NEW YORK
Event Leadership Institute (ELI) hired industry education expert Michael Granek, CSEP, MBA, PID as president & chief operating officer to help lead the organization’s growth and development.
“The Event Leadership Institute is an industry leader in event education, and I am truly honored to have been selected to join the team,” said Granek. “The opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of the events industry is very exciting to me and something that I have been passionate about my entire career. I look forward to working with the ELI team and industry partners to continue the great work they have done in advancing the events industry through training and education.”
Granek is the former academic director for the Event Management Diploma Program at the Art Institute of Vancouver, where he designed and developed the program and curriculum, and personally taught numerous courses, in addition to training and leading a team of faculty. During his five year tenure there, Granek grew enrollment by 400%, and secured a milestone articulation agreement with the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council. He has since advised online education companies in improving student engagement, content delivery models, and accreditation guidance.
Granek is a three time president of the Vancouver chapter of ILEA (International Live Events Association), and is the recipient of the Canadian Event Industry Awards’ Spirit of the Industry Award. Previously, he ran his own event production firm, Granek Productions / Pacific Show Productions.
“We’ve had the pleasure of working with Mike over the years as a consultant, to help our instructors make our courses more engaging and dynamic, and when the opportunity came up to have him join our team full time, we jumped at the chance,” said ELI founder Howard Givner, who will be stepping back from day-to-day operations to take a more advisory role with the organization. “It’s rare to find someone who combines such strong academic expertise with deep event industry experience, and we’re extremely excited to have Mike bring that unique combination of skills to help ELI get to the next level.”
The ELI delivers progressive education, training and thought leadership for event professionals. Learning options include: a Netflix-style On-Demand Video Library featuring shorter (average 45 minute) video classes; Professional Development Courses ranging 5-10 weeks and offering Digital Certifications; Collegiate Support Programs for college professors teaching event management; on site Group Training; and others.
