The Canadian Defence Security and Aerospace Exhibition Atlantic 2021 (DEFSEC) - Case Study

What made this event different?
We’ve all felt the impact of the pandemic over the past year and event planning in 2021 might feel daunting, but our Event Management team has got it covered. We worked closely with the event organizers for DEFSEC 2021 to implement health and protocols related to physical distancing and venue capacity, even as they were updated within the week leading up to the event. We helped take the stress of last minute changes and navigating the protocols away from the event organizers so they could focus on creating an amazing experience for their delegates and exhibitors.

How It Came Together
The most important task for our team was messaging – gaining the confidence of attendees that their event would be safe and successful. Our website featured DEFSEC on our event calendar with links to the DEFSEC conference website so attendees could stay up to date on the latest conference information. Even more, our social media channels also played an important role as a place where attendees could ask questions and share feedback.

Our thorough cleaning procedures gave guests the confidence that their safety is our number one priority. Our event staff were visibly present during the conference, cleaning, and disinfecting surface areas regularly throughout the conference.

Increased signage in-house gave clear and important information to all attendees including reminders about masking and social distancing.

And our first major tradeshow in Halifax also gained the attention of local media. Features on both CBC and CTV News showed us that our community recognizes the importance of events and is proud to welcome guests from near and far!

“We welcome more than 1,000 aerospace and defence professionals from across Canada and beyond into a safe and productive environment, driving exports, jobs, and security for Canada,” Colin Stephenson, Executive Director DEFSEC Atlantic. “A sensible community looking out for one another has brought us to this point and our participants were so excited to see one another in person again in a world-class facility at the Halifax Convention Centre.”

Celebrating Success
Feedback from the attendees and exhibitors was overwhelmingly positive – many commenting on how “normal” the event felt from start to finish thanks to our modern technology, large open spaces (perfect for social distancing), and helpful, hands-on team on site. But it wasn’t just about the event experience itself; real business and partnerships happened at DEFSEC. With exhibitors from around the world, this conference wasn’t just about seeing old friends, important decisions were made at the conference that will impact the aerospace industry right here in Nova Scotia and around the world.

In fact, the event went so well, we’re proud to share that DEFSEC has booked their annual conference through to 2026!