GROW YOUR SHOW:
A Look at Attendance Trends & Strategies
Join our expert panel as they discuss the current industry trends in trade and consumer show attendance.
Learn about the challenges, success stories, and key takeaways to help you grow and promote your events.
A reminder that CAEM Webinars are eligible for 1 CEM Recertification credit.
This webinar will be recorded and available to all registered attendees following the event. Additionally, the recording will be uploaded to the CAEM website where members can access using their membership login. Click here for member access to previous webinars
Meet Our Panelists and Moderator
Steve Dempsey, General Manager, Diversified Communications Canada
October 2023 marks Steve’s 29th year in the business events industry working in for-profit organizations large and small, public and private.
Steve has volunteered with many organizations across the industry including roles as Past President of CAEM. As part of the senior leadership team at Diversified, Steve is tuned into attendee challenges and trends on the trade shows side of the industry.
Kyle Dugan, CEM, Senior Event Coordinator, CONEXSYS Registration
Kyle Dugan, CEM is a Senior Event Coordinator with CONEXSYS Registration. For over 15 years, he has worked on events from countless industries, with attendance ranging from 200 to 20,000 people across Canada, the US and Europe. CONEXSYS provides personalized registration support to event producers from online pre-registration and sales, onsite registration management, attendance tracking, and robust post-event reporting.
Shelly Gepfert, Chief Marketing Officer, Marketplace Events
Shelly first started with MPE in 2006 as Regional Marketing Manager, overseeing the consumer and exhibitor marketing for 11 annual home shows. She now oversees the consumer, exhibitor and digital marketing departments for 70+ annual home shows across North America.
But before that, she penned an article published in Mademoiselle magazine entitled “Live Like a Rich Bitch for $100 or Less”, won an Emmy for her work at NBC on the 2012 Olympics, and was employed by short-but-successful NBA star Isiah Thomas.
The only two-time recipient of the Marketplace Events “CEO Award of Appreciation”, Shelly holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Arts degree from Indiana University. When she’s not looking after her staff of 15 (at last count), she’s tending to her firstborn, plus twin daughters and her hubby Alan who is a former NFL cornerback.
Moderator
Sheila Wong, CEM, Founding Partner & Senior Vice President, BBW Event Staff and BBW Outsourcing
In 1991 Sheila Wong joined Henk Bok and an equity partner to form BBW International Inc., a national event staffing company. They quickly set the industry standard for staffing events through training to deliver exceptional customer service. Using the eLearning tool developed by Sheila, Front-pro™ certifies their team of Event Professionals to put their best foot forward. Currently, BBW staffs 1200 events in nine cities across Canada with over 1800 employees. They have become the launching pad for many people who want to pursue a career in the events industry.
In 2013 Sheila was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Meetings + Incentive Travel Magazine for Volunteerism and won the Meeting Professionals International Toronto Literary Award. In 2016 She was inducted into the Canadian Association of Exposition Management Hall of Fame and named 2016 Industry Influencer in the Toronto Chapter of Meeting Professionals International. Most recently she received recognition by the Customer Service Professionals Network as the 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year for Women in Leadership. In 2023, Sheila was recognized as a Finalist in the PCMA Visionary Awards in the Groundbreaker category.
Today, Sheila gives back to the industry and the community through fundraising for various causes.
REGISTRATION:
CAEM Members: FREE OF CHARGE
Employees from a Member Company: $15 plus tax
(A special rate is available for employees who are not CAEM members, but the organization they work for is a member of CAEM. Please email [email protected] for a registration code.)
Non-members: $65 plus tax
