Important Update Regarding the DEFY Conference

Dear Community Members,

On behalf of the co-hosts of DEFY2024, I want to express our deepest gratitude for your continued support and partnership. Thanks to you, our 2024 DEFY conference was a success, and we were able to make a significant impact in furthering our collective mission to advance supplier diversity in Canada.

We, the leadership of CAMSC, GCLCC, IWSCC and WEConnect International are excited to say that we heard you and given the success of the DEFY2024 conference, we have committed to DEFY2026.

While the introduction of DEFY provided a great opportunity for connection, exposure and collaboration at all levels, upon analysis, we determined that the optimal delivery model would be to conduct a joint conference biannually. This two-year window allows ample time for planning, budget, sponsorship and marketing.

We want to ensure that future joint events are planned with the time, energy, and resources they deserve. Our teams will be using this period to carefully envision a future event while concurrently garnering the strong financial support that Canada’s premier Supplier Diversity conference requires to maximize our impact in the coming years.

Given the excitement and success of DEFY2024, we believe this strategic pause will ultimately enhance the quality of our future events and ensure their lasting impact.

As we forge forward to DEFY2026, we ask that you consider a significant partnership with the DEFY brand and build an appropriate amount into your future budgets, tentatively for a spring 2026 event. Your pledge is more important than ever as we focus on critical fundraising efforts throughout the coming year. With your commitment, we can continue to drive the important work that lies ahead.

Thank you for standing with us. We look forward to sharing more updates with you, including our sponsorship package, as we plan for a significantly larger conference in the future.

In light of the above, I want to assure you that we remain committed to a fulsome WEConnect International calendar of events including International Day in June and a new North America Forum in September. I invite you to view our 2025 sponsorship opportunities and reach out to us to get involved.

Warm regards,
Stephanie Fontaine
Regional Director, Canada and the United States
Sfontaine@weconnectinternational.org
We, the leadership of CAMSC, GCLCC, IWSCC and WEConnect International are excited to say that we hear
We, the leadership of CAMSC, GCLCC, IWSCC and WEConnect International are excited to say that we hear