Another holiday season is far
behind us and the industry is back in the swing of things. Meeting
& event space in Toronto is booking up, and 2010 is headed in a
prosperous direction.
I am pleased to announce that ISES
Canada has launched a brand new website, which will help give
exposure to all Canadian chapters. Take a visit http://isescanada.com/
Best of luck in 2010 and I hope to
meet you at a future Chapter event!
Cheers,
Rachel Mangal
President
ISES Toronto Chapter
2009/2010
JANUARY
MEETING RECAP
Our Toronto Chapter kicked off the
new year at the newest performing arts centre in the 905 district.
Richmond Hill now boasts state-of-the-art, Richmond Hill Centre for
Performing Arts, a town owned venue offering incredible acoustics,
great event space at a value price.
Guests enjoyed a buffet dinner
while be serenaded by singer, Teresa Marchione.
Michael Grit, Theatre Manager spoke
to our guests about the struggles of having to cancel entertainment
contracts due to the Centre not being constructed in time. For over
90 acts, Michael had to renegotiate and reschedule to ensure they
had a full season of programming once the theatre officially opened.
MIchael shared a secret all booking agents don't want you to know -
once you tell them it's for a corporate or private party - the price
triples! The best way to avoid high prices is to let the agent know
you're shopping around and do it!
Michael has had the pleasure of
dealing with many celebrities and touched on some of the outrageous
riders he has seen. One trend that hasn't changed in the industry is
the fact that riders given at time of contract signing are rarely
accurate with revised ones arriving within days of the event.
This evening gave us enlightenment
into the entertainment industry.
Thank you to our Meeting Sponsors:
- Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts
- Teresa Marchione
- Now, That's Catering
It
was Easy in the Big Easy!- A Report on ISES International Activities
Gathering with the international
ISES Leaders presents rewards well beyond the cost of getting there!
The same held true this January at the leadership meetings in New
Orleans. Staying in the lovely Hilton Riverside, all of the
Committees of ISES had a chance to meet face-to -face to discuss
innovations and directions of ISES and its Affiliates over the next
few years.
Many fabulous initiatives are well
underway that will provide value-added opportunities for all ISES
members. Some of these initiatives include:
A streamlined ON-LINE application
form for the Esprit Awards thus eliminating the last minute flurry
of Binder assembly and shipping costs to beat the deadlines! Not
only is this a greener process for review of submissions, the
revised process provides a deadline of May 3, 2010 with a further
7-day extension for a small added fee! New categories have been
added so be sure to check out the ISES website for the details.
Eventworld will be held in the city
known for Polyester- Baltimore! ISES has negotiated a terrific rate
of $169.00 with free internet in each room at the Marriott
Waterfront. A new development will feature the ISES Lounge where
members can talk, meet and share through-out the conference. Please
remember the Leadership Meetings will be held in advance of the
Conference from Aug 4-6 featuring Leadership Meetings, followed with
the Education Conference scheduled August 7, 8, and 9, 2010.
Watch for travel details as the closest recommended Airport is
Washington, D.C. followed with a train ride into Baltimore! I'll be
there!
All of the committees of ISES had
things to report but a couple of items really stood out that pose
opportunities for all of our Members.
The ISES Pages found in each
publication of The Special Event magazine are being ramped up to
serve both Internal communications and External communications for
ISES. Our ISES Editors are looking for editorial submissions from
any member of ISES and are hoping to follow the overall Editorial
content outlined by The Special Event magazine. Be sure to check out
the overall content plan and send in your articles! This is a great
way to build your points for the CSEP designation!
As this term unfolds, watch for a
Survey coming from the Education Task Force. The goal is to learn
more about how 'we learn' so that our future education platform can
speak to generational changes in our society! I encourage all of you
to respond to that survey so ISES can customize its programming to
speak most effectively to you and your colleagues!
The international Marcom committee
has been busy as beavers re-tooling the information guidelines for
Chapter communications as well as, developing an exciting month-long
CSEP awareness campaign! We now have testing for the CSEP
designation in every one of our Canadian Chapter cities! If anyone
is interested to learn more about the CSEP, we have 8 Canadian
CSEP's posted up on our new ISES Canada website. I know each one
would be delighted to field any questions or knowledge needs our
members may have!
Without a doubt, ISES is working to
the betterment of our industry around the world. Your ISES Canada
board is actively working with each of our Chapters to enhance the
overall ISES Experience for each and every member across Canada! I
look forward to seeing you in Baltimore in August!
In the meantime, check out our
brand new WEBSITE just launched at www.isescanada.ca
Penni Holdham, CSEP
Chair, ISES Canada
2010
FREE HELP AVAILABLE
George Brown Event Planning
Students are gearing up for their upcoming externship placements for
the Winter 2010 and spots are still available for you to take a
student on. The students are very excited to have the opportunity to
work with some of you and in being partnered up with an industry
professional. Externship dates are:
Jan 11 to Feb 26, 2010 and
March 8 to April 23, 2010
If you are interested in taking on
a student please email a job description prior to November 1st to:
Daniel Vasquez
George Brown College
Centre for Hospitality & Culinary Arts
dvasquez@georgebrown.ca
EVENT
SHOWCASE
The 1st Annual
Event & Meeting Industry Children's Christmas Party
I was in my office contemplating
the upcoming Christmas / Holiday Party season and a light bulb went
on - I didn't have the option to take my own son to a Christmas
party. He was 5-months old when I conceived this idea, which I must
admit was 100% inspired by my son.
Many people with kids in the
industry are obviously self-employed or work for smaller companies,
but many are either single parents OR have a stay-at-home-spouse OR
work for an organization that doesn't have a Christmas or Holiday
Party. As a result, their kids have never, or will never, get to go
to a "work" Christmas party.
When I think back on Christmas as a
young child, I fondly (and vividly) remember the few parties I got
to go to at my Dad and Grandpa's work and they were truly the best
Christmas memories I have. It was settled - my child, and the child
(or niece/nephew or grandchild) of every other industry member,
would have a Christmas Party to call their own from hereon.
The next step was to actually
obtain sponsors that were willing to assist in the production of the
event. I didn't want my company, Eclectic Events International Inc.,
to make a profit at all on the event. Profit was the furthest thing
from my mind, and the point.
Atlantis Pavilions (Dynamic
Hospitality Group) were the first to come on board! Not only did
they donate the space, they came back with an incredible menu for
kids and adults at the incredible cost of $15.00 per person. Simply
put, the event would NOT have been possible without their support.
When I ran the concept by several
industry colleagues, I could not believe the speed with which they
all climbed on the bandwagon. The incredible support brought tears
to my eyes, and conviction to forge ahead with this now annual
event. The teamwork and sense of camaraderie among my colleagues has
never ceased to amaze me - there are so many kind hearts out there
and it is so nice to be on their team.
We tried very hard to gain the
support of industry associations, however it was against many of
their internal policies to promote the event to their members.
Thankfully, CEP Magazine and ISES Toronto came on board to promote
the event!
The 1st Annual Event & Meeting
Industry Children's Christmas Party was held on December 20, 2009
from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and was attended by over 100 guests.
The sponsors for the event were:
Atlantis Pavilions
Balloon Corporate Events
Designing Trendz
Distinctive Foto Imaging
George Kash
Hart Entertainment
Picasso Painters
Star Productions
Stardust
Taylor Made Music
The Dance Company
The event featured:
* Santa Visit & Photo *
* Gift for each registered child *
* Colouring, Craft and Cookie Station *
* Show & Music *
* Facepainting *
* Games / Amusements *
* Festive Décor *
* Healthy Buffet Lunch *
The menu featured an incredible
variety that was a delight for all tastes including salads, crudite,
assorted healthy wraps, pasta salad, hot dogs, cookies served with
assorted pitchers of pop, juice and hot coffee for the adults.
We wanted to price the event
reasonably; especially given the tough economic situation our
industry is experiencing. Children 0-2 years
were $15, children 2+ up were $30.00 each and adults were $15 each.
Where applicable, $15 went to the gift, and $15 went directly to the
lunch costs. Our mandate is to never turn away any child, regardless
of age - if you are 16 and you want to attend, you are welcome to
come!
I am excited to announce that the
2nd Annual Event & Meetings Industry Children's Christmas Party
is confirmed! The event will take place again at Atlantis Pavilions
at 955 Lakeshore Blvd West, Toronto on December 19, Sunday, 2010
from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Many of our sponsors have committed their
support and are returning for another incredible industry event.
Registration will open in March 2010 and will be conducted online at
http://www.eventindustrykids.com
Carolyn Luscombe, Eclectic
Events International Inc.
SHOWCASE YOUR
EVENT WITH ISES TORONTO
Don't miss out on a great
opportunity to showcase your event, venue or product!
If you are an ISES Toronto member,
please send a short blurb (who, what, where, when and why), photos
and your contact details to communications@isestoronto.com
by the 21st of each month to be included in the e-newsletter that is
sent to a very large target group.
STAY
UP TO DATE WITH ISES TORONTO
There are many different ways to stay up-to-date with what is going
on with ISES Toronto. You can visit our website, subscribe to our
newsletter, join our Facebook and Twitter pages:
ISES International Special Events
Society - Toronto Chapter
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7607457535
http://twitter.com/ISESToronto
http://isestoronto.com/
WANT TO SHOWCASE
YOUR COMPANY?
Do you want to showcase your venue, service, entertainment, company
at an upcoming meeting? Chapter Meeting Sponsors always welcome -
contact Kevin Coutu for information on how to get involved as a
Meeting Sponsor. programs@isestoronto.com
JOB
POSTINGS!
Please send us your job postings to promote on our website. ISES
Toronto has many talented individuals and this is a great way to
find a new addition to your team. Simply send your posting to info@isestoronto.com
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Mark your calendar for these exciting events and meetings...
Note: Dates/Topics subject to change.
February 24th - ISES Social - Watch
our website for more details!
March 24 - 26 - Canadian Special
Event & Meeting Expo 2010
The Canadian Special Events and Meeting Expo will take place this
year on March 24-26 at the Canadian National Exhibition. The trade
show portion will be on March 25.
Registration and info can be found at:
www.canadianspecialevents.com
April 15 - National Meetings
Industry Day Allstream Centre
Panel of Prosperity
May 18
Creating Buzz around Sports Events
June 15
Looking North - A Tour of Northern GTA Destinations
August
http://isesew.vtcus.com/EW2010/index.aspx
To find out more about these and
other upcoming events please visit: http://www.isestoronto.com/coming.html
