Shannon is very passionate about events and technology! With a decade of paralleled experience in both the event and tech industries, she comes with a wealth of sales and marketing experience working with some major technology giants such as Blackberry, SAP, and EventMobi. She was also a social event entrepreneur for 9 years specializing in south asian weddings in Toronto, until 2015 when her company got acquired. In 2010, she graduated with a Masters in Business, Entrepreneurship & Technology from Canada’s #1 Ivy League university (University of Waterloo), which propelled her further into the strategic realm of emerging technology.
Today, Shannon is the Director of Sales & Industry Relations for the event technology provider Attendease in Vancouver, BC. She works with customers around the world like Adobe, SXSW & Pivotal to elevate their event strategy to effectively meet their organization’s global event objectives. This year, it was with great excitement Shannon received PCMA’s meeting industry accolade “20 in their 20’s”.
“hi, my name is…”
The world knows me as: Shannon DeSouza, MBET
I’ve also been known to respond to the names: Fancy D, Desouza, Shan, Shandy, ShanGirl, Dee
I am wicked good at: I’ve honestly become outstanding at planning a supremely stylish wedding, so much so I can whip one up within a month! I would say it’s one of those things I could “do in my sleep”.
Least favorite house chore: Dishes – I’m soooo spoiled, my husband is amazing and never lets me touch the dirty ones; some how I have even gotten away with unloading the clean ones! LOL
My go-to guilty pleasure food is: President’s Choice Ketchup Chips – this is a Canadian specialty. When you come to Canada be sure to buy at least 5 bags, they are insanely addictive!
Favorite App: Since moving across Canada, SnapChat has been my life line to keep in touch with my friends all across the globe! It makes me feel like I still am a big part of their lives, as they share the moments that are too intimate for mainstream social media.
Favorite quote: “The pain you feel today, will be the strength you feel tomorrow”
“The Hustle”
Job Title: Director, Sales & Industry Relations, Attendease
Professional Superpower: Focus – When I make a decision to do something, I am committed and focused on a successful execution – no matter what!
My primary role in the events industry is: Event technology educator & solution sales person
Years in the events industry: 3 years in corporate events, 9 years in social events (parallel)
To me, being an event hustler means: Getting the job DONE! From tear down to closing the deal, having the right attitude and work ethic will ensure the objective is met.
The top 2 most surprising things I’ve learned about the events industry since starting are: 1) How amazingly nice EVERYBODY is! 2) All the ego’s are checked at the door.
How did you get your start in the events industry? I would say my passion for event design, and wanting to be a part of ever lasting love is the real reason I started my wedding planning business 9 years ago. Once I got the process and flow of that down, I continued to stay in the industry as I really enjoyed creating and growing a business. In my transition to the corporate events industry, Bob Vaez gave me my start at EventMobi 3 years ago – after writing (what I could now foresee as a completely insane) cover letter; he created a unplanned role for me as he believed I had a very unique background in events, tech, sales and marketing which he then fostered and harnessed into the #eventprof I am today 🙂
My biggest event industry pet peeve is: Chicken as the only entree option at events – I’m a red meat kind of gal!
“No such thing as TMI”
One thing that would really surprise people to learn about me is: I became an entrepreneur at the age of 20, and my business was able to get acquired 9 years later.
You can only keep 2 albums in your entire music collection -those albums would be: Ne-Yo: Year of the Gentleman & Ginuwine: The Life
10yr old me thought I’d grow up to be: Oh my gosh – best question ever! I don’t think anyone (who has ever met me today) will really believe me – I wanted to be a Catholic Nun! At the time I was very close to my mother’s brother who was a priest. I became quite religious at a young age, and had been putting in a lot of volunteer time at a Catholic nun childcare facility – needless to say I had a great experience and saw them as positive and productive role models in society. My aspirations at the age of 10 even went as far as wanting to complete my Masters in Social Work before heading to the convent. Wow, that was a #WayBackPlayBack
Text or phone call? Phone call
Android or iPhone? Android
Toilet paper roll – Over or under? I’m not that particular, doesn’t matter as long as there is some lol
Connect with Shannon:
Email: shannon@attendease.com
Telephone: 604-332-4475
Twitter: @Fancie_D //@Attendease
Instagram: @Fancie_D
SMART TECH FOR EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS
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