Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Calgary, Alta. – Global Convention Services Ltd. “Global” is proud to announce that Stephen Furze will fill the brand-new role of general manager of Alberta. Stephen will manage all three Alberta branches including Calgary, Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, and Edmonton.
Stephen will be responsible for overseeing Global’s Alberta operations, including shaping the culture throughout all 3 branches, building out the team further, general business management, project execution and relationship building. Stephen will guide interactions with staff, facilities, and event and industry partners. Additionally, he will assist all members of the Alberta team in setting and achieving their professional goals. Stephen will provide leadership to sales and operations teams during project planning and execution, with a goal of ensuring customer satisfaction throughout.
“Since we established our Calgary operation in 2019 and augmented that presence with the acquisition of Superior Show Service’s trade show portfolio in 2021, we’ve been focused on recovery and growth. We have made great progress in a short period of time in a challenging market,” explains Mark Howes, president, Global Convention Services Ltd. “We’ve hired in several key areas and executed several shows since the industry began recovering from the impacts of COVID-19. I am proud of what our Alberta branches have accomplished to date, and I am excited to add this new layer of support to the team.”
Stephen Furze brings with him extensive and broad reaching business experience, primarily client facing and ranging from consumer-packaged goods with such brands as The Walt Disney Company and EMI Music, consumer electronics with Shaw Cable, as well as managing and producing music productions touring across North America. For the last seven years Stephen has been with DMG Events, leading their commercial activities for a portfolio of large scale B2B events, including the Global Energy Show, International Pipeline Exposition, ISA Calgary Show, Atlantic Canada Petroleum Show, and CanWeld Exposition & Conference. Stephen has also had the opportunity to support Canadian businesses on the international stage, directing all aspects of taking a Canadian Pavilion to the Abu Dhabi, at the world’s largest oil and gas event ADIPEC.
“I am so excited to be joining Global Convention Services. This is the perfect opportunity for me to apply everything I have learned throughout my career, as well as work to help Global realize its vision for the future,” states Stephen Furze, general manager of Alberta, Global Convention Services Ltd. “As the world continues on the return path to normalcy, the value of in-person events cannot be overstated and I look forward to working with the Global team and all of our customers to ensure they get the most out of their events and have an amazing experience in the process.
Although the event and trade show industry has experienced severe impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recovery had been well underway as events continue to return in full force in Alberta.
“We believe the industry is poised to return to pre-pandemic levels and we are doing everything we can to be prepared for that full recovery,” states Mark Howes, president, Global Convention Services Ltd. “We are taking the necessary steps to ensure our team is working at its best and most efficient potential throughout 2022 and beyond. We have identified what we need to make our Alberta branches even stronger and believe Stephen will boost the depth of our team and increase productivity and efficiency.”
