"The City Behind the Scenes: Tanner's Unique Journey Working for the City of Summerside
A BizVoice interview with Tanner Doiron
Meet Tanner
“Whether it be through volunteering or attending activities and events, the people you meet and opportunities you can have within Summerside can be priceless.” – Tanner Doiron
1. What is your name, and how long have you been living and working in Summerside?
2. What was your journey to landing as the Events and Communications Manager for the City of Summerside?
I first got into volunteering with the City of Summerside events team at the 2013 RBC Cup while I was in grade 8. Me and some buddies from Hockey and School were the snow crew for the Junior “A” National event. From there, as I grew a bit older and continued to volunteer with various events including sports and concerts, I then completed a full summer internship in 2016 which led to me returning to the city for five summers, thereafter in various roles within the Community Services Department which houses the event team.
I had the opportunity to work under various manager’s depending on the need of the respective summer season and learned a diverse number of divisions within the department including Programming & Scheduling, Special Events, Marketing & Promotions and Project Management. Once graduated from university and completing five (5) summers with the City, I took a full-time job elsewhere in a sport & communications management role for a few years before returning to the City in December of 2022 in the current full-time permanent position.
3. Tell us one of your most memorable experiences while working for the City of Summerside?
Really tough question. There’s many. I’ve been fortunate to work and be a part of some of the best events we’ve seen here in our city. The most recent memories would be having spent the day driving around Jerry Seinfeld before he performed live on stage at the CUP or successfully putting on an international sporting event with the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. With my role, every day is different. I most notably remember us hosting the Kraft Hockeyville NHL game, Bryan Adams multiple times, Flo-Rida, Brad Paisley, and so many more. From fixing the Wi-Fi on Brett Kissel’s laptop, to having a conversation with James Taylor backstage, it’s been a fun and memorable journey so far with the City.
4. What would be a fun fact that most people wouldn’t know about working for the City of Summerside?
We are a small but mighty team. Most of us wear many hats to ensure the very best for our residents – and we all work together across multiple departments on a daily basis. My role for instance is two-fold. Once day I could be working on chasing the next big event for our city, and the next I could be rolling a communications plan for a department within our city.
5. What is the work culture like at the City of Summerside?
Every organization has its challenges, but I think for the most part, working for the City has a sense of pride to it. We have this “whatever it takes” attitude that makes us all come together from various departments and help each other out when needed. It makes things fun and exciting at times which is never a bad thing for work culture.
6. Why did you choose Summerside to live and work?
I enjoy working and living in a small community with big ambitions that punches above its weight. Summerside plays the underdog when it comes to a lot of things compared to other cities, BUT it does some really amazing things that are recognized around the globe like our Sport Tourism file, our Green Energy profile, our amazing state-of-the-art facilities and the stars that have visited our City to perform OR who were born and raised right here in Summerside that have gone on to be showcased in professional industries like music and sport. It makes me proud to be from Summerside, and I get more and more proud of our City of Summerside brand each day. That all makes living and working in Summerside just that much better.
7. What unique opportunities or challenges have you encountered while living and working in Summerside?
Like I said, we are typically that underdog when it comes to competing against another City. We are small but have a strong well-known track record, so for us its about convincing the other side that we have a lot to offer and can get the job done. Its not always easy at times and can be a challenge which presents some unique challenges that forces us to get creative a lot of the time. That, and getting a bite to eat after a late night at work past 8 PM…
9. If you had to pick one, what would be your favorite thing about working in Summerside?
For me, its how small we are that benefits my job on a daily. Whether its planning for an event, or needing to get communication out to people, I know who to call in every different industry and business across our city. I know our hotel people, our restaurant people, our sports store people, our car rental people and so many more. Whether you’re inviting a big client into town, you can simply pick up the phone and ensure they get the red-carpet treatment within minutes after a few conversations with leaders across our community. That along with being able to come to work and every day be a little bit different is my favorite part about working in Summerside.
10. If someone was thinking about moving to live and work in Summerside, what advice would you give them?
Give Summerside a chance and once here, get involved with your community. Whether it be through volunteering or attending activities and events, the people you meet and opportunities you can have within Summerside can be priceless. I’ve met so many people from across our country through Summerside and many of which have a great deal of respect for what our community has accomplished. We are a growing community with a lot on the rise. Its exciting and for younger families, I think that’s something to look forward to.
Check out the City of Summerside today!
(902) 432-1230
