News

March 15, 2016 - Vancouver, BC

International Conference Services (ICS) Announces Expansion with New Office Space to Support Growth. ICS’s new office space supports current and future planned capacity growth in conference and association management, trade shows and digital services.

International Conference Services Ltd., a leading provider of professional congress, association, tradeshow and digital management services announces the Headquarter relocation to new office space to accommodate the rapid growth and future expansion plans. The new office space located at 300-1201 West Pender Street in Vancouver BC, will provide capacity for increased client support, sales, operational services and leadership functions across the company.

“ICS's new office space will allow us to increase our capabilities in key areas that align with our current and future growth plans. The space is designed to provide staff as well as clients with flexible work and meeting space and provide ample room for networking and inspiring conversations to further our common goals.” said Mathias Posch, President of ICS.

ICS is a leading provider of International Conference Management with branch offices in Canada, USA and Europe. The company is focused on providing clients with exceptional service, guided support from knowledgeable and experienced staff in addition to continued strategic innovation.

“Our team is excited about the growth we are experiencing and this move represents a commitment to continue to build on the success our team has accomplished.” said Jenn Abbott the company’s Vice President.

In addition to the new office space, ICS will also be celebrating its 40^th Anniversary later this year. Stay tuned for this exciting Announcement!

For more information please contact: info@icsevents.com or visit www.icsevents.com

New Faces at ICS – May 2014

We are always excited to add new members to our growing team. Please join us in welcoming our three newest additions!

Chelsea Prangnell

Chelsea has over 10 years of experience in the event industry, with a focus on sponsorship and business development. She originally joined the ICS team in 2006 as a Speaker Manager, and then worked in the Housing and Registration Department before advancing into Sponsorship Sales and Management in 2010. Chelsea is very personable and practices a customized and creative approach to developing relationships and securing sponsorship funds. After a short time away, we are so pleased to welcome Chelsea back to the ICS team as our Senior Manager in Sponsorship and Exhibit Sales.

Laura Robinson

Laura is joining our team as a Tradeshow Coordinator, working on our 7 annual Education and Career Fairs across BC and Alberta. She has a background in Marketing within the alcoholic beverage industry and after travelling extensively in South East Asia and Australia, leading diving excursions, Laura realized that customer service was her real passion. She has been working in the Vancouver events industry since 2011 and has found her passion for exceeding attendee expectations.

To get to know the other members of our team around the world, please keep an eye on the Meet the Team section on our website.

April 14, 2014

ICS Makes Social Media Marketing Work

Andrew Dergousoff, Mathias Posch & Dave Venus

We all use it but very few actually get the best out of Social Media, which can be a fantastic networking and marketing tool for the conference industry. ICS (International Conference Services) chose not to accept the status quo and through its Virtual Meetings Department in its Vancouver Headquarters, the company developed new viral and social media marketing strategies geared towards increasing conference attendance. The first “guinea pig” was the annual 'GOLD Lactation Online Conference', owned and managed by ICS. In preparation for the 2014 conference, several Social Media and Web Marketing strategies were implemented; including campaigns on Facebook and Twitter, online peer to peer marketing, and viral marketing. The results were outstanding: increased followers on the conference’s Facebook & Twitter and a significant rise in registrations, which was the main objective.

At the time of this publication, the team managed to increase registrations by almost 75% compared to 2013 and attributes much of this to the new marketing initiatives put in place this year. Mathias Posch; President of ICS, is ecstatic about the success, “As a company we strive to be on the forefront of technology, with new ways of delivering content and reaching people. We continue to embrace new technologies. Many things we try do not always work but then there are these moments of success which tell you you’re on the right track. I am proud of my staff who continues to push for further innovation and I am happy that our clients are able to benefit from our efforts.”

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February 25, 2014

Jenn Abbott Promoted to Vice President of Business Development

Jenn Abbott

International Conference Services has announced a key development in their management team as Jenn Abbott has been promoted to Vice President of Business Development at ICS as of February 2014.

Jenn joined the ICS team in August, 2011 as the Director of Business Development. During her two and a half years at ICS, Jenn has been an integral leader of the business development team, enhancing the company’s strong reputation in the national / international association markets; while also leading its expansion into the corporate and special event industries. Prior to joining ICS, Jenn spent 8 years as the owner and director of successful Vancouver event management company. Her company specialized in event production along with product promotion, branding and talent management. Jenn has an extensive background in international finance and sales.

As Vice President of Business Development, Jenn will continue to build up ICS’ national and international clientele while overseeing staff operations in the company’s four offices in Vancouver, BC; Toronto, Ontario; Vienna, Austria; and Denver, Colorado. Jenn has become very well respected by her colleagues through her excellent performance in sales, thoughtful consideration of team members, and forward-thinking management style as part of the ICS Executive Team. An active member of the industry, Jenn also represents ICS as a member of the Canadian Society of Association Executives, the Canadian Professional Sales Association and the Vancouver Board of Trade; acting as a mentor in the Leaders of Tomorrow Mentorship Program.

ICS is excited to announce this promotion in preparation of one of its busiest years to date in 2015, with six citywide conferences contracted globally – three of which are being hosted in its headquarters city of Vancouver. Since its conception in 1976, ICS has built a consistently strong reputation as an international Professional Congress Organizer. ICS maintains a number of prestigious memberships in the conference management industry, including ICCA, PCMA, MPI, and IAPCO; of which ICS President Mathias Posch has just been re-elected to the Council of nine members. “Our leadership team has never been stronger” says Mathias, as “ICS anticipates unprecedented growth and is eager to move forward into this exciting new chapter!”

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January 14, 2014

Grit Schoenherr Named Director of Education for PCMA Canada West


Grit Schoenherr

International Conference Services is pleased to announce that Senior Conference Manager Grit Schoenherr has been named Director of Education for the Canada West Chapter of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). Representatives of the ICS team have been involved with PCMA for many years, and with its headquarters in Vancouver, Canada, ICS is thrilled to have one of their most esteemed team members on the board for Western Canada.

Grit has been working in the Hospitality and Conference Business for more than 15 years. She started her career in Germany where she worked for one of the biggest coach companies, planning and executing transportation and logistics for events ranging from 10 to 10,000 people including the 2006 FIFA Soccer World Cup where she was responsible for all official transportation arrangements (Teams, VIPs, Referees, etc.). In 2007 she joined the team at International Conference Services as an intern and began developing her experience in the conference and convention management industry. With her diligence, excellent client service, and knack for managing events of all size and scope, Grit quickly advanced into higher positions at ICS, first as Speaker and Program Manager and then a Conference Manager. Today, Grit is a Senior Conference Manager and has managed the past three World Conferences on Lung Cancer as well as numerous other meetings worldwide. Grit’s work is driven by results and focused on satisfying the client as well as making their event a success; enabled by her exemplary planning and organizational skills, along with a high degree of detail orientation. With her latest involvement in PCMA as the Director of Education for the Canada West Chapter, Grit is sure to influence her peers with her expertise and act as a valuable mentor for the meeting and convention leaders of tomorrow.

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November 30, 2011

ICS Strikes GOLD with Online Conference Purchase

Vancouver's International Conference Services (ICS) announced they have successfully expanded their reach into online conferences. The company recently purchased The Global Online Lactation Discussion (GOLD) – the largest conference on human lactation in the world. The fully online GOLD conference offers the most in-demand speakers, cutting edge topics, and high quality opportunities for lactation education and networking… anywhere!

The purchase of GOLD was finalized after ICS submitted a winning bid in conjunction with business partners Iain Mackay, FCA & ICS Chairman of the Board and Karyn-grace Clarke, IBCLC. Karyn-grace Clarke, Registered Lactation Consultant and owner of Happy Tribe Consulting in Nanaimo, BC, Canada has been working with expectant and breastfeeding families for over 15 years. She will be key in the management of the GOLD conference and will continue to provide quality education and networking in the lactation field.

ICS representatives have already completed the official business hand-over in addition to completing an extensive training process in Brisbane, Australia — where the GOLD conference had been operating from. ICS plans to rename GOLD to ‘Global Online Learning Discussion’ as the company has further ambitions to grow into other various fields with its Online-Conference Concept.

"The step into online conferences is another strategic milestone for ICS and our clients. We are now able to offer an even broader spectrum of conferences and meetings - both traditional or virtual and can tailor our services for clients accordingly. We believe a virtual meeting component is a fantastic way to extend the educational lifespan of a traditional conference and expand audience reach. Particularly in these difficult economic times, the ability to provide online alternatives to face-to-face meetings when costs may otherwise have prevented a meeting at all will be a great asset to our clients. While ICS has successfully managed virtual meeting components in the past, our new online meetings software allows us to provide feature-rich services we were previously unable to. We strongly believe that an integrated approach of face-to-face meetings with online components is the way forward for associations and corporations alike. We are looking forward to managing the first GOLD conference under our ownership and will be keeping an eye out for more online meetings to purchase and / or manage in the future!" says Mathias Posch, ICS President & Partner.

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July 22, 2011

ICS Wraps up the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer

Over 7,000 experts from around the globe gathered at the RAI Convention Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from July 3 to 7 for the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer.

Hosted every two years by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, the conference is one of the largest international gatherings of clinicians and scientists in the lung cancer field. The meeting brought together surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, radiologists, pathologists, epidemiologists, basic research scientists, nurses and allied health professionals. Presentations from leading experts, Oral and Poster Abstract Presentations as well as Industry Supported Symposia provided delegates with information on the latest developments in basic science and clinical treatment.

Above: The on-site ICS team pauses for a picture.

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