Wes Scott is president and CEO of EventWorx.
Wes Scott
Calgary’s Business: What is EventWorx and when was it formed?
Scott: EventWorx is now the name behind the Atlantic Canada Petroleum Show, Oil Sands Trade Show & Conference, and Chemistry Canada.
In September 2017, through a management buyout, EventWorx acquired these brands from dmg::events.
We aim to build upon the outstanding level of expertise dmg puts into organizing every event. Our goal is simple: create exceptional face-to-face experiences for our customers to do business together, and be a small part of helping achieve their business results.
CB: Can you give me an overview of the shows you are handling?
Scott: Right now, our pillar events are Atlantic Canada Petroleum Show, which takes place each June in St. John’s, N.L., and supports the offshore energy sector; the Oil Sands Trade Show & Conference, which takes place each September in Fort McMurray, and represents the entire oil sands supply chain; and the Chemistry Canada Summit and Exhibition, which EventWorx has already rebranded from PetroChem Canada. This business-focused conference takes place in Edmonton in September with the goal of bringing focus to Canada’s opportunities in the downstream sector as well as biochemicals and specialty chemicals.
EventWorx is already adding to this portfolio through the development and organization of new events, partnerships, management contracts and acquisitions. For example, we hosted a Cyber Security for Executives workshop last February and have been recruited by three clients to organize two-day conferences and exhibitions, a single day program and even a charity golf tournament.
EventWorx will continue to develop our own focused events, conferences, meetings and exhibitions for both business-to-business audiences and business-to-consumer marketplaces; and will grow our management portfolio through strategic partnerships.
CB: What’s the appeal for you personally in organizing an event?
Scott: There is something very compelling about researching a topic, getting to know the industry players, building relationships and then finally pulling it all together into some form of an event. It’s a real emotional high to see people doing business together or learning from one another and knowing your team is responsible for making that happen. And I love the pressure and adrenaline that I can only get from organizing events.
CB: How did you get into this line of work?
Scott: Completely by accident. When I was still in university I was doing some marketing research and advertising selling for a not-for-profit called the Petroleum Society of CIM. As part of their organization, they hosted workshops, conferences, golf tournaments and monthly luncheons. I was addicted to the events very quickly and forgot to leave the Petroleum Society after university. I stayed with them and became the general manager for a few years; and during that time met incredible people at dmg events – and I knew I had to work for them and run (at the time) the world’s largest oil and gas show – Global Petroleum Show.
After a very lengthy and rewarding career with dmg, it’s time for me to have my own shop and develop events our way. Thus EventWorx Corp. was born.
CB: What are the trends you’re seeing in trade shows these days?
Scott: This is an incredibly large list but the highlights are: Everyone from visitors to exhibitors are looking for an experience. Understandably, they are at a show to do business, but they want to meet great quality people, be entertained, they want to be left with unique memories from the event, and above all else, they want value for time and money.
We are working hard to add more interactive elements to our trade shows and be sure that we offer a plethora of education and great networking.
Bigger is not better; this has been a tough lesson, but we are finding that people enjoy smaller, focused trade shows, conferences and meetings. We have discovered that people would rather be in the same room with 100 like-minded people, who they can meet and network with, rather than an event with tens of thousands of people, where they get lost in the crowd.
Technology is our friend, not our enemy – by this I mean we must embrace as much technology as possible to produce incredible events. This comes from the way we market events, to what actually takes places at the trade show or conference.
And the biggest trend – face-to-face is here to stay. People still want to get together and meet face-to-face and develop relationships. No amount of technology will replace the fact we are still human beings. As much as our industry is changing rapidly, human nature stays the same.
It’s exciting to be a part of an amazing and dynamic industry. I cannot imagine another job I would rather do.
– Mario Toneguzzi
Correction:
An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to the company name as EventWorkx. We apologize for the error.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication. Calgary’s Business is a Troy Media Digital Solutions Associate website
