Sheila Wong, Senior Vice President, BBW International Inc.

I founded BBW International Inc., specializing in event staffing, 30 years ago. In the early years, I had hoped to take on about 10 tradeshows a year.... I had no idea we would end up across Canada. Pre-pandemic, we served over 1,200 live events with 1,500 hourly employees. And, during the pandemic, we are in 18 cities with about 25 per cent of the crew working as exam invigilators and COVID safety ambassadors. By the end of May, we will have provided virtual hosts and moderators for 1,000 virtual meetings or events.

CSAE offered entry into the association world, where AGMs and annual conferences need extra help. BBW was given the opportunity to showcase our staff at CSAE Trillium’s summer and winter summits. We’ve never looked back.

With an increase in anti-Asian racism and reported incidents on the rise in major cities across Canada, I could not stay silent. I co-founded the Asian Gold Ribbon Campaign with psychologist Dr. Gina Wong of Athabasca University. We encourage everyone, Asian and non-Asian, to wear a Gold Ribbon face mask, pin or DIY gold ribbon for the month of May, and in particular on the inaugural Asian Gold Ribbon Day – May 20th. We are hosting the first East Asian Youth Summit on this day, where we will give our youth a voice and a platform. Let’s stand in solidarity, unite in hope and create a better tomorrow.

Email Sheila at swong@bbwinternational.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.