Emma C. Parston, CMP
33, Owner, Principal Consultant and Project Manager
ECP Consulting & Event Management, Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia
On this list because: Parston’s first taste of events was producing small mixology competitions in Leeds, England, for a magazine. “As soon as I created my first production schedule,” she says, “I knew this was the job for me!” Born in Queens, New York, and raised in London, Parston ventured back across the pond to work for an independent event company before joining PDW, the TED production team out of Vancouver, British Columbia. She refined her production and project management skills there before becoming director of project operations at MCI Canada. “I started out on my own because I knew it was the only way to guarantee I would get to work with people I respect on projects I enjoy to create results I am proud of,” she says.
Greatest accomplishment: Producing and stage managing the Dalai Lama’s public address to 18,000 people in 2009, project managing the United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit 2013, or convincing an oil and gas client to let her help reduce its carbon footprint through venue choice, sourcing local food, and choosing environmentally responsible suppliers and materials.
Inspired by: “I eat, sleep and breathe event planning and am passionate about showing the world that successful event production is about more than calling a caterer and choosing a tablecloth color. By working hard to create professional events that ring true to our clients’ unique needs, it’s possible to demonstrate that what we do is important and skillful.”
