Presenting Team Ottawa Tourism: Business Events and Major Events and Sport

Stephanie Seguin (she/her)

Vice President, Sales, Business & Major Events

Stephanie leads the strategy and execution of the city’s business and major events sales efforts. She has built her career around driving impactful growth in business events, a sector that is deeply meaningful to her because of the economic impact and positive legacies these events create, helping to build a stronger, more vibrant city.

Stephanie works to position Canada’s capital as a leading destination for international conferences, conventions, and large-scale events, while advancing sustainable growth across Ottawa’s business events ecosystem. With extensive experience in destination marketing, she champions Ottawa’s strengths, from its vibrant business community and world-class venues to its walkable downtown and inclusive culture.

Through strong collaboration with industry partners and global associations, Stephanie helps bring impactful events to Ottawa, creating value not only for event organizers and delegates, but for the city itself. From the initial bid through to delivery, she is passionate about creating exceptional experiences and ensuring that every event leaves a lasting, positive legacy for Ottawa. 

Patrick Quirouette (he/him)

Director, Sales, Business & Major Events

Major Events and Canadian Domestic Strategies

Patrick will oversee the execution of the business plan, grow our event hosting brand and manage strategic partnerships and their deliverables. Patrick will be a visible member in our community with stakeholders, industry associations, tradeshows and events. With a keen eye for service excellence, Patrick will always be looking for opportunities to improve our services, competitiveness and efficiency.

Lizzy Low (she/her) 

Assistant Director, Business & Major Events

International, US Association, and North American Corporate strategies 

Lizzy leads efforts to attract international, U.S. association, and North American corporate meetings and events to Canada’s capital. She is passionate about growing Ottawa’s visitor economy through strategic partnerships and business event opportunities that deliver economic and social impact to the destination.

A strong advocate for industry engagement and community impact, Lizzy serves as Chair of Meeting Professionals Against Human Trafficking (MPAHT), working to advance awareness and education on the role the tourism and events industry can play in disrupting human trafficking. 

Laura Matley (she/her) 

Manager, Business Events

Canadian Associations (300+ delegates)

Laura promotes Ottawa as a leading destination for national association conferences and events with 300 delegates and more. She works closely with meeting planners to source venues and guest room accommodations, develop competitive bid proposals, coordinate site inspections, and connect clients with local partners. By providing personalized support and local expertise, Laura helps organizations deliver successful events while ensuring a seamless planning experience in Ottawa.

Jessica Roedig (she/her) 

Manager, Business Events

U.S. and Canadian Corporate

Jessica is focused on attracting corporate meetings and events to Canada’s capital. Working closely with meeting professionals, Jessica assists in identifying ideal venues, accommodations and local partners to deliver seamless event experiences. With a passion for showcasing Ottawa as a dynamic and accessible destination for business events, Jessica plays a key role in driving corporate event growth and strengthening the city’s reputation as a premier meeting hub.

Nicholas Litt (he/him)

Manager, Business Events

U.S. Associations

Nick is responsible for attracting business travelers and events such as conferences and conventions from the United States.  Aiding with recommendations and connecting our clients with local vendors, hotels, and transportation service partners to coordinate logistics and ensure a smooth experience for their delegates.  Nick’s primary role as it relates to business development involves attending important industry events to promote, spread awareness and build the relationships that will grow our destination in the U.S. market.

Désirée Prill (she/her) 

Manager, Client Services & Partnerships

Major Events and Sport 

Désirée leads client servicing and partnership initiatives for Ottawa Tourism's Major Events and Sport team. She collaborates with event organizers, members, hotels, attractions, industry partners, and community stakeholders to deliver host city commitments and support successful events in Ottawa. With experience supporting major national and international events, she focuses on partnership development, stakeholder engagement, event legacy initiatives, and creating meaningful connections that maximize the impact of events across the destination. 

Basma Salhi (she/her)

Client Services Specialist, Business Events 

Basma leads Ottawa Tourism's Business Events servicing portfolio, providing strategic destination expertise and tailored support to event organizers throughout the planning process.

She connects clients with local partners, coordinates destination resources, and collaborates with stakeholders to deliver exceptional delegate experiences and successful events.

Through strong relationship management, operational excellence, and continuous service development, she helps position Ottawa as a leading destination for meetings and conventions. 

Emily Mackey (she/her)

Research Manager, Business and Major Events

Emily oversees the transition of qualified leads from the research phase to the bid phase, working closely with external stakeholders to identify worldwide congresses suitable for hosting in Canada's capital city, in turn enhancing Ottawa's global standing. Emily also spearheads the Think Ottawa ambassador program, fostering connections and recognition for subject matter leaders in their respective fields of business and sport. She thoroughly examines RFPs for events, assessing their feasibility, potential legacy, and alignment with Ottawa's values and expertise.

Manassie Wilson (she/her)

Research Specialist, Business and Major Events

Manassie supports Ottawa Tourism’s Business and Major Events team by conducting research on prospective clients and events that could potentially be hosted in Ottawa. Working alongside Sales Managers, she provides research and insights that complement the bid process, uncover opportunities to strengthen Ottawa’s proposition, and help set the city apart when competing to bring events to the destination.

Manassie also supports the Research Manager in fostering relationships with local leaders and subject matter experts across different sectors through the Think Ottawa Program.

Xiaolin Gong (she/her)

Manager, Business Events 

U.S. and Canadian Corporate

As a Corporate Sales Manager, Xiaolin works closely with meeting planners, corporate clients, and industry partners to bring successful business events to Ottawa. With a strong understanding of the city's hotels, venues, and event infrastructure, Xiaolin helps clients navigate the planning process by connecting them with the right resources, partners, and opportunities. She is passionate about showcasing Ottawa as a leading destination for meetings, conferences, and corporate events, and is dedicated to delivering exceptional service every step of the way. 

Ivana Davidovic (she/her)

Sales Coordinator, Business Events & Major Events

Ivana diligently enters and manages leads, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information. She also creates and maintains client accounts, streamlining communication and record-keeping. Her role involves proofreading agreements, coordinating requests for letters of support and handling other assigned projects.

Jessie Williams (she/her)

Sales Coordinator, Business & Major Events

Jessie supports the Business Events & Major Events team in a range of tasks including management of the partner buy-in communication in preparation for sales activities, assisting with the planning and execution of site inspections as well as the gathering of letters of support from the local ecosystem to help support bids on international events.

Fostering a strong sense of teamwork through communication and positive reinforcement, Jessie offers her assistance wherever needed to help the BE/ME team succeed.

Christina Weiss (she/her) 

Sales Coordinator, Business & Major Events

Christina supports the bid process through strong organization and relationship management. She retrieves and coordinates letters of support, manages, creates, and assigns sales leads, and develops detailed hotel charts to strengthen proposals. She also assists with funding letters and agreements, ensuring submissions are accurate, timely, and aligned with strategic objectives. 

Devin Jenkins (he/him)

Manager, Major Events and Sport

Devin focuses on fostering strategic partnerships with local, provincial, national, international sports organizations, and event rights holders to bring impactful events to Ottawa. Through these collaborations, he showcases the city as a leading destination for major events, driving tourism and elevating Ottawa's reputation on a global scale. 

Joey Swarbrick (he/him)

Manager, Major Events and Sports

Joey focuses on fostering strategic partnerships with local, provincial, national and international sports organizations to bring impactful events to Ottawa. Through these collaborations, he showcases the city as a leading destination for major events, driving tourism, and elevates Ottawa's reputation on a global scale.

Glenn Duncan (he/him)

Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer

Glenn’s responsibilities include overseeing sales and marketing efforts and guiding the strategic direction to position Ottawa as a vibrant, welcoming and diverse tourism destination.

Emily Coppella (she/her)

Manager, B2B Marketing

Emily is part of the Marketing team and leads integrated marketing initiatives across Business Events, Major Events & Sport, and Travel Trade. She develops targeted campaigns, collaborates with partners and stakeholders, and oversees owned channels including email and social media content. Emily also supports special projects as needed.

Luisa Ibarra (she/her) 

Coordinator, B2B Marketing

Luisa is a part of the Marketing department and assists in coordinating owned and paid marketing efforts for Business Events and Major Events and Sport. Her primary focus is to create engaging social media content for both teams, as well as newsletters, blog posts and beyond. 

Contact the Business Events team. 

Contact the Major Events and Sport team.

Connect with both teams on Ottawa Tourism's Linkedin page.