Unprecedented success of Holiday Dinner & Dance 

 ICCC Board of Directors with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Amrit Mangat, MPP

A veritable who’s who of the Canadian mainstream from the corporate world, and the government made a beeline to Brampton’s Pearson Convention Centre Friday evening as the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) celebrated its Annual Winter Gala.

In attendance were decision makers from all levels of the government including Hon. Bardish Chagger, Canada’s Minister for Small Business and Tourism; His Excellency, Vishnu Prakash, High Commissioner of India in Ottawa; Hon. Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario; Hon. Patrick Brown, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada; Her Worship Bonnie Crombie, Mayor of Mississauga; Her Worship Linda Jeffery, Mayor of Brampton; Hon. Michael  Chan, Ontario Minister of citizenship, immigration and international trade; several federal MPs,  Provincial MPPs, and Councillors from Mississauga and Brampton.

It was an evening to remember, as the VIPs of the Indo-Canadian community, adorning traditional colourful attire and formal business dresses mingled at the venue to enjoy sumptuous cuisines from different corners of India, and entertainment that depicted the wonder that is India. The theme of the Annual Winter Gala 2015 was Travel. Explore. Discover. The décor of the venue was in consonance with the theme.

The guests included senior executives from sectors such as financial, legal, banking, travel and tourism, and manufacturing. Community leaders, veteran members of the Chamber, and several past presidents and past directors of the Chamber also participated in the gala with unprecedented enthusiasm.

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Winter Gala, popularly known as Holiday Dinner & Dance is one of the Chamber’s marquee events, and also one of the most popular Indo-Canadian community event in the Greater Toronto Area. The event is attended by large number of guests including members, sponsors, stakeholders, friends of the community, professionals, entrepreneurs, senior representative of corporations, government officials, political leaders, and opinion makers. The program comprises a blend of theme-based entertainment, spectacular songs and dance sequences and sumptuous culinary delights. 

Sanjay Makkar, President, ICCC, while thanking the large gathering for participating in the Winter Gala, emphasized that the occasion was not for speeches, and said the gala was another affirmation by his new team that the Chamber had returned to meet its basic objectives and mandate.

Addressing the sponsors of the Chamber, the ICCC President urged them to stay connected with the Chamber. “Look at our track record, look at our achievements, and look at our commitment. You will know that you are connected to an organization that believes in value-based deliverables,” he said, adding, “Help us get more sponsors like you.”

He invited the Chamber’s Past Presidents to come forward and help the Chamber go to another level in its effort to grow and expand. “If the Chamber gave an additional dimension to your persona, the best manner to give back to the institution is to contribute fresh ideas,” Makkar said. Then, turning to the Chamber’s members, he said, “Look at the quality of work the Chamber has done in the last four months, and evaluate it fairly. If you agree that your membership has been worth it, help us getting new members.” And finally, addressing the guests, he said, “Join us during our membership augmentation program.”

In a unique approach to making the program more engaging, the ICCC kept it informal, even doing away with the podium on the stage, keeping speeches to a minimum, and located the stage in the centre of the grand ballroom of the venue, thus enabling more interaction between the audience and the performers.  

Over the years, the Annual Winter Gala has revolved around specific themes that have highlighted different aspects of Indian lifestyle and experience. The themes have harkened back on Indian royalty to cinema to train journeys and celebrating homegrown stars of the Chamber.