The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) just approved the following motion as brought forward by the British Columbia Medical Association (BCMA): “The Canadian Medical Association advocates for a ban on Mixed Martial Arts prize fighting matches in Canada.”

The motion was supported by 84% of the assembly. 15% abstained and 1% voted against the motion.

Prior to this vote, a motion to refer the motion to the Board was defeated by 62% of the assembly.

Check out my personal Blog for more details on this story and a history of the proposed ban.

Two unsuccessful attempts at sanctioning in 2007 and again March 2009 clearly showed there was a need for education on what MMA is and is not.

With that in mind, for almost the last year, Dave.ca Communications has been working with politicians, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotions, media and other stake holders to bring MMA to Vancouver. Education through the use of medical studies; comparisons of injury rates with other sports; positive media appearances; and showing politicians how this could economically benefit their jurisdictions lead to today’s successful passing.

I want to highlight three politicians who went stuck their necks out and gave support to the MMA community.  From the City of Vancouver, Councillor Suzanne Anton; British Columbia’s Attorney General Mike de Jong; and Federal Member of Parliament and Canadian Heritage Minister, James Moore who actually spoke today and clarified many misconceptions on the legality of MMA in Canada.

I will continue to update this post in the coming days with links to reports, media appearances, etc.  For now here are some resources for you.

Vancouver Athletic Commission Waiver Form for MMA participants
MMA Report from the City of Vancouver -  July 2009 Ipsos Ried poll on popularity of MMA
Sports Concussion Report from the University of North Carolina
Journal of Sports Science and Medicine Report on Indicence of Injury in Professional Mixed Martial Arts Competitions

Dave.ca Blog Post – The Latest on MMA in Vancouver – September 18, 2009

Radio appearance on The Christy Clark Show on CKNW in Vancouver, BC – December 17, 2009

Radio appearance on Jacked in with Jessica on AM 1150 in Kelowna, BC – December 17, 2009

Dave.ca Supporting MMA

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Dave.ca Supporting MMA

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10:39

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65

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Dave.ca Communications Inc. owner Dave Teixeira speaking in favour of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sanctioning in the City of Vancouver at the December 17, 2009 Vancouver City Council Meeting. The vote passed to allow MMA by 6 to 3.

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UFC Speaking in Favour of MMA Part 1 of 3

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10:57

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437

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UFC representatives Lawrence Epstein and Michael Mersch speaking in favour of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sanctioning in the City of Vancouver at the December 17, 2009 Vancouver City Council Meeting. The vote passed to allow MMA by 6 to 3.

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UFC Speaking in Favour of MMA Part 2 of 3

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10:38

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237

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UFC representatives Lawrence Epstein and Michael Mersch speaking in favour of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sanctioning in the City of Vancouver at the December 17, 2009 Vancouver City Council Meeting. The vote passed to allow MMA by 6 to 3.

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UFC Speaking in Favour of MMA Part 3 of 3

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10:20

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142

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UFC representatives Lawrence Epstein and Michael Mersch speaking in favour of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sanctioning in the City of Vancouver at the December 17, 2009 Vancouver City Council Meeting. The vote passed to allow MMA by 6 to 3.

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MP James Moore Speaks in Favour of MMA Part 1 of 2

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4:53

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123

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Hon James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage speaking in favour of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sanctioning in the City of Vancouver at the December 17, 2009 Vancouver City Council Meeting. The vote passed to allow MMA by 6 to 3.

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MP James Moore Speaks in Favour of MMA Part 2 of 2

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7:43

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41

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Hon James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage speaking in favour of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sanctioning in the City of Vancouver at the December 17, 2009 Vancouver City Council Meeting. The vote passed to allow MMA by 6 to 3.

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Joel Posluns Speaking Against MMA Part 1 of 2

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10:43

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262

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Joel Posluns speaking against Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sanctioning in the City of Vancouver at the December 17, 2009 Vancouver City Council Meeting. The vote passed to allow MMA by 6 to 3.

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Joel Posluns Speaking Against MMA Part 2 of 2

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7:57

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288

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Joel Posluns speaking against Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sanctioning in the City of Vancouver at the December 17, 2009 Vancouver City Council Meeting. The vote passed to allow MMA by 6 to 3.

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MMA in BC September 18, 2009

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5:05

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153

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An update on the status Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) regulation in British Columbia.

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MMA in BC Video Blog July 13 2009

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4:11

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133

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A discussion on why and how Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) can be regulated in British Columbia.

2010 Newsmaker of the Year nominess - Dave Teixeira - Dave.ca Communications; Sharon Stead - for husband Doug Stead; and Ernie "Punch" McLean.

We have been nominated for the  “Newsmaker of the Year” award through the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce!

Our work over the last year with SHARE, Wrestling With Hunger, Pink Shirt Day and (fingers crossed) convincing law makers to sanction Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in Vancouver were noted as the reasons for our nomination.

We are very proud of our nomination as it shows we get results for our clients.  In turn, our clients are so happy they want to let others know of our efforts and nominate Dave.ca for awards such as “Newsmaker of the Year”.  For that we thank them.

Last year we earned “Outstanding Small Business of the Year” which was a terrific honour.  We look forward to sharing the stage on January 15, 2010 with all finalists when the winner is announced.

For a complete list of awards and nominees CLICK HERE.

MANY business people have already recognised the power of social media and are poised to exploit it commercially at every opportunity.

One may have a new summer line of swimwear, another a fresh menu from the restaurant kitchen, another has a sudden shipment of Asian artefacts, another is offering Mother’s Day discounts on facials and manicures.

With just a quick Twitter, these businesses can let all their followers know about the deals and get business pumping again.

But businesses that didn’t monitor the various social media out there now – Twitter, SMS, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, blogs – could find themselves in enormous trouble because of the rapid, or viral, way the message is spread.

In fact, some could find themselves out of business within a month, according to David Eldridge, the chief executive of UK-based global marketing and analytics company Alterian.

“Social media has exploded and this means that the information people use to make buying decisions has changed,” he said.

“It’s not just what businesses put out there but also what people say in response.

“Feedback is instantaneous and if that feedback is bad then reputations and credentials can be damaged in minutes.”

Mr Eldridge cited two recent examples of how the use of YouTube brought undone two powerful US organisations.

The most famous was a YouTube video made in jest by two Dominos Pizza staff who performed gross acts in the kitchen while preparing takeaways.

The food never made it to customers, but the video reached millions while Dominos reacted with all the corporate zeal of a stuffed mammoth.

While eventually the pranksters were sacked and faced felony charges, Dominos’ reputation was trashed because of its inertia.

Ignoring a legitimate complaint about damaged baggage brought United Airways undone.

Early last year, musician Dave Carroll stopped off in Chicago on his way to a gig and saw the case containing his $2300 guitar being manhandled by the baggage handlers.

United chose to ignore his claim for $1200 worth of damage, until several months later when he wrote the song United Breaks Guitars and posted it on YouTube.

As one commentator said: “Revenge is a dish best served with country accompaniment.”

“The first thing that businesses have to understand is that they’re not the ones with sole control of their brand, because customers now talk about their experiences to a wider audience,” Mr Eldridge said.

Not only did businesses need to respond quickly to what was being said, but they also needed to be careful about how they responded, he said.

It meant listening to what was being said about them, and what was being said about competitors.

“Fix customers’ services issues, change marketing messages if they don’t resonate,” he said.

It also meant learning to interact with — and not interrupt — customers and clients.

“If you do a search of the world’s top 20 brands, you will see that 25 per cent of the entries are user comments,” Mr Eldridge said.

Further, buyers prefer these comments over the information the businesses put out, he said.

“Fourteen per cent of people trust advertisements, but 90 per cent trust peer recommendations. It’s important to put the brand image out there, but it’s equally important to monitor what’s being said,” Mr Eldridge said.

A funny thing happened when Nathalie Balfour posted an article about her job description on the company blog. Within a few days, the public relations supervisor for Lululemon Athletica in Vancouver received dozens of responses from all sorts of interested parties. “It was so interesting to see how quickly doing that blog turned into a conversation with people within the company and externally,” she says.

Lululemon is embracing social networking in a big way to keep lines of communications open with potential and current employees. With 116 stores throughout North America and Australia, online community manager Carolyn Coles says having the ability to use Twitter, Facebook, blogging and Flickr, among other tools, “helps to keep everyone connected at every level and empowered, and really elevates internal conversation.”

The company goes out of its way to encourage stores to set up their own Twitter and Facebook pages. “It’s amazing for morale and gets everyone really involved because it puts the power of communications in their hands,” says Balfour.

She adds that social networking provides more opportunities for staff to connect with managers to air their views and get direct feedback. Employees can also educate each other online, share ideas and post stories, and help new hires feel like they are part of the family. “Being able to do that really humanizes the company. That’s what makes [social networking] so powerful.”

More and more retailers are realizing that social networking can play an important role in employee recruitment, training and retention. Given that many retail employees are in the 18-24 age bracket, social networking is second nature to them, says Brenda Dumont, national retail recruitment specialist for canadianretail.com, a subsidiary of working.com. “These people have been on Facebook or MySpace since they launched.”

She adds that to date, 65 per cent of retailers in Canada have embraced the practice of online recruiting, and virtual career fairs are also gaining momentum with the tech savvy crowd.

Social networking helps retailers in three ways, according to Cary Schuler, CEO of cfactor Inc. in Saskatoon, a provider of web-based social networking and workforce solutions. “First it can be used to attract new talent. Second, it ensures that new people coming on board feel socialized within the first few months of joining the company. Third, it can help employees advance their careers by allowing them to contribute ideas and get noticed.”

Cfactor and a number of specialists in the social networking field are saying retailers are becoming a rapidly growing part of their business. “It’s about speaking the language of youth,” says Neil Grunberg, vice-president of sales and marketing for Vortex Connect, a developer of text messaging applications for managing workforces. “Typically employees go to where they’re offered the greatest flexibility in the way they can communicate, and the amount of hours they work and when.”

Retailers have also started to use online surveys to engage their workforce and collect feedback, says Daniel Debow, co-CEO and co-founder of Rypple in Toronto. “They find it is a good way to get honest, direct answers that they never had before, and that’s helpful in bringing employees into the improvement cycle.”

Jason Perlman, marketing director for Jean Machine, says that social networking has become a big part of its recruitment and retention picture. “We have a very social, very active and very motivated workforce,” he explains. “Retention is definitely tough, so retailers need to create a comfortable group environment that they enjoy being part of. That’s why it’s important to offer tools that fit within their lifestyle and they are already very active in using in their daily lives.”

What social networking brings to the mix is a sense of community that goes beyond staff parties, he adds. “A lot of our stores use Facebook to communicate with each other. There is also tons of teamwork being done through instant messaging. It’s all about embracing existing technology and using it to create your own culture.”

Social networking is also a way for employees to be seen as unique individuals in a company’s eyes, Balfour says. “In this day and age, a person isn’t just a resume anymore. Each time they use a blog or post something on Facebook, they leave a footprint and establish a connection with us… It’s fascinating. Some say it’s the way of the future. But we know it’s going on right now.”

In this edition of Dave TV I give you an update on the status of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) regulation in Vancouver and British Columbia.

Some important links and information:

Contact info for Attorney General Mike de Jong: (250) 387-1866 or ag.minister@gov.bc.ca

Email address for all Vancouver Mayor and all of Council mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca
A page with more contact info for Mayor and Council.

Wikipedia article on Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Vancouver Athletic Commission

I have been working for almost a year with politicians and MMA organizations to make this a reality.  I believe that before the end of the year the City of Vancouver will allow MMA and that within the next two year the Province of British Columbia – upon seeing the tax revenue which can be gained – will take over this sanctioning.

FYI – I take a nice shot at Coldplay around the 10 minute mark – just because that is funny to me.

Here is the edited 30 minute segment with phone calls.

Some important links and information:

Contact info for Attorney General Mike de Jong:  (250) 387-1866 or ag.minister@gov.bc.ca

Wikipedia article on Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Vancouver Athletic Commission

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. ]]> http://www.dave.ca/wp/2009/07/13/mma-in-bc-dave-tv-video-blog/feed/ 3 http://www.dave.ca/wp/2009/07/09/talking-mma-on-cknw/ http://www.dave.ca/wp/2009/07/09/talking-mma-on-cknw/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:05:17 +0000 Dave Teixeira http://www.dave.ca/wp/?p=1064 ]]> Yesterday (July 8th) I was a guest on CKNW’s Christy Clark Show with guest host Jill Bennett talking about the business of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

I will have a Dave TV episode up in the coming days on the issue of MMA in Vancouver so stay tuned.

Note – I said UFC 100 will do “800,000 to 900,000 pay-per-view buys” – not sure what I was thinking.  I am guessing the show will do 1.2 million.

Until then, here is the edited 30 minute segment with phone calls.