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Meeting planner profile: Carole Saad, Lead, spousal events for the G8 and G20 summits
March 21, 2011
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Saad with the Canadian Tenors, at the G20 Summit's Welcome and Dessert Reception

By Jennifer Bill

Not many people can say that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi complimented them on their shoes.

Carole Saad can.

While receiving a nice compliment from a head of state might provide a little rush, nothing can compare to the feeling the Ottawa meeting planner experienced when she peeked into the welcome reception she had organized for June’s G20 Summit in Toronto and saw 32 world leaders together under one roof.		  

“I remember thinking, ‘Oh my god, all the world leaders are in this room at this moment, how freaky is that?” she marveled. “All that power in one room at that moment.”

After 12 years in the business and a busy and successful 2010 with her meeting and events company Chic & Swell, Saad got a call that would elevate her client portfolio and endear her to her open-toed, cream and black patent-leather shoes forever.

Would she head up the spousal program and cultural events for both Ontario-hosted G8 and G20 summits?

That would be an unequivocal yes.

Saad was handed the task of taking care of all special events for the spouses of the world leaders during the summits, which took place almost simultaneously in Muskoka, Ont., and Toronto in June. The opportunity presented itself via a link from Meeting Professionals International (MPI), where she serves as president of the Ottawa chapter.

Saad was part of a team of 12 overseeing official events, working with two others on spousal events. During the G8, the spouses, who were unable to go to Muskoka due to security and lack of space, experienced Taste of Muskoka, an event Saad organized at the Fairmont Royal York, where the majority of spousal events took place. Saad also organized a concert by Canadian country singer Beverley Mahhood for the world leaders in Huntsville, a G20 welcome reception, a dessert reception for leaders and spouses with a performance by the Canadian Tenors, and a brunch for G20 spouses at the top of the CN Tower, hosted by the Prime Minister’s wife, Laureen Harper, who invited 12 Canadian women of distinction.

For Saad – whose corporate clients include Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Delta Hotels, Travel Alberta and Deloitte – had previously worked on a high-profile event for His Highness the Aga Khan in Ottawa, nothing could prepare her for the experience of working on a project of such magnitude.

“Organizing an event for one world leader is one thing but when you are organizing an event for 32 world leaders …” she said. “I didn’t know the scale of what I was getting myself into. Unless you’ve worked on a G20 summit before, it’s very difficult to grasp the notion of how big this is.”

Saad said she was responsible for a small but important portion of the summit, and it was an honour to represent Mrs. Harper, who hosted the majority of the spousal events.

“We were part of such a big team. It’s like this big, big machine so it’s not like it’s resting on your shoulders alone. It’s not as scary as it sounds,” said Saad, who is also a part-time professor in the Events Management Program at Algonquin College and also teaches Event & Meeting Management for government agencies and the private sector in both English and French.

Working on the G8 and G20 was not only an uplifting experience, but an uprooting one, as Saad was one of 250 staff who left home for three months and moved to Toronto.

“It was like we were back in university – lots of friendships were formed,” said Saad, of the collective group who lived in hotel suites, herself at the Residences of Marriott. “We spent a lot of time with the people we worked with and formed lifelong friendships.”

Working on this project, she said, was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“It was an absolute great honour, there’s no question about it. When I’m part of the team that represents Canada, and we’re receiving the world into one of our cities ... it is very humbling,” she said.  “Canada received the world with grace and elegance and they did a fantastic job. The summits were a huge success. And it was the first time the summits were hosted back to back … kudos to Canada for pulling off back-to-back summits.

“As a planner I can’t compare anything else to that,” she said. “It was a very unique experience.”

A collection of Saad’s personal thoughts while greeting the world leaders as they came into the welcome reception at the Fairmont Royal York:
  • Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was flamboyant and funny.
  • French President Nicolas Sarkozy was charismatic, with intensely direct eye contact and a firm handshake
  • Michele Obama and Laureen Harper walked together into the room in front of their husbands
  • Laureen Harper introduced Saad to Michele Obama as her friend, saying she was responsible for the attractive decor
  • Michele Obama was beautiful and tall, with a warm smile and a lovely presence
  • Barack Obama walked into the welcome reception without his security guards surrounding him.  ‘I am never going to be that close again to the President of the United States,” she said. “That was one of those (amazing) moments.”

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