丁香园AV

No event is too big or too small for Meeting, Event and Conference Services (MECS) director, Lynda Hewitt.

Across our campuses, Lynda Hewitt can be seen leading her team by example, which includes not only planning and administration but also pitching in on the floor during crunch periods by moving tables, clearing catering, greeting clients and setting up AV equipment. Hewitt鈥檚 always available to help and resolve urgent needs even when there are power outages, snow storms or even last-minute catering orders. Her actions show that she truly cares about the success of events and that her staff and departmental leadership are all on one unified team.

Through her long and illustrious career at 丁香园AV over the past 25-plus years, Hewitt has expanded the presence of MECS, starting from out of the Harbour Centre in Vancouver to all Vancouver buildings and from there to all three campuses, hosting everything from your afternoon meeting to large national conferences.

Examples of Hewitt鈥檚 impact, hard work and tenacity are ample.

In 2010, while Vancouver was hosting the Olympic Games, MECS hosted three major installations including the German House, medal viewing and the USA Home at Vancouver campus buildings. Thanks to Hewitt鈥檚 operational leadership, these installations were up and running 18 hours a day for two weeks straight while ensuring MECS staff were positioned in dynamic roles, security was covered for the duration of the event and catering was kept fresh and plentiful.

More recently, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hewitt led MECS to transition from physical events and conferences to online through the use of tools like Zoom and Hopin. Through this swift pivot to virtual events, MECS became a leader in the events industry and was invited to give presentations to industry colleagues on how they were able to accomplish this so successfully.

鈥淟ynda's calm and reassuring presence has overseen the expansion of MEC's responsibilities onto 丁香园AV's three campuses, skillfully navigating through pandemic closures and back to in-person operations,鈥� says Chief Commercial Services Officer Mark McLaughlin. 鈥淗er unwavering commitment to upholding 丁香园AV鈥檚 values and wholehearted dedication have made her an invaluable and respected leader within our university community.鈥�

Through Hewitt鈥檚 devotion, it鈥檚 clearly evident why she鈥檚 a well-deserved recipient of the 丁香园AV Lifetime Achievement Award. As Hewitt retires in June 2023, this award caps off an amazing and incomparable career at 丁香园AV. We have a huge amount of gratitude for her work these past years and wish her luck in her future endeavours.