Twas the Night of the Trillium Holiday Event…Virtual Style

by Krista Cameron

On December 3, I had the pleasure of being the Trillium Network’s Holiday Event Chair for a second year in a row.  The Trillium Network members and guests gathered to celebrate good times and good friends.  Being virtual, it wasn’t the traditional holiday gala, and it did look a lot different, but we kept some traditions alive.  Themed Winter Wonderland, we invited all attendees to put on their best holiday costume, wear their ugliest Christmas sweater or a crazy hat, or come as a holiday character.

This year we decided to add a little something extra by inviting a Drag Queen, Vanity a la mode, to host the event.  With high energy and humour she led us through numerous engagements starting with a best costume contest.  Following this, guests partook in table missions such as Never Have I Ever, Holiday Scavenger Hunt and Name That Tune.  A key focus of the event was to have attendees engage with as many people as possible which is why the table shuffle was created.  Like musical chairs, everyone had to switch tables all at once to keep the energy and interactions moving. Following this, Vanity a la mode invited some selected attendees to join her on stage and play Chat Roulette.

Engagement prizes were awarded by the event’s valued partners Destination Toronto, Tourism Winnipeg and Ottawa Tourism.  The winners who earned the most points were Christine Nielsen, Kathy Tavares and Aina Budrevics.  The event concluded with greetings from our Council Chair, Cindy Gonsalves who gave a special tribute to our recent Past Chair, Randi Glass.  Randi then thanked all of our members by showing a video that was created as a holiday gift from the Council…“singing” their version of Jingle Bells (Trillium style).

While this year’s event was different, and as we wait for live events to return, the Trillium Network showed that we will always find a reason and a way to celebrate!

Krista Cameron, also known as Kristamas, is the Director of Business Development at Encore Canada. She is one of the industry’s biggest champions, actively engaged in CSAE, PCMA, MPI and CanSPEP. Among her many awards and kudos, she was recently awarded PCMA Canada East’s Inspirational Mentor of the Year. Krista can be reached at [email protected]