Penni Holdham
Immediate Past Chair, ISES Canada 2009/2010
ISES Canada represents many endeavors and many accomplishments including continued education through certification and participation in industry-dedicated conferences just like the CSEME09; serving the importance of ethical business practice by promoting best practices and encouraging educational meetings and fun social experiences that bring our members face-to-face. This October we are making
ISES history again with this our first national AGM. This ‘united’ meeting of all three chapters of ISES Canada is taking place ‘live’ in three different time zones from three different locations.
Canadians have a long history of service to ISES and since 1993 when the first chapter opened in Canada (Toronto) we have been role models among the larger ISES community. There have been so many ground breaking firsts for ISES Canada. In 1988 the Toronto Chapter became the first international chapter and the fourth Chapter of ISES International, followed by the Vancouver Chapter in 1995. In 1993, Canada once again stood in the ISES International Spotlight as the first Intl location for Eventworld which showcased not only the Toronto Chapter but the whole country. That same year in Toronto, the very first CSEP Examinations were held at that conference resulting in the first 23 CSEP’s worldwide. Today, there are 13 Canadian CSEPS among the nearly 300 worldwide. In 2005, we welcomed the Calgary Chapter as our third Canadian Chapter.
As Canadian membership grew and chapters expanded, ISES Intl was growing to include other ‘international’ chapters founded in the UK, South Africa and Australia. With this phenomenal international growth, the concept of the ‘affiliates’ was born. Today, there are three Affiliate groups of ISES International – including ISES EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and ISES Australasia which serves three chapters in Australia as well as Hong Kong which is one of the most recent international groups to achieve “chapter in formation” status.
The creation of the Affiliate umbrella was an epic change in the overall operations of ISES. Now International members can maintain their memberships in the currency of their own country; they can now easily adapt their Chapter operations and by-laws to reflect the laws of their country and shift from serving a US-centric ideal to a local model of serving their own immediate communities and regional considerations.
Upon our federal incorporation in 2005, ISES Canada enthusiastically rose to the challenge to sustain a successful Canadian affiliate. What that means now is that Canadian members continue to lead the way.
ISES Canada continues to develop and improve. Today we benefit from a national leadership comprised of 9 members from across Canada. Together, we tackle national tasks that benefit each and every member. We continue to strive to deliver improved access to education, networking opportunities and the communication of best practices by supporting each of our Chapter’s operations as well as the growing numbers of our members at large.
Today, we are evolving further with a streamlined member application process through our new ‘state-of the art’ ISES Canada website. Watch for the launch this fall – www. Isescanada.com
Did you know that the events industry in Canada is as large as Fishing, Agriculture and Forestry- COMBINED? When put into perspective, this is staggering. We are part of an industry that served over 70 million participants in 2006 at over 617,000 meetings of 10 or more people. Over 550,000 Full-time equivalent jobs are supported by the event industry generating over 70 billion dollars within the Canadian economy. Recently, ISES Canada became a founding member of the Business Events Industry Coalition of Canada known as the BEICC. Backed by its association members, including ISES Canada, MPI Canada, CanSPEP, CHMSE, CAEM, CAPS and Site, the BEICC will be in a powerful position of being able to speak to government and ‘big’ business about the value of our industry. The BEICC will give a voice to this collective power of our industry.
With the powerful growth ISES in Canada is experiencing and the bright future of the Canadian event industry as a whole, I look forward to continuing my leadership and helping the Canadian chapters continue to make history.