Special Events

Protocol: An Event Planner’s Secret Weapon
2025/07/23

By Kate Kelly and David Dunlop Behind every successful event lies careful planning — but when that event involves honouring an Indigenous leader within a corporate setting, the stakes and sensitivities are even higher. Neither of our planning team comes from an Indigenous background, so we asked ourselves: Where do we start? How do we engage meaningfully and respectfully? The answer: we started by connecting with people in the planning community who could introduce us to trusted contacts within Indigenous…
Marketing a Festival is at a Crossroads
2025/06/25

I’ve been in the event marketing world long enough to know that no two years are ever the same — and yet, this one feels especially different. Right now, my team and I are deep into the marketing campaign for Toronto’s Festival of Beer (TFOB) — a legacy summer event that’s been a staple in this city for decades. But like many large-scale festivals navigating the aftermath of the pandemic, we’re at a crossroads. The realities we’re facing are not unique: Audiences…
Ideas For Meaningful Holiday Parties
2024/11/15

As another year winds down and the holidays begin, great companies look for ways of celebrating and thanking their staff. In today’s world, how can a company mindfully celebrate and engage their team in a manner that’s meaningful, exciting, unique and festive but also tasteful and inclusive? Mostly gone are the days of purely lavish, over-the-top parties — today’s events are more intentional. As event planners we need to dig deeper and get to the heart of the matter.…
The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility
2024/01/11

The past few years have brought us a lot of ups and downs, especially in the event industry. The requirements of our industry seem to be ever evolving at a lightning fast rate. As we fully emerged out of the global pandemic, free of fears of another shutdown, life seemed to go somewhat back to normal. We celebrated, we gathered, in person, many for the first time in years. As the year 2023 progressed, Canada headed towards a massive…
Tips for Trade Show Displays
2023/04/21

Event and trade show marketing is a big investment for any business. To maximize your return, you’ll need to create a one of a kind display that engages show attendees and promotes your products or services. To make the most of your next trade show event, we’ve put together a list of six tips to attract more visitors to your booth. Pick the right booth location Some booth locations just naturally get more visitor traffic than others. Like booth…
Great Outdoor Team Building Experiences
2023/04/10

As warmer weather arrives, it will allow planners and managers to organize some activities to kickstart their team. Outdoor activities have seen a large uptick in planning by companies since 2020. As people have different comfort levels when it comes to socializing, most tend to feel safer and free to discard their masks and socialize with less risk of COVID transmission outdoors. Let’s talk about outdoor spring-summer team-building programs. Corporate team building has many advantages and benefits: Increases collaboration…
Create In-Person Events that Drive Attendance
2023/04/07

In a world where virtual communication is becoming the norm, it is easy to forget the importance of in-person interaction. Live networking events give people a chance to connect on a human level, which can encourage smiling, laughing, and produce positive neurochemicals like serotonin and dopamine that impact mood, satisfaction, and happiness. These connections translate into better productivity, business success, and overall personal and professional development. The goal then is to create experiences that drive happiness, productivity, and increase…
Five Steps For a Successful Festival
2022/12/01

Remember that vibrant festival experience from days long ago? Great music, delicious food, colourful entertainment, being outdoors with a crowd taking in the brilliant sunshine. Festivals are ever-popular, and even more so now that we are back from years of “no gathering land.” We all miss getting together to enjoy a shared experience – it is an essential part of being human. Large corporations and small businesses alike love to align with successful festivals especially if they know your…
Quebec City launches exclusive event promotion
2019/06/03

From river cruises to spa retreats, and world-renowned festivals to unparalleled culinary experiences, Québec City has no shortage of experiences for visitors to explore. Now, thanks to a new promotion between Québec City Business Destination and its members, meeting and event planners have the opportunity to add an exclusive VIP experience to their program. “We wanted to share the very best of Québec City with meeting planners and their attendees,” explains Ann Cantin, Director of Communication and Marketing for Québec…
Ramadan is coming – Are you prepared?
2018/04/30

Experienced meeting professionals know to check the calendar very carefully when choosing event dates. Statutory and religious holidays are simple – we need to just avoid them altogether! Examples of some dates that are completely off limits: Christmas, Easter, Yom Kippur and Passover. One of the religious holidays that causes some confusion among event planners is Ramadan. Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide, it falls in May/June and it lasts for about a month. The timing is different every year.…