Member Spotlight - Amanda Delorey

Amanda Delorey | LinkedIn
Manager, Professional Development and Events
Canadian Dermatology Association
Currently enrolled in the Business Administration & Management Program at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa

Why did you decide to join MPI Ottawa?
Joining MPI Ottawa for me is really about wanting to network with others in the industry, getting to know people again. I want to give back to the community of meeting planners in Ottawa. Additionally, I would like to participate in the chapter event, online and in person events when they’re available again.

How has having this membership helped being part of the Ottawa meeting community?
I have found that in the past having the connection with the Ottawa meeting community has been helpful for my job:

• learning from others
• developing within my organization
• bringing me more bookings
• -networking - knowing someone already makes the connection smoother when it comes to a working business relationship

What makes you good at what you do?
First, innovation. I like to use technology to my advantage. I have never been afraid to change the status quo at any organization I’ve worked. I believe in changing the way you are doing things to best suit your audience. I am always questioning, which has been integral to where I am today.

Secondly, preparedness. I took time to do get an education in project management. Using Project Management principles within the context of events has been useful in my career. Continuous learning, whether it is via an organization like MPI, informal education, learning from other peers or through networking is extremely valuable.

Tell us about a career highlight or your biggest achievement?

For me, that would have been in 2017 with The Royal Architectural Institute Of Canada | L'Institut royal d'architecture du Canada when we organized an Indigenous architecture symposium within the context of the Festival of Architecture. Held in Ottawa, it symposium was organized at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health. It was a very special event because it was an international event, with delegates from the United States and New Zealand in attendance. It was a lot of work to pull the event off. We had to get government funding so I learned how to write grants to get funds. We also needed to look for corporate partners, so I learned the business development side of event management. It was a unique event and people who attended enjoyed it. Our big win was in having Indigenous Canadian architect, Douglas Cardinal | LinkedIn, the architect of the venue be able to attend the event.

What is an industry tool you could not live without?
Using technology to your advantage in the way that makes your life easier is, I believe, the way to go. I use Calendly (a free online scheduling tool) to make appointments with people to avoid the back and forth of emails. I don’t necessarily use it as a planning tool but rather to set appointments.

In past jobs, I’ve used Wufoo (an online form builder with cloud storage) to accept speakers applications. It is an online form creator, similar to Survey Monkey, but it also accepts files. I needed a tool where the speakers could not only fill out the form, but they could also upload additional docs.

Digital tools help me do my job, if I could reduce administrative work as much as possible it makes me happy.

Last words

I’ve just started a website Amanda Delorey Event Planner Life - Strategies for event management through project management techniques. I am going to be developing articles that look at industry insights and venues as well as doing interviews with industry professionals. I am looking at event management techniques with a project management prospective.

Article written by Elodie LORTAL, BHM, CMP | LinkedIn National Arts Centre

Article edited by Article edited by Cynthia Beaudin, Canada Foundation for Innovation