our approach
we’re boutique and unique
Creating engaging virtual & hybrid events – We’re ready for the new norm!
We are passionate believers in the power of face-to-face connections and look forward to safely meeting in person. We are honoured to be part of an industry that has shown such resilience as the world of meetings and events change. Our team is continuously strengthening and growing our skill set to better meet the demands of the new normal. We are up to date with virtual event trends and best practices for virtual and hybrid events. Until we can meet again in person, we are here to offer our expertise in transforming your visions into virtual and hybrid meetings.
Event planning is more than our area of expertise – it’s our passion!
From initial conception to development, planning, on-site management and post-event follow-up – we have the experience, knowledge and resources to execute meetings, conferences and special events that meet your unique goals and objectives.
We are pros at stretching everything from budgets to imaginations.™
Since 2005, Elastic Communications & Events has produced a wide variety of successful and memorable gatherings. Whether you are holding a team meeting with a select number of attendees, an international conference with hundreds of guests, or a celebration of an important milestone or achievement – we manage all the details and create an exciting and engaging experience for you and your guests.
Our approach is founded on five key pillars.
High Performing Team
The Elastic team is Effective, Logistical, Accountable, Strategic, Technical, Imaginative and Cross-Functional. We have strongly complimentary skill sets, and we combine to form an amazing team which can fulfill every need your program might have.
Shared Success
We believe in shared success with our clients. We strive to understand and appreciate your organizational culture. This allows us to be highly collaborative, working with you to create aligned common goals for every program. We focus on long-term success, holding joint retrospectives for improvement along the way.
Partnerships
We believe in the power of long-term relationships, and we have established and built strategic relationships with supplier partners across the event industry. We are very proud of the excellent reputation we enjoy with our supplier partners. Through these partnerships, we are able to combine a global footprint with strong buying power.
Industry Leadership
We take a leadership position within our industry. Through volunteering with industry associations [such as MPI, CansPEP, PCMA and CSA], we play a key role in elevating our profession through cross-industry leadership. We regularly attend continuing educations programs to ensure we have up-to-date knowledge about industry trends, tools and techniques. Finally, familiarization trips ensure we always have the broadest and most in-depth knowledge about the destinations we recommend.
Online Tools
We are experts at all of the online tools and applications needed to plan and manage events – including Productivity and Communication Tools, Mobile Event Applications, Registration Systems and Website CMSes.

our services
driving ideas into amazing events
Supplier Management
We take responsibility on your behalf for all supplier management elements, including: the evaluation process, sourcing and negotiating, on-going supplier liaison, and adherence to minimum standards, schedule and budget. Examples of suppliers we commonly work with are:
- Hotels and venues
- Audio visual
- Exhibit décor
- SWAG
- Décor and entertainment
- Print and collateral
- Transportation and Security
Logistics
Outside of the onsite logistics, we also provide ongoing logistics support for the full duration of your event planning and execution. This includes
- Creation of a proprietary Operations Manual, a resume of daily functions from set up to tear down
- Speaker logistics, including tracking their content, registration and travel.
- Sponsor Solicitation and Fulfilment
- Status Meetings
Hotel/Venue Management
We will manage all aspects of your hotel experience, working with you to find the best venue for your unique needs. We can take care of just one aspect (e.g. just sourcing), or the whole journey, including:
- Site sourcing
- Contract negotiations [client signs]
- Conference service management
- Food and beverage management
- Designing meeting setups

Event Strategy
At the core of our service offering, we partner with you to design, create and execute on a guaranteed event strategy.
- Defining measurable goals and objectives
- Creating a Critical Path for the event
- Ongoing facilitation of Strategic Meetings
- End-to-end design of the overall event
- Holding post event retrospectives

Budget Management
We provide a full budget management service, ensuring you can plan and manage the costs for your event. We help you create, review and approve a budget for your event, and take responsibility for tracking and reconciling all income and expenses.
- Budget Conception
- Revenue & Expense Tracking
- Budget Reconciliation
- Assist in measuring ROI
Onsite Management
We ensure everything that happens on site operates flawlessly. From registration and rehearsals to catering and audio visual presentations, our team of dedicated professionals provides 24-hour effective and efficient on-site support . We provide logistical support and are continually anticipating and troubleshooting any challenges which may arise before or during the event. We take care of:
- 24/7 onsite support
- Pre-conference preparation meetings
- Registration and hospitality desk
- Technical rehearsals
- Catering management
- Support for speakers, room setups etc
- Load-in and setup
- Teardown and Load-Out
Online Management
We work with a variety of conference and event online tools, applications and software to source both ‘off-the-shelf’ and ‘fully developed from scratch’ products. We work with you to determine your goals and objectives, and build the best solution to accommodate the demands of your event – while keeping it on budget. We are experts in:
- Event websites
- Registration systems
- Mobile event applications
the team
we are an award-winning team of passionate meeting professionals committed to creating an exceptional event for you
Yvonne Dewar, CMP
Senior Event Planner

Yvonne Dewar, CMP
Senior Event Planner“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” - Alan Lakein, author of How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life
Bio
Our company is led by Yvonne Dewar, a Certified Meeting Professional with more than 25 years of experience in the meetings industry. Prior to launching Elastic Communications & Events, Yvonne was Director, Conference & Events, for a leading North American communication and events firm.
Yvonne has traveled extensively, directing and managing events for 20 to 5,500 attendees – including annual general meetings, employee recognition events, national sales meetings, travel incentive programs, symposiums, trade shows, and product launches.
From Fortune 500 companies in the financial, high tech and pharmaceutical industries, to government and association clients – Yvonne’s clients return year after year because of her service standards, work ethic, and passion for the meetings industry. As a result, Yvonne was the recipient of the esteemed Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Toronto Chapter 2010 Planner of the Year Award. She is also a Past President of the MPI Toronto Chapter, which has more than 700 members and serve on the board of directors for CanSPEP [Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners].
On top of her business achievements, Yvonne also works hard as mother to two very strong-willed daughters who are both in university! In her spare time she loves researching real estate investments.
Kate Kelly, CMP, CMM, DES
Senior Event Planner

Kate Kelly, CMP, CMM, DES
Senior Event Planner“Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better” - Pat Riley, NBA Coach
Bio
Kate is a professional, dedicated, outgoing and determined individual who has managed associations, conferences, sponsorship and tradeshow sales for 20+ years.
Kate is both a Certified Meeting Manager (CMM) and Certified Meting Professional (CMP) who has managed programs from 10 – 2500 people for a variety of programs including tri-lingual international conferences. She manages conference, Annual General Meetings, workshops, awards galas and dinners and agriculture events which has led to her finding herself in pig barns to better understand the industry and who attends the events.
Kate loves logistics and has a keen eye for detail ensuring that the smallest of details have been considered. She’s all about the risk management, well actually, she prefers to work on Risk Mitigation so it doesn’t become Risk Management.
She honed her technical management skills during covid by completing her Digital Event Strategist (DES) and producing countless virtual conference, meetings, workshops and webinars over the last 18 months.
Kate the recipient of the 2007 MPI Rising Star Award, the 2009 Planner of the Year Award, 2010 Chinook Arch Award and the 2014 Westwind Mentorship Award. Kate has also been interviewed and quoted in magazines such as Business in Calgary, Corporate Meeting Magazine, and Alberta Venture on her expertise in the industry, meetings, and tradeshows. She was also nominated for a 2015 RBC Women Entrepreneur Award.
She is also holds the internationally recognized Certified Meeting Managers designation (CMM) and most recently named a finalist of the Industry Planner Award for the Meetings and Incentive Travel 2016 Hall of Fame.
Kate started her career in events in Hiroshima, Japan during her while teaching English to Junior High School students and working for the school division. She’s a mother to 2, step mother to 4 and business manager for her husband’s criminal law practice. Always good to have a lawyer close by!
Elaine Courte, CAE
Association Executive & Event Coordinator

Elaine Courte, CAE
Association Executive & Event Coordinator“The optimist is a pessimist with a plan” ― Bangambiki Habyarimana, community worker and author of The Great Pearl of Wisdom
Bio
Elaine is an Association Executive and Event Coordinator performing association management, administrative and office support activities for the team.
Elaine is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with the Canadian Society of Association Executives she brings her enthusiasm for organizations and governance. Elaine has more than 20+ years of experience working with associations, providing support and guidance in all aspects of their association business. Elaine shines working with attendees at the registration and information desk, never short of a smile for everyone!
Elaine loves all things policy and procedure and bylaws. She’s been known to sleep with Robert’s Rules right next to her bed - close at hand at all times!
Rosita Pollock
Event Planner

Rosita Pollock
Event Planner“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson, Coach, Dallas Cowboys (1989-1993)
Bio
With over 20 years of experience, Rosita has managed multi-city product launches/sales meetings, award shows, workshops, video productions and international conferences from Canada to China for 20+ years.
After graduating from Corporate Communications, Rosita’s first job was Communications Specialist for the non-profit group Save the Rouge Valley System in Scarborough. Here she was responsible for all media relations, creating awareness publications and writing the funding applications. She then worked at a translation company where she did the layout and formatting of French brochures and publications as well as proofing. She then moved to New Brunswick to become the System’s Trainer for Drake Office Overload and was responsible for changing their manual recruiting process to an electronic based data system. She returned to Toronto where all her skills were utilized as an Event Manager – speaking French, designing events, writing and lots of event coordination and logistics!
Rosita is a master of logistics and operations and on site or virtually her expertise is invaluable as she can troubleshoot any challenge that comes her way.
Rosita has a passion for natural green spaces and has volunteered at the Morgan Arboretum for over 15 years.
Caroline Aston
Senior Event Planner

Caroline Aston
Senior Event Planner“Plan for what you don't know rather than what you do.” ― Adam Hartung, author, Forbes Magazine columnist and speaker on business growth
Bio
Caroline’s diverse career has made her an outstanding event planner. Those that she works with value her ability to produce events that have a positive impact on the way people experience their organization, and that deliver relevant and meaningful results.
Caroline has been planning events for 25+ years, working with government, business and not-for-profit sector. Her expertise spans event strategy and planning through logistics and beyond. She has produced an array meetings and events in all formats including in-person, hybrid and virtual.
In addition, Caroline brings strength in marketing communications and sponsorship, gained during her work with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and the YMCA of Greater Toronto. She has been recognized by The Advertising & Design Club of Canada. Her earlier career includes award-winning work in costume design for BBC Television, England.
Caroline is an active member of the Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners (CanSPEP) where she serves on the Past-Presidents Council, and the Annual Awards sub-committee; as well as a number of meeting and event industry associations. Caroline is a certified Digital Event Strategist (DES); and a graduate of Nottingham University, England.
Caroline lives with her family in the Hockley Valley, Ontario. When not planning meetings and events she can usually be found enjoying the outdoors hiking, kayaking, skiing, or trying to control the garden weeds.
our work
we specialize in conferences, meetings and special events of all sizes and budgets, in person & virtual
Worldwide Members – Europe
Medium EventsWorldwide Members – North America
Large EventsVirtual Collaboration Series- Growing Racial Equity
Virtual EventsTrue Passion Can’t Be Tamed
Medium EventsGlobal Members Early & Continuous Delivery
Large EventsSeed Research – Growing for the World
Medium EventsInvestors – Philanthropic Support for SickKids
Small EventsInnovative Drug Therapies – Changing Lives
Small EventsGrowing Community – Developing Connections
Small EventsGlobal Virtual Conference + Expo – COVID-19 Respond & Recover
Virtual EventsGlobal Communications – Innovative Technology
Medium Events