In 2016, a chance meeting at an industry event led to Tim Whalen, Marie-France Watson and Ryan Young forming a partnership that would see the trio take on a number of creative projects. 

 

Heavily involved as volunteers and leaders in the meetings & events industry, the three led a team that set out to change the way we meet by creating an experiential event (called "the EVENT") that would go on to win a RISE award from Meeting Professionals International (MPI) in 2019 for Best Innovative Education Programming.

 

The EVENT provided a springboard which saw the three collaborate again in 2019 as keynote speakers at MPI's World Education  Congress in Toronto, Ontario. They inspired 2536 delegates, by telling them their story and how risk can pave the way for innovation and change.

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With a thirst for creativity and challenging the status quo, The Illuminate Project was born to help shed light on individuals that share their passion for doing things differently.