Schedule

WEDNESDAY - March 4

8:30am - 5:00pm

FEO 2014 Economic Impact Recipient Training - Strategy Room 1 - 5th Level

Full-Day Closed Course

Bernie Colterman, Managing Partner - Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (Ottawa)

Brent Barootes, Founding Partner - Sponsorship Specialist - Partnership Group (Calgary)

Join two Canadian training experts in the areas of “sponsorship” and “marketing” strategies. Brent Barootes and Bernie Colterman are nationally recognized as leaders in their respective fields of education and work with a wide range of clients across Canada on their marketing and revenue initiatives. They also annually stage their own Conferences in Calgary and Ottawa (respectively). Both Brent and Bernie take a "no nonsense" approach and offer practical advice that can be immediately applied when you get back to the office. Includes continental breakfast (8:15am - 9:00am), lunch (12:00pm - 1:00pm) and morning & afternoon coffee/tea breaks.

HOT

9:00am - 4:00pm

Feast ON - How to leverage local food and culinary tourism to enhance your festival or event.. - Strategy Room 2 - 5th Level

Full-Day Advanced Course - Cost $249 - (limited capacity of 20 registrants)

Rebecca LeHeup, Executive Director - Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (Prince Edward County)

Dannelle Brodhagen, Director of Product Development - Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (Stratford)

Food Tourism is the fastest growing segment of tourism - we all love to eat! Learn about what the food tourist is looking for when they visit an event and attraction. We'll give creative and easy to execute recommendations on how to incorporate local food into your event, engage your culinary community and add delicious programming! Tips will include how to attract culinary tourists and their friends to your event, explore possible funding sources and ways to leverage this powerful demographic to increase traffic and ticket sales!! The festivals featured in this workshop will have the opportunity to consult one on one with the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (OCTA). OCTA will become familiar with your event based on internet research, and as a group we will make specific recommendations to enhance your event through programming, partnerships and your marketing efforts. Your $249 fee includes: "Taste of the Place" lunch (12:00pm - 1:00pm) and morning & afternoon coffee/tea breaks.

9:00am - 5:00pm

Emergency Planning: Are You Ready?- Strategy Room 3 - 5th Level

Full-Day Advanced Course - Cost $249 - (limited capacity & minimum of 30 registrants)

Keven Kennedy, Event Planning Staff Sergeant - Ottawa Police Service (Ottawa)

Robert Davidson, Commander/ Special Operations - Ottawa Paramedic Services (Ottawa)

Gil Tait, - Program Manager, Traffic Management - City of Ottawa

Andrew Rowntree, AGCO Inspector/ Inspection & Investigation Branch - Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (Ottawa)

Margo Fisher, AGCO Inspector/ Inspection & Investigation Branch - Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (Ottawa)

Delores MacAdam, Division Manager - Event Central Special Events and Volunteer Services, City of Ottawa (Ottawa)

This comprehensive Emergency Planning course will cover the close working relationship between a municipal's transportation systems, a special events advisory team, paramedic Services, police and other emergency services in the City of Ottawa. As Global Events are on the rise and a viral story just one recording away, ARE YOU READY? This full day session will help you to identify and reduce the risk at your events. The phases of emergency management include mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Having Emergency Management Plans help organizations identify what may be potential risks and hazards in order to prevent or reduce the impact of them. Event organisers can now apply these principles and best practices as they plan for their next event's emergency preparedness strategy. Your $249 fee includes: lunch (12:00pm - 1:00pm) and morning & afternoon coffee/tea breaks.

WELCOME RECEPTION

7:30pm - 10:30pm

Welcome Reception - Fallsview Studios - 3rd Level

Join FEO and fellow delegates to officially launch "Let the Inspiration Flow" in the beautiful Fallsview Studios to connect up with old friends and meet new ones.

THURSDAY - March 5

7:30am - 8:30am

Buffet Breakfast - Great Room C - 3rd Level

9:15am - 8:30am

Official Conference Opening and Welcome - Great Room C - 3rd Level

8:30am - 9:30am

Keynote Speaker

Finding Your Humanity through Festivals - Great Room C - 3rd Level

Chip Conley, Founder - FEST300 (California)

In a world where the Internet has demystified travel and cultural exploration by typing a URL on your smart phone, hospitality guru and New York Times best selling author Chip Conley encourages us to rediscover the magic and the mystery of the world by attending festivals IRL (in real life). He founded Fest300 after his life changed while traveling and attending every kind of festival -- from Bali to Burning Man. Chip realized, "The more virtual we get, the more ritual we need" and will share what drove him to become an authority on festivals and why he believes that actually attending these events allows us to stumble upon mystery and wonder...and reconnect with humanity.

"CULTIVATE

YOUR

CURIOSITY"

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

CHIP CONLEY - FEST300

8:30am - 9:30am

NEW

9:45am - 10:00am

Service Excellence Award Announcement - Great Room C - 3rd Level

MARKETPLACE

10:00am - 2:30Pm

10:00am - 2:30pm

Marketplace and Lunch - Great Room A/B - 3rd Level

Marketplace 2015 will showcase the latest in services, products and entertainment available to festival and event planners like you. Make sure to sample the many diverse offerings our industry suppliers will be featuring. Lunch at 12:30pm - 1:30pm.

12:30pm - 1:30am

Lunch Food Stations in Marketplace - Great Room A/B - 3rd Level

1:30pm - 2:20pm

Taking Control of Your Event Brand - Great Room C - 3rd Level

Bernie Colterman, Managing Partner - Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (Ottawa)

Your brand is what people think of you. It is based on your "promise" to your customers. And if you don't manage your event brand, the public will do it for you. This session will take you through the stages of an Event Brand Analysis, show you how you can take control of your own brand and how your brand can be leveraged to set you apart from the competition, attract new audiences and generate sponsorship revenue.

2:30pm - 3:00pm

International Sport Tourism - The Intersection of Sport, Festival and Attraction - Great Room C - 3rd Level

Stephen Fischer, Executive Director - Welland International Flatwater Centre (Welland)

With the Welland International Flatwater Centre’s hosting of Dragon Boat Niagara 2015, the Niagara Region will see some 5,000 participants descend upon Niagara over two weeks in August 2015. Delivering over 20,000 room nights, with an audience from over 30 countries, international sporting events of this magnitude are the perfect example of sporting events being delivered with a specific tilt toward an on-site festival atmosphere and the linking of area attractions to an international audience.

3:20pm - 3:50pm

Creating a Brand/Event that Transcends its' Economic Impact for the Province, Region and Municipality - Great Room C - 3rd Level

Shannon McNevan, Executive Director - Republic Live Inc.

Shannon McNevan, Executive Director, Republic Live, will be discussing how creating those 'Time of Your Life' moments can translate into producing a festival that transcends it's cultural and economic impact for the province, region and municipality. Using Boots and Hearts as a case study, Shannon will discuss the importance of the on-site experience for fans and how this creates unique opportunities for the local host community, surpassing all expectations for the community it becomes a part of.

4:00pm - 5:00pm

Embracing the local food movement and culinary tourism - Great Room C - 3rd Level

Rebecca LeHeup, Executive Director - Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (Prince Edward County)

Local food is no longer a trend, but a way of life. The consumer is voting with their wallet, and looking to support businesses and initiatives that support their local community. Rebecca will be sharing the latest research from the Culinary Tourism Trend Report released in February 2015, including how to meet the expectations of millennial’s and food tourists, how to engage your local community to create an authentic taste of place by giving best practice examples and easy to implement recommendations on how to attract this growing and exciting demographic.

SHOWCASE NIGHT

& DINNER

6:30Pm - 10:30Pm

6:30pm - 10:30pm

Dinner & Showcase Night - Great Room C - 3rd Level

FEO is proud to offer you outstanding showcases featuring the bes in entertainment options for your festivals and events! Take in the sights and sounds of Showcase while you grove and mingle the night away.

10:30pm - 1:00am

Hospitality - Fallsview Studio - 3rd Level

Visit the Hospitality Suite on Thursday and Friday evenings after scheduled events have wrapped up for the day. Reacquaint with old friends and make new ones along the way. Beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and snacks will be available and donations to the growth and development of FEO will be accepted.

FRIDAY

7:00am - 8:00am

Buffet Breakfast - Great Room C - 3rd Level

BREAKOUT SESSION #1

8:00am - 9:00am

The Power of Music - Strategy Room 1 - 5th Level

Joel Baskin, Agent - The Feldman Agency (Toronto)

The relationship between music artists and fans is one of passion and empowerment that is a gold mine of brand loyalty, viral marketing, and sense of identity. Music Fans are tastemakers, prosumers, and are impressionable people who follow the lead of the artists that they hold in high-esteem. A festival can reach a new audience, solidify their branding, empower people to spread the message one-to-one, and create a storm of social media as well as a special experience that fans will always align with the event.

In today’s day in technology there are many experiences that have been duplicated but the one medium that still holds supreme in the world of entertainment is the live concert experience. Whether it is in an up and close intimate acoustic show, a VIP experience, or front-row seats music still resonates all demographics. The challenge is engaging the music fans to reach the festival’s objective by determining the proper artists, roll-out, marketing benefits, and creating an engaging event that creates excitement and awareness in the marketplace.

Joel will be joined by some other industry colleagues to break down how to successfully incorporate music into your event, how to deal with production suppliers, how to book shows from booking agents, and how to have a successful interaction with your artists that will lead to larger bookings in years to come.

A Safeguard Approach to Managing Events' Land use in Urban Parks - Strategy Room 2 - 5th Level

Bruce Devine, Senior Manager, Facilities and Programs, Urban Lands and Transportation - National Capital Commission (Ottawa)

This workshop will present a general overview of the NCC’s strategies of contributing to visitors’ Capital experience by striking a balance between public access to urban parks, multi-purpose recreational pathways and parkways, all while accommodating key events and upholding high maintenance standards. The presented event guidelines will focus on management approaches to accommodate the usage of NCC urban spaces, according to activities and events, with the goal of optimizing animation at the core of Canada’s Capital while preserving the environment, built and natural landscapes.

Fireworks Discussion Forum - Strategy Room 3 - 5th Level

Jeff Clarmo, President - North Star Fireworks (Waterloo)

The purpose of this session is to educate the event professionals about firework displays. The forum will educate attendees as to fireworks definitions and explanations of individual devices. Show durations vs. show budgets. The correct procedure to properly structure and RFQ will be studied to take some of the mystery out of the quotation process. The session will explain in detail how a fireworks display can actually help the event become more, in some cases, much more profitable. It will also detail when a fireworks display is an expense to the show rather than an investment to its future.

Harnessing the Power of Social Media - Strategy Room 7 - 5th Level

John R. Beresford, Co-Founder/ Business Development, EventPeaks (Waterloo)

Social media permeates every aspect of modern society, and no where is this more evident than at a festival or event. A great event inspires people to share their experiences with their online community, which in turn amplifies that event’s exposure. Harnessing social media to help sell tickets, engage audiences and attract sponsors is the objective of the modern event marketer. John Beresford the co-founder of Eventpeeks, a Live Event Social Media Broadcasting Company, will share with you his lessons learned and insights earned from working with event organizers and social media managers throughout North America.

BREAKOUT SESSION #2

9:15am - 10:15am

Know Your Hook... and who you are Trying to Catch - Strategy Room 1 - 5th Level

Rebecca Peirson, Manager, Marketing Communications - Luminato Festival (Toronto)

A cohesive and integrated marketing and communications plan is key to a successful festival campaign. Whether it be television, radio, print, digital or public relations the campaign message must be integrated seamlessly across all platforms. Before building a campaign strategy, before purchasing media, before settling on the creative there is one thing that must be determined: What’s your hook and who are you trying to catch?

What Makes a successful Grant Application? - Strategy Room 2 - 5th Level

Luanne Smith, Senior Program Consultant - Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (MTCS)

Enza Chiappetta, Partnership Programs Coordinator - Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corp (OTMPC)

Lauren Dart, Program Officer - Department of Canadian Heritage

Kathleen Sharp, Executive Director - Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund (OCAF)

Grants are available to help support your festival or event, through programs such as Celebrate Ontario, the Tourism Event Marketing Program (TEMP), the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, and Canadian Heritage. In this informative session, hear what program representatives are able to share with you about best practices in grant writing and what makes an application successful.

How to Protect Your Festival Organization (Risk Management) - Strategy Room 3 - 5th Level

Kathleen Douglass, Manager, Volunteer Engagement - Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (Toronto)

This session will explore the various ‘pinch points’ of potential risk in your organization as we review ways to protect your members and volunteers and ensure that you have exercised due diligence with programs and the people involved. As we examine templates and tools to expand our knowledge, we will understand how to eliminate, mitigate, reduce or transfer risk to protect the board and the organization.

The Role of the AGCO at Events - Strategy Room 7 - 5ht Level

Andrew Rowntree, ACGO Inspector, Investigation & Enforcement Bureau - Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (Ottawa)

Margo Fisher, Research Advisor, Investigation & Enforcement Bureau - Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (Ottawa)

Everything you wanted to know about the AGCO but were afraid to Ask. This session will cover Risk Based Enforcement for events, Civil Liability for events, big five infractions for events, Catering Endorsement information, Temporary Extension information for licensees, Special Occasion Permit information, and the role of AGCO Inspectors.

BREAKOUT SESSION #3

10:30am - 11:30pm

Media and YOUR Event: Make the Connection for Coverage - Strategy Room 1 - 5th Level

Cindy MacDonald, Former Station Manager - Simcoe and Grey Counties, Rogers Communications (Barrie)

You need your local media as much as your local media needs you. Reach out and get to know the people in your local newsrooms. The positive and celebratory events within a community make for great stories. These are YOUR festivals and events. What you need to know to network with YOUR local media and make the connection for coverage.

The Art of Negotiation: Winning at the Game - Strategy Room 2 - 5th Level

Brent Barootes, Founding Partner & Sponsorship Specialist - Partnership Group (Calgary)

This break out session is designed to assist all those who have to deal with negotiation. Whether it is to pitch and close a sponsorship agreement or bringing in talent for your event; buying a new house or selling your car. We need to know how to negotiate. Brent Barootes, a negotiator since a child and often viewed as “the person who could sell ice cubes to Eskimos”, will illustrate through examples and tips on how to become a better negotiator. You will go away with fresh ideas and tangible tools to help you win your next deal negotiation. Make sure your festival, fair or event has the negotiating tools to reap the rewards that await you.

The UnConference - Knowledge Exchange Network - Strategy Room 3 - 5th Level

Facilitator - Delores MacAdam, Division Manager - Event Central Special Events and Volunteer Services, City of Ottawa (Ottawa)

Had something specific in mind you hoped would be included as part of this year’s conference? Well know it can be! The agenda is created by attendees at the beginning of conference and anyone who wants to initiate a discussion on a topic can claim a time and a space on the signup board outside the session room any time prior to the session taking place. This “round table" session will feature facilitated open discussions rather than having a single speaker at the front of the room. Learning is fostered by innovative ideas in a great collaborative environment as festival and event professionals put their heads together while exploring industry best practices. Gain unique perspectives, insights and knowledge with your industry peers at this session!

"Free's a Crowd - Strategy Room 7 - 5th Level

Martha Haldenby, Associate Director of Development- Luminato Festival (Toronto)

Crowdfunding and Crowdsourcing: two great terms that are easy to throw around, but not always as easy to use effectively to meet your organization’s goals. This session will give practical examples of how to use both crowdfunding and crowdsourcing for your projects in order to raise or save money, while building awareness in the process.

LUNCH & AGM

11:45am - 12:45pm

Lunch and FEO Annual General Meeting (AGM) - Great Room C - 3rd Level

During Lunch, engage in the business affairs of your association as yuo participate in FEO's Annual General Meeting. Elect your 2015-2016 Board of Directors. Learn what exciting projects are on the horizon or currently underway at the FEO office.

BREAKOUT SESSION #4

1:00pm - 2:00pm

20 Tips for Making Your Marketing and Communications More Accessible - Strategy Room 1 - 5th Level

Constance Exley, CEO - Accessibility Ontario (Toronto)

The Information and Communications Standard of the AODA requires you to provide your marketing materials in ways that are accessible to people with various disabilities. This workshop will give you 20 easy to apply tips for making your communications accessible, including print and electronic documents, emails, websites, presentations, and PDFs?

Multicultural Magnets Activations are Universal! - Strategy Room 2 - 5th Level

Rick Davis, Executive Director, Rick Davis Promotions Inc.

Rick will discuss the 4 most important realizations of sponsorship activations and will provide concrete examples how encouraging varying cultural attendance worked these festivals and events. Discover award winning examples and the sponsors that paid. This session will also discuss the 4 most common mistakes of sponsorship activations and examine future trends and expectations within this revenue generating treasure-trove. Join panelists who will be collaborating on new visitor realities and sponsorship demands.

Emerging Risks to Fairs and Festivals in Canada - Strategy Room 3 - 5th Level

Bernie Robertson, Risk Manager Fairs & Festivals, KNOX Worldwide (North Bay)

The insurance market has evolved over the last 5 years to assist the entertainment industry. With artists now relying on live performances to generate revenue Fairs and Festivals continue to grow in popularity. Whether we are talking about a small one day event or a large multiple day festival, the same fundamental guidelines apply. We need to identify the risks, plan a strategy to deal with them, execute the plan and allow for contingencies. We know one thing for sure: things happen. Are you going to be ready? The current legal requirements and insurer conditions place an onus on the event to show proper risk transfer strategies. Best practices around insurance certificate management with artists, staging and lighting companies, venues, security, alcohol licensing, merchants, and food services is critical to understand.

Rethinking Your Festival Email Marketing Campaigns - Strategy Room 7 - 5th Level

Javed S. Khan, Authorized Local Expert, Constant Contact & President, EMpression: A Marketing Services Company(Toronto)

Email Marketing can be one of the most effective ways to achieve top of mind awareness, increase festival attendee loyalty, and grow your festivals! Did you know that Gartner Research has found that $1 invested in a smart email strategy can generate as much as $43 in revenue? Impressive isn't it? With an ROI of around 4,300% (according to the Direct Marketing Association), email practically pays for itself - and saves a tree or two. It's what you use when you want to move from "conversation to business". This 1hr session will provide a focused look into the effectiveness of why email marketing with social media engagement can drive action for your festival & events. It will also reveal some simple but effective best practices and considerations to make your email & social media campaigns more effective. You’ll also learn some great new strategies to particularly help your email marketing efforts be more effective components of your future digital campaigns.

BREAKOUT SESSION #5

2:15pm - 3:15pm

Towards an Accessible Ontario: Accessibility Tool Kit - Strategy Room 1 - 5th Level

Kathy McLachlan, Manager, Strategic Initiatives Unit - Accessibility Directorate of Ontario on behalf of TIAO (Toronto)

Accessibility means giving people of all abilities the opportunity to participate fully in everyday life. Dedication to the provision of such opportunities should be an integral part of business planning, keeping in mind our goal for a fully accessible Ontario by 2025. By emphasizing the importance of an accessibility standard for customer service, highlighting useful resources for becoming more accessible, and sharing best practices for training and recruitment with accessibility in mind, business owners and tourism operators can establish and furthermore market themselves as inclusive, accessible destinations. This session outlines how businesses, attractions and destinations can increase customer service effectiveness with regards to accessibility, and offers insights as to how organizations can create and implement their own accessible customer service plans.

Your Double Dose of Festival Trends: Event Technology & Beer - Strategy Room 2 - 5th Level

Allan Isfan, CEO - MyEventApps(a FaveQuest company) (Ottawa)

Steven Pulver, Director of Marketing - Mill Street Brewery (Toronto)

Technology continues to move at a rapid pace and the event market is being positively impacted. Technologies like “beacon”, mobile payments, RFID wristbands, drones, wi-fi hotspots, temporary cellular towers, mobile apps are showing up at events all over the world. Join Allan as he shares what is new in event technology and what may be around the corner. Now days, festival goers are quaffing at the opportunity to sample different styles of strange brews. More and more event organizers are now sourcing smaller brewers giving them a chance to showcase their beer to new audiences. Join Steven as he shares the latest beer trends, styles and the movement towards craft beer at festivals giving event organizers ways to effectively run beer gardens to maximize beer sales.

Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs) Connecting with the Festivals and Events Industry to Maximize Tourism Economic Spinoff - Strategy Room 3 - 5th Level

Moderator - Narvin Singh, Director, Partnerships and Regional Relations - Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corp (OTMPC)

Jim Hudson, Executive Director - Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation (RTO 1)

Maria Fortunato, Executive Director - Hamilton Halton Brant (RTO 3)

Chuck Thibeault, Executive Director - Central Counties (RTO 6)

This break out session is designed to assist festival and event organizers to understand how Ontario’s Regional Tourism organizations are collaborating with the industry to identify tourism development opportunities to attract tourists and contribute to Ontario’s $28B tourism industry. You will hear from key Executive Directors from three RTOs representing urban and rural areas and how they work with their regional tourism industry to leverage festival and event opportunities.

You're Social. Now What? - Strategy Room 7 - 5th Level

Javed S. Khan, Authorized Local Expert, Constant Contact & President, EMpression: A Marketing Services Company(Toronto)

You’ve probably heard of social media. You know you need to have presence on social media. You may even understand the value social media can bring to your festival & event. Now you’re wondering which social media platform is right for your festival & event and how to start? In this 1hr session, we cover strategies and best practices to get the most out of your social media activities to attract individuals to your festival. You’ll get a closer look at three social media networks – Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Together, we’ll uncover the value of using each, how other organizations are marketing with them, and highlight some social media etiquette you may not have know existed. Participants will leave with tips, ideas and practical insights and knowledge they can put to work immediately, to help their festival & event socially succeed.

CLOSING KEYNOTE SPEAKER

BRENT BAROOTES

Partnership Group - Sponsorship Specialists

3:30pm - 4:30pm

Closing Keynote Speaker

What the Future Holds – The Trends and Opportunities for Corporate Sponsorship and Overall Life Growth - Great Room A - 3rd Level

Brent Barootes, Founding Partner - Sponsorship Specialist - Partnership Group (Calgary)

This closing keynote address will be an eye-opener. Brent Barootes will present the most recent research and trending information on corporate sponsorship in Canada and how it affects the festivals and events industry in Ontario. The session will look at what we are doing right and where we need to improve, but even more importantly what the future holds for us if we make the shift to doing it right. The presentation will touch on how to manage internally and operate from an integrated work-life approach to ensure success. Brent will review the key changes in our marketplace and daily lives and how they can help us to become more successful and put more cash to the bottom line of our festivals and events and more time for fun!

AWARDS GALA

RECEPTION & DINNER

6:30pm - 10:30pm

6:30pm - 7:00pm

Reception - Great Room C - 3rd Level

Mix, mingle and network with industry professionals prior to the Awards Gala Dinner in the Great Room C Foyer

7:00pm - 10:30pm

FEO Awards Gala Dinner & Silent Auction - Great Room C - 3rd Level

You are cordially invited to the 2015 Awards Gala. The evening will begin with dinner , the Awards Ceremony and Silent Auction.