You bring the standing, we bring the team behind you
A Leaders Circle ambassador is a respected voice in their field who leads the case for bringing their profession’s international conference to Toronto.
Why ambassadors are essential
In international association conference bidding, approximately 70% to 80% of organizations require a local host, such as a national member association, a local university department, or a recognized local expert, to officially lead and submit the bid. That host is the ambassador. In your field, your name is not a formality; it is often the reason the submission can be made at all.
The ambassadors who do this are known and trusted in their field, whether through a university, a department, or a national or international association. If you are active in such a body and your peers know your work, your reputation may be exactly what a conference bid needs.
What the role asks of you
Ambassadors are not expected to be event planners. What the role asks depends on the association’s guidelines.
Your part is to:
- lead the local organizing committee,
- shape the academic theme the proposal is built on,
- make the introductions only you can make, connecting the team to the right associations,
- contribute to the bid proposal and take part in the bid presentation, where your voice carries weight.
Your leadership gets the process started, and the team works alongside you every step of the way. You help shape the academic theme, bring your institution and peers to the table, and make the case for Toronto as the host city. The Leaders Circle helps develop the strategy and build the case for Toronto. Destination Toronto prepares the bid documents and coordinates letters of support from government and other partners. And when needed, a professional conference organizer manages the operational details.
What this asks of your time
The honest question most experts have is the simplest: how much of my time?
How much time the role asks depends on the conference, the stage, and your association’s cycle. It is real work, and it is shared: you can lead alongside co-ambassadors, and our team carries the strategy, the documents, and the coordination with you. A conference bid unfolds over months, and sometimes years, moving through distinct stages along the way. It begins with a conversation, and what follows grows only as the opportunity becomes real.
The role outlasts the conference bid
Becoming an ambassador is not a one-time act. You join a standing network of Toronto’s leaders, across medicine, the sciences, engineering, business, and the arts, and you help shape it: choosing to sit on Leaders Circle workshop panels, bringing your association’s members to the table, and recommending and welcoming the leaders who might follow.
Recognized along the way
Your contribution does not wait for the finish to be recognized. It is seen along the way:
- You’re recognized alongside fellow ambassadors at the Leaders Circle Recognition Celebration, an opportunity to celebrate the people and achievements that bring international conferences to Toronto.
- And you become part of a lasting community of leaders who share your commitment to bringing the world to Toronto.
Meet our ambassadors
Dr. Upton Allen, Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital for Sick Children
Ms. Jacqueline Bart, Principal, BartLAW Canadian Immigration
Dr. Gail Darling, Kress Family Chair in Esophageal Cancer Director, Thoracic Surgery Clinical Research, UHN
Mr. Robert Haller, Executive Director, Canadian Water and Wastewater Association
Ms. Corinne Eisenbraun, Director, Education Policy & Programs, Dietitians of Canada
Dr. Ann Burchell, Scientist, Department of Family & Community Medicine, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute; Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Mr. Chander Khanna & Mr. David Cherniack
Jim McArthur, Ontario Chapter Chair, Canadian Hospital Engineering Society Director of Properties, Albright Centre
Dr. Cameron Mustard, President and Senior Scientist, Institute for Work and Health; Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Prof. Kostas Plataniotis, Professor, ECE Department & Bell Canada Chair in Multimedia, University of Toronto, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
In their own words
“We’re delighted that now the whole field of Science Centres is coming to Toronto.”
In their own words
“This conference in particular promotes that kind of collaborative discussion and research.”
In their own words
“The conference was quite successful. We had several areas of collaboration between Canadian delegates and international delegates.”
Questions about the role
No. Some ambassadors lead the committee directly; others stay involved in a lighter way once the bid is won and a team is in place. What the role needs from you is your leadership and your name on the bid, not a fixed number of hours. You and Leaders Circle agree on what your involvement looks like.
Yes. Many bids have more than one ambassador, sharing the work between them. That can make the commitment more manageable for each person, and it often makes the bid stronger.
We work within your association’s rules and process, not around them. Most international bodies require their national member organization, or a local host from within the field, to be part of any bid. Your role is to be that local host, and Leaders Circle helps you navigate what your association asks for.
Usually, in some form, because most international bodies ask their national member organization or a local host from the field to take part. If you are not sure where you fit, that is exactly what a first conversation is for.
Yes. You do not need to be the most senior name in your field. What matters is that you are active in your professional community and known to your peers, and that you are willing to lead. Leaders Circle and the wider team handle much of what a bid involves, so you are never carrying it alone. If you are unsure whether the timing is right, a first conversation is the place to talk it through.
No previous bidding experience is required. Most ambassadors have never led an international conference bid before, and you are not expected to be an event planner or bidding expert. You bring the knowledge of your field and the relationships within your professional community. Leaders Circle provides the strategy, guidance, and expertise to help navigate the process, from the first conversation through to the conference itself.