Inspired Spaces 2017

Seneca Students Create Inspiring Spaces For Annual Competition

Inspired Spaces is a tabletop competition showcasing the talents of Seneca’s Event Management – Event and Exhibit Design students. The event, which has been running since 2007, requires students to select a mock client, choose a venue, develop a theme, source a caterer and define the details of the decor. These “inspired spaces” are then represented in the competition by tabletop designs and are judged by industry professionals.

This year’s event, hosted by Event Rental Group and held in conjunction with ILEA Toronto, attracted over 150 industry pros who came out to support Seneca’s emerging event professionals.

“It’s important for us to give back to the industry,” said John Van Schepen, President of Chair-man Mills and Event Rental Group. “This type of event creates a networking opportunity for students, but also allows us to meet future clients.”

“Inspired Spaces is built into the curriculum of the Event Management – Event and Exhibit Design program to help students prepare for their future event careers,” said John MacBride, the co-ordinator of the program. “We are extremely grateful to all of our industry partners who started working with our students on their ideas as early as last September. This collaboration demonstrates how committed the event industry is to fostering new talent.”

This year’s winner was Andrea Gilpin, who took home first-place for her event called Check out What’s in Our Trunk, Designed for a fictional Kate Spade fashion show. Andrea says “working on Inspired Spaces was a great opportunity to create an event from start to finish and really learn what goes into making a large scale event a success.”

Second place and the People’s Choice award went to Laura Bradd for her event called Inside the Vault. Her sophisticated decor for a product launch for Urban Decay’s Naked Vault was designed to balance the beauty and style of make-up with an urban undertone.

Photography by George Matthew Photography

About Emily Milic: Emily Milic is the Media Relations and Public Affairs Specialist at Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology.  She has worked for Seneca College for nine years helping to tell stories about the students, programs and faculty that set the institution apart.