On February 12 and 13, 380 event professionals gathered at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Edmonton for the First Annual GO WEST event. Produced by Timewise Event Management and powered by FMAV, it was an energy-filled two days that combined education, networking, and interactive experiences.
The conference opened with a keynote address by David Merrell of AOO Events on 2018 Event Trends and Forecasts. He covered trends in event design, technology, and food and beverage. There were a total of 8 other speakers, covering everything from food and beverage trends, to intentional event design, to marketing, to branding (both professional and personal). The formal portion of the conference ended with a Tech Showcase, where 4 tech companies each had 5 minutes to showcase their products.
The Experiential Hall then opened, where attendees got the opportunity to talk to vendors and see and experience their products first-hand. During this time, there were also mini-sessions such as “Art of Chocolate Making”, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, REWARD”, “Top 3 apps #eventprofs can’t live without”, and “Instagram” taking place in the hall. Everyone left the event with notebooks full of ideas, bags full of giveaways, and pockets full of business cards!
Take Aways
➜ Fashion translates into linens! Expected to be big for 2018 are velvets, sparkles, lace, transparent, stripes & plaids, tribal patterns, fringe & feathers, and baby’s breath – David Merrell
➜ Punch bowls are out, and keg cocktails are in! Batch-made for large events, they’re functional and costeffective. Edible and drinkable event invites are also a great way to catch the eye and the attention of your invitees! – Shannon Boudreau
➜ EventMobi takes the stress out of building an app for your event. Registration, live polling, surveys, upto-the-minute scheduling, networking games, and more… EventMobi has everything you could need for your event! – Gavin O’Driscoll
What People Are Saying
“GO WEST is literally your one-stop-shop for Event and Meeting Professionals. From the informative and diverse topics of their keynote speakers to their extravagant networking and social environments, GO WEST offers everything you need and are looking for regarding up-to-date Event and Meeting trends and resources. I look forward to seeing the growth of GO WEST and what they have to bring in the years to come.” – Daniel Schieman, Communications and Event Coordinator, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta
“The GO WEST conference was an incredible opportunity to hear from experts in the events, catering, and technology profession about cutting-edge ideas that can be used at our fundraising events. It was great to network and build relationships with event professionals and vendors at the Experimental Hall showcase.” – Sabrina Ali, Manager, Alberta Events, STARS Air Rescue
“It was great to have the opportunity to connect with so many local event professionals in Western Canada. I’m thrilled to see such overwhelming support from the industry for this initiative, and I loved the chance to connect with so many colleagues in the industry. Our team is looking forward to supporting the conference as it grows and builds upon a great first year.” – Anh Nguyen, Principal, Spark Event Management Inc.
Next Year Timewise has confirmed that GO WEST 2019 will take place January 21 & 22, 2019 at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton.
Visit gowestlive.com for details.
