So it is 2023, COVID responses worldwide are winding down, we don’t have to wear our masks anymore and the world is returning back to normal. Everyone wants to be back in person and virtual events have bitten the dust, right? Well…maybe. The truth is there is still a market and a need for virtual events but virtual fatigue is definitely real. The event type you ultimately choose is going to depend on many things: Your event goals What…
Event planners face a daily whirlwind of tasks and deadlines. Our industry comes with unique challenges, constant changes to plans and long days making sure every item on the critical path is completed with fire proof precision. It can become too easy to completely immerse oneself into work with no time for relationships, hobbies, family, rest or even joy. We need to recognize that the most important thing in life isn’t trying to keep up to the never-ending checklist…
Sport Tourism Canada (STC) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to provide event planning and management services to support the coordination and delivery of the 2023 Sport Events Congress (SEC23). SEC23 is scheduled to occur June 6-8, 2023, in Richmond, British Columbia, at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel and the Vancouver Airport Marriott. The RFP will be available for interested parties to make submissions until Friday, January 27, 2023 by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. STC is hosting SEC23 in partnership with Richmond…
By Shannon Byck and Joe Nishi Back in November 2020, we blogged about the impact COVID was having on people employed in the face-to-face business events industry. The financial impact was devastating for many and organizations like ours immediately took a “safe harbour” approach with their teams and business models. Even still, we lost many talented people in our industry. The strain on mental health as we restructured and re-imagined our value was and continues to be a huge…
The good news is that 2022 has been a productive year for the meeting and event planning industry. We have seen a resurgence of activity for meetings, events and incentives. We need this resurrection so that planners can start to feel productive and confident again. We need it because it means that corporate businesses are starting to consider live meeting opportunities. We need it because suppliers are becoming very active again with RFPs for 2022 and beyond. Overall, we…
The past two years have brought immense change to the world. All industries and people have had to adapt to the changing economic, political, and social climate as a result of COVID-19. Many of these changes have drawn attention to the value of technology and the opportunities that it presents for people to connect going forward. It may seem like we’re on the other side of the pandemic, but we’re not yet in the clear. At the same time,…
Edmonton event planner Caitlin McElhone is passionate about events. While studying clothing and textile design at the University of Alberta, she was introduced to the events industry and never looked back. “I hadn’t even considered event planning as a profession – nor did I understand that it could be a career option, but I was naturally suited for the work and loved the rush of set up and putting on something so special for someone,” says McElhone, who began…
We’re stepping into an exciting time for the events and meetings industry; and as I write this piece, I’m filled with confidence and delight. March 1, 2022 was big day for us in the events world here in Toronto as venues went back to operating at full capacity and all of a sudden a huge piece of the planning puzzle just fell in to place! While we move forward in our planning process with a sense of optimism, it…
Contingency/Disaster Planning, Event Branding & Marketing, Event Operations
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on many businesses – forcing closures and layoffs around the world. The restrictions on our social interaction have been dramatic with stay-at-home orders, isolation, quarantine, and social distancing. Naturally, these restrictions have hit the events industry the hardest. But event planning businesses have found different and innovative ways to still bring people together to share experiences. The adoption of technology and the steady rise in the number of virtual events have…
The disruptions of the past 20 months have shown the meeting and event industry’s resilience with event planners running numerous safe, meaningful meetings and events online, and recently again in hybrid and in-person formats. We’ve proved that we’re here to thrive through whatever the world throws at us, and are growing to meet the increasing demand for better-than-ever meetings and events. Edmonton’s first carbon-neutral conference three years ago represented a pivotal moment for us, solidifying that sustainability must be…
Event Branding & Marketing, Event Operations, Green/Sustainable Meetings
