Festivals & Events Learning Series – Fall 2025
October 30 & November 20, 2025
Participating in our virtual Festival & Events Learning Series is a great way to keep up to date on current trends and topics relevant to this dynamic and exciting part of the tourism industry. These 60 minute webinars with industry experts are suitable for festival/event managers or developers, board members, tourism development professionals and anyone else involved with festivals and events, whether you are experienced or brand new to the sector! This fall we are excited to offer two new sessions, presented in partnership with Festivals & Events Ontario. You can register for one or both sessions below, and if you are unable to attend in person, they will be recorded for future viewing and/or for sharing with your colleagues.
AI Tools to Supercharge Festivals & Events Marketing & More
Thursday, October 30, 2025 11:00 AM – 12 Noon AST / 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM NST / 10:00 – 11:00 AM EST
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a perfect addition to any toolkit for all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to create and put off fantastic Festivals and Events. From organizing the logistics to designing engaging communications and eye-catching visuals, AI can help you complete some of these tasks efficiently to save time and maximize resources. Join this session with Emily Tell to learn lots of quick tips and tricks to start using AI to supercharge your festivals and events work!
Emily Tell, CEO and Founder of IdeaTilt Inc. has 20+ years of experience in business and has spent the last few years helping businesses to thrive with the help of AI. Emily also has years of experience in previous roles coordinating nation-wide and global events for business, all in close collaboration with event organizers. She is deeply familiar with (and grateful for) the hard work that goes into fantastic events. She is delighted to have the opportunity to talk about how Festival and Event organizers can use AI to make the process easier and faster.
Registration for this session is closed. You can view the recording HERE.
Succession Planning for Festivals & Events
Thursday, November 20, 2025 11:00 AM – Noon AST / 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM NST / 10:00 – 11:00 AM EST
Who will lead your festival into the future? Succession planning for festivals and events can feel daunting and is a big concern for festivals whether large, small or in between. Join the succession planning discussion with Delores MacAdam and discover practical strategies to prepare new leaders, capture vital knowledge, and keep your festival thriving for years to come!
Delores MacAdam is a leader of the City of Ottawa Management Team. She has over 30 years of experience with Special Events, Marketing/Communications and government relations, and in community planning and development at the municipal and provincial levels. Her work and passion involve engaging and developing economic & cultural richness across the City of Ottawa through civic engagement, policy standardization, and leadership/resource alignment. As Chair of Festival and Events Ontario (FEO), Delores has worked closely with event leaders across Ontario with a goal promoting the value of events to government leaders and designing educational programs for members to enhance their ability to create experiences for event goers that are second to none on all levels. She is also a key board member and educator with the International Festival and Event Association (IFEA) which includes teaching and mentoring students at the Executive Event Management School in West Virginia for the past 7 years.
Registration for this session is closed. You can watch the recording HERE.
You can view our previous Festivals and Events webinars on our Experience GMIST YouTube Page!