Karen Dubin
Age: 36
Favorite hors d'oeuvre: Shrimp cocktail
What she's reading: How to Make Love like a Porn Star by Jenna Jameson, and What Would Jackie Do? An Inspired Guide to Distinctive Living, by Shelly Branch and Sue Callaway.
What she does: Dubin helps organize ideaCity, an annual three-day conference that features 50 speakers presenting on a diverse mix of important subjects for the benefit of 500 guests. Dubin works directly with ideaCity founder Moses Znaimer and the organization's vicepresident Ross Mayot to select the speakers. Once they are chosen, she takes care of all the follow-up details, from the invitations to accommodations and hospitality arrangements. "I also handle sponsorship, ticket sales, marketing, advertising design, and all media relations. As for the actual event, I organize it, program the schedule, and hire the tech team and caterers."
Staff: Dubin has one year-round assistant. During the conference, she also oversees 15 volunteers and a team of 20 technicians.
Career path: "I have a master's degree in social anthropology, but became interested in marketing and public relations early in my life. After completing a post-graduate degree in PR at Seneca College and working at a couple of PR agencies, I met Moses at the Toronto International Film Festival. We immediately hit it off, and when this job became available, I got it. I am now happily in my second year with ideaCity, which has been going for seven years now."
Biggest job challenge: Meeting deadlines. "It is a huge challenge to get speakers to understand our deadlines, especially when we're dealing with 50 different characters." Another challenge Dubin faces is to expand the event to make it appeal to a broader range of potential ticket buyers. Currently, ideaCity sells 500 tickets per conference at $3,200 apiece. "It's a hard sell," she says. One of her ideas for this year's conference is to pitch it to the human resources sector as a professional development seminar.
The evening parties are almost as legendary as the speakers themselves; tell us a bit about the closing night gala.
The closing gala is always held at the CHUM Television building and managed by Francine Socket, CHUM's director of special events and merchandising. We use the entire second floor. There are several catering stations with endless food, and of course, tons of TVs that roll stills from the previous three days of the conference. The decor is always fresh and amazing. It is the biggest of the three parties we hold.
Tell us about the sponsor support the conference attracts.
Our first night's event is always held at the Sandra Ainsley Gallery. Ainsley sponsors the space and law firm Bennett Jones sponsors the party, including the catering and staffing. Our second night's party is sponsored by the Suites at One King West. Harry Stinson, the project's developer, gives us the hotel's Dominion Club, which was formerly a bank and is now a restored heritage site. During the conference program, Panasonic sponsors our six conversation breaks with catering from Humber Culinary School. We're talking haute cuisine such as roasted and smoked venison, shots of vichyssoise (a chilled potato and leek soup), and quite original appetizers. Starbucks provides a breakfast of fruit, yogurt, muffins, etc. Our goal is to ensure no one gets sluggish and tired during these breaks.
In addition to conversation breaks, what other breaks do you incorporate in the conference program?
Each year we have yoga breaks featuring a different type of yoga. Last year, it was a pilates and yoga combination, and we've also held partner and chocolate yoga breaks. For chocolate yoga, you consume chocolate just prior to beginning the yoga exercises. Chocolate is a stimulant and it gets you going. This year, we'll be introducing three new surprise yoga styles.
What influences your venue selection?
Our sponsors often influence our venue choices. For example, Sandra Ainsley is a sponsor, and we host one night at her gallery. In the lead up to our conference, we usually hold a couple of promotional events. In the past, we've held them at Massey College on the University of Toronto campus, and we will likely continue doing so. It's important that the venue environment matches and supports our event. That's the biggest thing I've learned from Moses—ensuring the context fits. So an educational institution makes perfect sense.
How do you choose the suppliers that work with you on the conference and parties?
I attend a lot of event industry parties to sample new caterers, check out the spaces, and observe all the other elements. I like to help small local companies, and I really trust Francine Socket's taste because she has been doing this for so long.
—Robyn Small
Posted 01.25.07
Age: 36
Favorite hors d'oeuvre: Shrimp cocktail
What she's reading: How to Make Love like a Porn Star by Jenna Jameson, and What Would Jackie Do? An Inspired Guide to Distinctive Living, by Shelly Branch and Sue Callaway.
What she does: Dubin helps organize ideaCity, an annual three-day conference that features 50 speakers presenting on a diverse mix of important subjects for the benefit of 500 guests. Dubin works directly with ideaCity founder Moses Znaimer and the organization's vicepresident Ross Mayot to select the speakers. Once they are chosen, she takes care of all the follow-up details, from the invitations to accommodations and hospitality arrangements. "I also handle sponsorship, ticket sales, marketing, advertising design, and all media relations. As for the actual event, I organize it, program the schedule, and hire the tech team and caterers."
Staff: Dubin has one year-round assistant. During the conference, she also oversees 15 volunteers and a team of 20 technicians.
Career path: "I have a master's degree in social anthropology, but became interested in marketing and public relations early in my life. After completing a post-graduate degree in PR at Seneca College and working at a couple of PR agencies, I met Moses at the Toronto International Film Festival. We immediately hit it off, and when this job became available, I got it. I am now happily in my second year with ideaCity, which has been going for seven years now."
Biggest job challenge: Meeting deadlines. "It is a huge challenge to get speakers to understand our deadlines, especially when we're dealing with 50 different characters." Another challenge Dubin faces is to expand the event to make it appeal to a broader range of potential ticket buyers. Currently, ideaCity sells 500 tickets per conference at $3,200 apiece. "It's a hard sell," she says. One of her ideas for this year's conference is to pitch it to the human resources sector as a professional development seminar.
The evening parties are almost as legendary as the speakers themselves; tell us a bit about the closing night gala.
The closing gala is always held at the CHUM Television building and managed by Francine Socket, CHUM's director of special events and merchandising. We use the entire second floor. There are several catering stations with endless food, and of course, tons of TVs that roll stills from the previous three days of the conference. The decor is always fresh and amazing. It is the biggest of the three parties we hold.
Tell us about the sponsor support the conference attracts.
Our first night's event is always held at the Sandra Ainsley Gallery. Ainsley sponsors the space and law firm Bennett Jones sponsors the party, including the catering and staffing. Our second night's party is sponsored by the Suites at One King West. Harry Stinson, the project's developer, gives us the hotel's Dominion Club, which was formerly a bank and is now a restored heritage site. During the conference program, Panasonic sponsors our six conversation breaks with catering from Humber Culinary School. We're talking haute cuisine such as roasted and smoked venison, shots of vichyssoise (a chilled potato and leek soup), and quite original appetizers. Starbucks provides a breakfast of fruit, yogurt, muffins, etc. Our goal is to ensure no one gets sluggish and tired during these breaks.
In addition to conversation breaks, what other breaks do you incorporate in the conference program?
Each year we have yoga breaks featuring a different type of yoga. Last year, it was a pilates and yoga combination, and we've also held partner and chocolate yoga breaks. For chocolate yoga, you consume chocolate just prior to beginning the yoga exercises. Chocolate is a stimulant and it gets you going. This year, we'll be introducing three new surprise yoga styles.
What influences your venue selection?
Our sponsors often influence our venue choices. For example, Sandra Ainsley is a sponsor, and we host one night at her gallery. In the lead up to our conference, we usually hold a couple of promotional events. In the past, we've held them at Massey College on the University of Toronto campus, and we will likely continue doing so. It's important that the venue environment matches and supports our event. That's the biggest thing I've learned from Moses—ensuring the context fits. So an educational institution makes perfect sense.
How do you choose the suppliers that work with you on the conference and parties?
I attend a lot of event industry parties to sample new caterers, check out the spaces, and observe all the other elements. I like to help small local companies, and I really trust Francine Socket's taste because she has been doing this for so long.
—Robyn Small
Posted 01.25.07
