A Brief Intro to Sea to Sky
Sea to Sky Meeting and Association Management specializes in the creative planning and management of associations, conferences, exhibitions, and special events throughout British Columbia, across Canada, and around the world. We are an award-winning company that offers a comprehensive range of services tailored to the specific needs of our clients.
Learn more about our beginnings and approach, our core values, how we connect and learn virtually, our focus on helping you bring a meeting to Canada, the awards we have won, our participation in the community, and the memberships we maintain.
Our Beginnings in Association, Conference and Event Management
Sarah Lowis, Founder and Impact Officer of Sea to Sky Meeting and Association Management, started the company in 2001 out of a desire to provide conference and event management services at a level of professionalism well above other providers. She recognized a niche for defining events as a strategic tool in an organization’s ability to achieve goals, not just as an excuse to get together.
The association management side of the company was a natural extension, as Sea to Sky was working year after year with associations and their boards to help manage their annual events.
Today, Sea to Sky Meetings employs a dedicated team of professionals and works with clients from and in locations around the world.
Our Approach to Conference, Event and Association Management
Sea to Sky’s approach to conference and event management is to apply the principles and practices of project management.
- Concept. Understanding the purpose of the meeting, the stakeholders, and the meeting’s mission statement.
- Design. Developing strategic and tactical plans to meet the goals and objectives of the meeting in our areas of responsibility.
- Execution. Working with a team of professionals, including suppliers, to deliver on time and on budget.
- Evaluation. Demonstrating and communicating the return on investment.
No matter what our role is at your conference or event, we always go the extra mile to ensure we exceed your expectations. In addition to our positive and professional attitude, we offer local, national, and international expertise and experience.
Sea to Sky’s approach to association management is similar in that each special project undertaken relies on the basics of project management. We also support associations in day-to-day administration, board and financial management, and member retention and recruitment activities, among others, which relies on the principles and practices of program management where our focus is on meeting long-term strategic objectives. We seamlessly become part of the association, working behind the scenes to ensure the success of the association and its members.
Our Core Values
We live by our core values. Everything we do filters through our five core values guiding our actions and results:
Business Managers
We understand business fundamentals and finances, and protecting and growing our clients’ interests
Plan ahead
We look to the future, plan carefully and effectively organize our work
Continuously improve
We take innovation seriously and deliver through solving challenges
One team
We are effective when we work together and help each other
Live by results
We go the extra mile, we always give our best, and we care about our results
Being Connected and Learning – Virtually
No matter where you live, your community’s borders are becoming global and are more mobile now than ever before. Your conference participants and association members expect your offerings to reflect their mobile lives.
Sea to Sky understands that. With our Virtual Hub, we have the expertise to advise you on how best to engage and connect participants and members, in person and virtually.
Bring a Meeting to Canada
At Sea to Sky, we’d love to see more international meetings take place in Canada. As a potential Chair, you can be assured that Sea to Sky can help with everything you need to win your bid to host an international meeting in Canada.
We will help you maximise the many benefits of hosting an international meeting in Canada.
Meeting and Event Awards
Sarah Lowis receiving the Global Paragon Award
Sea to Sky won the Meeting Professionals International’s Category 1 Global Paragon Award in 2005. The first Canadian company to win in this category, Sea to Sky received this honour for its work on the International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering (OMAE 2004).
Sea to Sky supports the work of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and spearheaded the inaugural It’s TIME (Training in Meetings and Events), an industry training conference for the BC Chapter of MPI. The event was so successful that Sea to Sky organized a second conference in 2012. Sarah Lowis was awarded the Planner of the Year in 2011 by the BC MPI Chapter.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Minimizing our impact on the environment is standard practice at Sea to Sky. We choose suppliers with active green and fair trade policies and offer conference participants the option of reducing their environmental impact by purchasing carbon offsets for their travel. Over time, even the small things we do make a big difference – serving sugar from bulk containers rather than individual packages, reducing or eliminating printed marketing materials, recycling name badges, and making charitable donations in lieu of speaker gifts.
Memberships in Tourism, Event and Association Management
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www.destinationvancouver.com |
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www.tourismvictoria.com |
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www.mpibcchapter.com |
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www.csae.com |
