September 11, 2025
Mercedes Strachan recognized with show industry award
Mercedes Strachan
Held in conjunction with CAEM’s annual conference, the awards recognize members whose time, talent and professionalism help shape and strengthen the Canadian events and exhibitions sector.
The Emerging Leader Award celebrates someone new to the industry who has high potential and who has gone above and beyond expectations to make an impact early on in their career.
Strachan was nominated by fellow CAEM members, Heather MacRae, Landscape Ontario director of trade shows and events, and Mike Russell, senior director of trade shows and events at the Toronto Congress Centre.
“For someone so young and new to the industry, Mercedes has hit the ground running and does not shy away from any situation,” Russell said in his nomination. “She is such a pleasure to work with and has a wonderful sense of humour as well as work-life balance. Definitely someone to watch excel in our wonderful industry.”
MacRae commented: “We are incredibly proud of Mercedes for being recognized with the Emerging Leader Award by CAEM. Her passion, leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence are a true inspiration to us all. This well-deserved honour is just the beginning of her remarkable journey.”
Prior to announcing Strachan as the recipient of the award, she was described as having “a sharp eye for space optimization and logistics” as well as being responsible for introducing “new tools and systems that have improved on-site communication, enhanced rebooking and supported year-round promotion through digital floor planning” while also championing sustainability and shifting all “exhibitor communications to a fully digital format.”
Strachan joined the Landscape Ontario family in late-2022 in the role of administrative assistant for the membership team and within four months transitioned to event planning within the association’s trade show and events team. In her recently appointed role as trade show coordinator, Strachan is responsible for supporting Congress, Green Trade Expo and Snowposium with a focus on exhibitor relations and operational logistics, ensuring each event runs smoothly.