an upcoming Ottawa Senators game.

Francis is a board member with Ottawa Bluesfest. The wildly talented performer is the driving force behind an all-star women’s blues showcase at the festival, set for July 15.

This year, the festival will also be supporting the region’s children’s hospital, CHEO, on July 12, headlined by American alternative folk rock band The Lumineers.

From left, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa president Christine Crump, Ottawa Bluesfest executive director Mark Monahan, and Ottawa Board of Trade president and CEO Sueling Ching at OBoT’s Business After 5 networking event, featuring a live performance by Angelique Francis and her band. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Angelique Francis on stage at the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 networking event, which partnered with Ottawa Bluesfest and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Also in attendance from the Bluesfest board were Chris McClusky (TC Energy), Mark Ford (The Lansdowne Consulting Group) and retired public servant Jonathon Harris, who worked 40 years for the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture. He’s been attending the festival every year since it started in 1994.

OBoT board member Krista Kealey told CiTC she plans to get a pass to the festival this year. “I’m going to be there for sure,” said Kealey, vice president of communications and public consultation at the Ottawa International Airport Authority. While she says the lineup offers “something for everyone,” she’s especially looking forward to The Lumineers, The Guess Who and The Sheepdogs, which is another Canadian band.

The one-day presale starts today at 10 a.m.

Ottawa Board of Trade board member Krista Kealey, vice president of communications and public consultation at the Ottawa International Airport Authority, with Michael Crockatt, president and CEO of Ottawa Tourism, at OBoT’s Business After 5 networking event held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

New this year to the OBoT events is the involvement of local charities as a way of boosting awareness around their cause. “They’re such an important part of the ecosystem,” Sharon Diamond, manager of membership and events at OBoT, told CiTC. “This allows us to involve them in our events and help expand the reach of their message.”

The Business After 5 event featured Wheelchair Basketball Canada, represented by its CEO, Wendy Gittens, and Tyler Miller, who won gold at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, England.

Miller has competed in four Paralympic Games, three World Championships and five Parapan American Games.

Off the basketball court, Miller completed an apprenticeship program and is now a licensed tool and die maker, according to the Canadian Paralympic Committee website.

Former Paralympic gold medalist Tyler Miller raised awareness for Wheelchair Basketball Canada at the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 networking event held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Miller didn’t always need a wheelchair. A workplace accident in 2007 changed that when 2,000 pounds of steel was dropped on him, breaking Miller’s back. He was only 23. At first, he was depressed and didn’t want to do anything. It wasn’t until a friend “dragged” him out to wheelchair basketball that his life began to turn around.

“Wheelchair basketball saved me in so many ways,” said Miller.

The Wheelchair Basketball World Championships are set to take place in Ottawa this September 9 to 26, at both TD Arena and Carleton University. “It’s pretty exciting,” he added.

Miller tailored his message to his audience when appealing for their support of the non-profit organization, reminding them of how wheelchair basketball helped him regain his confidence, independence and purpose.

“I’m giving back, I’m doing a lot of different things. I’m not sitting in my house, my body deteriorating, my health deteriorating, adding to the costs of healthcare and your taxes.

“It’s a win-win for everybody across the board.”

From left, CHEO chief branding officer and communications officer Anick Losier, Ottawa Bluesfest executive director Mark Monahan, CHEO Foundation president and CEO Steve Read, and CHEO Foundation vice president of strategy and communications Katrina Bussey, at the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 event, held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Don Masters (centre), president and creative director at Mediaplus, in conversation with Mark Monahan at the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 networking event, held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, James Baker, co-founder and CEO of Keynote Search, Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa’s director of fund development Shawna Blanchard, and Duane Francis, portfolio manager, senior financial advisor and branch manager at Capital Wealth Partners/Mandeville Private Client, at the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Mark Monahan, executive director of Ottawa Bluesfest, said the new multi-year commitment from Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa will make “a huge” difference to what the festival can offer concertgoers. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Josh Raganold, business development manager at Welch LLP, seen mingling at Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 networking event, held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Rob McCallan, director of group benefits and life insurance at Scrivens Insurance, Claira Calderone from Hulse, Playfair & McGarry and Ottawa Redblacks defensive back Sherrod Baltimore, who’s also the CEO and founder of Clean Dream Services Inc., at the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 networking event. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Karen Wood, founder and president of marketing, communications and public relations firm KoW Connected, and Jonathon Harris, a board member with Ottawa Bluesfest, at the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 networking event, held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Ottawa film critic Vladimir Jean-Gilles, who’s also travel media relations manager with Ottawa Tourism, Julie Findlay, host of Ottawa in the Know on Rogers TV, and Sarah Laturnus, senior manager of travel media relations at Ottawa Tourism, at Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 networking event. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Sharon Diamond, manager of membership and events at the Ottawa Board of Trade, and Franco Caminiti from event sponsor IG Wealth Management, at OBoT’s Business After 5 networking event held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Scotiabank market vice-president Lisa McDermott, Ottawa Board of Trade director of business and community partnerships Kara Higdon, and Lina El-Khoury, senior client relationship manager at Scotiabank, at OBoT’s Business After 5 held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Ottawa Bluesfest executive director Mark Monahan with his programming team Cat Côté and Emma Francis at the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Kira Francis and Kharincia Francis together performed trombone, saxophone and chorus with their sister, Angelique Francis, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa as part of the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Business After 5 involving Ottawa Bluesfest. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Ottawa Bluesfest board member Mark Ford with Alan Marsden, manager of the festival’s community programming, and its executive director, Mark Monahan, at OBoT’s Business After 5 held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Syntax Strategic, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Infinity Convention Centre, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, RBC, Welch LLP, and Brazeau Seller Law.

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