Event Report: A Spectacular Evening at the 2nd Annual Samuel Associates Halifax Citadel Reception

On October 4, hundreds of DEFSEC Atlantic 2022 attendees were entreated to a one-of-a-kind evening program at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site. Hosted by Samuel Associates for the second year in a row, the Citadel Reception has become a keenly anticipated welcome event to kick off the three-day aerospace and defence trade show.

Departing from downtown Halifax’s Sutton Place Hotel, guests were driven up the hill to the ramparts of the 18th-century British fortress via shuttle buses organized courtesy of the hosts. Alongside stunning views of the Halifax waterfront, they were welcomed with a networking reception sponsored by Amazon Web Services, EXA Consulting, Dominis Engineering, and Ultratainer.

The official program began with a welcome from Jamie Baillie, Samuel Associates’ Managing Director for Atlantic Canada, followed by opening remarks and a traditional land acknowledgement from Millbrook First Nation Chief Bob Gloade. Chief Gloade warmly greeted attendees and praised the Citadel Reception for facilitating business opportunities and advancing economic reconciliation with indigenous communities such as his own. He noted that over 250 years ago the Mi'kmaq peoples and British settlers convened at the Halifax Citadel to sign peace and friendship treaties. Once again, this maritime site was able to reprise its historic role as a common meeting place for people of diverse cultures and communities.

Chief Gloade then presented Millbrook First Nation community youth drumming group Iron Tide, who led a smudging ceremony followed by a traditional drumming and singing performance. In line with its commitments to reconciliation, Samuel Associates is honoured to proactively feature indigenous organizations and cultural traditions in its annual company programming.

Afterwards, reception guests heard from Goran Samuel Pesic, President and CEO of the Samuel Group, as well as from a representative of one of the Samuel Group’s 2022 spotlighted charities. In his capacity as chair of the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust, Captain (Ret’d) William Woodburn described his organization’s efforts to raise $10 million towards the restoration of the HMCS Sackville, Canada’s oldest warship.

Lastly, Samuel Associates Senior Political Associate Brian Macdonald closed out the evening with a thank you to attendees for ensuring a successful second iteration of the Halifax Citadel Reception. The event concluded with a unique musket and cannon firing program from the 78th Highland regiment and 3rd Brigade Royal Artillery dressed in full 19th-century military regalia.

Samuel Associates would like to once again express gratitude to all those who contributed to the reception’s success. Among the several hundred attendees were executives of the top 15 Canadian defence primes, members of the largest European naval entities, Industry association leaders from ACADA and DEFSEC Atlantic 2022 organizers, and military representatives from the French, British, and Canadian governments.

Moment-to-moment human interactions from the event were brilliantly captured by local Nova Scotia photographer Johanna Matthews. Complimentary of Johanna and the Samuel Associates team, all reception photos have been made available to event attendees for marketing purposes and sharing over social media.

For invitations to next year’s event or more information on the 2nd Annual Samuel Associates Halifax Citadel Reception, please contact our team at info@samuel.associates.