Erika Pedersen-Lorenzen

I found my passion for events and event planning almost accidentally - I wanted to get involved at Ryerson, and applied for an Events Manager role with TEDxRyersonU. I had always been hyper-organized, and grew up as a dance and drama kid. It was, as it turns out, a perfect fit. Since then, I have planned many small events simultaneously and managed a venue at the Fields Institute; led large volunteer-run TEDx events at both TEDxRyersonU and TEDxDonMills; contributed in a specialized area to a globally-recognized festival at TIFF; built innovative event plans from the ground up at Lighthouse Labs; and let global corporate innovation client events both in-person and virtually at Hackworks. This has given me multifaceted experience and a 360 degree view of the event planning process. I believe my success in events boils down to three key traits: big picture thinking, attention to detail, and effective stress-management. I've continued to build on these skillsets, as all three are necessary for every single event, no matter how big or small. I have two secondary passions, the first being people. I studied Human Resources and Sociology at Ryerson University, particularly to feed my curiosity of why people are the way they are and how they can best work together. The key soft skills like communication, teamwork, harmonization, leadership, problem solving, and emotional intelligence that came out of my education have helped me in every work and life experience, and I believe are the skills that set me apart. My other passion: dance. I am a lifelong dancer with classical ballet training. Dance is my escape, and I can be found at a dance studio in a different class every week.