Lewis & Sears Marketing & Event Management Inc.

06/20/2022

We will forever be grateful to George Hanson for bringing us on board 11 years ago to work with him on The Vancouver Island Economic Alliance State of the Island Economic Summit. This opportunity opened so many doors for us. All the best to you George. We look forward to working with Julie Sperber once she takes over.

Julie Sperber will take over from George Hanson, who has been president for 11 years

12/25/2021

12/25/2021

12/15/2021

And… that’s a wrap for Lewis & Sears!

In our 13 years together we have been fortunate to have worked with a diverse client base. From producing major festivals, to planning conferences, to taking events virtual. Thank-you to all our clients who put their trust in us.

We aren’t done yet. We’ve decided to strike out on our own. And because events are in our blood, you can bet we will more than likely collaborate again on a project.

Here is how to reach us:
Susan Lewis [email protected]
Wendy Sears – [email protected]

10/29/2021

Our 2nd virtual Summit under our belt! We have come along way in a year!

Please join us in giving a massive round of applause to the VIEA team behind the scenes of the 2021 State of the Island Economic Summit!

Left to right: Solveig Hanson, Selina Shao, George Hanson, Simon Baldwin, Susan Lewis, Diana Jolly, and Wendy Sears

Photo: Dirk Heydemann

10/28/2021

It is an honour to work with this extraordinary group. 🙏

As we move into the first day of the 15th annual 'State of the Island' Economic Summit we would like to share our appreciation to all the volunteers that help put the Economic Summit together.

Today we would like to recognize those members of this year's Summit Committee:
• Dave Willie (Chair), Black And White Party Rentals - https://bwparty.com/
• Peter van Dongen, MNP - https://www.mnp.ca/
• Dan Hurley, Hurley Martin Group - about.me/hurleydan
• Po Wan, Blackberry Creative - https://www.blackberrycreative.ca/
• Katie Bishop, Self-employed - https://viea.ca/about-viea-membership/our-team/
• Trevor Cootes, Huu-ay-aht First Nations - https://huuayaht.org/
• Shannon Baikie, North Island Employment - NIEFS - https://www.niefs.net/
• Wendy Sears, Lewis & Sears Event Management & Marketing - https://www.lewissears.com/

For more information about the 2021 'State of the Island' Economic Summit and to register go to: https://web.cvent.com/.../2ab19b77-3ab9-4fe6.../summary...
.

10/26/2021

The Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit kicks off with the TECHNOLOGY Showcase. Here we are in the ‘Command Centre’ pushing out sessions through our digital platform.

10/26/2021

The intention was to run a hybrid Summit this year but we weren't quite ready to go back to live. VIEA has put together a great program and it isn't too late to register.

Vancouver Island Economic Alliance’s summit to be held virtually Oct. 26-28

09/27/2021

It’s been awhile since we’ve post! It’s because we’ve been doing things! Doing things like working on our master gardener certification! 🙌🌹
Congratulations Susan!

02/19/2021

A tough decision but the right one to make at this time due to the uncertainty of the pandemic! We will gather again in 2022!

12/15/2020

"Sad to say but in-person events no longer feel the same."

For the time being, one of the biggest challenges hosting in-person events is selling the value of the masked, socially distanced experience. Live events have changed. To shed some light on what these events are like, Kagwiria Kimathi shares her experience.

12/04/2020

“What if you woke up one day and discovered that your industry had just disappeared? The industry you had spent years learning, loving, building and becoming respected within just ... gone?”

Gabbie Riley, who specializes in sports and entertainment sales and operations for the hotel industry and has been out of work since March, writes about the chaos that ensued as events were being cancelled and the struggles that millions of unemployed people are facing as benefits under the CARES Ac...

11/25/2020

"The event landscape keeps shifting as the pandemic continues to spread around the world. Eventprofs will need to adapt to a new job market as virtual and hybrid events become the norm for the foreseeable future."

The event landscape keeps shifting as the pandemic continues to spread around the world. Eventprofs will need to adapt to a new job market as virtual and hybrid events become the norm for the foreseeable future.

11/20/2020

“What became clear to me is that a virtual meeting is even more work than a live meeting. For a live meeting, all of your panelists and presenters just present. To get all of those presentations prerecorded and put in the right place is just an enormous amount of work.”

The American Society for Radiation Oncology’s 2020 annual meeting offers a case-study example of how giving yourself enough time to plan a virtual event is critical to its success.

11/20/2020

This brings back such wonderful memories of working for the Lower Lonsdale Business Association and producing the annual Party at the Pier. One of the highlights of this maritime festival was Seaspan's tugboat ballet. Fantastic!

North Shore tugboat operators put on a powerful display last week to honour one of their own. A tug parade was held on the North Vancouver waterfront Thursday, Nov. 12 in honour of Capt. Hugh (. . .

11/19/2020

"It means we can’t have festivals, events and conferences and weddings, and that’s really the core of our business. And we … likely won’t see them until we have a vaccine in place."

The CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada is seeking more federal help, pointing to jobs provided to ‘most vulnerable Canadians.’

11/18/2020

"There is Nothing to Love About Virtual Events, But the Industry Needs Them"

The event industry is facing an existential crisis that may continue for several years. While many insiders bicker online about the value of face-to-face versus virtual, the task of going back to live events becomes more challenging. The culprit? Superspreader events.

10/29/2020

As you may appreciate, recreating VIEA’s Economic Summit on a digital platform after 13 years of in-person events has been a herculean task. Please join us in thanking our impressive team of volunteers, contractors and staff 👏

Part of the team is at the Summit “command centre” this week: Selina Shao, Wendy Sears, George Hanson, Diana Jolly, Peter van Dongen and Susan Lewis.

📸 Dirk Heydemann

10/28/2020

Early morning. My new career - ZOOM tech for VIEA Summit meetings.

10/27/2020

The team calling the virtual Summit presentations. We are LIVE virtually with opening keynote speaker Kate O'Neill, Tech Futurist

10/26/2020

"The transition to virtual events has required many planners to change the way they think about events, and speakers have similarly needed to get used to a new format and potentially unfamiliar tools. As their job is to deliver most of the event’s content, it’s crucial for them to be well-prepared for and comfortable with the digital format, which can be achieved with adequate tech, practice, and support."

Planners aren’t the only eventprofs getting used to virtual events — speakers also have a steep learning curve. One of the most important factors in keeping an audience’s attention is production value. Here’s how speakers and planners can work to deliver it.

10/23/2020

Trying to recreate engagement in a digital environment will never take the place of face to face networking. However, event management platforms such as Cvent do offer options to make attending virtually more than just sitting and watching a pre-recorded or live session on your device.

Check out 18 ideas for how to keep attendees engaged at virtual events.

10/08/2020

The pandemic has put pressure on everyone in the industry. Planners who have been laid off or furloughed may be searching for a path forward, while those still employed may be forced to compensate for a reduced budget and a smaller team. Resourcefulness and an innovative mindset will be necessary for all parties.

To stay ahead of the event job market, stay focused on these nine key avenues for networking, job sourcing, and professional development:

Some might argue that professional development is a waste of energy right now, but there has never been more reason to adapt.

10/05/2020

Working on our digital event strategy while socially distancing! 💻🎥

09/30/2020

Survey of more than 100 Canadian festivals and events conducted in August 2020 by the Ottawa Festival Network and Festivals and Major Events Canada (FAME) indicates:

2/3 (65%) will not return next year or are uncertain they can return if there was not a bailout program created to wipeout deficits created by the impact of COVID-19.

Festivals and events reported 62% loss of sponsorship revenue due to the impact of COVID-19. Sponsorships account for up to a third of festival and event revenues in normal times.

09/25/2020

We don’t know if the audience side really understands how dire the situation is for millions of hard-working professionals.
Broadway is closed until 2021, 6 West End venues THINK they can open at the moment. Cirque du Soleil is filing for bankruptcy and cut 3500+ jobs. Feld Entertainment laid off 90% of its workforce permanently. Live Nation had to lay off a significant amount of employees. Cruise ship entertainers are out of work.
Theme park productions have no idea when they will be recalled. There are no concerts, festivals or touring productions scheduled until 2021 and if they don’t happen next year, they may never happen again. No Jazz Fest, no Coachella, no Bonnaroo, no EDC, no Glastonbury, no Download, no ROLLING STONES FINAL TOUR(S), no ballet, no opera....all gone.
It’s being predicted that 90% of independent music venues may close, the longer this continues. No more 1st Ave, Whiskey-a-GoGo, no more Tipitina’s, no more Red Rocks, no more CroBar, all gone. Entertainment Management, Publicity, Live events coordinator, Performing arts organizations of all kinds- choirs, theatres, orchestras, dance companies- all are trying to figure out on a daily basis how to keep going and employ anyone they can in the field.
More than 12,000,000 people work entertainment production, we are not insignificant and this industry cannot reopen until mass gatherings can happen again. This doesn’t include the additional layoff of venue management and bar staff, security and thousands of vendors. Also, we can’t forget about the hundreds of thousands of performers and entertainers that make these careers possible, without them, there is no show.
So when you see your entertainment friends begging you to wear masks and stay home, understand that we are helplessly watching our industry crumble before our eyes... This IS personal for us, our entire livelihood is dependent on social gathering and we will not accept being labeled “nonessential”.
Music and art are critical to a cheerful, balanced society.
Everyone’s career and the whole industry is indefinitely on hold. PLEASE wear your mask (over your mouth AND your nose) and wash your hands.
Gratefully copied. Feel free to do the same.

09/18/2020

09/16/2020

“Event planners definitely know better what they want today and what to expect in virtual event platforms.” This is true...6 months ago we were scrambling to find a platform that worked for our client. Doing demo after demo, reading anything we could get our hands on. The technology has changed dramatically over such a short period of time.

Virtual event technology has accelerated more in the past six months than in the past six years. What can you expect to see in virtual events in the near future?

09/11/2020

Thank-you to the The Vancouver Island Economic Alliance for providing us with the opportunity to plan a virtual event! A first and not the last for us!

Popular business networking event the VIEA Economic Summit goes digital this Fall.

09/09/2020

Hats off to the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce for continuing on with your events. We love to see how organizations are adapting during this time. 🎩

Our 20th annual celebration of business excellence is moving off-stage to a “virtually-live” experience hosted by one of Canada’s greatest comics (or comedy’s greatest Canadians – it’s debatable!)

09/01/2020

"Once things reopen fully, many meetings will happen virtually but the need to meet live will not be replaced. Actually, it will be stronger than ever before. After being captive for so long, the desire to meet our peers is almost unbearable"

Last week Skift’s CEO Rafat Ali published a piece on how the event industry is facing its Napster moment. Is the industry really doomed in favor of virtual events? Not really, but change is required.

08/26/2020

We are excited to be assisting the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance pivot to a virtual Summit this year.
If our economy is important to you in order to survive and/or thrive during this unprecedented time, this is one event you should not miss.

The 'State of the Island' Economic Summit 2020. Online registration by Cvent

07/31/2020

Virtual Events Planner - Video conferencing platforms like Zoom and BlueJeans have exploded in popularity since the pandemic began. However, as anyone who’s been to a glitchy Zoom party can tell you, there’s a lot of room for improvement. “People are thinking about how to create a virtual event that’s more sophisticated” with better socializing and networking, says Pring.

Yes, the job market is changing, but there are new jobs emerging that could draw upon your skills. Here are 10 to explore, from IT futurist Ben Pring.