Agenda At A Glance
We’re currently planning next year’s event—check back closer to the date for updated details.
In the meantime, feel free to explore 2025 highlights.
SANCTUARY @ CSE26
The opening day of CSE Live 2026 is a full-day, immersive retreat for event and marketing professionals who want to create experiences that truly resonate. This is where creativity and strategy collide, where engagement, storytelling, and innovation are reimagined from the inside out.
SANCTUARY ENDS
Opening Night Party: Insert Coin After Dark
Step into the night at Insert Coin After Dark, the opening party where the CSE Live energy really kicks in. This high-energy arcade-inspired celebration blends nostalgia, music, and playful competition into one unforgettable night. Expect neon lights, throwback vibes, immersive games, and plenty of surprises as the industry’s most creative minds unwind, connect, and play. It’s bold, a little bit rebellious, and the perfect way to launch the week — because at CSE Live, the fun doesn’t stop when the sessions end.
Breakfast and Networking
Start the day connecting with peers as the room fills and energy builds.
Keynote: Sunjay Nath – Strength-Based Leadership – The 10-80-10 Principle®
Strength-Based Leadership – The 10-80-10 Principle®
This high-energy, practical session delivers a clear framework to help individuals and teams focus on what drives the greatest results. The 10-80-10 Principle teaches how to identify and amplify high-impact behaviors while minimizing the actions that limit performance.
Money, Power & the Event Professional
Let’s get REAL about pricing, profit, and financial power in our industry. We’re talking about models, margins, and mindsets, so you can stop apologizing for your rates and start building work that sustains you.
EventFest Show Opens
Experience the excitement as the CSELive show floor comes to life! Explore innovative exhibits, sample fabulous catering by Toronto’s top chefs and pop-ups, network with industry pros, and discover game-changing solutions to elevate your event success.
Immersive by Design: Crafting 360° Event Worlds
Dive into how to design experiences that feel like full worlds, not just rooms, from entrance choreography and sensory cues to narrative arcs that pull guests through the space with intention (and Instagrammable moments that don’t feel try-hard).
Keynote: Lara McCulloch – Blending In Is Expensive. How Positioning Is Your Most Valuable Revenue Driver
Somewhere in your market, a competitor with a weaker track record than yours is charging more than you, closing faster than you, and getting called first. That’s not luck. That’s positioning.
Networking Lunch
Million Dollar Minutes: Inside the Business of Big Events
Behind every major event is a story of risk, strategy, and decision-making that most people never hear.
In this fast-paced session, three industry leaders take the stage for a series of 12-minute rapid-fire interviews, sharing the real stories behind million-dollar moments in their careers.
Designing Events in a World on Fire
From global conflicts and contentious leadership, to climate emergencies, economic whiplash and culture wars, we’re designing events amid constant volatility. This panel explores what it means to create gatherings that are safe, grounded, and meaningful when the world feels anything but.
The Experiential Economy
At the heart of every great event is a story. This session explores how storytelling, emotional engagement, and sensory design shape perception, strengthen relationships, and create truly memorable experiences.
The BIG Ideas Lab
Big ideas are easy. Building the right big idea, one that excites audiences, aligns with business goals, and earns stakeholder buy-in, is where the real work begins.
State of the Industry 2026 -The Future of Live Experiences
Back again for the fourth year, this session is standing room-only at CSE Live!
Where are we really at, and where are we going? This fast-paced, no-filter session breaks down the biggest shifts impacting the events industry today, from pricing pressures and burnout to innovation, AI, and the future of experience design. Honest, practical, and forward-looking, this is a reality check for anyone serious about staying ahead.
EventFest Show Closes
That’s a wrap on another fantastic CSE Live! Eventfest. But is it? There’s always an after-party somewhere… ask at the CSE booth on the show floor for this year’s private pop-up party location. Don’t forget that Panels & Power Talks continue on Wednesday morning.
Euchre Tournament in collaboration with MPI Foundation Canada Council
Join your industry colleagues for a lively Euchre Tournament hosted by the MPI Toronto Chapter in collaboration with the MPI Foundation Canada Council. This fun and social evening will be a great opportunity to connect with peers while supporting initiatives that advance education and professional development within our industry.
2026 Business of Events Forum – Shaping the Future of Events in Canada
At CSE Live 2025, the event industry came together for an honest conversation that struck a nerve. One year later, The Blueprint 2.0 takes the next step, going beyond talk and into tangible solutions. This extended, interactive session reflects on what’s been achieved, explores what’s next, and continues the movement toward a stronger, more respected, and sustainable industry.
Business of Events Forum Ends
Pink Carpet VIP Gala Reception
Kick off the Canadian Event Awards in style at the Pink Carpet Reception, a sparkling celebration of creativity, connection, and Canadian excellence.
Canadian Event Awards Gala
The grand finale of Canadian Event Week, this black-tie evening is where Canada’s event community comes together to celebrate brilliance, creativity, and the year’s most spectacular achievements.