It's ISES, not ISIS

I’m President-Elect for the Toronto chapter of ISES (International Special Events Society). When I first joined the company business in 2006, I wanted to get immersed as quickly as possible in the special events industry. I researched a number of affiliations and felt that ISES was the best fit for me. So, I went to my first meeting – a beer tasting and networking event (I mean what goes better together than beer & networking). It was at that meeting that the chapter was looking to fill a few positions in their new board for the next term. So I said, “What the heck, sign me up”. I’m what ISESites call a “fast tracker”. I entered the board as VP Programs. This basically meant that I had signed up for a 2nd full time job and was responsible for planning our monthly events. This position is a tough one – sure you have to plan events month after month on top of your full time job, but you also have to get most of your entertainment, venues, speakers, food, beverage, decor, transportation etc at no cost or significantly-reduced cost. This is the only way we can pass on reasonable meeting fees to our members. I’m really proud of what our chapter was able to achieve over the course of a year. We met or exceeded all of our chapter goals, we got people pumped and excited about our events and we created a fine-tuned team of board members who worked cohesively towards our mission.

This past June, I was nominated to be our chapter’s President-Elect. My goal is now three-fold: 1. To help the President achieve his plan for this year, 2. Start developing my plan for next year, and 3. Continue to advocate on behalf of ISES. The 3rd is very easy for me. ISES has given me fantastic networking opportunities – I have met world-class event professionals from all across the globe (Canada, US, UK, Australia, South Africa, Puerto Rico), I have been able to learn and grow my new career in this industry, and I’ve had pure & simple fun.

So, as an advocate of this brand, I thought I’d share with you a snapshot of some of the recent events we’ve held…I just hope they do the events justice.

I was delighted to invite dynamic (and handsome) Allen Brooks, Vice President of Olympic marketing for SportsMark Management Group down to Toronto from Vancouver to speak to our members about the marketing behind the Olympics – a very relevant topic given the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Food was provided by 2 fantastic caterers (Gourmet Cuisine and Jayne’s Gourmet Catering) and the venue, St. Andrew’s Club showcased the beautiful views of the Toronto skyline through the floor to ceiling glass windows on the 27th floor. Guests enjoyed an hour of cocktails and mingling while listing to an award-winning live piano player.