Education Sessions

Tuesday

8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

Hot Industry Trends
Presented by: Stephen Dempsey
Target audience: All planners and suppliers

There is an abundance of industry information available if you know where to look, but keeping up with the latest can be challenging. Attend this session and learn about the key research and hottest industry trends that are affecting your organization’s meetings and events.

Steve Dempsey is the publisher and editor of Meetings & Incentive Travel magazine and is also general manager, conferences and events for Rogers Business and Professional Publishing. With more than 15 years of industry experience and a degree in mathematics and statistics, Steve is a recognized expert in the meetings industry in Canada.

Social Media Marketing: Tips & Trends to Start a Conversation
Presented by: Kevin Durkee
Target audience: Social media novices

This educating and entertaining session will set the table for your understanding of social media what it is and what it isn't. Discover from a leading engagement agency, The Jetstar Group, what some of the biggest brands like Pepsi, Doritos and Sennheiser have done to secure success in this changing social space and how these examples can help meeting professionals.

Kevin Durkee, executive vice-president of JetStar will highlight some of the most successful social media campaigns from around the world, and many that missed the mark. Learn from what others have done right and who've made mistakes.

Take away insight, ideas and more than 20 tips for using social media in your business and perhaps what¹s more valuable the many things to avoid.

9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Event Budgeting and Forecasting 101
Presented by: Marsha Jones
Target audience: Junior/new meeting planners

Learn how to build an event budget from scratch and ensure hidden costs are accounted for upfront. Avoid post-event questions from your manager by learning how to forecast your revenues and costs. There are many details to keep track of and this session will give you a rock-solid system to keep you organized.

The Virtual Event Debate
Moderator: Chris Cummins, L(earn)2
Panel: Andrew Wilson, Vice-President, Sales & Distribution, Porter Airlines; Penni Holdham, CSEP, President, The Display Connection Inc.; and Gerry Letourneau, Field Sales Executive & Consultant, Citrix Online
Target audience: All planners and suppliers

Virtual events may have taken off in the U.S., but the Canadian meetings industry has been far more resistant. Are virtual events merely a fad or will new technology revolutionalize the meetings industry? Find out how these events work, when to use them and what they mean to the future of face-to-face events as our panelists weigh in on this hot topic from both sides of the debate.

8:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Brand Abuse: Why So Much Marketing Fails
Presented by: Ken Wong
Target audience: Intermediate/senior meeting planners

Everyone accepts the importance of marketing in achieving profitability, but there is a lot of disagreement over what “marketing” really means and when and how to use it. As a result, businesses routinely waste tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars each year on marketing programs that don't increase the bottom line. Ken will talk about how and why this happens and what you can do to get your biggest bang for the buck.

Ken Wong is an award-winning professor and one of Canada’s most frequently cited marketing authorities. He is 2006 inductee into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends and a partner in Level 5 Strategic Brand Consulting, which was named on Profit Magazine’s list of 100 fastest-growing firms. One of IncentiveWorks most popular speakers, Ken is an expert in marketing and business strategy and a columnist for Meetings & Incentive Travel, Marketing magazine, and The Globe & Mail.

The Executive Perspective
Moderator: Paul Williams, Rogers Publishing
Panelists: Kevin Press, Sun Life Financial and TBA
Target audience: Intermediate/senior meeting planners

How do senior executives value meetings and incentive travel? Attend this panel session to learn firsthand the executive perspective on what metrics are important, the return on investment, and their views on the value of face-to-face events. Learn what¹s important, and what¹s not, so you can convey why your events are important to your organization.

Engaging the Human Dimension
Presented by: Gayle Duncan and Alissa Hurley, Maritz Canada
Target audience: Intermediate/senior meeting planners

Your audiences need to be engaged in ways that will affect their perceptions, behaviours, and skills - well beyond the date of your event. How else will you achieve your business objectives? Attend this workshop and learn how to ensure your meetings and events provide connectivity, motivation and learning experiences that drive measurable change. You will become skilled in the principles of strategic event architecture and learn how to engage the human dimension of business including defining business objectives, understanding your audience, developing immersive audience experiences and delivering real human value.

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Keynote: Start With Why – Simon Sinek
Target audience: All planners and suppliers

Whether you are a meeting planner, a marketer or a leader, the most important question you can ask is “Why?” The problem is, most people don’t even know that “Why?” exists. Everyone knows what they do, and most know how they do it. But very few know why they do what they do. Do you want to inspire people to: Attend your events? Buy the products or services you’re selling? Work for your company or organization? Attend this session and learn about the power of asking “Why?”

About Simon

Simon Sinek is leading a movement to inspire people to do the things that inspire them. He writes, consults and speaks all over the world about the power of why – the purpose, cause or belief that drives every one of us. If everyone knew why they do what they do, and if everyone only did the things that inspired them, Sinek believes this world would be an amazing place.

His amazingly simple idea, ‘The Golden Circle,’ is grounded in the biology of human decision-making and is changing how leaders and companies think and act. His unconventional and innovative views on business and leadership have attracted international attention.

Wednesday

8:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Contract Clauses & Relationships Simplified
Presented by: Joe Nishi and Greg Genest, Meeting Encore Group
Target audience: All planners and suppliers

This workshop has two main components: clauses you need to know about and the importance of relationships in the contract process. The goal of this session is to learn how to negotiate fair contracts. Joined by special
guests: Glenn Bowie, Area Director of Sales and Marketing, Newcastle Hotels and Yola Marshall, Director of Sales & Marketing, InterContinental Toronto Centre, you'll hear their unique perspectives and have the opportunity to ask pertinent questions in an open forum.

Meeting Encore negotiates over 1,000 contracts every year for their client's meetings. With more than 40 years experience between them Greg & Joe are contract and industry experts.

Creating Value for Meetings
Presented by: Richard Flanagan, PhD
Target audience: All planners

Meetings are an investment. The primary purpose of a meeting or event is to improve business and personal results for all stakeholders. So how do you make meetings more productive events and demonstrate their value? The answer lies not in the act of having a meeting, but instead, in the process. Attend this session and learn Dr. Flanagan’s “pathway to results” model for creating value and delivering measurable results from your meetings and events.

Richard Flanagan, PhD, is the co-author of The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning: How to Turn Training and Development into Business Results. Dr. Flanagan’s career has focused on developing ways to help people and organizations change and improve. He has worked with and taught the Six Disciplines process to a wide range of Fortune 1000 companies. He is an adjunct professor at the Lerner College of Business and Economics and was previously senior vice-president of the Fort Hill Company.

Peer-to-Peer Roundtable Discussions
Presenters: Julian Kearney, Security Specialist, Hilton Toronto; Alice Parnis, Founder of Event Fusion Inc.; Jeniffer Bissett, Canadian corporate account director for Tourism Toronto; Trevor Lui, Director of Operations at International Centre; and Alissa Hurley, Director of Events, Maritz Canada Inc.
Target audience: All planners and suppliers

Back by popular demand. This session is comprised of five open roundtable discussions where attendees can actively learn from their peers. Attend up to three topic discussions as there will be three table rotations, each with a 30-minute discussion period. Each table will have an industry expert to help facilitate the discussion. Table pre-registration is not required; attend the session and join the conversation. The five table topics are: Unique venues in the GTA, Hybrid Events, Catering Ideas, Décor Tips and Security.

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Keynote: Can You Get to That One Spot? – Gary Vaynerchuk
Target audience: All planners and suppliers

parental advisory

Hailing from New Jersey, Gary’s presentation
style is intended for adult audiences only.
Be warned!

There is a level that everyone needs to get to, to really win. Most people are unable to dig deep enough because they worry how “big” that can be. Are you digging deep enough? Learn about personal branding and social media from the global guru. Attend this session and get inspired by Gary’s rambunctious style, energy, and passion.

About Gary

Known as the ‘Social Media Sommelier,’ Gary Vaynerchuk has become one of the most popular and best-known social media and personal branding experts out there. Gaining notoriety from the successful attempt to grow a family-owned wine business, Vaynerchuk utilized various online social media marketing techniques to draw impressive amounts of attention to the wine industry and his video blog, Wine Library TV. He has garnered praise from established web denizens and earned the admiration of countless bloggers and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Vaynerchuk’s unconventional marketing ideas have captured attention with his multi-faceted approach to personal branding and business. His unique views on social media, marketing, commerce, the wine industry, life, family and the New York Jets have captivated viewers all over the globe and are even more inspiring live.