Earlier this summer Meetings & Conventions PEI chatted with Serge Micheli and Michael Dargavel, organizers of the Canadian Association of Exposition Management (CAEM) National Conference. They had come on a Familiarization tour in 2014 which resulted in PEI winning their 2016 conference.
How did you come to choose Charlottetown as your 2016 conference location?
Serge: “We were interested in Prince Edward Island and Charlottetown for the CAEM conference. From there we talked to Rebecca Alexander who is with Meetings & Conventions PEI and she suggested we go on a FAM (familiarization) trip.”
Did the FAM trip help you to choose PEI as the conference location?
Serge: “The FAM trip was amazing. It gave us a chance to see the whole island, to see all of the vendors here and things we can do with the conference in terms of networking (and) education at the PEI Convention Center. We were wowed!
We went back to the CAEM board and we said we’d like to bring the conference here, and they were all for it. Then we started working with Betty Ann at the Delta Prince Edward hotel and PEI Convention Center on the contract.”
Meetings & Conventions PEI has been amazing, they’ve been incredibly helpful
What was it like working with the destination?
Michael: “It was a breeze to work with everyone. Everyone was so accommodating happy and cheerful. We got to experience so many great things on the FAM trip and I’m hoping our delegates (here) get to experience the same kind of treatment and hospitality that we did.”
Serge: “The process from the start to getting here with Meetings & Conventions PEI has been amazing too, they’ve been incredibly helpful.”
You have events all over PEI. From golf at Glasgow Hills, dinner at Peake’s Quay, receptions at the Confederation Centre of the Arts and the PEI Brewing Company. What else should we expect to see at the conference over the next few days?
Serge: “A lot of fun, a lot of happy people. Lots of education and networking and getting to know the Island.
My final question was “would you recommend other meeting planners host a meeting on the Island?” the answer…A resounding “YES”
From June 26-28, 2016, with the help of Meetings & Conventions PEI, the Island was fortunate to welcome 180 delegates with the Canadian Association of Exposition Management.