Mariela McIlwraith
Mariela McIlwraith is President of Meeting Change. She specializes in corporate social responsibility, pricing strategies and emerging technology primarily in the event sector. She has over 15 years of experience and has worked in both Canada and the United States. She has consulted, presented, taught and written articles in the areas of marketing, corporate responsibility, ethics, hybrid meetings, gamification and pricing. Mariela completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Sauder School of Business at UBC. As part of her studies, she completed research on volunteer engagement, business strategy, change management and business ethics.
She holds a Certification in Meeting Management (CMM) and is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP). She is a Past Chair of the Content Advisory Council for Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and a Past President of the MPI British Columbia Chapter. She has served as a Trustee of the GMIC Sustainable Meetings Foundation, as Interim Executive Director for the Green Meeting Industry Council in 2013, and as the Executive Director of the GMIC Sustainable Meetings Foundation. She developed and taught a 13-week course on Sustainable Event Operations at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She currently serves as a board member of the Convention Industry Council as the GMIC representative. As the Director of Education for the Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), she led a national education program for pension trustees and taught classes in responsible investment.
Mariela is the co-author of Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility in the Meetings and Events Industry, a part of the Wiley Event Series. As the Executive Editor of the Convention Industry Council Manual, 9th Edition, published in early 2014, she collaborated with over 50 meeting professionals from around the globe.
Mariela is Canadian and originally from Argentina. She speaks English and Spanish fluently. She lives in Guelph, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two children. In her spare time, she is a puppy raiser for National Service Dogs.
Mariela McIlwraith is President of Meeting Change. She specializes in corporate social responsibility, pricing strategies and emerging technology primarily in the event sector. She has over 15 years of experience and has worked in both Canada and the United States. She has consulted, presented, taught and written articles in the areas of marketing, corporate responsibility, ethics, hybrid meetings, gamification and pricing. Mariela completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Sauder School of Business at UBC. As part of her studies, she completed research on volunteer engagement, business strategy, change management and business ethics.
She holds a Certification in Meeting Management (CMM) and is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP). She is a Past Chair of the Content Advisory Council for Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and a Past President of the MPI British Columbia Chapter. She has served as a Trustee of the GMIC Sustainable Meetings Foundation, as Interim Executive Director for the Green Meeting Industry Council in 2013, and as the Executive Director of the GMIC Sustainable Meetings Foundation. She developed and taught a 13-week course on Sustainable Event Operations at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She currently serves as a board member of the Convention Industry Council as the GMIC representative. As the Director of Education for the Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), she led a national education program for pension trustees and taught classes in responsible investment.
Mariela is the co-author of Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility in the Meetings and Events Industry, a part of the Wiley Event Series. As the Executive Editor of the Convention Industry Council Manual, 9th Edition, published in early 2014, she collaborated with over 50 meeting professionals from around the globe.
Mariela is Canadian and originally from Argentina. She speaks English and Spanish fluently. She lives in Guelph, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two children. In her spare time, she is a puppy raiser for National Service Dogs.
Meeting Economics: Strategies to Improve Attendance, Engagement and Your Bottom Line
Don't play The Price is Right with your meetings. Finding the right price point, like everything else with meetings, should be strategic, not a guessing game. Third-party and association meeting planners and their venue partners need to adapt their marketing and pricing strategies for meetings and events to the new rules of engagement.
A good pricing model matches the needs of attendees in a way that encourages more people to attend and in a greater frequency. It also encourages...
Hybrid Meetings and Risk Management: How a Hybrid Format Can Protect Your Meeting
Hybrid meetings that combine face-to-face and virtual audiences are quickly gaining acceptance as a format that reduces travel costs and extends meetings to participants who lack the money, time, or permission to attend live. Hybridization can also act as a risk management tool enabling meeting professionals to protect meeting attendance and revenue, contribute to deep carbon emission reductions and offer participants and meeting owners the best of both virtual and face-to-face events....
Ethics: What do you do when you don't know what do to?
What would you do if you were asked not to disclose a commission as a condition of a booking? Or if you were invited on a familiarization trip where you likely don't have future business opportunities? Or what if a client shares your proposal documents with your competitor? This session will include a discussion of these and other ethical issues that occur in the meetings industry. We'll introduce a framework for addressing ethical dilemmas, and will also include a brief review of the...
Getting Started with Sustainable Events
Many organizations are thinking about "going green" but getting started can seem daunting. This session presents affordable and effective first steps for sustainable events. This session includes a hands-on science experiment that shows the impact of carbon dioxide on the environment, and how event professionals can take simple steps to improve their carbon and water footprints while saving costs and protecting a brand's reputation. Typical myths about sustainable events are debunked,...
Meetings as Conservers, Creators and Catalysts
In this interactive session we'll explore three facets related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the meetings industry:
- Meetings as Conservers: In this part of the session, we'll look at best practices regarding reducing a meeting's environmental footprint, including a review of newly released sustainability standards in the industry.
- Meetings as Creators: The second part of our session will look at how meetings and events can create positive...
Unspoiled: Food Waste Solutions for Events
Every year, between 30-50% of the global food production is lost or wasted. In the United States, this represents $165 Billion. Food waste in the meetings and events industry is both a financial and environmental issue that can be addressed through collaboration and communication with event stakeholders. In this session we'll explore the differences between food loss and food waste, and how event professionals can reduce both. We'll also review regulations regarding food...
The Future of Meetings
This fast paced and interactive session on the future of meetings will review leading research from MPI and the Convention Industry Council on the future of meetings and the economic impact of the meetings industry. The session will examine four themes:
1) How the business of meetings is transforming (including issues related to sponsorship, room block poaching and the use of eRFPs.
2) How technology is changing the face of meetings
3) The next big issues related...
Breaking Down Participation Barriers
As event designers, the choices that we make affect both the reality and the perception of inclusivity of our events. In this interactive session we'll review practical ways that will start you on the path towards making your events more inclusive. An inclusive event is designed for all people to be able to fully participate, and embraces all forms of diversity, including ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation and religion. Inclusive events are also...
How to Attract and Keep Event Sponsors
In this interactive session, review best practices for attracting and retaining event sponsors and for delivering benefits that enhance business value for sponsors, attendees and event owners. Consider true stories of sponsors and event owners who collaborate as partners, leveraging their strengths to create more memorable event experiences.
Learning outcomes:
- Review best practices for developing an event sponsorship prospectus.
- Learn about alternative...
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