When D2L announced Toronto as the host city for Fusion 2024, the room erupted. After more than a decade of staging their global conference across the U.S., Fusion was coming home, for the first time in its 20-year history, to Canada.
For TK Events, who has produced Fusion for over a decade, this wasn’t just another show. It was a chance to raise the bar, not only for D2L, but for what a conference could be.
Held across the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the InterContinental, and the Hockey Hall of Fame, Fusion welcomed more than 1,500 attendees from around the world. It broke records for attendance, global reach, and sponsor engagement. But numbers weren’t the story. What stood out was how the experience was built, intentionally, creatively, and under pressure.
The theme, “Our Learning Transformation”, guided everything. On the main stage, a 60-foot widescreen set became the foundation for a dynamic, emotionally resonant program. Corporate acquisition news, live product launches, ballet performances, mental health storytelling, and Indigenous teachings were all delivered with broadcast-level precision, requiring overnight load-ins, last-minute rehearsals, floor flips, and a show flow kept secret until the very day.
Offstage, every detail was dialled in. Lounges were curated for different audience types. Sponsor booths were custom-built. Food, music, and local touches, like s’mores stations, roaming pianists, and D2L’s moose mascot, infused Canadian personality into the experience. Everything was designed to keep people moving, connecting, and talking.
And when the workday ended, the experience didn’t. Attendees walked through downtown to the Hockey Hall of Fame, where they stepped into a fully themed social night, jerseys, music, interactive games, Camp D2L, and branded hockey pucks to take home.
It was a massive production, with tight timelines, venue changes, budget constraints, technical complexity, and a global audience with high expectations.
And that’s exactly why Fusion 2024 won Best Conference – Innovation in Industry at this year’s Canadian Event Awards.
To learn more about TK Events, visit their website and social media pages.
