sitelines

Welcome to ‘sitelines’ your Site Canada Newsletter

… new segments, new contributors from across the country, and

beyond

In this edition

• Meet your 2010 President, Cathy O’Connor• Celebrating True Bravery:

AttheSiteWinterSocial

• AGM Happenings:WelcometoCanada,SiteGlobalPresident,SeanMahoneyplus,announcingtheSiteCanada‘VolunteeroftheYear’

• Update on the BEICC(BusinessEventsIndustryCoalitionofCanada)

• ‘Cross-Country Corner’…SiteCanadamemberEmilyEdwardsexperiencesthe2010OlympicsinVancouver/Whistler

• ‘Cape Town Challenge’…Readaboutanexcitingopportunityforyoutoattendthe2010SiteInternationalConferenceinCapeTown,SouthAfrica,December4-7,2010

‘sitelines’willbepublishedsixtimesayeartokeepyouinformedofwhat’shappeninginCanadaandaroundtheWorld,what’snew,upcomingevents,andlinkagestomembersandotherSiteGlobalChapters

Asthisfirsteditionisprepared,Canadaisexperiencingtheagonyandtheecstasyofsuccessesatthe2010WinterOlympics

President’s MessageWe’re on our way…

To another great year for Site Canada and…

To Cape Town, South Africa for the 2010 Site International Conference!

ThelaunchofourSiteCanadaCapeTownChallenge,atourrecentAGM,wasreceivedwithagreatdealofenthusiasm.Theprogramisdesignedtoassistourmemberswithfund-ingtoattendthe2010GlobalConferenceinCapeTown.SponsoronenewmemberandSiteCanadawillgiveyouarebateof$500towardsthecostofyourregistrationfee,flightandaccommodation.Twomembers-$1000,threemem-bers-$1500!Weencourageallourmembers,acrossCanada,totakeadvantageofthisopportunityandhelpuscarrytheChapteroftheYearbannerintotheGlobalConference.Forcompleteinformationontheprogram,pleasevisittheSiteCanadawebsite.

AttendeesatourAGMwerenotonlytreatedtoanoutstand-ingdinner(thankyou,NyoodRestaurant!),wewerealsoprivilegedtohaveSeanMahoney,PresidentSiteGlobal,withus.OnhisfirstinternationalChaptervisit,Seanbroughtusup-to-dateonSiteGlobal’splansfor2010,aswellasitsrecentachievements.

Plansarewellunderwayforournexttwoevents-achap-termeetingtakingplaceinMontrealontheeveningofWednesday,April7andNationalMeetingsIndustryDay,justaweeklater,onApril15.IfyouaregoingtobeinMontrealonthe7th,orknowofsomeoneinthecitywhowouldliketocome,allarewelcome,youdonotneedtobeamember.SimilarlywithNMID,everyoneiswelcome,eitherhereinTorontoattheAllstreamCentre,oratanyoftheotherNMIDmeetingsacrossCanada.Detailsofbotheventswillbeavailableonsitecanada.orgshortly.

Forasmallorganization,SiteCanadahasalotonthego-andwewouldloveyourhelp.You’llfindvolunteeringtobeanexceptionalwayofmakingconnectionswithyourfellowSitemembers,hereathome,aswellas,internationally.Ifyouareinterestedinjoiningoneofourcommittees,pleasecontactLizAkey,VicePresidentMembershipatliz@emamarketing.ca.

WearealwaysopentoideasandsuggestionsastohowSiteCanadacanbetterserveyou.Pleasefeelfreetoshareyourswithus.

sitelines March 2010

President’s AwardSiteCanada2009President,SusanProphet,inherwrap-uptoamemora-bleyearinwhichtheCanadaChapterreceivedtheSiteGlobal‘ChapteroftheYear’,decidedtosetuptheinaugural‘PresidentsAward’torecognizeout-standingcontributiontoSiteCanada.TheawardwaspresentedtoLeslieWrightofFletcher,WrightAssociatesforhertirelessworktosupporttheCanadaChapterthroughitsadministration,strategicdirectionandmeasuresforitssuccessthisyear.Verywelldeserved,Leslie.

Volunteer ChampionsItwasaveryexcitingeveningatourSiteAGMwhenwerec-ognizedandcongratulatedour2009VolunteerChampionnominees:

MoragDonald,CITE–IncentiveInsightJaneWallbridge–CarlsonMarketingCanadaSeanLandis–StarwoodHotels&ResortsHeatherDouglas–MaritzCanadaVladHaltigin,CITE–PDM(i)RichardElliott–IGNITEDeborahDavy–RadonicRodgersWendyMcKenzie–HospitalityConnectionPamGraham–CongressCanada

ThenomineeswerenominatedbytheirSitepeers.BallotformsweresenttotheSiteOfficeandwewouldliketosharesomeofthecommentsthatweremadeabouttheseamazingvolunteersontheballotforms.

A Superstar!• Outstandingteamplayerandgreatleadership• Jumpedinwithbothfeettohelpthecommittee,inadif-

ficultyear.Shedidmostofitoverherholidays!• Hasexemplifiedteamworkandcommitmenttoourcom-

mittee.Nodetailisoverlookedunderherdirection.• Hasgivengreatguidanceandleadershiptoourevent.

ThenomineesthencompletedaquestionnaireandeachwasreviewedbyaNominationReviewCommittee.Itwasaverydifficultdecision,andwecouldnotchooseone,anddecidedtoawardtwo 2009 Volunteer Champions!Morag Donald, CITE: Incentive Insight, and Vlad Haltigin, CITE: PDM(i).HereiswhatourwinnerssaidaboutwhatSitemeanstothem.

Morag Donald–“Siteisagroupofprofessionalsthatallhavedifferentbackgroundsandexperiencefromwhichtodraw.It’saneclecticgroupcomingtogetherforacommongoal-tofurtherthehospitalityandespe-ciallyincentiveaspectoftheindustryandhelpeachotherinthiseffort.”

Vlad Haltigin–“Aninvaluablesourceofeducation,anunparallelednetworkingvehicle,aforumthroughwhichtoshareideas.Sitemeetsdif-ferentneedsthroughoutyourcareer.Siteprovidesopportunitiesto‘giveback’throughvolunteerprojects,

mentoringothermembers,andbysharingknowledgegainedthroughyearsofexperience.”

Heartycongratulationstoyouboth!

Liz Akey, CMP, Vice President, Membership

AGM Happenings

Members MusingsWelcome new Site Canada Members

WewouldliketoextendaverywarmwelcometoournewestSitemembers.

• RebeccaAlexander–TourismLondon• JanetCuffie–BahamasTouristOffice• BarbaraDirnberger–TravelInformationNetwork• BarbaraFinn–LasVegasConventionandVisitors

Authority• JenniferGlynn–MarriottInternational• CatharineGracon–HotelLeGermain• JayneGray–MarcoSalesandIncentivesLtd

Mark Your Calendar… UpcomingSiteandindustryevents• April7…SiteCanadaMontrealEvent • April15…NationalMeetingsIndustryDay• May19…SiteCanadaChapterMeeting• July14…SiteCanadaSummerSocial • August16…SiteCanadaGolfTournament • September15…SiteCanadaChapterMeeting • October20…SiteCanadaEducationDay • November17…SiteCanadaChapterMeeting • December3-7…SiteInternationalConference • December15…SiteCanadaHolidaySocial

sitelines March 2010

BEICC - Business Events Industry Coalition of CanadaTheCoalitionwasformedtowardstheendof2009andfor-mallylaunchedinJanuary2010toactasaunifyingvoiceforthemyriadofbusinesseventsIndustrygroupsandassocia-tions.TheemphasisisonBusinessasacommondenominator,andalsoontheimportanceofpresentingastrongcollaborativeapproachtogovernment,industry,businessleadersandthegeneralpublic.Ouraimistobethego-tosourceforconsulta-tionwiththesebodies,toensureasolidenvironmentforoursectortogrowandtodeliverstrongfinancialreturnsforourmembergroups.AsaresulttheCanadianeconomyoverallwillbenefit.SiteCanadaisoneofninefar-sightedindustryassociationswhohavecometogetherastheFoundingMembersoftheCoalition.Thejointleadersofthesegroupshaveseentheneedtojointhedisparatevoicesoftheindustryforstrength,synergyandgreatereffect.EachFoundingMemberholdsaseatontheBEICCBoardofDirectors.Naturallythehopeisthatotherindustryassociationswilljoininthenearfuture,andthatotherpartnerswillcomeonboardwhetherfromthegreaterbusinessworld,advisorstotheindustryorfromofficialbodies.ThereisprovisionintheBylawsforadditionalmemberorgani-sationseatsontheBoardandalsoforindividualDirectorswhobringspecificexpertisetothetable.Inaddition,theCoalitionhasbeendesignedwithahigh-profileAdvisoryCouncilinmind(namesandsuggestionswelcomed).Itisanticipatedthatinadditiontoprovidingstrategicadvice,theseleaderswithintheBusinessEventsIndustryacrossthecountrymaycarryoutadualrolefromtimetotime(whenappropriate),representingBEICCatvariouspublicvenues,meetingwithseniorgovernmentofficials,etc.Weknowthatbecominganacceptedindustryvoicedoesnothappenovernight,butweanticipatebuildingsolidlythrough-out2010.TheBEICCBoardisholdingastrategicsessionattheendofFebruaryandisfinalisingaplanofaction(thathasalreadybegun)tomeetwithmemberassociationboardsandtheirmembers,withindustryandgeneralbusinessleadersandwithgovernmentrepresentatives,totellthemabouttheCoalitionandtofamiliarisethemwithprioritiesinoursector.ThelandmarkMPIEconomicImpactStudy(producedbyMPIFoundation,MaritzResearchandtheConferenceBoardofCanada),recentlyupdatedwith2008statistics,willbeavitaltooltodemonstratethevalueofourindustryasanintegralcomponentoftheCanadianeconomy.YourBoardmemberisyourSiteCanadaPresident,CathyO’ConnorwhowillbringnewsofBEICCworkbacktoyouandwillensureyourissuesofconcernareattheforefrontofBEICCplanning.Staytuned-wehavemuchworktodo!

Ruth Abrahamson, CMPExecutive Director BEICC

Celebrating True BraveryThiswasaveryspecialeveningforSitemembersattheSheratonCentreHotelinToronto.NotonlydidtheycelebratetheHolidaySeason,butimportantly,theymettwocancersur-vivors,Tobin,age10andAdam,age7.Betweenthetwoboys,theyhavebeenintreatmentforcancerformorethan10yearsoftheirlives.Memberslistenedtotheboys’stories,toldbytheboysandtheirparentsaswellasthroughtheirlongstringsofBraveryBeads.Eachbeadonthestringsrepresentsatreat-mentorprocedurethattheboyshadenduredintheirbattletoovercomecancer.BetweenthemTobinandAdamhadoveronethousandbeads!That’sright,theyhaveenduredover1,000medicaltreatmentsandprocedures…thatistrulycour-agepersonified.Theseyoungfellowsarejusttwoof10,000CanadianchildrenwhoarecurrentlyintreatmentforcanceracrossCanada.GenerousdonationsfromSiteCanadamem-bersweregeneratedattheeventtogiveeachofthefamiliesahelpinghandwiththemanyonerousexpensesassociatedwiththischallengingjourneyfortheirchild.TheChildhoodCancerFoundationhasbeenhelpingCanadianfamiliesintheirjourneysince1987.YoucanreadmoreabouttheworkoftheFoundationtofundresearchatthe17Canadianchildren’shospitalsthroughtheC17ResearchNetworkaswellassup-portfamilieswithavarietyofprograms.Dotakeamomentandlog-ontotheamazingworkdoneatwww.childhoodcancer.ca

L-RMomKaren,cancersurvivorTobin(wearinghislongstringsofBraverybeads);SusanProphetandCathyO’Connor

L-RSusanProphet:,MaryLye,DirectorofMarketingandCommunications,ChildhoodCancerFoundation;cancersurvivorAdam,DadDavid,andbrotherCole

sitelines March 2010

Cape Town ChallengeHelpSiteCanadareachits2010membershipgoal,andwe’llhelpyougettoCapeTownfortheSiteInternationalConference,December4-7,2010!

HOW: BetweenFebruary10andOctober1,2010:o Sponsoronenewmember–receivea$500rebateo Sponsortwonewmembers–receivea$1000rebateo Sponsorthreenewmembers–receiveda$1500rebate

WHY:o Makeglobalconnectionswithmembersfromchapters

aroundtheworldo Learnfromfocused,timelyeducationsessionso HaveanexperiencetorememberasCapeTownshowsus

thebestofwhatittoofferasanincentivedestinationo Carryour“ChapteroftheYear”bannerwithpride

CRITERIA:o Youmustbeamemberingoodstanding.o ThenewmembermustbeapprovedbySiteGlobalby

October1,2010.o Yournamemustbeonthenewmember’sapplicationform

assponsor(onesponsorpermember)andthenewmem-ber’sapplicationformmustbeaccompaniedbyyourletterofrecommendation.

o ProofofConferenceregistrationandattendanceattheconferenceisrequired.

o Receipts,fromthemember,forconferenceregistration,conferencehotelaccommodationandconferenceairfarearetheonlyeligiblereceiptstoqualifyfortherebate.

o Submita200-250wordarticleforSiteCanada’snewslet-tersharingyourexperienceattheGlobalConference.

Forfurtherinformation,contacttheSiteCanadaoffice:office@sitecanada.org,905-812-site(7483)

Cross Country CornerA note from the

West CoastVancouverandWhistler-inspiredbyOlympicspiritwhichhashadarippleeffectthroughoutCanadastartinghereontheWestCoast.FromtheinitialcountdownatBCPlacefortheOpeningCeremoniestothefirstGoldMedalonCanadiansoil,theenergyiselectrifyingandaddictive.Thepavilionsand“houses”areinfullswingwithlivemusicandentertainmentwhichcontinueswellintotheearlymornings.

Thereisnotmuchchanceofgettinglostandyoucanfindyourwayquicklyaroundthesiteswiththemanyhundredsofvol-unteerswhoarewellpositionedtohelpalllocalsandvisitorsalike.Thelineupsforsecurityarequickandeverythingseemswellthoughtoutandorganized,tominimizeanyinconve-niencesandtomaximizetheOlympicexperiencetoitsfullest.Wecertainlyarereadyineveryaspecttoexpectandlookfor-wardtoreceivingmanymoremedalsbeforetheshowisover.

WithallthenewOlympicvenuesandworld-widecoverageandrecognition,VancouverandWhistlerarecertainlyinatoppositiontoattractmeetingplannersfromaroundtheglobe.Thiscoveragenowgivesaclearpictureofwhatthisdestina-tioniscapableofdelivering–eveninthewinterwithourmildtemperatures.

WiththeOlympicspiritdrivingusforward,WEBELIEVE!

Checkbackafterthegamesforafollowupreport:“Expectationsversusreality”–whatdidwelearn.

GOCANADAGO!Emily Edwards