Industry News

August 20, 2020
Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC) Chair Makes Presentation to Canadian Government

Hello MMBC friends,
 
With summer fully upon us, I hope that you are well and enjoying what our amazing country has to offer for leisure tourism activities. We are blessed, Canada!
 
It has not been a quiet summer for advocacy as we and many of our partners have done incredible work to advocate for the reopening of the Business Event industry in a safe and responsible way. So many of our industry leaders are doing a great deal to raise awareness of our work, our impact, and the loss of our catalytic industry for the Canadian economy.
 
As for MMBC, I had the privilege of being invited as your representative, to present to the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Canadian Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic on August 10. It was a remarkable 2.5 hours. Seven industry leaders, referred to as "witnesses", were given 5 minutes to present to a group of MPs from each of the Political Parties representing the House of Commons. You are able to view the MMBC presentation here. We were then presented three rounds of questions from each of the MPs. They made some thoughtful inquiries into the Visitor Economy which provided an opportunity for me to advocate for the Business Events industry. It was a great opportunity to raise awareness of our industry and the impact of COVID-19 on us. I hope that you will watch this video and share it broadly.
 
As we all continue to advocate for our industry, let me encourage you to reach out to your MP through our Push Politics platform here.
 
Please make sure to join the Meetings Mean Business Canada LinkedIn group as we use this platform to communicate and draw the industry together.
 
Stay well,

Clark Grue
Chair, Meetings Mean Business Canada

Join the conversation on LinkedIn
www.meetingsmeanbusiness.ca
News: https://www.meetingsmeanbusiness.ca/news
Videos: https://www.meetingsmeanbusiness.ca/stories
@MtgsMeanBizCA

July 29, 2020
Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC) Letter Writing Campaign

Dear Business Meetings and Events Industry supporter,

As Provinces and Territories slowly begin to reopen, businesses that rely on the Business Meetings and Events industry need a clear reopening plan to ensure they can weather the impacts of COVID-19. As a leader of one of Canada’s largest meetings and events associations, I am reaching out to you today to ask for your help.

Meetings Mean Business Canada has launched a letter-writing campaign targeting Members of Provincial Parliaments across Canada. By using Push Politics, we have a platform that makes it easy to send the message directly to your MPP, MLA, MNA or MHA that: 

• Business Meetings and Events must not be grouped under mass gatherings and that;
• Governments must fast-track the reopening of the Business Meetings and Events Sector by working with our industry leaders now.    

Sending a letter is simple and it takes 30 seconds. Please visit www.tourismcounts.ca/meetagain and click “Send Your Letter” to ask your MPP, MLA, MNA, or MHA to take immediate action by supporting this sector and saving the businesses and jobs in your community that rely on Business Meetings and Events.

I am asking that as association leaders – please encourage your members, colleagues, suppliers and extended network to send a letter and to share this initiative on your corporate and personal social media channels – we all need to come together as one industry to ensure our voice is heard loud and clear!

To be clear, to ensure the survival of this industry, bold measures are needed now – within days, not weeks or months. We collectively need to activate our sector and all those that rely on Business Meetings and Events to pressure the government for immediate action.

Sincerely,

Clark Grue
Chair, Meetings Mean Business Canada

Join the conversation on LinkedIn

July 10, 2020
Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC) Letter Writing Campaign

Dear MMBC Coalition Supporters,
 

As Provinces and Territories slowly begin to reopen, businesses that rely on the Business Meetings and Events industry need a clear reopening plan to ensure they can weather the impacts of COVID-19.
 
Meetings Mean Business Canada has launched a new letter-writing campaign targeting Members of Provincial Parliaments across Canada.  By using Push Politics, we have a platform that makes it easy for you to send the message directly to your MPP, MLA, MNA or MHA that:

• Business Meetings and Events must not be grouped under mass gatherings and that;
• Governments must fast-track the reopening of the Business Meetings and Events Sector by working with our industry leaders now. 

Meetings Mean Business Canada is an industry-wide, coast-to-coast-to-coast coalition which is the voice of 229,000 Canadians who rely on Business Events to create jobs and opportunities for them and their families.
 
Sending a letter is simple and takes 30 seconds.  Please visit www.tourismcounts.ca/meetagain and click “Send Your Letter” to ask your MPP, MLA, MNA, or MHA to take immediate action by supporting this sector and saving the businesses and jobs in your community that rely on Business Meetings and Events.
 
I am asking that as business leaders, you also encourage your staff, suppliers and extended network to send a letter and to share this initiative on your corporate and personal social media channels – we all need to come together as one industry to ensure our voice is heard loud and clear!
 
Additionally, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) has launched an in-depth industry survey that will cover the use of government support programs to obtain much-needed data for government in order to address support for the visitor economy. Please take the survey now.
 
To be clear, to ensure the survival of this industry, bold measures are needed now – within days, not weeks or months. We collectively need to activate our sector and all those that rely on Business Meetings and Events to pressure government for immediate action.
 
Sincerely,

Clark Grue
Chair, Meetings Mean Business Canada
 
Click here to sign up to support MMBC today.

June 26, 2020
Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC) Rally for Recovery

To the Coalition,

As we move towards Canada Day and Independence Day next week, I trust that you are all preparing for some socially-safe interactions with family, and in some places, friends as well. Above all, I wish you and your family health and safety during this complex and challenging time.

Since Heidi Welker, Laura Pallotta and I were in Ottawa for Hill Days with the Tourism Association of Canada (TIAC) and many other industry leaders in early February, our world has been turned upside down. I don’t need to tell you that.

In those early February days in Ottawa, we were pleased to have been raising the profile of the Business Events industry to Minister of Economic Development Melanie Joly along with other Ministers, bureaucrats and MPs from all parties.  MMBC was profiled in many ways including the huge advocacy win of TIAC stating in their presentations that Business Events stimulates 34% of all tourism in Canada.

Next stop for the Executive of MMBC was Vancouver on March 11 as the same three representatives attended the Destination Canada Business Events Advisory Committee meetings.  These meetings were surreal as we began to feel the shutdown happening around our world and our industry.

Since those meetings, the last time I travelled, there has been a call to action by our industry that we have not seen since the SARS crisis of 2003. Thankful for people like Tara Gordon and Barry Smith who, along with many in our industry, lived through SARS, MMBC began shifting into high gear to defend against the impact that COVID-19 was about to have on our industry.

The early work, as you will know focused on the Federal government. With TIAC’s role as our secretariat and advocacy partner, we had the right channels in place to inform and educate government of the impact that the crisis was having on the Business Events industry and how much it was going to continue to impact us going forward. With our voice being framed by the government as a component of Tourism, the Tourism message became our strongest channel of advocacy to Ottawa. Vince Accardi, Executive Director of Meetings Mean Business Canada, was at the frontline of communications along with Charlotte Bell, CEO of TIAC, they were in communications with the Ministries of Economic Development, Finance, and Small & Medium sized Enterprises to elevate the awareness of the pain being felt by the shut down of the industry. This was a broad message but inclusive of the entire industry.

Some of the specific initiatives that MMBC was involved with included:

• Extending the Wage-Subsidy program
• Changes to the CEBA loan program to address eligibility
• Changes to eligibility for the BCAP program
• Extending loan programs to indigenous financial institutions
• Funding streams for businesses and DMOs unable to qualify for funding programs
• Support for large sector corporations

These efforts led to government modifications to various programs to broaden the reach of the support. We continue to work with TIAC to integrate and profile the economic impact of the meetings and business events sector in our advocacy tactics and to look for opportunities to profile MMBC.

In an effort to further raise the awareness of the broad nature of the Visitor Economy, TIAC established a Recovery Task Force which included all tourism sectors. This group included Barry Smith and Cathy Pugh, Chair of Convention Centres of Canada who represented the Business Events industry very well. This group has produced a report which was sent to government and includes impact statements along with Industry support recommendations specifically focused on the Business Events industry.  Here are some highlights:

• Broaden Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to accommodate seasonal business and workers into winter 2020-2021
• Development of a federally-funded Special Events (business events, festivals, fairs, sporting) Development Fund to attract US and International meetings to Canada
• Provide increased funding to Destination Canada to support Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO) recovery and to support Meetings and Conventions

Many initiatives have included MMBC board members and affiliates. Task forces and leadership groups have been organized by our industry partners to elevate the industry in the minds of the government and those outside of our industry.

Some of the work that has involved MMBC in the past months include:

• Barry Smith and Clark Grue joining the CAEM-led Canadian Task for recovery
• Clark, Laura and Heidi have continued to serve on the Destination Canada-Business Events Advisory committee which now meets regularly
• CBC article on the Meetings Industry published on May 27 featured MMBC. Read it here
• Multiple webinars with various industry groups including SITE, MPI, CanSPEP and ILEA
• Many of the Board members have been advocating on Provincial task forces
• Many Coalition members have taken leadership roles to elevate the importance of the Business Events industry in their jurisdictions
• MMBC has also been invited to join the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Association calls to share intelligence and lend our voice to the larger advocacy initiatives
• Clark has been representing MMBC on the Canadian Tourism Roundtable initiated by industry

As the advocacy and outreach to government has shifted from awareness to reopening, MMBC has added some focus on the provincial governments. Just as the Federal government controls key financial support programs, the borders and airports, the provincial governments control the protocols for allowing groups to meet again. This creates a unique challenge for our industry.

Many of our Board members have engaged with provincial governments to push for reopening of our industry. Coast to coast, our leaders have either been in direct contact with provincial governments or they have been part of task forces focused on local rules for reopening. This continues in earnest across the country. These groups represent the best opportunity for our industry to influence government policy.

In addition to the government relations and advocacy, the communications committee of MMBC, led by Vice Chair Laura Pallotta, has developed the Rally for Recovery initiative which launched in June. This has grown into a newsletter which relays information from various sources about the best thinking on how we can work together to inform government about our various reopening efforts as well as the economic impact of our industry. Given how severely we have been impacted our voices need to be louder than ever.

To support and add to this work, this team has also developed a video campaign to better portray the impact of COVID-19 on our industry. The “Then & Now” videos provide a stark insight into the effects of the crisis on our industry.

We have also initiated a video series which reaches beyond our industry. Interviews with Canadian business leaders allows us to engage with people such as Perrin Beatty, President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, to gain their perspective on the meeting industry and how COVID has impacted our economy because we cannot meet. There is more work to be done and we are always exploring how we might influence key decisions by government as it pertains to our industry.

We continue to do our utmost within the limitations imposed by our volunteer-led coalition. As always, we are open to hearing how you can contribute to the cause and further our collective advocacy efforts.

It will take all of us to achieve the current goals of reopening safety and in a way that will return Canada to its rightful place as a brand-leader for business events globally. I encourage you to get involved, spread the word about the importance to #meetagain in a safe and healthy way.

Please lean into your social media channels to engage your networks on this important message.  Encourage your colleagues to join MMBC and join our conversation on LinkedIn; follow us individually and support us corporately if possible. It will take our village working together from Coast to Coast to Coast as we Reopen, Recover and Renovate how we convene.

Thanks for all of your support during this challenging time.

Stay well,

Clark Grue

Chair, Meetings Mean Business Canada
www.meetingsmeanbusiness.ca
News: https://www.meetingsmeanbusiness.ca/news

Join The Conversation On Linkedin

@MtgsMeanBizCa

February 26, 2020
TORONTO,ON, Thursday, February 26, 2020

Exhibition Place Announces New Director, Sales & Marketing

We're pleased to announce the appointment of Judy Mahoney as the new Director, Sales & Marketing of Exhibition Place. Judy brings a wealth of market analysis and business development experience, having recently been at forefront of the Sales and Marketing efforts at Scotiabank Convention Centre and Niagara Falls Business Events. Judy brings over 20 years of sales & marketing, strategic planning, and team management experience for several major hotel brands in the Greater Toronto Area. “We're confident that Judy's leadership skills and strategic approach building new partnerships and relationships will make her an excellent addition to our team,” said Laura Purdy, General Manager of Exhibition Place.

Judy can be reached at email jmahoney@explace.on.ca or phone 416-263-3021.

February 18, 2020
TORONTO,ON, Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Communiqué Incentives Inc. is delighted to announce their acquisition by Watt International. The sale brings together Communiqué Incentives Inc., a full-service event management agency and Watt International, a world-class integrated retail agency. The partnership will allow both companies to expand their offerings for their customers and push the boundaries in a competitive marketplace.

In a strategic move, Ardith Freethy and her team of advisors have appointed Lindsay Rudykas President.  This new role marks Lindsay’s return to Communiqué where she previously spent six years. Most recently, Lindsay led an events team with global reach for a Fortune 500 company and is excited to bring her breadth of knowledge and experience back to Communiqué.

For further information:

Media Contact – Communiqué Incentives Inc
Janet Bursey, Director of Business Administration
647-272-7124
janetb@communique.to

New ADDRESS as of May 4, 2020
590 King Street West
Toronto

Media Contact – Watt International
Sabina Azizli, Marketing Manager
416-364-9384 x255
sazizli@wattisretail.com

September 27, 2019

Want to submit an article for Meeting Magazine or the MPI Toronto Blog? Please use our Article Submission Template and send your submission to the MPI Toronto Chapter office. Please note all articles are subject to editorial approval and submission of an article does not guarantee publication. Non-members are welcome to submit articles.

August 19, 2019
Canadian Meetings & Events Expo (CMEE) Honours 2018 Hall of Fame Inductees

Eight deserving event professionals were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Canadian Meetings and Events Expo. 

Congratulations to the following inductees:

Zaman Ishaad, 2019 Rising Star. This category honours a planner or supplier with 2-5 years’ experience in the industry, who has demonstrated leadership and the desire to be an ambassador for the industry.

Shannon Valeriote, CMP, CMM, 2019 Industry Mentor. This category celebrates a planner or supplier who through his or her expertise, professional influence, or academic position has provided others with opportunity, inspiration, or ability to pursue excellence.

Tuesday Johnson-Macdonald, CMP, CMM, 2019 Industry Planner. This category is reserved for an individual who represents everything an event professional should be.

Francois Brunet, 2019 Industry Volunteer. This category recognizes an individual planner or supplier who gives freely his or her time or expertise in the promotion of industry associations, groups, professional industry chapters or charity work.

Alissa Hurley, CMM, CED, 2019 Industry Innovator. This category recognizes a planner or supplier who has developed and implemented a service, product, or concept that modernizes today’s industry and moves it forward.

Candace Schierling, Reggie Lang, and Bettyanne Sherrer, CMP, CMM, 2019 The Big Idea. The Big Idea celebrates planners and suppliers who have dreamed up and implemented an idea that has improved the productivity, profitability, culture and/or operational systems of a specific company or business.

Nominations to be inducted into the Hall o Fame in 2020 will open in the new year.

November 5, 2018
AV-CANADA Announces Expansion into U.S. Market with the launch of AV-AMERICA
 
AV-CANADA is proud to be celebrating 25 years of business! “With drive, perseverance, and ongoing success come exciting growth opportunities. We are pleased to announce our new endeavor AV-AMERICA, headquartered in Orlando, Florida.”, said Danny Dobriansky, Co-President.

eading the operation as Chief Operating Officer for AV-AMERICA, Kip Cade brings 25 years of experience in the United States AV business, guaranteeing the same quality and service standards that you have come to expect. “With this new venture, we have the opportunity to further expand the capabilities of AV-CANADA into new markets and leverage the established presence of our U.S. team. Together, we have the ability within our industry to deliver top-notch service to all of our clients throughout North America.”, said Kip Cade.

Also joining the AV-AMERICA team, we are pleased to introduce Rita Plaskett CMM, CMP who will head up our Business Development team. Rita will serve as Vice President of Business Development. She brings over 30 years of meetings experience including past Chair, MPI Global Foundation and member of the MPI International Board of Directors. Rita, currently sits on an MPI International Committee. We welcome her vast network of Global Industry peers.

In addition, we welcome Yolanda Clark as Managing Director of Marketing and Community Engagement. Yolanda, is widely recognized for her many years of public relations experience, community engagement within the Greater Orlando area and a strong network of industry peers across the state and country.

For more information:
info@av-america.com
www.av-america.com


November 1, 2018
Tim Whalen Featured in The Meeting Professional

Tim Whalen, President-Elect, MPI Toronto Chapter, and Executive Meeting Manager, Fallsview Casino Resort, is featured in the November Meeting Professional. It's a great read and shows the benefits Tim has gained through his involvement in MPI.

http://www.themeetingprofessionaldigital.org/themeetingprofessional/november_2018/MobilePagedReplica.action?pm=2&folio=16#pg18



October 31, 2018
MPI Toronto Chapter Member Recognized by PCMA

This October, the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) revealed its “20 in their Twenties” class of 2019, honouring the business event community’s top young professionals.

Emily Dietrich, Manager of Business Events with the Niagara Parks Commission, was one of the industry trailblazers named among this year’s honourees.  Congratulations Emily.

Read more: https://www.corporatemeetingsnetwork.ca/2018/10/31/qa-emily-dietrich-pmcas-20-twenties-honouree/



October 26, 2018
Breakfast with Santa Foundation

The Breakfast with Santa Foundation hosted a Pirate themed Halloween fundraiser on Friday, November 26th. MPI Toronto Chapter was recognized for our 17 years of support! Tammy Bradley, Leslie Wright and Susan Prophet were happy to accept a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the Chapter.  A great night was had by all!  If you would like to learn more about MPI Toronto's official charity of choice, please visit https://breakfastwithsantafoundation.ca/

October 26, 2018
PSAV® ACQUIRES FMAV
 
PSAV, a global leader in event experiences, is pleased to announce the acquisition of FMAV, a leading audiovisual and live event production company in Canada. The transaction allows PSAV to continue building upon its purpose of Connecting and Inspiring People by expanding the breath of its capabilities, particularly in the live event production business in Canada. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

FMAV was founded more than 40 years ago and has won numerous industry awards, including multiple Canadian Special Events and ILEA awards. The FMAV team provides extensive creative production services for galas and special events, conferences and conventions, corporate meetings, outdoor events, and hotel venues. FMAV has a celebrated customer base throughout Canada’s major metropolitan areas who rely on the company’s services to engage their audiences.

The company, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of PSAV, will continue to operate under the well-known and highly respected FMAV brand name. FMAV CEO Bill Brown and his senior team will remain in place and continue to execute on their growth plans, now in partnership with PSAV.

For more information contact:
 
Bob Niersbach
 
Director, Communications
 
rniersbach@psav.com
 
(847) 385-3619
 

September 20, 2018

MPI Toronto started the year-long celebration for their 40th Anniversary at the Annual General Meeting and Volunteer Recogntion event at the WE Global Learning Centre today with photos from the past and videos from some of the Past Presidents highlighting achievements from their year.

As part of the Volunteer Recognition the 5-Star Recipients were recognized for their commitment, dedication, and passion. These eight recipients demonstrated that they were team players and made sure they were accountable for the work taken on within the committee. Congratulations to the following 5-Star Recipients:

Caitlin Burgess, CMP, Communications Committee
Brenda Carter, CMP, Leadershp Development Committee
Sanjeev Jadhav, Professional Development Committee
Kalinda Jessett, Holiday Gala Committee
Jen Moir, CMP, CMP Study Group Committee
Justine Moller, Awards Committee
Vincent Murphy, Membership Committee
Antonietta Tantalo, Global Meetings Industry Day Committee.

Also recognized was the 5-Star Education Award Recipient. This award is to recognize an individual member who demonstrated exceptional volunteerism to their MPI Toronto Community.

Congratulations to Sanjeev Jadhav, Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre.

MPI Toronto also recognizes those who have been members of the chapter for 5, 10, 15, 25, 30 and 40 years. The following members were in attendance at the Volunteer Recognition and received their pins:

5 Year
Caitlin Burgess, CMP, Canada Health Infoway
Patrick Kilvert, The Westin Hotel Ottawa
Mary Sistilli, JW Marriott The Rousseau Resort & Spa

10 Year
Cameal Soverall, CMP, CMM, Eventum

15 Year
Geoff Mak, CEM, CMP, Beanfield Centre

25 Year
Janet Victor, CMP, Eventives Conference & Event Management

30 Year
Lynne Gale, CMM, Tourism London
Leslie Wright, Fletcher Wright Associates Inc

40 Year
Duff Shaw, CMP, CITE

Happy 40th Anniverary Toronto Chapter!



August 14, 2018
Canadian Meetings and Events Expo unveiled IncentiveWorks rebrands with promise to be bigger, broader, more inclusive

Newcom Media unveiled plans for the Canadian Meetings and Events Expo today, building on years of success with the IncentiveWorks show.

“Now known as the Canadian Meetings and Events Expo, this event is re-establishing itself as the pre-eminent show of its kind – one attended by planners from across the country and around the world,” said Newcom Media president Joe Glionna. “Every August the Metro Toronto Convention Centre will be a destination not just for Canadian planners to meet and learn, but for planners from other countries to come and research what Canada has to offer the global meetings industry.”

“We have heard the voices of exhibitors, sponsors, and our customers, who say they are no longer interested in reaching planners through traditional media,” Glionna said. “They want excitement, they want sizzle, they want experience. We will deliver that.”

Newcom Media also announced plans to expand the annual Hall of Fame program.
 
“We believe the Hall of Fame program deserves a stage of its own, and that’s what we are going to create – a red carpet affair not to be missed,” Arnott said.

Next year’s event will take place August 13-14 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

For more information, contact:
Joe Glionna, President, Newcom Media 416-614-2200, joe@newcom.ca
Melissa Arnott, Director of Events, 416-510-5141, melissaa@newcom.ca
 
 
March 8, 2018
MPI Toronto Chapter Celebrates 2017 Awards Nominees and Recipients

On March 8, 2018, members and guests gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to celebrate our nominess and award recipients.

Nominees in all categories were:

Literary Award
Natalie Ciarallo, CMP - Free for All Marketing
Mariella Irivarren, CMP - BMO Financial Group
Diane Julien - The Really Fabulous Event Company
Arianna McLaughlin - Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Mentor of the Year
Carly Silberstein, DES, CED - Redstone Agency Inc
Cameal Soverall, CMP, CMM - Eventum
Shannon Valeriote ,CMP,CMM - Niagara Falls Business Events

New Member of the Year
Kalinda Jessett - Invesco
Delia Lapensee - Shaw Centre
Ryan Peddigrew - Quest Audio Visual
Antonietta Tantalo - TD Bank Group

Norm Neill Student of the Year
Amanda Banh - Humber College
Lindsey Slade - Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Outstanding Volunteer of the Year
Ioanna Antonopoulos - Groupe Antonopoulos
Sim Frayne - Newcom Media
Zaman Ishaad - Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts
Lynn Miedzik - Canada Health Infoway

Planner of the Year
Margaret Binns - Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association
Arianna McLaughlin - Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Christina Northcott, CMP - Canada Health Infoway

Supplier of the Year
Kris Knox - Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale
Erin Reid - White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa
Dan Wilson - FMAV

Being a nominee is a huge accomplishment and these members have made outstanding contributions to the event industry.

Awards were presented to the following:

Literary Award
Arianna McLaughlin - Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Mentor of the Year
Shannon Valeriote ,CMP,CMM - Niagara Falls Business Events and the Scotiabank Convention Centre

New Member of the Year
Ryan Peddigrew - Quest Audio Visual

Norm Neill Student of the Year
Amanda Banh - Humber College

Outstanding Volunteer of the Year
Zaman Ishaad - Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts

Supplier of the Year
Kris Knox - Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale

Planner of the Year
Margaret Binns - Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association

President's Award
Danny Dobriansky - AV CANADA