Events

Events by Les Merson

Les honed his event-management skills at Simon Fraser University (SFU), working for Conference Services as well as planning, coordinating, and promoting lectures, symposia, and conferences for the Institute for the Humanities at SFU.

At the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Les and The Link student newspaper presented Springfest ’92: Here Comes the Sun, a celebration of everything sixties – music, fashion, lightshows, and a poster designed by 1960s psychedelic poster artist, Bob Masse. The posters, posted throughout the lower mainland, were so popular that they were taken down as soon as they were posted. The event featured 6 bands at the Fabulous Commodore Ballroom: The Seeds of Time, The Grames Brothers, The Surreal McCoys, CHRX Classic Rockers, Ball & Chain featuring Heather Black’s tribute to Janis, and Danny Mack’s Hydro Electric Streetcar.

In 2003, Les managed the Western Hearth, Patio & BBQ Forum, a 3-day tradeshow in Richmond, B.C.. If working with a fiercely competitive group of retailers, distributors and manufacturers wasn’t challenging enough, Les was hired to rekindle the industry with passion, education and entertainment. According to HPBAC Forum Coordinator, Lisa Martin, “the results were so successful that all our attendees, exhibitors, and association representatives, as well as their US counterparts, said it was the best regional forum they had ever attended. Given 75,000 members in the U.S., that was high praise!” Les succeeded in bringing a strong-minded group of competitors together in a positive, productive and proactive manner including getting sponsorship dollars from companies who had originally been strong disbelievers. The new format increased attendance levels, attracted new exhibitors and sponsors and added, to the association’s bottom line in 2003 and again in 2005. Lisa Martin said that “from start to finish we were dazzled by the magic at our themed Dinner Dance, amazed by Ted “Fire Walker” Buffington and got all fired-up with the celebrity BBQ Cook-Off, hosted by home repair host (A Repair to Remember), syndicated columnist (Tool Girl), best-selling author (How Hard Can It Be?) and Road to Avonlea star, Mag Ruffman. From the pre-conference signage, and signature “touches” like the website, the conference wine (with their custom labels) and thank you baskets, the conference magazine, Sizzle, this new format was second to none.”

In 2004, Les conceptualized and presented Stenberg College’s 2-day Caring for Our Youth: a Symposium on Child & Youth Care at SFU Surrey campus. Free to the public with over 950 attendees, this was a world-class event featuring addiction’s expert, Dr. Edward Khantzian, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; one of the foremost authorities on Emotional Intelligence, Dr. Marc Brackett, Professor of Psychology at Yale University; and Dr. Ed Dunkelblau speaking on Banishing Bullying: how to keep your child from being a victim or a bully; plus inspiring presentations from a former gang member and youth. Local newspaper coverage of the Symposium was extensive and impressive.

In 2006, Les coordinated the 2-day BC Career Colleges Association (BCCCA) Educating Our World: the Power of People conference at the River Rock Casino Resort. The most successful conference ever mounted by the BCCCA, many consider it to be the best educational conference ever produced for private post-secondary educators in Canada. Canadian humanitarian and former United Nations’ special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis gave two sold out keynote addresses and Dr. Vincent Tinto, North America’s foremost expert on retention and student success, presented to a standing room only audience.

In 2007, Les organized and presented Realizing Our Potential: A Symposium on Human Rights for People with Mental Illness in partnership with Coast Mental Health. 1000 people attended this sold-out event with a stellar list of speakers. Stephen Lewis spoke on Human Rights for People with Mental Illness; Psychiatrist Dr. David Goldbloom, Senior Medical Advisor at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, spoke about Stigma Towards People with Mental Illness; Jim O’Dea, Housing advocate and former Chair of BC Housing, spoke on Housing as a Human Right; and LoyAnne McCuaig spoke on Living with Schizophrenia. Broadcaster Kevin Evans was the M.C. for the evening.

Les’ most ambitious conference was Be the Change: A day of Personal & Professional Development in 2013. Over 4,000 people attended the 1-day event at the Langley Events Centre. Michael Smull spoke on Person Centred Thinking and Planning for Everyone; Dr. V. Mark Durand, Professor of Psychology at University of South Florida St. Petersburg, spoke on Interventions for Children with Autism-Spectrum Disorders; Former gang member, Dr. Victor Rios, Professor at University of California, Santa Barbara, spoke about Motivating Marginalized Students for Success; Craig Kielburger, Canadian human rights activist and co-founder of We-Day, spoke on Me to We: How One Person Can Make a World of Difference; and finally, The Buried Life, four guys from Victoria who starred in their own reality documentary series, spoke about What do you want to do before you die? Some of their accomplishments included playing basketball with President Obama and appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show.

In 2018, Les was instrumental in planning and promoting the second Be the Change Conference: Changing Attitudes, Seeking Solutions, & Taking Action at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster, B.C.. Over two days, 1200 attendees attended half day sessions on Truth & Reconciliation, Homelessness, The Opioid Crisis, and Resistance, Resilience & Recovery. The BC Minister of Mental Health, the Hon. Judy Darcy, opened the conference and the Hon. Melanie Mark, the first indigenous woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of B.C. and BC’s Minister for Advanced Education, gave an impassioned speech on the resilience of youth and shared her own childhood experiences. Check out the Hon. Melanie Mark’s speech here: https://youtu.be/9ddBZ12wDZU?si=51ReI7TaRu0hbP32 Speakers included Chief Ernie Crey from the Cheam First Nation; David Wells, Chair of the Aboriginal Homeless Steering Committee; Dr. Evan Wood, Director, BC Centre on Substance Use, and Bif Naked, rock star, writer, humanitarian, and motivational speaker. Check out Bif Naked’s speech here: https://youtu.be/Dkw8MXhUlxU?si=rksI0DOzZb5maWGr  It was a powerful, informative, and empowering two days, with lunch provided both days by Lookout Emergency Aid Society’s outdoor soup kitchen giving attendees a little taste of homelessness.

To open the conference, Merson directed and produced 3 inspiring short documentaries of Stenberg grads being the change. Gabe gives back: A former gang member and drug addict, Gabe spent 14 years in prison before getting clean, getting an education, and giving back as a harm reduction worker; Key-Lee lends an ear: Everyone has a story and deserves to be heard. A high school dropout, Kay-Lee went back to school so she could be there to listen and support those in need; and Marcus makes a difference: Marcus spent 10 years in foster care. His high school teachers said he would never amount to anything. Today he is a college graduate supporting people in need. Check out their videos here: https://myfeaturedfilms.com/inspiring-stories/

In 2020, 3 days before Valentine’s Day, Les presented Be the Love: 5 talks on Loving Yourself and Loving Others, a fundraiser for Moving Forward Family Services. Over 1000 people listened to 5 speakers talk about loving yourself, loving your body, using your voice and standing in your power, educating the whole person; and loving our LGBTW+ family.

In addition to planning, implementing and promoting these events with the support and assistance of an incredible team of marketing professionals, Les has personally delivered close to one thousand information sessions across Canada.