In true Canadian style, the event took place on ice. Hosted by the UK High Commission, guests were invited to get their skates on and take advantage of the High Commissioner’s new ice rink.
We of course injected a good dose of Welshness and warmth to the evening, treating our guests to Welsh whisky hot toddies by the fire! Guests also had the opportunity to sample other Welsh food and drink exports.
The dragon ice-sculpture centrepiece certainly got people talking too - the perfect Welsh-Canadian evening and a great opportunity to showcase Wales to an international audience.
This ultimate ‘ice-breaker’ setting gave us the opportunity to connect with contacts from across trade and investment, arts and culture, academic institutions from Canada as well as other countries, creating new and exciting opportunities to work together.
The event also gave us the perfect opportunity to build on our relationship with the Canadian government, especially important during this time of solidarity. We reiterated that Wales stands ready as a Nation of Sanctuary to support refugees with kindness being at the heart of Welshness.
We learned from each other and continued discussions on our shared commitment to sustainable development, protecting indigenous languages and to addressing the climate emergency.
All in all it was a wonderful evening, and an absolute pleasure to showcase modern Wales with our friends as we embark on our Wales in Canada initiatives and as we look forward to an exciting year of activities ahead.