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Jesse Jones - Tuesday Keynote
Organization
The Jones & Jones Group - Marketing and Branding Entrepreneur
Session Title
Connecting Worlds: Building Experiences That Bridge Gaps and Facilitate Growth
Jesse Jones is a marketing and branding entrepreneur, event producer, media host and speaker, and is steadily becoming one of Canada’s go-to connectors and thought leaders contributing to the cultural awareness of Canadians. Known for his thought-provoking, inquisitive and approachable conversation style, Jesse gets to the heart of important conversations taking place across the country by creating a safe and non-judgmental way into the topics on the minds and hearts of Canadians.
Jesse’s pedigree in the marketing and branding world as head of The Jones & Jones Group, a company founded on and that continues to have a strong emphasis on, the sourcing, development and management of Black and multi-cultural experiences, and in helping companies understand and connect with Black and multi-cultural consumers.
In his role as host, Jesse hosted the first season (City TV 2021) of the hit TV show Bachelor in Paradise Canada (from the globally successful Bachelor franchise) and is the creator and host of The Drive which aired on Global for two seasons. Jesse also acts as co-host on ET Canada, having co-hosted the Black History special Forward with media and music personality Keshia Chante. The special has recently been nominated for a 2023 Canadian Screen Award.
Jesse has long honed his skillset in creating experiences that matter; by bringing together unexpected fusions and collaborations to expose people to new thoughts, initiatives or products, partnering with major brands like McDonald's, Google, Hyundai, Yale University, TD, Nestle and Coca-Cola to create moments in community that celebrate local, international talent and diversity. He is also ambassador to the national non-profit Culture Days; helping to get Canadians to experience cultural events right outside their door.
Driven by the desire to consistently uncover meaningful ways to connect with the world around him, Jesse’s curiosity and passion is brought to light in the way he engages with the audiences in front of and around him.
For more about Jesse: https://iamjessejones.com/
And more about Jones & Jones: https://www.thejonesandjonesgroup.com/
EMILIO OJEDA
Organization
Northumberland County and Northumberland Hispanic Cultural Club
Session Title
Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion in Events
Originally from Caracas – Venezuela, Emilio Ojeda graduated as a Business Administrator in College and University with Majors in Commercial Sciences and Business Management.
Moved to USA in 2000, navigated through the almost impossible US immigration world and decided to move with his family north to Toronto, Canada in 2007. He graduated as a Trained Chef in George Brown College and opened a small gelateria, creating his own job, like many newcomers. After living in Toronto for 4 years, he moved to Northumberland where he finally settled.
Emilio is the Settlement Services Coordinator for the County of Northumberland, a wonderful fit as an Immigrant and new Canadian and he is fluent in Spanish and English. He has been in charge of producing the Multicultural Day, Multicultural Festival the series of Northumberland Diversity Festival and Citizenship Ceremonies in conjunction with the IRCC.
Professionally, he was professor in several colleges and University in Caracas in the area of Administration. In Canada, Emilio had the opportunity to train people in ESL trough culinary experiences and Ontario Works recipients turning attention to culinary, food safety and opening a food business.
His passion for education directed him to hold the Trustee position for Township of Asphodel-Norwood, Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen and the Municipality of Trent Hills until November 2022.
In terms of community development, Emilio helped formed the Skills Advance Ontario advisory committee with the Community Training and Development Centre. He is on the municipality of Trent Hills Community Development Advisory Committee, the Housing Solution Lab with the Community Training & Development Centre with Ryerson University. In addition, the Housing Solution Lab with the Community Training & Development Centre with Ryerson University, as well as Chair of the 7 Hills Community Pantry, Chair of Trent Hills Pride and Events Director of the board of the Northumberland Hispanic Cultural Club, where he has produced 5 Heritage months with a variety of events, including the writing of grants to secure funding from the federal government. More recently, Emilio is joined the board of the Regional Tourism Organization 8 Kawarthas Northumberland (RTO8).
In 2021, Emilio completed the Diversity and inclusion Foundations Certificate with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion which is an ongoing training.
Peter Ashwin
Organization
Event Risk Management Solutions
Session Title
Risk Management
Peter Ashwin is the principal and founder of Event Risk Management Solutions (ERMS), a consulting practice committed to enabling event organizers, host cities and public safety authorities to meet the challenges of delivering safe and secure events in today’s uncertain and complex world. Peter’s professional career has spanned 35 years including 15 years’ miliary service (command appointments within Special Forces) and as a major event security professional. He has consulted to and/or led multi-national teams in ten countries including six Olympic Games (2000 – 2012), 2015 Cricket World Cup (Australia/NZ), the 2015 Baku European Games (Azerbaijan), Lake Placid 2023 World University Winter Games and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Additionally, Peter has conducted event security and resilience reviews for some of the most iconic festivals, events and venues across the USA and Canada.
Peter actively contributes to the private security sector and events industry through his commitment as a lecturer/instructor at the IFEA / NRPA Event Management School (2015 – present), the IAVM Academy of Venue Safety & Security (2017 – present) and previously, a Director on the IFEA World Board (2016-2020). As a practitioner-academic, Peter is a published author and his most recent academic contribution is his MSc dissertation ‘Mitigating Lone Actor Terrorist Threats to Events in the United States: Risk Informed Counter-Terrorist Strategies for Event Organizers’ awarded the ‘Best Dissertation’ by Criminology Examination Board, University of Leicester (July 2022). Peter continues to research and focus on cost effective, counterterrorism strategies to mitigate lone actor and terrorist threats to events and festivals. As a global citizen, Peter is based out of Montreal, Quebec but also happens to call Boise, Idaho and Australia ‘home’.
EMILY VAN STRATEN
Organization
Think HR Inc.
Session Title
Recruiting and Retaining the Best Volunteers for Your Event
Emily van Straten is the owner and HR consultant behind Think HR, a human resources & career consulting firm. Emily is known for challenging the status quo, putting the human back into human resources, assisting small businesses with their HR needs and helping individuals realize their potential and find a career that allows them to live the life of their dreams. Emily is relatable, adaptable, and ready to take on any challenge that comes her way.
LISA LA ROCCA
Organization
Supercrawl Productions / Riverfest Elora
Session Title
Festival Townhall
Director of Operations at Hamilton independent record label Sonic Unyon Records and Supercrawl Productions, a multi-arts festival with an annual attendance of over 275,000 guests. Lisa serves as a board member of the Hamilton-Halton-Brant Regional Tourism Association, the Downtown Hamilton BIA, and is a member of the Hamilton Arts Advisory Commission, and Hamilton’s Music Advisory Team. She is also a part-time PhD student in the Communication and Culture program at York University.
SPENCER SHEWEN
Organization
Supercrawl Productions / Riverfest Elora
Session Title
Festival Townhall
Since 2014, as Executive & Artistic Director at Riverfest Elora, Spencer has played an integral role in guiding the festival through a period of rapid growth. Over this time, Riverfest Elora went from just 1000 patrons in 2013, to over 18,000 attendees and over 500 volunteers in 2022. Riverfest 2023, the 13th edition of the festival takes place August 18-20 in Bissell Park, Elora, ON. Riverfest also presents many shows throughout the year, bringing local, national and international touring artists to the region.
Outside of Riverfest Elora, Spencer also holds positions as the Live Music Coordinator for the Elora Brewing Company, the Entertainment and Volunteer Coordinator for the Canadian Dairy XPO (Stratford) and sits on the Board of Directors for the River and Sky Festival (Sudbury) and the Elora Centre for the Arts.
Previously, he was employed at the Township of Centre Wellington as the “Community Development, Culture & Special Events Coordinator” (2019-2022) and held seats on the Board Of Directors for the Halifax Pop Explosion, the Hillside Festival (2007 – 2012) and CFRU 93.3FM (2010, 2011), worked as Artistic Director and Event Manager for Waterstock (2017) and 100 Mile Riot (2012, 2013), curated and managed the Fortnight Music Series (2007 to 2016), acted as label manager for SunnyLane Records (2005 – 2008), Alcohol Services Coordinator at the Guelph Jazz Festival (2011-2013), Event Manager for the Cornerstone Cafe (2011 – 2013) and Talent Buyer and Event Manager for The Albion Hotel (2007-2011).
KAREN PARKER
Organization
City of Quinte West
Session Title
Pop-ups: An Economic, Tourism, and Event Opportunity!
Karen is the driving force behind the Quinte West Pop-ups. Her initiative to bring the Pop-ups project to the City of Quinte West has been instrumental in the growth of the city's Events and Economic Development & Tourism.
Karen has a passion for working with small business owners and has been instrumental in helping business owners take the next steps with their businesses.
With a background in Public Relations, she brings over 14 years of experience to the industry.
ROCHELLE BOX
Organization
City of Quinte West
Session Title
Pop-ups: An Economic, Tourism, and Event Opportunity!
Rochelle is an experienced communications professional who currently works in municipal communications for the City of Quinte West.
She is a strong proponent of combining research-based strategies with new and innovative trends to build trust, increase engagement and best communicate with any audience.
Prior to working in municipal communications, Rochelle worked for the federal government and in the nonprofit sector. Rochelle holds a Bachelor of Arts with a Specialization in Communication from the University of Ottawa.
KATHLEEN DOUGLASS
Organization
Carabram
Session Title
Governance: Love it? Hate it? Need it!
The Principal of Douglass Leadership Group, a company that offers training and development opportunities for not-for-profit, sports and recreation, culture, health care, social services, and volunteer-based organizations to improve their staff-volunteer relations, enhance board governance skills, develop strategic plans and strengthen volunteer programs through workshops and consulting. As a long-time volunteer and now Special Advisor with Carabram (Brampton's Multi-cultural festival) I bring +35 years of voluntary sector leadership working at both the field and management levels with formal education in the not-for-profit field.
ROBBIE ICHELSON
Organization
canaPHEM
Session Title
Planning For The Unthinkable: Emergency Medical Response at Festivals/Events
The CEO of canaPHEM which is a Whitby, ON based health and safety company specializing in providing paramedics for special events. Robbie is a passionate advanced care paramedic, researcher and educator with almost 3 decades of experience. A graduate of the Ambulance and Emergency Care program at Humber College, the Advanced Care Paramedic Program from Centennial College and holds a Bachelor of Allied Health Science Honours Program from The University of Ontario Institute of Technology. During his career Robbie has practiced clinical paramedicine in urban, suburban, and rural environments giving him a unique understanding of the challenges faced by prehospital providers across many spectrums.
REBECCA COTTER
Organization
City of Quinte West
Session Title
Crowd Counting: Attendance Calculation Methods at Open-Access Events
Rebecca is an experienced municipal festival and event professional, arts and culture project manager, communications manager, and post-secondary educator. Currently, Rebecca is the Manager of Communications and Community Engagement with the City of Quinte West where she leads a number of teams focused on delivering a wide variety of communications, marketing, community events, cultural development, and civic engagement initiatives.
Rebecca's in-field experience includes the production and delivery of large-scale concerts, parades, cultural festivals and community events in both the public and private sectors; and her event strategy experience also includes developing frameworks and systems for streamlining community access to civic spaces and developing operational and administrative supports for community-led festivals and cultural events. Rebecca is an Executive Member on the Network of Municipal Event Planners (NMEP) where she authored the provincial publication Ontario Municipal Return to Events Guide – Strategies and considerations for COVID-era community events, a resource that offers perspectives on and methods for navigating post-pandemic event recovery.
As a leader in these spaces, Rebecca is an advocate for the role of community and cultural events in propelling tourism, investing in economies, creating places, animating spaces, championing identity, and instilling pride. Rebecca's industry leadership and experience is also the foundation of her academic work in event curriculum consultancy with Algonquin College (ON) for their newly launched Bachelor of Arts - Sports and Event Management degree program, and post-secondary course instruction in the Arts and Cultural Management program at MacEwan University (AB).
In 2015, Rebecca graduated with a Masters of Tourism Management degree from Royal Roads University (BC) where her graduate thesis examined: A Practical Exploration of Total Attendance Calculation Methods at Open-access, Un-ticketed Events. Since graduating, Rebecca has presented her research findings through workshops, seminars and publications aimed at providing event organizers with practical methods to generate defendable attendance numbers and calculate the total attendance of any open-access, ungated event.
BRANDY HENDERSON
Organization
Ownera Media
Session Titles
Session 1 - Sponsorship
Session 2 - Unleash The Power of the Festivals and Events Ontario Website
As a founder and Executive Vice President of Ownera, Brandy brings over 20 years of exceptional experience in global launches and operational execution. Brandy’s corporate experience applying certified lean six sigma methodologies to all projects is key to ensuring optimized execution and leveraged analytics for Ownera clients. Brandy’s leadership provides team members with accountability that drive results in every execution.
Ownera Media is a subsidiary of Ownera Group Inc., a proud Canadian corporation located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Ownera is a platform of marketing, publishing, and tech agency expertise that create and execute optimum market campaigns for businesses of all size, scope, and budget.
It is the belief of the team that every business should have access to appropriate and trusted market expertise, from conceptualization to all the various stages of growth.
Established in 2017, Ownera works with public, private, and non-profit companies from multiple industries and sectors; and government agencies in Canada and abroad. Ownera markets throughout Canada, USA, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia with continued focus on quality execution, productivity, and expand upon market shares and profitability, leveraging the heightened power of digital marketing, branded content, emerging event capacities, technological sophistication of digital-out-of-home, and the undying and fierce gravity of print.
Joyce Morocco
Organization
Destination Niagara Falls
Session Title
Sponsorship
President of Destination Niagara Falls, Joyce is a lifelong resident of Niagara, a successful business owner and a certified event professional with over 20 years of experience in the travel and tourism sector. Joyce has partnered with various levels of government in Canada and has accompanied the Canadian Tourism Commission on sales and marketing initiatives to the US, China, and India.
Established in 2009, Destination Niagara Falls is a regional online tourism platform representing one of the world’s most recognizable and iconic destinations. Its strategic value proposition includes showcasing all twelve vibrant and expansive municipalities throughout the Niagara region. Destination Niagara Falls works collaboratively with multi-segment tourism operators and service providers, promoting unique experiences, longer stays, and repeat visits to the region.
Committed to giving back to and supporting the community, Joyce has served more than twelve years as an elected public official and is currently a Niagara Regional Councillor, representing the City of Niagara Falls.
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Garlene Kubisheskie
Organization
Destination Ontario
Session Title
Sponsorship
Garlene has more than 30 years of experience working in the tourism sector. She is currently one of the Managers of Ontario Travel Information Services with Destination Ontario which encompasses Ontario Travel Information Centres, 1-800-ONTARIO toll-free tourism line, virtual (video) travel counselling service, consumer email and roaming/mobile travel information services at major attractions and events. Garlene is passionate about a visitor-first focus on customer experience and enjoys connecting with tourism partners to support and promote all the amazing products and experiences Ontario has to offer.
Garlene enjoys travel, food and wine and lives in the Niagara Region with her family.
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Dave Drewery
Organization
Work-Learn Institute
Session Title
Beyond the Classroom Connecting Students and Events
Dr. David Drewery is the Associate Director of the Work-Learn Institute, the world’s only research and education centre dedicated to exploring the development of talent through quality work-integrated learning (WIL) programs. His research focuses on how participation in WIL contributes to desirable outcomes for students/graduates and employers. David is also an associate editor of the International Journal for Work-Integrated Learning. He holds a doctorate in Recreation and Leisure Studies from the University of Waterloo.
Luke Potwarka
Organization
University of Waterloo
Session Title
Beyond the Classroom Connecting Students and Events
Dr. Luke Potwarka is an Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and the University of Waterloo. Luke teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in event management and marketing. Luke’s research interests focus on consumer behaviour related to sport events. It addresses the overarching question: under what conditions do sport events have positive impacts for individuals and organizations in host communities? His research draws from diverse disciplinary perspectives (e.g., social psychology, geography) and methodological approaches. The knowledge generated from Luke’s work is aimed to improve event management practices in ways that maximize participation and economic-related impacts that can result from hosting elite-sport events. To this end, his research falls within two broad themes: (i) Exploring the role of elite-sport events in the promotion of physical activity and sport participation; and (ii) exploring commercial and tourism-related responses to elite sport events.
Katie Ivancic
Organization
Undergraduate Student - University of Waterloo
Session Title
Beyond the Classroom Connecting Students and Events
Katie Ivancic is a 4th-year student at the University of Waterloo majoring in Recreation & Sports Business. She is currently completing her final academic term before graduating and starting a full-time role. During Katie's degree, she has had the opportunity to be a part of the co-op program where she completed various work terms for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Golf Canada and Scotiabank. Her background is specialized in client/fan interactions, premium event hospitality and human resources. In addition to her co-ops, she worked on a practicum placement and a research project. Outside of work and school, you can find Katie volunteering as a soccer coach to support young girls staying within competitive sports, baking cookies and training for her next triathlon.
Ross DiFranco
Organization
Audacy
Session Title
Border City Marketing
Ross has worked in media and digital sales since 1994. He has always taken a client-focused approach with his customers and is a two-time graduate of CSS (the Center for Sales Strategy). He believes in crafting a customized solution based on specific client needs, challenges and goals. When not training his team and helping to direct marketing solutions for his clients, Ross enjoys spending time hiking and biking with his wife of 25 years, spending time with his three sons, golfing and road biking, and spending time at his family retreat in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec.
Amanda Harrington
Organization
Audacy
Session Title
Border City Marketing
Amanda's career in digital marketing and analytics surpasses 18 years with 6 of those being based with Audacy Buffalo (formerly Entercom) providing and supporting marketing strategies and activation to ensure efficient and effective campaigns. . Outside her day to day Amanda, is a mom and wife that ensures almost every weekend is spent exploring local and regional activities with her kids whether that is a hike through a park or enjoying one of the many wonderful attractions on their bucket list.
Nicholas Picholas
Organization
Audacy
Session Title
Border City Marketing
NICHOLAS PICHOLAS is a morning show radio host on Kiss 98.5 with Janet Snyder. While living with his wife and three children in Lewiston, Nicholas is active as a feature DJ and host at events and clubs in the area and serves as the in-game DJ at all Buffalo Bills home games. Previous work includes CFNY, Energy Fm, CFMU and host of Video & Arcade Top Ten on YTV. Having US and Canadian citizenship, Nicholas has extensive experience in both the GTA and Western New York.
Sharon Metz
Organization
Audacy
Session Title
Border City Marketing
Sharon has specialized in cross-border marketing activations her entire career. An American citizen, but a loyal Ambassador to Canada. A graduate of CSS (the Center for Sales Strategy) in Tampa, Florida. Sharon has always taken a client-focused approach with her customers resulting in loyal partnerships. She has successfully incorporated her long-term radio expertise with todays cutting edge digital tactics. Sharon continues to evolve her passions for the wine, culinary & music industries into a vibrant lifestyle career at Audacy.
John Kiru
Organization
Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas
Session Title
Panel Discussion Strategic Planning
John Kiru has over 40 years of experience specializing in local business improvement, event planning and planning for municipalities.
For the past 23 years, John has managed as its ED the day-to-day operation of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA). TABIA is an umbrella organization representing Toronto’s 85 Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), with more than 90,000 main street retailers, professionals, landowners, and occupants who employ some 600,000 full and part time employees.
His years of experience with BIAs and Local small business in a municipal agency environment has provided the foundation of an ever evolving role in Public Relations, Community Engagement and Event Management. It is thru these years of public engagement and listening which resulted in John being the founder of Digital Main Street.
He has also successfully completed many projects since 1985 as the sole proprietor of John J. Kiru and Associates, Planning and Economic Development Consultants. These include by-law and operating guidelines for the municipal councils, a panel member for Mayor Bloomberg’s New York city small business review and BID enhancement. He has taken the BIA concept worldwide sharing the benefits of small businesses helping themselves and the communities they serve with this ultimate private public partnerships.
Provincially John served as a member of Minister of Labour, Vulnerable Worker Task Group. Most recently Mr. Kiru spent 5 years (2016 -2021) as elected President and Chair of the Board of the Canadian National Exhibition Association (CNEA) a 147-year-old institution that annually draws some 1.6 million visitors.
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Delores MacAdam
Organization
City of Ottawa
Session Title
Panel Discussion Strategic Planning
Delores MacAdam is a leader of the City of Ottawa Management Team. Her experience with Special Events, Marketing / Communications and government relations has provided her 40 years’ experience in community planning and development at the municipal and provincial level. Her work and passion involved engaging and developing economic & cultural richness across the City of Ottawa through civic engagement, policy standardization, and leadership/resource alignment. As former President of Festival and Events Ontario (FEO), Delores has worked closely with event leaders across North America with a goal promoting the value of event space and events to government leaders, designing educational programs for members to enhance their ability of creating an experience for event goers that is second to none on all levels. A key board member and educator with the International Festival and Event Association (IFEA) that includes teaching and mentoring students from around the globe at the Executive Event Management School in West Virginia annually for the past 11 years. Algonquin College Education Committee member for the newly developed BBA Honors Degree in Entertainment, Sport and International Event Management (Ottawa, Ontario).
Delores managed the Corporate Volunteer program with a membership of approximately 4000 volunteers engaged in various City of Ottawa programs. In addition, has managed many volunteer groups and governance committees for events such as the Winterlude Festival, World Junior Hockey, the 2012 Juno Awards, 2009 & 2010 Royal Visits, FIFA 2015, 2017 Mayor’s Task Force and the annual Canada Day celebration within 21 district Wards across Ottawa. Delores is also Chair of Stewart Park Music Festival. This is a three-day free music festival in Perth, Ontario that attracts 20,000 plus over a weekend. Her work and passion involve engaging and developing economic & cultural richness across North America through civic engagement, policy standardization, and leadership/resource alignment.
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Rob Marois
Organization
Perth BIA and FEO Board Member
Session Title
Panel Discussion Strategic Planning
Rob Marois is originally from Sudbury but has resided in towns all across Ontario as well as in Canada’s Arctic. He is currently living on his farm in McDonald’s Corners in Lanark County, Ontario and works in Ottawa as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.
During his 29 year military career, he has deployed on multiple international and domestic operations, leading multifunctional teams in places like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Afghanistan as well as combatting floods and other natural disasters in Canada. A strategic planner, he has led teams of military and other governmental department teams in support of a variety of DND and CAF initiatives, to include the Director of Plans for the Canadian Army and the Director of the Canadian Armed Forces Grievance System.
Rob is a Director on the Downtown Heritage Perth Business Improvement Area and is a past chair of the Promotions Committee. He is currently a member of the BIA’s Communication and Policy Committee and the Stewart Park Festival Committee as the Sponsorship and Donation Coordinator. Rob also volunteers as a Veteran Mentor with the Prince’s Trust Canada, assisting serving and retired military members who seek to become entrepreneurs.
A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, with a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Defence Studies, he is currently enrolled in the Local Economic Development certificate program at Toronto Metropolitan University.
A small business owner, he has run his small farm for the past 9 years and is a partner in his wife’s luxury millinery business which she has owned and operated in Perth, ON since March 2020.
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Frank Miele
Organization
University of Waterloo
Session Title
Panel Discussion Strategic Planning
Frank Miele holds an undergraduate degree in Urban Planning and Masters Degree in Local Economic Development from the University of Waterloo, and has held senior leadership positions in municipal government over 40 years.
Frank began his municipal career as a planner with the City of Niagara Falls and has held progressively senior positions with the Cities of Scarborough, Vaughan, and currently in Grimsby and served as Chief Administrative Officer for three small rural Ontario towns.
Along his career path, Frank has been an active contributor to broader municipal initiatives, at the regional, provincial, and national levels, in order to stay current and to ensure that his municipality is exposed to new and better practices. Frank is a credentialed municipal manager through the Ontario Municipal Management Institute.
Among his many accomplishments in municipal planning and administration, Frank has been an active voice on several inter-municipal boards and associations. He was recognized by the Economic Developers’ Association of Ontario with the prestigious Economic Development Achievement Award, and the International Economic Development Council education award for his contribution to the profession. He was also the President of the Ontario Municipal Management Institute.
For numerous years, Frank was a driving force behind the innovative city branding campaign to position Vaughan as the “City Above Toronto”. As the Chair of the marketing board, consisting of community leaders from all sectors, Frank mobilized their support to implement one of Canada’s best image marketing program, this group was successful in achieving recognition for Vaughan as one of the Top 10 best Communities in which to do business. Frank also created Meaford’s brand called Meaford –“the other big apple”.
Frank also teaches Economic Development at York University’s School of Public Policy and Administration and at the Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning. His textbook is entitled “Local Economic Development: An Introspective on Theory and Practice”.
Frank has a proven track record in creative partnerships and innovative problem solving. What has impressed communities is his unique public engagement approach, strategic thinking process, partnerships and capacity building. He brings tested skills and a fresh perspective to a community.
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Rohit Mehta
Organization
DoGood Fundraising
Session Title
Effective Grant Writing For Festival and Event Organizers
Rohit is the Founder and Lead Consultant of DoGood Fundraising. A University of Toronto graduate, Rohit has been active in the non-profit sector for 18 years.
He was appointed to a five-year term with the Grant Review Team of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and served a two-year term with the Grant Review Committee of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ Youth Opportunities Fund. Rohit reviewed and assessed over 300 grant applications and distributed over $60 Million in funding to community-based non-profits, charities, and grassroots groups.
Rohit has an extensive background in grant writing, prospect research, program development, and evaluation. He is a critical thinker who challenges the status quo and believes that the charitable sector has the power to transform society and create a better world. Rohit resides in Mississauga, Ontario.
Trevor Hyland
Organization
City of Toronto
Session Title
Who's Who in the Zoo - Emergency Managing Your Special Event
Trevor has worked for the City of Toronto for nine years, and currently works within the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) – Operations and Logistics Section, leading the Special Events portfolio focused on the integration of emergency management into special event planning and operational response. As part of other duties within OEM, Trevor plans for and responds to incidents and emergencies within the City and is part of the Incident Management Team (IMT). Previous to OEM, Trevor worked within the City Cultural Events, Production Unit leading various production management projects including: PANAMANIA, Invictus Games, Canada 150 Celebrations, Canada Day, Nuit Blanche, Cavalcade of Lights and New Year's Eve celebrations.
Trevor is a leader within the Canadian events industry with more than 25 years' experience in various production management, concert touring and emergency management roles. Prior to working for the City, he was Vice President of Operations for Clair Canada (a division of Clair Global). He was also the lead account manager and site supervisor for many of their signature accounts including; Opening, Closing and Paralympic Opening of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, Grey Cup Halftime Celebrations, NHL Heritage Classic, Canada Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Trevor has recently become an Incident Management System (IMS) Level 200 Instructor, and lectures on the integration of emergency management principles and establishing command and control systems within the event industry to other municipalities and private organizers around Canada.
Outside of work, Trevor is a volunteer police officer within the Toronto Police Service of 10 years, and father of two.
Mark Phair
Organization
City of Toronto
Session Title
Who's Who in the Zoo - Emergency Managing Your Special Event
Mark Phair joined the City of Toronto, Office Of Emergency Management, in February 2022. He is currently assigned as a coordinator and is the lead for the Incident Management Team Program and the Emergency Management Training portfolio under the Operations Section. Mark is a provincially accredited Incident Management System (IMS) level 300 instructor and sits on several IMS steering committees.
Previous to joining the OEM, Mark was a Police Officer with the City of Toronto, retiring in 2022 after 31 years of Service. Marks policing background includes major crime investigations, youth crime, drug and gang enforcement, community policing, recruit training. Mark was promoted to Sergeant in 2007 and spend the last 15 years assigned to the Emergency Management and Public Order Unit where he fulfilled the duties of Training Sergeant and Planning Sergeant. Mark was assigned to many high level events over this time, assigned to various positions including the Executive Officer to the Incident Commander on many occasions.
Mark lives in Uxbridge Ontario with his wife and 3 children.
Debbie Bramer
Organization
Winona Peach Festival
Session Title
Crowd Counting: Attendance Calculation Methods at Open-Access Events
Debbie has been involved in community events and festivals for over 35 years in many different capacities. She has recently retired from her career in the manufacturing sector, from an IT position where she specialized in training, manual and statistical database creation. Debbie is passionate about communications, marketing and community events that is rooted in data collection. For over 30 years Debbie has focused on working in Sponsorship, Advertising, Grants and Media for the Winona Peach Festival. All these portfolios require the ability to research and analyze data to understand trends, look for innovative tourism ideas, apply for grants and attain sponsorship. To write an effective grant it is important to have total attendance numbers that are accurate. Calculating attendance numbers at an ungated and free event can be challenging. The methods from Rebecca Cotter’s presentation has enabled Debbie to be able to calculate the attendance at the Winona Peach Festival with greater accuracy.
Scott La Croix
Organization
HCC Specialty Underwriters Ltd.
Session Title
Protecting Your Event: An introduction to Event Cancellation and Weather Insurance
Scott La Croix is Vice President, Head of Operations Canada for HCC Specialty Underwriters, Ltd., a Managing General Agent, and a member of the Tokio Marine HCC group of Companies.
Mr. La Croix has been in the insurance industry since 1998 as a Contingency Underwriter. Mr. La Croix over his 25 year career has extensive international experience underwriting contingency risk for Lloyds of London and more recently for Tokio Marine Canada. Mr. La Croix utilizes this experience to assist with tailoring insurance solutions that meet his broker clients unique needs.
Mr. La Croix resides in Winnipeg with his wife and three children. Mr. La Croix is a graduate of the University of Manitoba. He majored in Criminology with a double minor in Economics and Native Studies. Mr. La Croix holds dual General and Accident and Sickness licenses in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island , New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and an Accident & Sickness license in Quebec.
Mr. La Croix served two years on the Board of Directors for the North American Contingency Association one of which as President.
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