In a world increasingly shaped by emails and virtual meetings, the simple act of gathering in person has taken on renewed meaning. From community celebrations, professional meetings and large-scale conferences, events remain powerful engines for connection, creativity, and economic growth. More than just dates on a calendar, events bring people together, activate local businesses, and foster a shared sense of purpose.
At Events & Management Plus Inc. (EM+), a Kingston-founded and Kingston-based company, we work with volunteer-based and not-for-profit associations across Canada and internationally, providing professional association management and conference planning services. Many of the organizations we support host annual national conferences that rotate between host cities and are led by dedicated volunteers deeply committed to their industries and communities. Our role is to support them in bringing people together in meaningful and impactful ways.
Our teams support these conferences and meetings from beginning to end, creating spaces where professionals can learn, collaborate, and advance their fields. While conferences have always played an important role in professional development, today they offer something even more essential: human connection. Face-to-face conversations, spontaneous networking, and shared experiences build trust and understanding in ways that screens simply cannot replicate.
Beyond the meeting rooms, events and conferences invite exploration. When hundreds of delegates travel to a host city, they engage with far more than a program agenda. They stay in local hotels, dine in restaurants, visit attractions, shop downtown, and discover the history and culture that make a city unique. For many attendees, a conference may be their first introduction to a city. For a host city like Kingston, this creates a meaningful tourism boost and opens the door to repeat visits, future events, and long-term economic opportunity.
The economic ripple effect of events is significant. Conferences support a wide network of local partners, including venues, caterers, audiovisual teams, transportation providers, printers, entertainers, and hospitality staff. Each event creates immediate economic activity while also contributing to long-term visibility for the city as a destination for business, tourism, and innovation. A positive event experience can influence future travel decisions, business investment, and word-of-mouth promotion well beyond the event itself.
But the impact of events isn’t measured only in dollars. They also spark creativity and collaboration. Conferences bring diverse perspectives into one space, encouraging the exchange of ideas and the development of new solutions to shared challenges.
EM+ manages several annual conferences that bring delegates from across the country to host cities, giving attendees the opportunity to experience host cities while learning and networking. In Kingston, this means discovering the city’s waterfront, restaurants, local businesses, and rich history. These experiences help build lasting connections between visitors and the city.
As we look ahead, the value of coming together in person has never been clearer. Events remind us that economic, professional, and social growth happens when people connect, strengthening communities in the process.
Megan Howes, CAE CMP, Vice President, Events & Management Plus Inc.
Article published in the January 2026 issue of the digital magazine We Are Kingston - Read it here!