Groupe GDM Group: offering high-end solutions to a wide range of clients; Meet with success ... Let GDM Group plan your next corporate event or project and ensure professional service from beginning to end.

The work of Sudbury-based GDM Group, that of event management and process consulting for organizations big and small, is perhaps best summed up by their seven-year journey to 7 Cedar Street downtown.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Founder and President Yves Doyon has been watching his business grow gradually from a network of home offices, including his own, strewn across Northern Ontario, to their current location. In growing as a small group in a "virtual office" to a storefront presence in Sudbury, GDM Group has learned how to operate efficiently and on a shoestring budget. What more could an organization looking for a strategic plan or that perfect event hope for? "In the last couple of years the events team has really taken shape, so I have been able to return to my communications training and take care of the consulting work," he says. "Our team is professional, self-disciplined and motivated so there is an enormous trust factor, and that helps."

Apart from having spent over six years as a professional recording artist, Yves holds post secondary degrees and certificates in organizational communications, French literature, project management and group facilitation. Being fully bilingual has given Yves the flexibility and insight to adapt to a variety of projects, clientele and regional particularities.

The GDM Group team also includes Erin Newell, Project manager/Special Events. She has managed recent and successful GDM events such as the Business Excellence Awards for the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, The Sudbury Bluesfest, Future Building 2005 for the Ontario Construction Secretariat and the Planetary and Terrestrial Sciences Symposium for NORCAT, among others.

With a background in commerce, Judith Kambanda, Project Manager/Communications, works with Businesses and not for profit organizations in the preparation of communication plans, studies, focus groups and funding processes. She also supports the strategic planning process for clients.

Local artist Pandora Topp leads the artistic direction for events and has worked on projects like the Shania film shoot and Girls and Cars (Austrian independent film) among other current projects, managing all casting for extras, site research and production support for film productions in Northern Ontario.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

With a background in language studies, film and media, Mackenzie Marshall, Communications/Media, supports all-around operations and deals with media relations for events and projects.

Business is thriving at 7 Cedar these days. In what has been an exceptional 2005, GDM exceeded it's gross revenue for 2004 in June. Doyon says that is the beauty of the project-based, process-focused service. The work is applicable to any company or organization, and the processes and procedures GDM Group has developed save time and allow the company to further develop existing and new service lines.

This year's rush may be due to an increasing number of people realizing it's more worth their while to farm out an event to GDM than to handle it all in-house. "Not everyone has the reflex to farm it out," he says. "At GDM Group, we understand that many companies in today's busy corporate environment no longer have the time, staff or resources to organize and execute events from within their own organization," says Doyon. "From travel and lodging arrangements, to rentals and promotional items, publicity and marketing, a well-planned and executed event has the power to enhance a company's image, raise their profile, and live on in each guest's memory for years to come.

Having the entire GDM team, with its full range of skill sets run an event, as opposed to one in-house staff having to be everything to everyone, is a much more viable option.

"It's a newer kind of service," he says, "but people are coming around. And, it helps to be bilingual; GDM Group is one of the rare firms in Northern Ontario offering their range of services in both official languages."

Those services fall mainly into two groups: "A to Z" event management that leaves no detail unchecked, and communications and process consulting that will leave a client's organization streamlined and efficient. On the events side, GDM Group offers a full selection of staging services, ensuring a smooth and seamless experience for any customer. When a meeting space is required, GDM will find the best possible venue, prepare requests for proposals if necessary, and conduct site inspections to ensure safety, comfort and quality. Once the venue is locked down, GDM staff works closely with the hospitality industry to ensure quality accommodations. Their connections will ensure the perfect hotel, lodge, inn or bed and breakfast and will be securely booked at the best possible rate. The firm also specializes in organizing air and ground transport to get large numbers of participants to and from event sites. They will take care of any entertainment or production services required, including negotiating contracts with specialized agencies, arranging sound and lighting production and taking care of licensing and permits. Catering for groups large and small can also be arranged. GDM also specializes in marketing and promotions, offering printing and media relations services, as well as full detailed budgets for events of all types and sizes.

When the need is for strategic planning, focus groups, surveys or well-organized group meetings, GDM can step in with a wide range of consulting services. GDM can help to clarify the global vision of an organization, making it easier to reach short- and long-term strategic, operational or administrative goals. In order to light the way for an organization making those important decisions, GDM can facilitate a series of focus groups that effectively record various viewpoints and perceptions. The process makes it easier for the client to learn the positions of its staff or clientele, highlighting their needs, expectations and apprehensions related to a given subject. GDM's facilitators can help clients lead and manage large group meetings, including brainstorming or decision-making sessions. They achieve optimal group performance through modules on planning and organization, setting objectives, problem solving, mentoring and governance.

Some of GDM's satisfied clients include l'Hopital Notre Dame Hospital in Hearst, Canadian Heritage, RDEE Canada, Mitchell Westlake, Sudbury Bluesfest, Molson Canada, NORCAT, Certified Management Accountants of Canada (CMA), the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, the Sudbury Regional Business Centre, Child Care Resources, the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and the City of Greater Sudbury, among others.

"We're continuously striving to excel, adapt and expand. That's the beauty and the charm of running a business," says Doyon. "Had it been handed to me, I don't think I would be as satisfied. It's all about people and process."

www.gdm.on.ca