Alberta Meetings and Events Summer 2021

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Summer 2021 Edition

MEETINGS & EVENTS

LIVE EVENTS POST-PANDEMIC

CONTENTS Alberta Meetings & Events • Summer 2021

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The Events Industry

LEBLOND STUDIO INC WWW.LEBLONDSTUDIO.COM

10 A lberta Live Events Coalition A voice for the events industry 13 P ost-Pandemic Life Is Not About Recovery, but Restoration Taking a restoration approach 14 L ive Events Now Need, Change, and Choice 18 T he State of Events Where we are and where we’re going

Market Updates 16 Weddings 17 Association Meetings 20 M eetings Mean Business Canada

Features

22 T he Importance of Personal Branding in Hospitality 25 Digital Experiences 28 Transitioning to Online 30 B ooks, Education, and Certifications 34 Noteworthy Venues

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AB MEETINGS & EVENTS Summer 2021 Edition EDITOR

Meghann Tanner EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

Arlene Schilke DIGITAL CONTENT & LISTINGS EDITOR

Jeanette Petriko CONTRIBUTORS

Arlene Schilke, Caitlin McElhone, Clark Grue, Jewel Buksa, Keri Miller, Leanne Calderwood, Lisa Marks, Lynn Fletcher, Mary Kapusta, Nancy Milakovic, Stephani Harvie ART DIRECTOR

Shannon Swanson PUBLISHER

R.H. (Rob) Tanner SALES DIRECTOR

Jeanette Petriko SALES ASSOCIATE

Greg Davis CUSTOMER RELATIONS MANAGER

Marie Tanner ACCOUNTING / ADMINISTRATION

Marie Tanner Tanner Young Publishing Group Administration Office Box 13, 22106 South Cooking Lake Road Cooking Lake, Alberta T8E 1J1 phone: 780-465-3362 email: editor@meetingsalberta.com At Tanner Young Publishing Group, we value your privacy. For our complete privacy policy go to tanneryoung.com/privacy or call us at 1-800-943-7336 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part strictly prohibited.

Tanner Young Publishing Group makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions.

Cover photo by Leblond Studio Inc www.leblondstudio.com

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Message from the Publisher

ummer 2021 is just around the corner and with it comes a renewed optimism that our industry’s recovery is underway. I can not overstate how devastating this last 15 months has been to the meetings and events industry, but it has been a privilege to talk to so many of you and hear the optimism in your voice and your path forward.

If there is a theme for this issue it is “HOPE” and a promise for a successful return to our core businesses. Will it look different? Yes. But we are confident that the future will bring a renewed confidence and a thriving industry.

Much like our industry looks different, this issue looks different than our previous ones. We decided to reach out to several professionals in our industry – people like you and I, who have had both their personal and professional lives impacted by the pandemic. We asked for their insight on the state of the industry, what is being done, and the path forward. There is no better voice for how we can start to move forward than the voices of you – our industry professionals who live and breathe the events industry. While we all agree that events are going to look different, the opinions on how they will look different vary, and we invited open, honest dialogue from a variety of different people.

As we restart our careers and businesses, we may look a little different. Leanne Calderwood offers some great advice on re-branding both our businesses and ourselves to kickstart a successful relaunch. We also compiled some continuing education information for those who are using the quiet period to update their skills and education.

While we admired the transition to a virtual world and the creativity that went into this, we are fully committed to promote and support a return to a live event environment. Live events are a significant driving force in economic activity and impact in each of our communities. For our communities to fully recover we must return to a vibrant events industry which in turn supports our venues, restaurant & catering partners, hotels, entertainers, suppliers, and our professional planners.

As we gather once again the experience gained from our digital and virtual offerings can only add to fully engage our clients and guests.

Wishing you all every success,

Send your contact info to circ@tanneryoung.com or call us at 780-465-3362

Rob Tanner, Publisher MEETINGSALBERTA.COM

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Messages

Canadian Association of Exposition Management THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION of Exposition Management (CAEM) is the national association for producers of trade and consumer shows, venues, and suppliers of products and services to the exhibition industry.

Faced with the complete shutdown of the exhibition sector in spring 2020, CAEM reacted quickly and decisively, shifting our focus and priorities to advocate on behalf of our members and for the future of the exhibition sector.

Over the last year, CAEM has been working tirelessly to raise our industry's voice with all levels of government.

Throughout spring 2020, CAEM’s regional taskforce worked directly with the government of Alberta and public health, to successfully advocate for the sector’s safe reopening in June 2020. However, as a result of the 2nd wave, trade shows and exhibiting events were shutdown in December 2020. The regional taskforce is therefore actively working, once again, with the province and public health, to find a viable path forward for our sector.

In the fall of 2020, CAEM also retained the services of public affairs firm Crestview Strategy, to advocate federally for sector-specific funding and support. CAEM’s complete Exposition Recovery Plan can be reviewed HERE. We are now meeting with political advisors and MPs, and these meetings will continue for the next several weeks, in the lead up to the federal budget.

Under CAEM's leadership and strength, the exhibition industry has united like never before, and together we continue to make progress on several different fronts.

To learn more about CAEM please visit us at www.caem.ca.

Laurie Paetz, Western Show Manager – The Motorcycle Shows CAEM First Vice President and Co-Chair of Memberships

Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners THE CANADIAN SOCIETY of Professional Event Planners (CanSPEP) is a leading national voice in the event industry and is the only association in Canada that offers an exclusive membership to independent event planner entrepreneurs.

While the last year had certainly been a challenge for everyone in the events industry — our board and members have been using our entrepreneurial spirit to create new opportunities.

We created Lemonade Stand; pertinent educational sessions and weekly opportunities for our members to connect to our “Count Your Blessings” call which is a positively framed conversation and our “How you Doin’?” calls which allow members a chance to talk about anything and everything in a safe space.

We also launched CanSPEP U, an online education platform that enables CanSPEP members and partners to share their knowledge and skills to a wide audience. The courses vary in length and cost based on the complexity of the topic and skill development. CanSPEP, its members, and partners all benefit through a generous revenue share model.

This year we are also celebrating our 25th anniversary and we can’t wait to see what the next 25 years look like.

Kate Kelly, President CanSPEP canspep.ca

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ALBERTA MEETINGS & EVENTS • Summer 2021

Messages

ILEA Edmonton and Calgary COLLABORATION — THE BUZZ word of the Chapter year for ILEA Calgary and ILEA Edmonton.

Over the last several months, meaningful collaboration has been the top priority for our Chapters and across Canada.

With virtual at our fingertips, it only made sense to offer cross Canada collaborations for as many events as we could.

Virtual has removed the barrier of proximity and enabled us to seamlessly connect people across the nation and internationally for our events. The ILEA global community is thriving in this pandemic through this enhanced accessibility to connect with event professionals across Canada and across the globe.

ILEA Calgary and ILEA Edmonton will continue to collaborate on exciting projects over the coming months including an outdoor walking challenge. Nothing like a little friendly competition to get everyone off their couch, out of the pandemic funk, and feeling refreshed as we emerge into spring.

We know that the past year was challenging for our members and sponsors, but we are grateful for the new opportunities and connections made through this pandemic.

This past year has really shown us the power of community, proving that we are stronger together.

Nela Kovacovic, M.A., CSEP, CMP, President, ILEA Edmonton Chapter Julia Rooney, President, ILEA Calgary Chapter ileaedmonton.com | ileacalgary.com

MPI Alberta WE ALL KNOW the meetings & events industry has had quite the tumultuous year. The pandemic has devastated our industry and created a lot of unknowns with constantly changing restrictions.

The Greater Edmonton and Greater Calgary chapters of Meeting Professionals International were not immune to these effects. Thankfully, our chapters have remained strong throughout and have been able to adapt and focus on what matter most….supporting our members!

Over the past year, we’ve been the rock that many held onto for their source of industry updates, resources, support and community. Our typical education and networking events, which could no longer take place in-person, became creative, informative and very cool virtual events (think super fun escape rooms and awesome happy hours) where industry professionals were able to learn from a variety of experts and connect with their peers.

If you’re an industry professional who’s not yet part of MPI, or a student just starting out, we’d love to meet you and help connect you to the largest meeting and events industry organization around the globe. Stay in the know about industry updates as restrictions start to ease and find out what exciting things we’re working on next by following us on social media or subscribing to our newsletter! Connect with us today!

Jennifer Thacker, President Greater Calgary Chapter Tina Tillapaugh, President Greater Edmonton Chapter mpiedmonton.org | mpi.org/chapters/greater-calgary

MEETINGSALBERTA.COM

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Messages

PCMA Canada West THE CANADA WEST Chapter of PCMA serves the association, union and societal communities by enhancing the effectiveness of meetings, conventions, and exhibitions through member and industry education.

We are committed to providing our members from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba with networking opportunities and collective promotion of the value of our industry.

Through our new education series “Experts @ Work” we will provide our members with valuable education sessions from leaders in their professional fields. The events include a discussion with industry trailblazers who specialize in disciplines such as Contracting, Marketing and Digital Events. These sessions are focused on bringing our members valuable insights to more effectively navigate through the current challenges of today’s event and conference industry. Each session qualifies for CMP credits and are available to non-members as well as at a discounted rate for PCMA members.

Renee Pittet, Director of Alberta Relations canadawest.pcma.org

Wedding Planners Institute of Canada “AS A LEADER in higher education for wedding professionals, WPIC offers extremely comprehensive, respected, and internationally acclaimed courses in: Wedding Planning and Coordination, Wedding and Event Design, Destination Wedding Planning, and the Art & Execution of Styled Shoots.

Our courses are constantly evolving and changing to properly reflect the wedding industry, trends, best practices and marketing approaches.

Due to Covid, we are only offering our courses online until it is safe to resume our in-person classes.

When it’s safe to do so, we can’t wait to bring our new Styled Shoot course to Alberta to immerse ourselves and our students in the beauty and wedding marketing techniques specific to western Canada.”

Danielle Andrews, BA (WPIC Co-Founder) Tracey Manailescu (WPIC Co-Founder) Toll-Free 866-836-4617 | info@WPIC.ca wpic.ca

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ALBERTA MEETINGS & EVENTS • Summer 2021

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Live Event

Alberta Live Events Coalition: A Voice For The Events Industry

Bringing advocacy to an industry that has never been represented by Government before The first to close and the last to open.

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ike never before in history, the Covid-19 Pandemic completely devastated the meeting and live events industry overnight not just here in Alberta, but across Canada and the world. Jobs were lost, venues closed, supplies shut down and musicians and entertainers left with no stages to perform on. Something needed to be done to ensure our industry could access much needed Government subsidies, funding and grants to keep the lights but to also educate Government on who Event Professionals are and how safe in-person events were still possible during this time. That’s where The Alberta Live Coalition (ALEC) comes in.

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ALBERTA MEETINGS & EVENTS • Summer 2021

VIDEO COURTESY ALEC

By Caitlin McElhone, CM Events and ALEC Committee Member

Live Event Who is ALEC? The Alberta Live Events Coalition (ALEC) began as a task force on March 20, 2020 to discuss best practices for staging live events in a safe manner. We have developed a set of best practices and guidelines, and are advocating for the event industry with municipal and provincial Government officials to ensure they understand that event professionals can both produce live events in a safe manner and are a major contributor to the economy.

Even as restrictions start to (finally!) lift, there is still much work to be done to continue the push to have the meetings and live events industry recognized as a ‘real’ profession in the eyes of the Government (both Provincially and Nationally) with the goal of being included under a Ministry with travel, tourism and hospitality. This will help ensure we are well represented in the future, when hard-hitting crises occur.

Did you Know?

In Canada, live events stimulate 1/3 of tourism activity, sustain approx. 229,000 direct jobs, and generate $33B in direct spending each year, with $19B contributing to Canada’s annual GDP — That’s roughly $4.4B in economic revenue from live events to the Alberta economy each year.

One single event in Alberta can provide work for hundreds of people and normally thousands of events take place annually in the province providing full time work for the many people who are employed by the events industry.

Live Events are not simply an important driver of our local and national economies. They provide creative outlets, emotional connection, and mental/ spiritual health that cannot be measured statistically. This mental well-being of our communities is a fundamentally necessary foundation for the productivity and success of our society.

Goals of ALEC: The main goal of the Alberta Live Events Coalition was to bring the events industry in Alberta together under one voice to advocate for our industry and

Being a part of ALEC during these insane 16months has honestly been such a life saver for me, both personally and professionally. It was last August (2020) that I just couldn’t take it anymore and knew I needed to find a way to stand up for our industry and get us all back to work.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that others had already come together to form ALEC and had started on so many great advocacy initiatives, it was a perfect fit for me and I jumped in head first.”

— Caitlin McElhone, CM Events

work alongside Government and Alberta Health Services on how to open events safety during the pandemic.

Over the last 15 months, the four goals below have always been top of mind for ALEC: 1) To continue to receive financial support as businesses and individuals of the live event community.

2) To advocate and establish best practices for holding safe live events in Alberta; allowing restrictions to be lifted on gathering sizes.

3) To get ‘event professionals’ recognized as a major contributing industry to the economy, trained in logistics, risk management and safety.

4) Be the place that event professionals can come to for clear and correct information during COVID-19

Our messaging has remained consistent throughout: Live events are not the same as mass gatherings. They are not uncontrolled like a shopping mall, a big box store, or a weekend gathering of friends. Professionally managed events, in a controlled environment and with adherence to reasonable guidelines, present one

of the safest environments for people to meet face-to-face. We don’t want to open our industry unsafely. But we do want to be able to run professionally managed events in controlled & safe environments.

So, what has ALEC Accomplished for the Live Event Industry?

• Countless hours meeting with all levels of Government (UCP and NDP) and Alberta Health Services representatives to make our voice heard, share the devastation of our industry and look for ways to work together to move forward to opening.

• Countless letters written to City Mayors, Councillors, MLA’s, The Premier, The Opposition, MP’s and AHS officials • Countless hours building relationships with the Minister of Culture, JEI and Tourism to encourage working together to move forward, • Successfully pushed to keep grants, subsidies, loans and funding for small businesses open and available for as long as possible for Event Professionals to access • Written three relaunch documents (on the ALEC website) that were requested by and shared with Government and AHS numerous times MEETINGSALBERTA.COM

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Live Event •C ollected case study examples (in October 2020) from Event Professionals showcasing the extensive safety measures, risk management planning and attention to detail event planners in Alberta were executing for their events to be safe during a pandemic.

• Two successful private Townhall virtual events (February 2021 and April 2021) with the Minister of Health and Minister of JEI •N umerous press releases, interviews and articles sharing our industry’s hardships and calls-to-action for the Government • Dedicated website and Facebook page for ALEC where industry professionals could turn to for current list of restrictions, updates on grants and funding and a place to ask and get answers to your questions about inconsistencies, exemptions and other issues arising this year •G etting Government to replace the word ‘event’ at the daily 3:30 update with ‘gathering’ to attempt to separate professionally run events and private get togethers.

What can industry professionals can do now?

As the promise for restrictions lifting by summer comes closer to reality, our industry is seeing the light at the end of tunnel for the first time since March 2020.

So, what is left for our industry to do?

Continue to take risk management and guest safety seriously even as

“Being part of ALEC gave me purpose at a time when I was really struggling to determine if my career was over. I love my event photography.

Not only is it my career, it’s my passion. To have the rug ripped out from under me for 15 months and counting has been brutal. Not just financially, but mentally. I’d had a record year in 2019, and was on track for similar in 2020. I also wondered how many of the businesses I’d come to know and love would make it through the other side. Many haven’t. I’m hoping our work helps ensure that won’t happen again.

— Suzan McEvoy, Photos With Finesse

restrictions lift. Continue to learn and develop your professional skills with industry courses, seminars and more!

Join an industry association (like, ILEA, MPI, PCMA, CanSPEP and others) to build relationships and community with industry peers. Continue to speak up and educate those around you on who and what an Event Professional is and the importance we bring to each event. Let’s make it known that Event Professionals are A REAL PROFESSION and the work we do matters for our clients, bosses, organizations, guests, communities, cities and the economy. We are back!

It was time to do something and not sit around. As an event professional I didn’t know what to do with my time and I truly felt we needed to advocate for our industry. Having a team like we have has kept me going for 15 months and made me personally realize this industry needs a strong voice of strong individuals to make things happen. Stay tuned for what is next!

— Lesley Plumley, LP Events 12

ALBERTA MEETINGS & EVENTS • Summer 2021

So let’s never be in the background of an event again. We have been in the shadows for decades, this has hurt us as we have witnessed over the past 15 months List of ALEC Main Committee Members • Lesley Plumley, LP Events & ALEC Founder •Mike Anderson, Trixstar • Josh Burnett, FM Systems & Fourforty Backline • Tamara Jones, Weddings by Tamara • Caitlin McElhone, CM Events •Suzan McEvoy, Photo’s with Finesse • Wes Scott, EventWorx Corporation • Niesa Silzer, Details, Conventions & Event Management • Sol Zia, Calgary Hotel Association And to the countless other Event Professionals from all over the Province who have supported ALEC initiatives, assisted with writing re-launch documents, done media interviews and shared our industry story through social media. THANK YOU! n Follow, Chat & Reach Out to ALEC! ALEC Website: www.AlbertaLiveEventsCoalition.ca Email: info@albertaliveeventscoalition.ca Social: @ABeventscoalition

Path to Restoration

Post-Pandemic Life is Not About Recovery, but Restoration

By Mary Kapusta

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n my career, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a range of talented people who create incredible experiences that drive tourism and create a sense of belonging and excitement. I have worked on galas, conventions, music festivals, and international media events. The fulfilling thread that connects that work is the joy and delight customers feel when we exceed expectations through service and unique experiences.

I’ve also learned the value of a confident and credible approach to crisis response. The shift from reactive to recovery nurtures support and brings optimism back into the public dialogue.

For example, photos of destruction soon become photos of smiling faces helping each other.

But COVID-19 brought unprecedented challenges to our community, creating an ongoing cycle of crisis management and reactivity that caused uncertainty and financial strain for experience providers, and fear and frustration for our customers.

A traditional crisis response model would have a period of recovery follow a crisis, but my suggestion to you is not to focus solely on those recovery milestones, such as regular hours of service, hiring back of staff, or the lessening of restrictions.

A greater need for our community, and the world itself, will be a restoration.

Recovery can be defined as the return to previous product delivery.

Some may even identify the “new normal” that COVID-19 may leave us with as our end goal for a recovery plan. Instead, I would propose a restoration for society itself.

While businesses have demonstrated incredible resilience and agility in the face of multiple cycles of restrictions, it may be hard to know what “recovery” will lead us to. Customer behaviour may also take longer to recalibrate as it were.

Restoration is the work to build trust and normalcy following a crisis. A Recovery approach asks: “When can I go to a rock concert?”, whereas a Restoration approach considers “When will I be ready to be unmasked, in a crowded room with strangers?”

The timeline could be the same for some people, but for others it may be difficult to imagine a return to experiences that have been associated with fear for over a year.

How do we take a Restoration approach?

First, recognize that all customers will have their own scale of risk. Addressing fear and building trust are critical to bringing customers back to collective experiences. There will be a transitional period where some customers will be more prepared to return to typical activities.

Some customers will naturally be on the lower end of the risk scale and others will be happy to pay a premium

for experiences that mitigate their fear.

Examples include private bookings and / or rentals, or highly curated dining or tour experiences.

As we emerge from the shadow of this global pandemic, your work is more valuable than ever because it allows us to build new relationships, connect with people from different backgrounds, and showcase the beauty and innovation of Alberta. n

Mary Kapusta has worked in marketing and communications within the cultural sector for over 14 years. She has been able to work in a variety of industries, including publishing, performing arts, and library services. She specializes in strategic communications, brand development and awareness, content marketing, and major projects. She has overseen the opening of two major cultural properties: Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre in 2016, and Calgary's new Central Library in 2018.

As the Director of Communications for Calgary Public Library, she oversees all promotions for a library system that receives nearly 7 million visits annually and serves over 730,000 members. She has also supported major event planning and destination marketing through committee work with the JUNO Awards, the Canadian Country Music Association, Tourism Calgary, Travel Alberta, and the City of Calgary.

MEETINGSALBERTA.COM

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Future of Events

Live Events Now: Needs, Choices, and Changes

By Keri Miller, e=mc² events

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re-pandemic, getting ahead of trends used to be easy if you knew where to look and what to ignore.

When asked to talk about the future of live events as we ease slowly out of a global pandemic, we are all taking shots in the dark with our crystal balls…here are my thoughts, today, maybe not in a week. If I just put on my “experienced event prof and 50+ wisdom hat” here are my words on the future of live events and the industry, starting with live events and these three words. Need. Choice. Change.

In-person events are returning, socially and mentally we need them, people are desiring them and while they will be different, it will happen! In Canada we are in a unique position as we are lagging behind in endemic momentum, the opportunity is that we have been watching the rest of the world as they open first. Observing and learning from others will keep us agile and successful as we move forward. We all worked furiously last year to re-invent our businesses and our skills while offering clients virtual events and unique hybrid options. The most successful of those were the experiences that were purposefully designed, professionally planned and produced that offered an amazing guest experience (just like in the old days). Killer content mattered most while the platform was secondary, and with a massive spike in available digital options, content, engagement and professional delivery will continue to be how we make audiences happy and our clients feel our value.

Needs

There is a huge need to bring humans back together! We can all bang our heads against the wall and keep rubbing that crystal ball in an attempt to determine which clients will feel confident in bringing their audiences together in a live gathering. But the reality is, the risk vs the reward will be their deciding factor, most corporations will avoid the liability and 14

ALBERTA MEETINGS & EVENTS • Summer 2021

sacrifice the live celebration or business meeting for virtual events, longer than others. The fact is, not every client needs a large celebratory gathering, we all need to think differently and find a creative way to satisfy the needs that they have now. Organizations that NEED to get back to live events, such as fundraisers, festivals, event and conference industry events, educational events and meetings, awards shows will be more open to risk and are more likely to assume the role of “precedence setter". This past year enabled some unique opportunities in the digital world, but our non-profit clients and their audiences are demanding an in-person event when we are able, they need it. Our clients need us now, more than ever. The need for hybrid will continue.

As event professionals, we need to reopen with a fresh mindset and disciplined approach, we have all loved our new life balance and to keep that we must work smarter, charge what we are worth to work less and make more. We all need to do this.

Choices

Regardless of what you call the events that people can attend, virtual, digital, broadcast, hybrid, live, in-person…giving clients and attendees a choice must happen! Hybrid events (which have been around forever in the form of Sporting events with a broadcast, or conferences with a live stream component), is our new normal, simple. As in-person events begin to emerge, we have to consider that guests may not emerge, they may be afraid, they may be located outside the live event location, or accessibility (physical, financial…) may limit their options.

We are in a unique position to make events more inclusive, accessible and successful by dreaming up new ways to bring our audiences together and deliver content and experiences in new ways. But allowing audiences to choose which experience they want to attend in the hybrid model is just smart, imagine the

Future of Events

PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/FILEOPEN CREATION

ROI for stakeholders and sponsors with an increase is targeted days ago. We have changed, our clients have changed, and audiences! What we have seen with fundraising and awards our audiences have changed. As we continuously adapt and events this year is the acceleration and expansion of audience. change the way we bring people back together, we need One awards program went from 3000 live attendees to an to think about who they are as they enter our zooms and audience of over 60,000 watching their webcasts! One local our rooms. As event profs, one positive impact that has organization reached a global audience, doubling their donahappened during COVID is that our clients, audiences and tions and their awareness. the public, have missed us, they We, as event professionals also now know that we exist as an As event professionals, have some choices to make. Will you industry and they have found be an “everything” generalist or will value in our skills we need to reopen with unprecedented you become a subject matter expert and expertise. We must work a fresh mindset and disciplined in digital events, live events, both? together to not allow this view to Will you choose to segment your change. approach. offerings and collaborate with a past competitor? Or will you discover the This past year forced us all into gaps in our future business and create the new roles needed to a new kind of box. We are used to thinking outside it and we facilitate years of hybrid events? It’s your choice. had to operate within it, to create within strict constraints like we have never experienced. What this did for me, and I’m assuming you, is accelerate my innovative spirit, it Changes solidified my skill of distilling clarity from vast amounts of Recently we posted in our Spark Blog my thoughts on the information, it made me more creative. What I feel now is future of audience behaviour as we head back to live events. the excitement or maybe anxiety of opportunity, there are so Zoom fatigue to room fatigue. We as event professionals many good ideas waiting for us to develop and execute, there cannot simply focus on getting people back to events safely is so much possibility. The event profession is an industry and create experiences for audiences that we used to know. that the world needs right now, we have choices to make In this time of anxiety and social separation, we need to to create the change we need, for events now and into the consider who our guests are now, not who they were 500 future. Gathering is trending. n

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Weddings

Weddings Market Update

By Lynn Fletcher Lynn Fletcher Weddings

Hanging on to the Dream Couples are hanging on for the most part for 2021. The nice thing about weddings is that they are emotionally driven, and couples really want their fairy tale wedding. Some couples have even held out for two years now and have their hearts set on that perfect day. They are reimagining what that perfect day looks like, whether that is shrinking their guest list to have a micro wedding or eloping and having the big party in 2022, a we-do “redo”. 30% of our clients are postponing to 2022, some for the third or fourth time.

We have a lot of clients that decided to have a baby instead of getting hitched this year, so we will have a lot of new wedding guests for next year.

Staying Close to Home With the borders closed internationally and destination weddings next to impossible, we are seeing a surge in domestic weddings with guests travelling from a lot closer. Couples are creating three different guest lists starting with immediate family members in list A, then Canadian relatives and friends in list B, and then a more wishful list of international friends and family in list C.

Boundaries are still a thing No one wants their wedding to be the cause of a super spreader outbreak. The key to a successful wedding season with zero cases will rely heavily on staying educated with how quickly the restrictions change and evolve as we go along.

Asking hard questions and coming up 16

ALBERTA MEETINGS & EVENTS • Summer 2021

with creative solutions will get our clients closer to their dream day and having AHS on speed dial doesn’t hurt either. We’ve had to get really inventive with how we serve our clients and how they celebrate their day with their guests, safely. Moving into the summer we have our ears to the ground and are chatting with colleagues around the world to be able to move forward in this new world of events, living with a pandemic on our heels.

This might look like some of the following: • Texting drink orders to the bar instead of leaving your seat • Texting song requests to the DJ • Masking if you need to leave your seat for any reason • Staggered entry has now replaced cocktail hour with very little visiting and socializing taking place • 6 people per table and seated based on family cohorts. This might mean that the floor plan gets a little creative in the size of the tables used. There might be a low cocktail table for two next to a family of six.

• Floor plans will take into consideration distancing and pinch points throughout the room. This means that a ballroom that used to seat 200 will comfortably accommodate 80 with all the distancing measures in place.

• Lots of outdoor events that allow for air to move through the space and larger guest counts.

• Duty of care documents are carefully crafted and shared with the clients, guests, and all event professionals present.

• Passive screening and signage will be prevalent and visible throughout the

space creating a feeling of safety and security for all in attendance.

• Having a designated space to hold those guests that arrive with symptoms.

• Working on obtaining rapid testing to be available at weddings, adding another layer of Covid comfort for all guests.

• Dancing with masks on and having satellite dance floors or having your guests dance around their dinner table instead of congregating on one dance floor.

• Plexi shields in front of entertainment as per AHS guidelines. Making the performances possible and allowing live entertainment to return to weddings.

Size Matters for 2021 and Beyond (maybe) We are hoping for a summer full of weddings to some degree. 250 guests inside might be a bit ambitious at this stage of the game, but we will get there in some way. In the summer of 2020, we were thrilled and grateful to have guest counts of 50 people inside and 100 outside and asymptomatic testing available. We are hoping that at bare minimum we will be able to achieve these groupings again. This year with the additions of multiple vaccines, rapid testing, and people used to living with Covid protocols we are hoping to be able to celebrate the “I do’s” in a bigger way with our couples. At the end of the day, we are in love with all the love stories, and we have waited for this day with them for a very long time now and we can’t wait to watch them seal their wedding day with a kiss. n

Association Update

Redefining Normalcy: Association Meetings in the Year Ahead Jewel Buksa, President, BUKSA / Conferences & Associations Inc.

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e are one year into the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and have a long way to go before developing a firm handle on the virus and our resulting interactions.

Associations need to brace themselves for more uncertainty and policy fluctuations — the social experiment for our industry will continue, but much will be learned. At the end of the road there is the promise of a more resilient industry with improved experiences people will not hesitate to invest in.

Here are five predictions for the year ahead: 1. Technology will not get easier to manage. Over the next year, we will see the emergence of more virtual platforms — event and meeting professionals will need to be nimble at selecting, learning, and perfecting the few with impactful functions.

This requires wariness about platform features — intensive research and testing is needed to navigate tricky backend settings — as well as an awareness of the necessity for layered platform set-ups to produce large-scale virtual experiences. That is why there is a unique skill set emerging for the tech-savvy planner.

2. Content trumps technology. Right now, there is a tendency to look to technology as the saving grace for the barriers to connection in the virtual world. Certainly, a user-friendly and

reliable virtual platform is important — but virtual experiences thrive most when emphasis is on crafting bold content including impactful speakers, appealing slides, and interactive elements. In fact, even with the most basic of platforms, a virtual event is incredibly effective if designed and delivered well.

3. Engagement matters, but so does the environment. Currently, the competition for our online attention has grown exponentially, not just for meetings but also for online shopping and networking. In fact, people now spend on average seven to eight hours online daily in addition to their time working. To counter this, organizations are sending packages to attendees with event materials, branded items, and treats to brighten their day. If we thought conference swag bags were a burden on the environment, the impact of packaging and shipping will be enormous for virtual events. The priority of health and safety will win in its intersection with environmental sustainability — unless organizations are willing to adapt to find the balance between the two.

4. Hybrid meetings will not win the popularity contest. On the surface, a hybrid meeting sounds simple and cost-effective — just livestream a mainstage speaker – but this idea forgets that a live event is a performance, and performances differ based on their mode of delivery. In

other words, hybrid events have two audiences, two strategies, and two budgets — and to excel at both takes more resources than a virtual or live event. To that end, most organizations will choose one or the other, likely alternating over time.

5. On-demand is in demand. The costeffectiveness of a virtual meeting is already apparent, and strong engagement rates are retained when these events are well-executed. As we navigate uncertainty, there is a strong pull towards on-demand content, allowing audiences to register for events without requiring scheduled, real-time attendance. In fact, the convenience of being able to consume content on our own time coupled with the option of re-watching important moments drives the momentum behind event attendance. In the future, the industry winners will be the associations and planners who pay attention to content development, speaker coaching, and the user experience.

Many associations and meeting professionals are currently playing in the virtual event space as a stop-gap measure, hoping to ‘get through’ the pandemic and return to the old style of live meetings. The forward-thinking ones will boldly embrace the opportunities at hand to understand the customer journey, master the virtual space, and put sustainability at the fore — ultimately making meetings and events better. n MEETINGSALBERTA.COM

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Industry Insider

The State of Events

By Stephani Harvie, Account & Event Manager with Tycoon Events

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access to the vaccine has been a game changer for our entire province. An article posted by the Edmonton Journal outlined that there is hope on the horizon if all eligible persons get their vaccination as soon as possible. There is reason to believe that all major restrictions could be ended by late June, which would be a huge win for event planners in many regards. Jason Kenney has been quoted, saying: “I believe we’re going to have a Calgary Stampede, we’re going to have outdoor events, we’re going to have most of these restrictions lifted gradually through May and June. But we have to get through the next few weeks and beat the spike.” 2 Around the same time, a letter was received from Dr. Hinshaw to ALEC (Alberta Live Events Coalition), who gave some insight into the timelines for audience gatherings regarding events.

The letter, which was received in April, outlined the following: 3 • Late May: 15% of fixed seating capacity to a maximum of 100 people outdoors • Late June: 50% of fixed seating capacity to a maximum of 500 people outdoors and 15% of fixed seating capacity to a maximum of 100 people indoors • Late July: Removal of capacity restrictions Statements like this have the population becoming very excited for a restriction-free summer full of parties, weddings, and gatherings of all kinds!

But we must remember, these positive

outlooks were made before cases soared again; with dangerous variant cases making up large portions of the covid landscape.

To give us the current happenings of the industry we turned to Caitlin McElhone, who is the founder of CM Events and sits on the ALEC board as Government and Media Relations. Here’s our mini interview: Q: When in-person events are approved to come back, is the province mandating what measures will be in place (covid testing at doors, etc.)?

A: “This is a complicated question to answer as there are so many different types of events and no one answer that will solve for the specific needs of each sector of our vast industry. Outdoor event, music and festival producers are working to secure funding and approvals for rapid testing in our Province now and ALEC is working on best practices for industry professionals to follow to ensure safe event practices are being followed and met going forward.”

Q: Any predictions for the future of live events that you would like to share?

A: “The natural human instinct and craving for in-person encounters and connections will never go away, and when allowed again, events will play a huge role in bringing people back together in all sorts of wonderful and meaningful ways. Based on what I’ve observed, I think our industry will see a few things start to happen:

PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/MIRAGE_STUDIO

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he pandemic has been tough on everyone, but believe us when we say ‘there is light at the end of the tunnel’! Not only has the government put out a timeline for when we can expect gathering and live events again, but the popularity of hybrid events has sky-rocketed; giving planners an edge they can use for events long into the future, if used correctly. In this article we will focus on the future of live, in-person events and the essential changes needed to bring them back to become even stronger than before.

As we know, most planners are used to a good amount of chaos, but this pandemic was next level. Arguably the worst effect has been felt in the events industry, who, until the pandemic, relied almost solely on in-person audiences.

Knowing this, a group of determined event specialists pooled their wit and created the Alberta Live Events Coalition (ALEC) in March of 2020. It was created to provide information and support to event industry professionals. When the pandemic first hit, they provided some interesting and devastating news: “In September [2020] an informal survey was sent out to industry professionals. 119 surveys were returned, and the numbers were staggering. Since COVID-19 shut down the event world 11,000+ events in Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer were either postponed or canceled with a loss of $291 million dollars. The numbers keep climbing.”1 Since last year the numbers have been getting worse, as expected. However, the

Industry Insider

Hybrid events are here to stay 1. Hybrid events are here to stay and will allow events to reach a new, broader audience for the foreseeable future.

2. Because of this trend, I think we might start to see more intimate and smaller events being coordinated with an ‘at-home’ experience guests can choose to purchase tickets to.

Outdoor events will rise in popularity and become the go-to option if available and will push cities to value outdoor public spaces and maybe even start to create unique venues or permanent tent structures for events to use.”

We think Caitlin is right about how events will change, but most specifically that hybrid events are here to stay.

While the entire province has been at a standstill in terms of re-opening businesses and getting back to ‘2019 normal’, the events industry is finally seeing an upturn of trust in virtual platforms. Since the one-year anniversary of COVID-19, more and more event planners are realizing they must gain proficiency in the virtual world and be able to translate their clients’ dreams into a virtual reality.

Event MB, the world’s most respected online resource for event professionals, sees a great future for hybrid events, saying: “The past year has had a massive impact on the events industry, the full extent of which still remains to be seen.

Overall, tech providers are optimistic about the future of the market and are continuing to invest in both virtual and hybrid offerings, as well as tools to ensure a safe return to onsite events.

Ultimately, it will be up to attendees to decide which format they prefer and are willing to devote their time to, which will inevitably impact future business decisions and tech adoption.” 4 We’re happy to say that we’re seeing more and more virtual events, and even some hybrid events. Virtual has opened up incredible opportunities to new clients, new brands, and niche markets

that we never pursued before. While this is great news and inevitably seems like a breakthrough, we walk a tightrope of challenges. We know that it’s one thing to learn about the virtual environment, but it is a completely different thing to run a hybrid event during a pandemic.

Every client needs to understand the risk of any hybrid event and the negative impact it could have on an organization’s brand if an outbreak were to happen at an event they were associated with.

It is also essential to have COVID-19 checkpoints, risk assessment planning and pre-planning in place for your hybrid events, which can be very time consuming, but cannot be overlooked.

We understand some planners are nervous to take the full plunge into virtual and aren’t even sure where to begin. So, what can planners do to make themselves the most effective for their new virtual clients? We encourage all industry members to educate themselves on the best virtual platforms for the job. Take the time to learn about all the options; we at Tycoon Events have simplified this task by creating the Virtual Event Resource on our website that is accessible to everyone. You will see a list of over one-hundred platforms and solutions, all rated based on their capabilities.

Once event planners feel confident in their virtual platform knowledge, they can then spend time doing what they do best: catering every digital detail towards the attendees and guests! Recently, we listened to a great YouTube program by Meeting Minds who did a deep dive into how to go back to in-person events safely and gain your attendees’ attention in the virtual space. Take a listen as Zach Schiffman, founder and CEO of Studio Z Photo Booths, tells you how to provide entertainment with QR codes, or as Heather Seasholtz, the Director of Americas Operations with the Drug Information Association, walks you through the certification she helped build, ‘Pandemic Compliance Advisor’, for meetings and event planners.5 Virtual events are the way of the inevitable future; however, Event MB does caution that “30 percent of planners are still struggling to make a profit with virtual events, and only 60

percent of respondents indicated that they plan to go virtual with their next event”, according to a recent survey in their report 6. Meaning that our industry is still suffering and will continue to struggle if in-person events fail to come back soon.

To summarize, events will be back, of this, we are certain! We know that live-events are the best way forward for our industry to truly make a come-back and while virtual seems like a temporary need, it won’t be going anywhere soon.

Virtual and digital gathering will be integral to all future events around the globe, and while planners need to be willing to integrate these new techniques into their skillset, they also need to be observant of the potential risks of pushing for hybrid and in-person events too quickly. The diversity of skills that the pandemic has provided us with shows just how multi-faceted we can be and how truly ingenious we can be when faced with a seemingly impossible problem. As a community, let’s make sure we are rolling with the changes, and ultimately providing the best for our clients, vendors and attendees alike.

As always, for all the current Alberta Government Guidance and Restrictions, please refer to their website. n

SOURCES 1. Alberta Live Events Coalition website: albertaliveeventscoalition.ca 2. Edmonton Journal website: edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/ majority-of-albertas-covid-19-health-restrictionscould-be-lifted-in-june-premier 3. Letter provided to ALEC on April 9th, 2021 from Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw 4. Event MB website: www.eventmanagerblog.com/event-techmarket-drives-progress 5. Meeting Minds YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5m_-UAkgQQ 6. Event MB website: www.eventmanagerblog.com/event-techmarket-drives-progress 7. AHS website: www.alberta.ca/enhancedpublic-health-measures.aspx 8. Tycoon Events Virtual Event Resource: tycoonevents.ca/virtual-event-resource MEETINGSALBERTA.COM

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MMB Canada

Meetings Mean Business Canada Update

By Clark Grue, Chair, Meetings Mean Business Canada President & CEO, Rainmaker Global Business Development

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across the country, including Destination Canada, Tourism Industry Association of Canada, Convention Centres Canada, Hotel Association of Canada, destination marketing organizations, government officials and many more.

Two key messages came out of the event: Our industry is a catalyst for Canada’s economic recovery; and it’s important that Canada remain a global leader in the safe delivery of international business events.

The markets that are the first to open up to business events will see their economies recover more quickly. In 2022, the impact will be significant, not only with respect to the direct spend in

The people in our industry are the best in the world at what they do. We need our governments at all levels to hear that message. the jurisdiction where the events are hosted, but also from induced benefits that result from business events, such as innovative concepts and idea exchanges.

Conversely, those economies that elect to restrict business events will lag behind.

It’s important to resist working in silos. Over the past year, our industry has collaborated like never before and we must continue. We have come together across the country to support and advocate for the business events industry in every province. Here in Alberta, many of our industry leaders continue to advocate for allowing the industry to do what it does, professionally and safely.

Through our new provincial action working groups, MMBC is actively connecting industry professionals who are eager to share strategies and best practices, such as the British Columbia Safe Restart Plan (www.bcmeetingsandevents.ca). Our role is to speak to federal government decision makers on behalf of our industry in one united, strong voice. Contact MMBC vice chair Laura Pallotta for more information on the provincial action working groups initiative.

PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ ENGEL.AC

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n April 8, 2021, more than 850 business event professionals, supporters and stakeholders from across Canada gathered online to celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) and the proven value that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions bring to businesses and the economy.

Under the theme of “We’re Ready,” Meetings Mean Business Canada’s (MMBC) 90-minute virtual event emphasized the industry’s readiness to reopen the business events economy as soon as travel and gathering restrictions are lifted.

The event featured industry leaders from

MMB Canada

Where do we go from here?

Here are a few ways to take action:

and safe, and should not be confused with social gatherings • Keep government decision makers informed about our industry by sharing our GMID 2021 videos meetingsmeanbusiness.ca/calendar/ global-meetings-industry-day-2021 •V isit TourismCounts.ca to download the Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s 2021 Tourism Recovery Plan and to send a letter to your MP asking them to support tourism recovery, of which business events is an important component

• Tell government leaders at all levels that our industry is ready to host safe, in-person business meetings that comply fully with local health regulations •R eclaim our industry’s position as a catalyst for business development.

In-person business events drive positive economic impact, are controlled

The people in our industry are the best in the world at what they do.

We need our governments at all levels to hear that message. It’s going to get better… we’re going to fight our way through this… we’ll continue to be a catalyst and a lead going into 2022.

So let’s keep our foot on the pedal. n

meetingsmeanbusiness.ca/about-us/ contact-us As individuals, each of us must continually advocate to MPs, MPPs, MLAs, city councillors and other government officials, in a pleasantly persistent manner, about the important role business events will play in Canada’s economic recovery.

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PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ FIZKES

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MEETINGSALBERTA.COM

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Branding

The Importance of Personal Branding in Hospitality

By Leanne Calderwood, CMP

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ou’ve likely heard it said, you should “build a personal brand”.

And when you work for a larger organization, you may question whether having a personal brand is important. Your organization can carry the brand, and you carry the sales and service of that brand!

Yes, this has worked in the past for most sales and service managers, but there is an increasing demand for individuals to create and carry a brand as well. The importance of personal branding in hospitality has never been more relevant.

Even without intentionally building a brand, you have a brand — and people can find your brand when they Google you or find you on LinkedIn. If you are on the internet, you have a brand. Your clients, your prospects, other suppliers and competitors — they are all checking out your internet footprint. The question shouldn’t be “should I have a personal brand”, but rather “what can I do to control the brand messaging that is out there about me?”

First off, let’s define personal branding. As defined by Wikipedia personal branding is “the conscious and intentional effort to create and influence public perception of an individual

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by positioning them as an authority in their industry, elevating their credibility, and differentiating themselves from the competition, to ultimately advance their career, increase their circle of influence, and have a larger impact. The process of personal branding involves finding your uniqueness, building a reputation on the things you want to be known for, and then allowing yourself to be known for them. Ultimately, the goal is to create something that conveys a message and that can be monetized.”

There are a number of variations on this definition, but here is what is consistent about the definitions: 1. Create your public persona 2. Position yourself as an authority and thought leader 3. Setting yourself apart from the competition 4. Choosing what unique qualities about you to amplify 5. Convey a message to your target audience As a hospitality professional, developing and projecting a personal brand can go hand-in-hand with your organization’s brand. This combination is powerful, for both you and for your organization. Here are 6 reasons why creating personal brand is so important:

1. You control the messaging — when you create a brand for yourself, you choose what the industry thinks of you, regardless of the product you represent.

Over time, it will alter the results Google pulls up for you. If you have a LinkedIn profile, it will likely show up as either the first or second result. Other social media platforms will also come up. If you write a blog or host a video series, it will also start to drift to the top of the search results for your own name. Having a personal brand will elevate your active platforms and channels thus giving you control over what people will see and read about you.

2. It humanizes your product — by putting yourself out there as a representative of your product or service, it builds trust in your consumer — people buy from people, and people start to trust the product when there is an individual with a strong personal brand backing the product. In the same way that larger brands use celebrities as the face of their product, you become the face of your product as well! You may not be as famous as Michael Jordan, but you can do for your service what Michael did to humanize Nike. Your organization will appreciate the additional support you’ve created through your brand.

3. It helps you stand out from your competition — Brand builders are few

Branding

by creating a personal brand then job recruiters will see your amplified brand. Internally at your organization, someone with a strong personal brand (and subsequent sales) also stands out against their colleagues for promotion opportunities. To optimize your “promotion punch”, including as much of your organization’s product or service as possible in your content will help your internal stakeholders to take notice of your branding work.

5. It opens doors for recognition — It’s only natural when you have an amplified brand that others take notice as well. Whether internal at your company, or through industry recognition, you may find yourself being considered because you come to mind. Remember, good work and giving of yourself freely should not be contingent on recognition.

It does, however, become a pleasant biproduct of your work. Regardless of the amount of recognition you may receive as a result of your brand work, keep these wise words from Denis Waitley, speaker, writer, and motivator, in mind — “Don’t wait for an employer,

Even without intentionally building a brand, you have a brand. friend or mentor to show appreciation for your work. Take pride in your own efforts on a daily basis.”

It creates an opportunity to amplify your brand further — Your brand can extend beyond your organization, your prospects and your clients. When you amplify your brand, there are a number of people who start to pay attention to what you are promoting. The possibilities are endless, but some common opportunities include speaking engagements, soundbites for industry publications and media, or interviews for blogs, vlogs, and podcasts. Having a strong personal brand puts you “top of mind” for industry peers. As opportunities arise, your name and brand will stand out as someone that should contribute to the conversation.

PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ RAWPIXEL.COM

and far between; when you create a brand, you start to become more “top of mind” for customers when a need for your product or service arises. You’ll be referred based on the brand you’ve created. “Hey you need a widget? Ya, call Joe Awesomeness, he’s (fill in the blank with how you’ve positioned your brand!) By simply showing up through your brand, you have set yourself apart.

By providing value to your prospects sets you apart even further. Using your brand as a relationship selling tool versus a hard sell, people will recognize your contributions 4. It opens doors for job opportunities — Similar to standing out from your competition, as you gain recognition in your industry through your branding, you may find yourself in demand for other positions! The value that organizations place on branding and marketing has increased, as has your currency when it comes to future opportunities. Many job recruiters will use LinkedIn and Google to research potential job candidates, so going back to point #1, if you control the messaging

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Branding expert in your field, starting a personal brand will elevate your game. I look forward to learning more about you and YOUR personal brand! n

find some other compelling reasons that are very specific for you. The reasons listed here can span across industries, and across tenure in your industry. Whether you are a new professional, or a seasoned

PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ WRIGHTSTUDIO

The importance of personal branding in hospitality cannot be understated. There could be a number of additional reasons for amplifying your personal brand and depending on your industry, you may

Leanne Calderwood believes developing a personal brand is key to setting yourself apart in any market. Serving in the meetings and events industry for over 20 years, Leanne has seen the power of developing a personal brand and using LinkedIn to build trust in her B2B community. Her blog and resources at leannecalderwood.com help hospitality professionals find their voice and create a compelling brand that attracts leads and opportunities.

When she’s not talking branding and online marketing, you can find Leanne drinking wine, making jam and gardening at her home in Kelowna, BC with her husband, 2 teenage sons, and her dog, Farls Barkley.

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Digital

Digital Experiences

By Lisa Marks, Brand Alive Inc.

IMAGE: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ KATAKARI

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orporate executive teams may not understand the world of hybrid, virtual, or digital-first events, and that’s ok. A big part of our job as event strategists is not only to design event plans for clients based on their vision and goals but to gain buy-in internally, specifically with key decision makers in order to move forward.

To help event professionals and corporate producers gain buy-in for the integration of hybrid and virtual events, we’ve created a digestible, proof-driven list of talking points and thought processes all about the power of digital and online experiences.

The marketing industry has embraced digital experiences, and the events industry should, too There are over 3 billion users online as we speak. Digital advertising has been an established mechanism for spreading brand messaging, targeting customers and generating sales for years now.

What’s happened more recently is a shift towards brand marketing within consumer centric digital platforms like podcasts and gaming sites, with a mindset of getting in front of the individual in the most personalized and seamless way possible.

Brands are now speaking to their customers directly by investing in tactics like “conversation advertising,” planting seeds of brand love through an audiofirst approach. This is not only a nod towards the power of digital marketing, but it showcases that the most forwardthinking industries are leveraging virtual experiences to target audiences — and events should, too.

Also, if you think about it, the live events industry came to stand on its own two feet largely due to marketing creatives discovering the use of human experiences as part of spreading a message. As such, our recommendation for event profs when designing a strategy for clients is to study what the best and MEETINGSALBERTA.COM

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Digital

brightest marketers or the biggest brands are doing to elevate the brand — in this case, a huge shift to digital experiences is leading the way.

and feeling through a ‘broadcast TV’ lens.

As well, choose a design/decor partner that understands set design to ensure you aren’t over-designing in size and scale, and you aren’t forgetting about TV colour theory.

Most event professionals know how to use digital Transform your calendar technology really, really well of events into a virtual Digital and hybrid event models are engagement strategy

The pandemic is a huge opportunity for in-house event producers and event strategists to expand their mindsets about engagement, whether it’s for customers, employees or fans. In the absence of the traditional fundraising gala strategy for example, we encourage our non-profit clients to embrace a whole new way of thinking about community relationship building.

We recommend generating a purpose for the next 12 to 14 months, digging into goals and designing a realistic roadmap for events and engagement overall. This can lead to building out a campaign full of digital touch points, virtual mixers, mini brand activations, and more. From a non-profit lens, top-tier donors or prospective partners should be engaged and “warmed” throughout the year in

order to make in-person hosting events more effective.

If you represent a non profit brand, here’s another good reason to get excited about virtual: “Senior Millennials” are nearing their top earning years and they typically are quick to jump into all elements of digital experiences. If non profits haven’t targeted Millennials in fundraising efforts yet, now is the time to get excited about tapping into this generation for fundraising opportunities this year. Virtual event strategies

IMAGE: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ VECTORMINE

not new — they are simply now one of the most used event formats due to the impacts of the pandemic. As such, you may not realize it, but event producers who have been working with event tech for decades and have been leveraging audiovisual innovations to share messages are poised to support clients in using these technologies to bring events to life in the virtual era.

Strong event strategists and producers understand human psychology, and can harness the power of virtual event design in order to tap into the hearts and minds of your varied audiences.

Utilize an AV/tech partner that has experience in broadcasting. Designing the use of virtual events is different from the in-room experience — you need a group of partners and planners who understand how to translate a message

There will be no returning back to what we knew as our reality before COVID-19 and this is true across pretty much every industry and sector. We are moving forward in life and the live events industry is going to exist in a new form

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Digital

opens up a whole new set of doors for online and virtual events and hosting, where most millennials spend their time.

IMAGE: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ ZUBADA

Audience reach and data opportunities are limitless in the virtual realm The sky truly is the limit in terms of audience reach in the world of virtual. It’s a global and digital economy and events with no physical gathering location mean clients have access to not only a worldwide public audience, but also entertainment acts, bands, facilitators, keynote speakers and influencers.

Virtual events present unique advantages in terms of consumer data acquisition, too. We exist in a world where giving personal information or demographic details is more and more common every day. This reality, combined with the unique and interesting engagement tactics that are possible with digital experiences, means clients are gaining access to valuable insights about their audiences and interested followers in real time.

We encourage clients to use the opportunity to gather psychographic info about their audiences from the pre-event communications to post-event marketing. Whether you are utilizing a registration platform, push notifications, polls, Q&As, or contributions from your audience in advance of the virtual event itself, you are collecting hugely useful data that can inform future business strategies.

Embrace virtual now as the “New Gathering Anxiety” settles in There will be no returning back to what we knew as our reality before COVID-19 and this is true across pretty much every industry and sector. We are moving forward in life and the live events industry is going to exist in a new form.

The truth is, we are facing many challenges that impact the way people will engage with each other and how comfortable they are to gather. This is what psychologists are saying is the New Gathering Anxiety. This is an

Humans are social creatures: community and camaraderie are the antidote to unhappiness emerging social anxiety about being in the same room as others outside of your household.

Humans are social creatures; community and camaraderie are the antidote to unhappiness. That said, the pandemic has taught modern society to be wary of gatherings. There will soon be a very interesting ratio of in-person to hybrid to virtual events. The antidote to the “new anxiety” might just be offering choice between in-person, hybrid or virtual event attendance and brands can lead the way by presenting a variety of options. n Lisa Marks, Brand Alive Inc. IG: @brandaliveinc LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/ company/brand-alive-inc MEETINGSALBERTA.COM

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NAIT

Transitioning to Online How NAIT turned on a dime to keep continuing education accessible.

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ike everyone else back in March 2020, I assumed our move to working from home might only be a few weeks. In fact, when we had to decide what would happen to our scheduled in-person Event Management classes, we only postponed classes until May and June dates. As the reality set in that things weren’t going to happen that fast, we had a decision to make: cancel the program or switch to online learning.

The debate was strong and we thought, “Event Management is hands on, how could we possibly do that virtually?”

As the world shifted to online, we felt a responsibility to our students to help them with this transition. What better way to navigate the online event experience than by learning about it directly in an online virtual environment?

We set to work! We engaged our instructors and challenged them to help us transform our face-to-face curriculum into something suitable for online learning. They worked with our instructional designers to ensure we could continue with our philosophy of activitybased learning while being delivered virtually. Caitlin McElhone, one of our instructors and Owner of CM Events said

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this, “NAIT Continuing Education has offered an incredible digital platform for students to continue with their professional development during this time. And instructors with the EVMT program have worked hard to re-write course content and restructure classes to make learning outcomes relevant and real for students to learn from.”

We understood that online learning was new for everyone. We developed resources and provided training to our instructors so that they could easily navigate the learning platform. We offered Test Your Tech sessions to all students so they could login to the online systems, find their way around and work out all the bumps prior to their class time.

When students logged into their class on the first day, they could hit the ground running. Our Portfolio Assistants were instrumental in supporting both students and instructors through this transition.

With our classes being short, anywhere from eight to twenty-four hours, getting to work at the beginning of class was important and we didn’t want the students or instructors to be delayed by technical issues.

The uptake on online classes has been as we would have expected

pre-pandemic. This tells me we have all done a solid job ensuring we can deliver on our promises to students. One student had this to say, “The instructor made the online learning interesting and engaging. She made sure everyone was informed about where and how to the access all the learning tools. I enjoyed the class and learned a lot about planning events. I plan on taking more online classes in the near future.”

There are so many presumptions about online learning. Many people can’t fathom the idea of sitting at a computer for eight hours. Most of our classes are full days, typically on a weekend, so I understand that this seems like a big commitment to screen time. I would agree that this would be a clearly painful experience if one had to sit through a talking head, death by PowerPoint learning session. Fortunately, this isn’t the method we follow in the Event Management program. We want to engage you, challenge you with activities, and encourage you to dialogue with your classmates. A typical day in our virtual classroom will have you receiving some content by presentation, but you will also be doing group work, watching videos,

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By: Nancy Milakovic

doing independent work that you share back with your class, completing activities that will have you reading, writing, reflecting and sharing. Some classes will have additional guest speakers.

Lifelong learning matters, and it’s important to us to be that resource to students in all phases of their careers.

While our program allows for the earning of a certificate, that is not the only pathway. Professional development learners would also benefit from the courses that we offer. The program was designed in such as way to support the professional development learner, as no courses have pre-requisites. You can take the courses that suit your own career path.

If you have professional development funds with your employer, you can stretch those further as our courses are eligible for application to the Canada Alberta Job Grant (CAJG) and are stackable to meet minimum hour requirements. Participants who wish to apply for the CAJG must do so with their employer and we can provide written documentation as required.

Our students are out there working in the world of events. They are getting jobs and their course work and

certificate have demonstrated their commitment to the industry. We are happy to be part of that now, and into the future. What does the future hold for our Event Management program? We will continue to deliver online in a way that is safe for our students, instructors, and staff. We have heard that online learning suits the schedules of many of our students. There are some courses that are more suited to face-to-face, and we will explore those with public health measures in mind through the coming months.

In closing, Caitlin says, “So excited for the EVMT students who have moved to online learning this past year to get into the events industry and show everyone what they can do (and what they now know!). They are now well versed on in-person, virtual and hybrid events, guest safety and new technologies which will be a huge asset to them going forward. They have been exceptional learners during this time and have so much to give to the industry now.”

The events industry remains a vibrant part of our communities and economies and NAIT will continue to deliver exceptional students into that ecosystem.

For more information on our programs, please visit our website, nait.ca/eventmanagement n

Nancy Milakovic is the Portfolio Manager for the Business and Productivity area in Continuing Education at NAIT. She oversees thirteen programs in Continuing Education, including the Event Management Program and strives, with her team to ensure that they are providing relevant, engaging, student experiences.

She has been serving students in this role for the past 11 years.

Prior to joining NAIT she worked in Hospitality honing her enthusiasm for the customer experience. She was introduced to the world of Adult Education through Health and Safety consulting to industry.

She has an MBA from the University of Alberta and a Kinesiology Degree from the University of Waterloo.

Want to know more about Caitlin McElhone, find her here www.nait.ca/nait/continuing-education/ instructors/caitlin-mcelhone-b-sc-cmp

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Education

Books, Education, and Certifications

M

any of us have found ourselves with more time in the last year than we have ever had in our adult lives. While it has been a time of high stress for most of us, it has also given us the opportunity to catch up on all the things we have wanted to do but never found the time to get to. We have complied a list of some industry-related resources for anyone who has continuing education on their “when I have time” list!

Podcasts EventIcons offers.helloendless.com/eventicons One of the first industry podcasts to take off, this series was created by Will Curran. These hour-long talks feature conversations with beloved industry icons.

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Compiled by Arlene Schilke, CMP, DES

Event Brew offers.helloendless.com/event-brew Hosted by Will Curran, Nick Borelli, Dustin Westling and Thuy Diep, this podcast tackles intense conversations about current news in the events world. Honest opinions, no holds barred, they call it like they see it.

The Illuminate Project Podcast switchidea.co This is a collaboration of three Canadian industry professionals, Marie-France Watson, Tim Whalen and Ryan Young. The project was born to help shed light on individuals that share their passion for doing things differently.

The Event Hustlers podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-event-hustlers/id1434186259

Education Join Liz King Caruso, the CEO of Techsytalk as she interviews thought leaders from all corners of the events industry.

GatherGeeks bizbash.com/gathergeeks Originally hosted by David Adler, this podcast is a place where people passionate about live experiences come together to discuss news and trends affecting the industry.

Eating at Meeting Podcast thrivemeetings.com/services/eating-at-a-meeting Explore how food and beverage (f & b) impact individual experience, inclusion, sustainability, culture, community, health, law and more. Hosted by Tracy Stuckrath.

Technology Resources — Guides to Event Apps The Event App Bible 2021 by EventMB eventmanagerblog.com/event-app-bible The Virtual Event Resource by Tycoon Events tycoonevents.ca/virtual-event-resource

Books Donuts in the Lunchroom by Kim Beaune and Sharon Bonner This book is a collaborative effort written by industry colleagues and friends Kim and Sharon. When the pandemic hit and the events industry was forced to hold virtual events, they quickly realized the need to create engaging virtual events: and Donuts in the Lunchroom was born! You can download your e-book copy here: creativetwist.ca/e-book

Behind the Red Velvet Curtain: Build and Run the Event Planning Business of Your Dreams by Cindy Y. Lo Event planning can be an exciting, rewarding and fun career but its more than party planning. In this book Cindy shares her experiences in building an international award-winning company, Red Velvet Events. You’ll learn how to unlock your creativity, handle finances, master networking and much more as Cindy shares her triumphs and mistakes.

Certifications Certificate or Certification — what’s the difference?

It is important to note that there are quite a few courses available, particularly online, that give the impression that completing their course will make you a ‘certified’, ‘registered’ or ‘professional’ event planner. These courses usually offer some form of certificate/diploma.

However, there is a difference between ‘certification’ and a ‘certificate.’ A certificate is issued by a school to confirm that you have completed an event-planning course. Whereas, certification is issued by a professional association, such as ILEA (International Live Events Association formerly known as ISES), and results in an industry-recognized designation, such as CSEP (Certified Special Event Professional).

Therefore, despite what some schools misleadingly claim, obtaining a certificate issued by an individual school does not mean you are a certified event planner as recognized by the industry—nor does it make you a professional event planner.

There is also no such thing as a registered event planner.

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Intentional Event Design: Our Professional Opportunity

by Tahira Endean Our role as event professionals is to create experiences steeped in trust, where audiences feel their participation in our event was the best use of their time and financial investment. This book focuses on the seven intentions and will leave readers will a deep range of new ideas and applicable tools to drive stronger, measurable results.

The Power of Participation: Creating Conferences That Deliver Learning, Connection, Engagement and Action

by Adrian Segar This book covers a lot of theoretical ground but in a very practical way. Its a good book on how to design and execute remarkable conferences. Excellent information on improving meeting sessions so that passive attendees become active participants.

Special Events: A New Generation and the Next Frontier

by Joe Goldblatt Dr. Joe Goldblatt as authored several books over the years. This one combines event planning tutorials with interviews, case studies and general trends in the events industry. New chapters include green events and corporate social responsibility.

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Education

CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) This designation is offered by the EIC (Events Industry Council) eventscouncil.org/CMP/About-CMP There is a minimum number of years in the events industry as well as acquiring continuing education hours in order to qualify to take the CMP exam. The CMP exam is developed by planners from around the world and covers a range of event industry topics from strategic planning to site management to event design and marketing.

Cost: $250 US application fee plus $475 exam fee

CMM (Certificate in Meeting Management) mpi.org/education/certificate-meeting-management This designation is offered by MPI (Meeting Professionals International) and is an excellent training program that focuses on instructing participants on business management skills.

It packs the highlights of a world-class graduate degree program into four days, followed by eight hours of advanced-level online coursework and a final project focused on solving a real-world, work-based problem.

Cost: $4400 US DES (Digital Event Strategist) pcma.org/products/des This designation is offered by PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) will provide you with a toolkit to effectively plan, produce and measure the results of digital events.

It involves a 6 module online course, plus an additional 7 hours of self paced learning and a final exam.

Cost : $895 US CPCE (Certified Professional in Catering and Events) nace.net/grow/cpce This certification is offered by NACE (National Association for Catering and Events) for people working in the catering and events industry. It comprises eight core modules; accounting, beverage management, catering services, contracts & agreement, food production, event management, human resources and sales/marketing.

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ALBERTA MEETINGS & EVENTS • Summer 2021

Education NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) nait.ca/coned/event-management Offers an Event Management Program with options for on-campus and online. Courses can be taken individually or as part of the Event Management Certificate program.

SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) sait.ca/programs-and-courses/diplomas/ hospitality-and-tourism-management *New Hospitality and Tourism Management This 2 year program was developed with input from industry experts and provides practical hands-on education, ensuring students have real-world knowledge and skills to succeed in the workforce.

ELI (Event Leadership Institute) eventleadershipinstitute.com ELI offers over 180 online online education, training and professional development for event and meeting industry professionals. They also offer a series of certificate courses — most popular this year was Virtual Event & Meeting Management and Panemic Meeting and Event Design.

Mount Royal University mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/ContinuingEducation/ businesstraining/eventmanagement/index.htm MRU offers an Event Management Extension Certificate that will prepare you for a career in event management. All courses currently offered online, some with flexibility but are not entirely self-paced. n

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CSEP (Certified Special Events Professional ileahub.com/CSEP This designation was established in 1993 by the International Live Events Association (ILEA) to recognize event professionals who have successfully demonstrated the knowledge, skills and ability essential to perform all components of a special event.

Applicants must have a minimum of three years full time professional employment in the special events industry.

Cost: $350 US application fee plus $350 exam fee

APRIL 3 - 5, 2022

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In April 2022 over 600 event professionals will CONVERGE in Western Canada. Coming from all CORNERS of the continent to learn from Industry Experts. We have you COVERED on all topics from trends, to design, to technology, to workshops and more.

COME with us as we GO WEST!

JOIN OUR 2021 VIRTUAL SERIES www.gowestlive.com/virtual

Modern and Professional Meeting Space Fully customizable chef-curated menus Five unique meeting and event spaces Grande Ballroom offering space for up to 500 guests 11,000 square feet of meeting space and banquet facilities

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T: (780) 832-2436

Eventsmanager@pomeroyhotelgp.com

Pomeroyhotel.com

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NOTEWORTHY VENUES

Metis Crossing White Tail Woods WHITE TAIL WOODS is a brand new wedding and event centre located an hour South West from Downtown Edmonton. Located close to Pigeon Lake, it is the perfect rural and rustic day escape.

The spacious 50 x 80 clearspan tent allows for stunning views of nature and provides for an excellent rainy-day back-up plan. whitetailwoods.ca

Muttart Conservatory

Fort Edmonton Park

THE LONG-AWAITED, newly renovated Muttart Conservatory has now re-opened! The new renovations include the installation of a plant wall and a water feature. There is also a new light rail transit (LRT) station right next door making it easy for your event guests or meeting attendees to get there using public transportation. Nestled in Edmonton’s River Valley, this venue is minutes away from Downtown and with a spectacular display of flowers and vegetation, the Muttart is one of Edmonton’s most unique spaces. muttartconservatory.ca

HOLD YOUR MEETING in the largest living history museum in Canada! Fort Edmonton Park reopens in July 2021 after its $165million expansion. One of the most anticipated enhancements is the 30,000 square foot Indigenous Peoples Experience which will immerse visitors in the rich cultures and histories of First Nations and Métis communities in Canada, recounted from their perspectives and voices. Found in Edmonton’s River Valley, you’re just minutes from Downtown, Old Strathcona and West Edmonton Mall. fortedmontonpark.ca

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IMAGES COURTESY CITY OF EDMONTON , FORT EDMONTON PARK

THE CULTURAL GATHERING Centre at Metis Crossing is the perfect place to host a corporate meeting or special day. Metis Crossing sits on 5 acres of land and is located 1.5 hour drive North East from Edmonton, just South of Smokey Lake. State of the art technology is provided to allow for seamless presentations. The outdoor covered terrace is huge and stunning. Coming soon: onsite lodging, glass and eco pods for overnight stays! metiscrossing.com

NOTEWORTHY VENUES

White Diamond Conference Centre THIS VENUE, LOCATED in South East Downtown Calgary opened its doors in 2018. The spacious hall can hold up to 500 people.

Although it has become very popular for weddings and special occasions, it would be an excellent space for conferences, networking events and team building activities. whitediamondcc.ca

Venue 308 VENUE 308 IS located South East Downtown Calgary in the heritage Louise Block. The original character of this building adds to its charm and there are many possibilities in this unique space.

Although farm tables, round, rectangles and chairs are included with the rental they also have a secret stash of beautiful decor that can be rented as well. www.venue308.com

Skyline LOCATED IN THE Kensington neighbourhood, Skyline boasts over 9000 sq feet in flexible event space with an incredible 360 degree view of downtown Calgary. This space works well for weddings, corporate and private events. It is owned and operated by Simply Elegant and handles all catering, decor and entertainment requirements. skylineroom.ca

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APRIL 3-5, 2022