An Event-Full Month

My latest work assignment is with a unique volunteer organization within the provincial government. I am privileged to be the one full-time staff for Central Region. There are three other full time advisors, one each in the North, East and West. Although we are highly supportive of each other, we focus primarily on delivering within our regions and portfolios. Within each region, we work with volunteer colleagues who have demanding management positions and aren't always able to dedicate full attention as they work off the side of their desks on volunteer tasks. Each region has different challenges. In Central we have over half of the membership (3,000+) and easier access to senior executives.

The position is not solely focused on delivering events however this month alone I will be delivering five events to more than 800 people.

I'm learning so much about designing programs and agendas, working with volunteers, preparing presenters, managing technology and venues, promotion and marketing, managing attendance, evaluating results and outcomes, and coming up with ways to continue momentum once the events have finished.

So far this month, three events have been successfully completed with two more on the horizon. It has been extremely demanding and a wonderful learning opportunity. I've been able to grow not just my leadership and technical skills but have been able to work with rich and  extremely interesting content. Perhaps even more important are continuing lessons on how to restore and replenish energy and focus, and keeping things in perspective when they don't go necessarily as planned.

Moments Matter

The first was a milestone celebration for 100+ staff. These are held every year, and I was pleased the theme I proposed, "Moments Matter" would be adopted across the province. Rose Kennedy's quote had been on my mind and was shared at each of five events.

Dr. Elaine Dembe delivered the keynote address at all celebrations, and I thoroughly enjoyed her presentation about Passionate Longevity.

Unfortunately our chosen venue had challenges with their A/V system, which led to last minute scrambling in morning set up and again in the afternoon when we switched to the doctor's laptop. She held her composure while we both insisted staff try an alternate projector set-up. Thankfully we were able to proceed after the fuss. Although the speaker could have managed without the powerpoint, having the visuals there enriched the experience.

Mental Health Awareness

I was the main lead on this event and involved in every aspect, from designing the agenda to follow-up survey evaluations. As the months went on, I grew a team of leads and close to 50 volunteers to help with execution, and was thankful for every person who became involved.

We used technology to broadcast to 19 satellite locations and webcast the event, so in addition to the 120 in-person attendees, we had more than double participating at remote locations. Video  and presentations will be available online for the next year, extending reach even further.

The Chairs and I approached potential presenters and pitched the approach, getting input from senior executives as we finalized the agenda. It was very rewarding to curate content and flow for the full day. The topic was certainly a meaningful one, with the goal to raise awareness about mental health issues and the tools managers can use to build a culture of support and resilience. Most rewarding, evaluations now confirm we met our objective.

Careers in Operations

Two events - one in downtown Toronto and the other in Downsview, for 120 and 80 attendees respectively. Speed networking, ADM panels, a trade show element... Lots of fun, laughter and learning  - always a good combination!

Here I was part of the team to deliver and didn't need to take on the overall leadership of the events - a good thing, as the first event was held only days following the Mental Health Awareness conference.

When tickets went on sale for these events back in the summer, they sold out within days. The waitlists were as large as their capacity. Yet there were high rates of cancellation and an even higher percentage of no-shows, leaving several seats empty. There will be strategies in future to help ensure people who want to attend don't miss the opportunity.

Art of Leadership

This conference series is popular in Toronto, and working with the organizers I negotiated a deal for our members to receive a networking suite, seating at the event, and boxed lunches. The goal was for 100 to sign up and hear best selling authors, including Vice-President of the US Joe Biden, Amanda Lang, Welby Altidor, Dr. Tasha Eurich and Vince Molinaro. Now two weeks away we have revised our target to 80 and are currently at 63... more communications and marketing required. Who could resist such an inspiring line-up?