Donna Dixson Email & Phone Number

Vancouver, British Columbia

I am thrilled to have joined the fabulous team at the PNE as a partnership consultant. I will be connecting with brands, companies and organizations that share their passion and commitment to sustainability, community and education. The PNE takes pride in their history of providing long lasting memories and connections with their guests through fun, happiness and endless opportunities to play! Since I am a big fan of having fun, being happy and finding ways to play, I can't wait to explore creative ways for brands to do the same.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

It was amazing to work with Kristina Cressman, Events and Sponsorships Lead for the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association in curating a brand new event for summer 2022. Rose & Thorn "Where Fashion meets Fun" showcased Vancouver's diverse fashion scene and a fabulous lineup of great entertainment. Some of Vancouver's best local designers and several downtown retailers walked the runway with their latest collections in Robson Square Friday, August 12. Producing this event reminded me of why I love the event industry and introduced me to some awesome professionals that I hope to work with again.

Vernon, British Columbia, Canada

I was grateful for the opportunity to work on sales and business development with a company and owners that I admire and appreciate. Stephen Purvis is the owner of P5 Millwork & Design in Vernon, British Columbia. P5 Millwork & Design works in the residential, hospitality, medical, financial, resort and retail sectors providing customized solutions through the manufacture, installation and service of millwork components. I provided assistance in Human Resources, business development and project management.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

I enjoyed working with the talented team that brought Fleurs de Villes Noël to downtown Vancouver December 4-13. This stunning festive floral trail along Robson and Alberni streets provided a safe, physically distanced opportunity for brands to engage with community, support local business and bring joy and happiness during the Christmas season. It was truly incredible to witness for myself the incredible response to the trail. People were so excited to see the beautiful creations and very appreciative that it was able to continue.

Vancouver, Canada Area

I work with clients seeking a visionary collaborative leader to aid in business development, build lasting relationships and make a difference. I help my clients to: - audit existing relationships and opportunities - build a sponsorship/fundraising program that aligns with their values and demonstrates authenticity - develop and deliver presentations - explore partnership opportunities aligned with their brand - identify criteria to measure effectiveness - implement strategic plans - engage with community - focus on effective communication within and outside the organizationPrevious clients/projects demonstrating sponsorship and partnership capacity building include:Vancouver Mural Festival - 2019 - 30 sponsors engaged (doubled from previous year) and increased sales by 43%BC Hop Company -2015, 2016 and 2017 - 15 sponsors engaged for inaugural event as the event producerFort Langley Beer + Food Festival - 2017 -27 sponsors engaged for inaugural event as the event producerChilliwack Hospital & Healthcare Foundation- 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 - 50 partners engaged to educate and raise funds for community healthAbbotsford Rugby Sevens - 2009, 2010 - 25 sponsors and partners engaged to support first ever international eventAbbotsford Farmer's Market - 2003 - 50 community partnerships resulting in most successful launch farmers market launch in BC

Vancouver, Canada Area

VMF hired me in January to manage their sponsorship program for the 2019 festival. Expanded to include 10 days of programming, the fun would conclude with the infamous Mount Pleasant Street Party on August 10th. Excited to be working in the dynamic world of arts and culture with a great team of world changers, I doubled the number of sponsors to 30 and increased sales by 43%. Ensuring that sponsors were engaged and that the way they showed up reflected their brand contributed to the biggest and most beautiful festival to date with 150,000 people in attendance. We were well on our way to celebrating year 5 when Covid19 brought swift changes to what the 2020 edition of the festival looks like. Eternally grateful for the experience and looking forward to working with this amazing group again!A word from – Diana Etherington National Community Manager MECWorking with VMF, particularly Donna and team, has been a pleasure. Donna listened to what we were seeking to achieve and supported us in thinking outside the box. We didn’t want to come on board as a traditional sponsor and through the 'Run the Murals' series we did just that. The VMF team was creative, hard working, and exemplified what a strong partnership team can accomplish.

Abbotsford, Bc

Successfully staged the first BC Hop Fest craft beer festival in 53 days from concept to execution. I was responsible for logistics, marketing, media and promotion and stakeholder engagement. Exceeding client expectations, I recruited 17 craft breweries, engaged 15 sponsors and we sold over 600 tickets to an event staged on a farm in Abbotsford. My efforts generated provincial and national media coverage, municipal, provincial and federal government engagement, established customer relationships along with public awareness.In 2016, I was asked to stage another new event called BeerBQ that would be held in July. It was a huge success with 11 teams pairing breweries and BBQ pitmasters, 600 plus happy attendees, and great weather.BC Hop Fest 2016 attracted 1000 plus attendees, 31 breweries and was another rousing success judging by the great feedback and coverage by beer bloggers everywhere!BC Hop Fest 2017 took BC Hop Co to new levels with 1500 attendees and 42 breweries.My role with BC Hop Co expanded to acting as a hop merchant. Working with a CRM, in less than one year, I built a client database of over 400 breweries, assisted in developing the sales order processes as well as the distribution of hops. Contributing to business development, I worked to identify new clients and opportunities, attended trade events and facilitated public relations for the company by creating effective partnerships.

Fort Langley Bc

Working with the great team at Trading Post Brewing Company, I produced the first annual Fort Langley Beer + Food Festival on May 20th. I created and managed 27 sponsor relationships while coordinating all aspects of the event. 1800 people come together to sip and sample at 18 breweries, 3 wineries, a cidery, a distillery and 12 food vendors from the Fraser Valley! A great brand and marketing strategy, significant sponsorship support and community engagement created a strong foundation for this signature event.

Chilliwack, British Columbia

As the inaugural Executive Director of the Chilliwack Hospital & Health Care Foundation (CHHCF), I was tasked with a mandate to facilitate comprehensive community wide health promotion. In addition to the work of establishing the administrative and brand elements of the foundation, I facilitated 50 partnerships of like-minded individuals, organizations and healthcare professionals to leverage limited resources into tangible programs and projects to improve the health of residents. A representative example of a creative approach is that within 9 months, I had secured funding and support from the Chilliwack Division of Family Practice and the SCOPE Program (a project of the UBC Department of Pediatrics, BC Children's Hospital and the Childhood Obesity Foundation) to hire a Program Lead for new Healthy Kids Initiative at no cost to the Foundation.

Barkerville, British Columbia

I was asked to create a summer marketing campaign that would increase visitation for the summer season. My strategy included creating a persona for myself called Barkerville Bella (dressed in 1872 period costume) who would share with people what she was discovering about the attraction. Using an integrated marketing and media approach that included earned media, social media, printed materials and personal relationship building, I travelled 10,000 km throughout BC and Alberta distributing brochures, engaging with communities and frontline staff on all major routes to Barkerville! The campaign was hugely successful and since there were many ways to record ROI incorporated into the program, we know that visitation increased for the 2011 season and had an impact on 2012 as well. Perhaps the most important outcome was the fabulous media coverage that we received...after all...who travels in a bright magenta full period costume throughout the province in the middle of summer!

Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

Although the sport and the industry was relatively unknown to me at the time, I entered into a partnership to host the first international Rugby Sevens tournament in Canada in 2009. Despite a host of challenges, we managed to pull the event off in 2009 and 2010 largely due to the support of the Abbotsford Rugby community, the City of Abbotsford, Tourism Abbotsford and a host of engaged partners. We attracted international teams as well as teams from all over BC and Canada. I still hear great things from the rugby community about what we did to establish a foundation for Sevens in Canada. I was beyond excited when Sevens debuted at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and Vancouver was chosen to host the Canada Sevens as part of the World Rugby Sevens series that same year.

Developing opportunities and working relationships with and among communities to take advantage of programs and services and create post-Olympic legacies; advocate and liaison with municipal, provincial and federal government representatives; worked with 11 communities to establish key stakeholders to participate in BC Stories and Explorer projects.

2004 to 2007: Manager of Sales and Marketing, Tourism AbbotsfordDeveloped and promoted the tourism industry in the community, region, and province; developed marketing partners, new programs and initiatives; facilitated community development for new models of collaboration in sport tourism, agri-tourism, and arts and culture.