People & Profiles

Industry Profile: Laura Purdy
2024/05/30

Toronto’s Exhibition Place general manager Laura Purdy is a well-known leader in Canada’s exhibition and event management industry. Although working in the industry was not initially her plan, she has built a successful career over 35 years. “Convention centre management is a rewarding, exciting, and challenging career, where no day is ever the same,” she says. “Our team provides service delivery to multiple events, meetings, and exhibitions each week – all year long, and we have a unique opportunity…
Industry Profile: Bettyanne Sherrer
2024/05/16

Events bring people together to exchange ideas, share strategies and most importantly, to make connections. For Ontario event planner Bettyanne Sherrer, the most successful events are ones that change behaviours or open new doors. “It always amazes me to watch someone make a new connection that will lead them in a new direction, or build their business, or to watch someone change their mind because of something they learned or were challenged with. That is the magic of events…
Industry Profile: Mahoganey Jones
2024/01/10

After more than two decades in the event planning industry, Mahoganey Jones still wakes up each day with a real love for the job. “The event landscape is ever evolving and I love the opportunity to re-imagine a traditional event format,” says Jones, founder and CEO of Event Specialists in Toronto. “I am passionate about leveraging new technology to help me personalize the client journey and I am always focused on new engagement strategies that foster lasting connections and…
Chef Q&A: Nandakishore Rangan, VCC
2023/11/27

Originally from Bangalore, India, Nandakishore Rangan’s desire to become a chef was a combination of personal passion, cultural influences, and wanting to create and share delicious meals with others. He began his career at Taj Hotels, a chain of luxury hotels headquartered in Mumbai, India. During this time, he earned a diploma in hotel management. “This is where my thirst for cooking started and exposed me to different cultures and dishes. Additionally, it gave me the opportunity to foster…
Industry Profile: Lesley Plumley
2023/11/17

Lesley Plumley is the owner and creative director of LP Events, an award-winning event management company in Calgary. She has planned and executed some of Calgary’s largest major events for more than 20 years and says, bringing a client’s vision to life is the biggest reward. “It is such an organic feeling as a lot of clients have a hard time articulating what they really want. So, with a lot of brainstorming with the client and then with my…
Industry Profile: Jody Litvack
2023/06/01

Veteran Toronto entertainer Jody Litvack began his professional career in the entertainment industry as a DJ in the 90s and then as a host for Much Music in the early 2000s. Over the next decade, he quickly became one of Toronto’s most recognized live event entertainers and MCs. In 2009 he launched Jet Entertainment, an event production and multimedia company that has delivered a wide variety of special events with world-class entertainment. According to Litvack, entertainment is a central…
Industry Profile: Terri Russell
2023/05/18

Terri Russell has been interested in hospitality and tourism since high school. After graduating from the BCIT Tourism and Hospitality program in Vancouver, her career began onboard cruise ships and then to a variety of hotels sales and operation positions. She spent more than a decade involved with global sales for Starwood Hotels before becoming director, global accounts, for Omni Hotels and Resorts in 2017. Making connections and creating memorable experiences for others has made for a rewarding career.…
Importance of Setting Boundaries
2023/02/09

Event planners need to set boundaries with clients and workload limits to ensure they are giving their best and are at their best. As event planners, we consider ourselves problem solvers. No challenge too big, no hill too steep. There is always a solution to every problem, and with respect to events, a great event planner behind each solution. But with every great feat, there is likely a sacriﬁce. Many event professionals can likely attest to blurred lines between…
Industry Profile: Sharon Bonner
2023/01/02

Passion, creativity and dedication are some of the hallmarks of the best event planners. And one of the best is Sharon Bonner, founder and CEO of Bright Ideas Events in Vancouver – a 30 year industry veteran who loves what she does. “I love two things about the event industry. Number one, I love this event community and the event professionals in it, who are hard-working, dedicated people, putting their heart and soul into every one of their event projects,”…
The Value of Joining an Association
2022/12/02

When I started my entrepreneurial journey one of the first things I did was join the International Live Events Association (ILEA). Although I had been a member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) on and off for about 15 years, it had never completely felt like the right fit for me. ILEA on the other hand seemed more my speed. It was where the business owners and creatives that I aspired to collaborate with chose to volunteer their time and…

Venue & Supplier Profiles