By Doug Wallace, Ignite magazine | August 2024
Meeting planners know that when it comes to staging business events, there are lots of moving parts—a million little things that need to come together to create one big success. With so much at stake, it pays to work with an organization that has the expertise to deal with every aspect of your event because they’ve seen it all—and done it all—before.
“We’re essentially like a one-stop shop – a ‘concierge’ of sorts for business events – helping planners make important local connections,” says Jennifer Eddings, Director of Business Development for Explore Waterloo Region. “That could be anything from RFP coordination to venue selection to gifting ideas, tapping into local experts, guest speakers, local entertainers—really anything and everything!”
The benefit for planners is they don’t have to find and deal with a multitude of different people—hotel staff, caterers, transportation companies, etc. “We can white-label the RFP, gather the proposals and present them, all from the outside—whatever the planner needs for the event they’re working on,” Eddings says.
Bring your event to life
Explore Waterloo Region provides the resources a meeting planner needs from a destination marketing organization. They also go above and beyond the call of duty, with suggestions and guidance to bring your event to life. Besides venue, vendor and hotel pointers, the team can also help with marketing support, social media strategies, entertainment booking and sustainability considerations.
“Last year, I worked with an organization that wanted to reduce the carbon footprint of their event using green transportation options for delegate airport transfers and shuttles during the program,” Eddings says. “We quickly discovered that sourcing electric shuttle buses was challenging. However, Brentwood Livery, an EWR member, provided electric vehicles for airport transfers.”
“Additionally, we contacted Grand River Transit and worked with them on an incentive for attendees to use our local light rail transit (LRT). We were able to secure a group rate for the event and utilized the LRT to transport delegates from the hotel to various offsite locations.”
Eddings says that delegates used the LRT pass during their free time too, eliminating the need for cabs and Ubers, further reducing their carbon footprint.
Customize the farm-to-table experience
Catering is another crucial aspect of sustainable event planning. With its proximity to some of the best agriculture land and producers in the province, Explore Waterloo Region has a unique, direct connection to producers and culinary experts to help set your event apart.
Explore Waterloo Region was recently asked to work with an event planner to create a farm-to-table menu using local caterers. “We were able to go to our own membership and identify local restaurants to deliver that,” Eddings says. “The same planner wanted to go with a full vegetarian menu for the conference, so we introduced them to several restaurants known for sourcing local food and creating customized menus. Interestingly, until it was discussed on the last day of the conference, most delegates didn’t realize all of their meals had been vegetarian!”
Explore Waterloo Region has a lot to offer, with the resources and the networking savvy you need to enhance your event—and truly make it one for the books.
Regional Resources for Meeting Planners
Leveraging Explore Waterloo Region’s knowledge, experience and contacts, planners can promote their conferences, enhance the attendee experience and ensure event success by offering the following:
- Destination Info: Outline accommodations, attractions, transportation options and local amenities
- Venue Suggestions: Help align with the event size, theme and budget
- Accommodation Assistance: Secure room blocks and negotiate rates
- Local Partnerships: Bring regional businesses, vendors and entertainment into the mix
- Networking Know-how: Invite business leaders and potential sponsors to the planning table
- Attendee Guides: Can be customized to the attendees needs, highlighting key activities and dining options
- FAM Tours: Get planners out into the region to to learn about the area and see how destination assets can work for their events
Personalize Your Group Experience
Contact Jennifer Eddings to learn more about hosting your planet-friendly business event in Waterloo Region.
Jennifer Eddings, Director of Business Development
Explore Waterloo Region
519-590-8126
[email protected]
Explorewaterloo.ca