A fresh resource for people who plan and manage meetings, events, business travel, promotions and incentive programs. Providing you with inspiration, guidance and great ideas.
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An event entrepreneur on her love of creating memorable experiences—and why she's inspired by Disney! Sandra Mossman-Crawford, G o o d t o K n ow Tell us about your role at InFocus-Events. I'm the founder and lead event professional. We're based in Edmonton and have specialized in event planning and conference management since 2003. I direct the creation, development and execution of events, conferences, seminars, and community improvement initiatives. What led you to where you are today? While at the University of Alberta, I joined the Entrepreneur Club because I knew I wanted to own my own business one day. I became a board member and was soon planning my fi rst event, a full-day small-business workshop with keynotes and concurrent sessions. I really didn't know what I was doing, but I had lots of fun learning. I was hooked. What interests you about the business event industry? Producing purposeful experiences with tailored objectives while looking for new inspiration and crafting ideas that can leave a lasting impression on our guests. No two events are the same. What's your favourite part of your work? Every day brings a new opportunity to create an experience. We are so grateful for our amazing clients who allow us to be a part of that experience and its success. What has been your proudest work- related moment? Working alongside the City of Edmonton as the lead event planner when the city hosted the UN Global Leaders Forum. This forum hosted over 300 invited participants and member-city mayors of the United Nations Women's Flagship Programme, Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces for Women and Girls. This opportunity allowed me to challenge event planning and attendee engagement with a new global perspective. Where do you see yourself in fi ve years? I pride myself on building the best team to execute the event needs for each client. I collaborate with strong event planners to ensure the right fi t is created and the event needs are met; the team changes based on project needs. My hope is that in fi ve years my amazing network has continued to grow and we continue to push the envelope to produce valuable experiences with lasting memories. What are the biggest challenges facing the event industry and how do you think they should be addressed? The events industry is resilient and continues to transform with innovation and creativity. Virtual and hybrid events are not new concepts, but how we apply them has seen growth paired with intentional purpose. How can we facilitate and drive engagement as well as deliver measurable results? As an industry we are working to answer that continually, there's no easy answer so we'll continue to transform as we move forward together. What might your colleagues be surprised to learn about you? I'm actually an introvert! And I'm a big admirer of The Walt Disney Company; they have mastered the art of creating immersive and memorable experiences in real time effortlessly while managing guest expectations. CSEP Get To KNow what I was doing, but I had lots of fun learning. Producing purposeful experiences with tailored objectives while looking for new inspiration and crafting ideas that can leave a lasting impression amazing clients who allow us to be a part of that Working alongside the City of Edmonton as the over 300 invited participants and member-city mayors of the United Nations Women's Flagship What are the biggest challenges facing the event industry and how do you think they should be addressed? The events industry is resilient and continues to transform with innovation and creativity. Virtual and hybrid events are not new concepts, but how we apply them has seen growth paired with intentional purpose. How can we facilitate and drive engagement as well as deliver measurable results? As an industry we are working to answer that continually, there's no easy answer so we'll continue to transform as we move forward together. What might your colleagues be surprised to learn about you? I'm actually an introvert! And I'm a big admirer of The Walt Disney Company; they have mastered the art of creating immersive and memorable experiences in real time effortlessly while managing guest expectations. Winter 2022/23 | Ignitemag.ca | 15