Connecting On & Offstage at the IIA 2025 International Conference
Being in rooms where hundreds or thousands of people are gathered is a standard part of my work as a professional host & speaker. When I’m in those spaces, I am invigorated by the knowledge that I am amongst a vast & unique collection of full lives.
Someone there is celebrating a milestone, like a promotion or an engagement. Another just found out they are cancer free. Someone there makes the best jollof rice in their family. Another plays in a Samba band. Each conference, summit, & symposium is a gathering of individuals who have brought with them their own stories, perspectives and their own reasons for wanting to be in that room.
Emcee Kiesha B. Free preparing for the room to fill at the IIA 2025 International Conference.
These moments - which we so simply call “events” - I see as temporary constellations of human connection that will never happen again. My eyes drink in the sea of attendees, the speakers, all the vendors & facilities staff and I cherish the moment for the fleeting wonder that it is. I expect to leave feeling changed in some way after taking in the diverse assortment of energy that made the event what it was.
So just imagine a person who feels this way emceeing an event set to bring together thousands of people from over 120+ countries…oh, it’s on!
That was me in Toronto last month at the Institute of Internal Auditors 2025 International Conference. Knowing that there were all these people in one space bringing story, heritage, and LIFE from all over the globe gave me so much energy. I had the great fortune to connect with people from Japan, Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, the Netherlands, Bahrain and more.
If I could have, I would have set up a station just to ask all the people I met “So, tell me a story about one of your grandparents,” or “What is something about your homeland that brings you joy?” Just imagine the richness that would come from those conversations!
Onstage, I was the tone setter for multiple days focused on embracing change and elevating standards of the internal audit profession. But offstage, I was channeling the energy of a bee, pollinating the space with my joy and genuine appreciation of all who had gathered.
I took pictures with people from as many countries as possible, often pausing to ask for permission to practice saying their names as it is meant to be pronounced in their cultural context. Gul, Takayuki, Tshegofatso, Ebtihel, Rutendo…all such beautiful sounds that are now part of the song I carry with me. These notes won’t be foreign the next time I hear them.
Thank you all for the gift of our energy exchange. When I said goodbye from the stage on my last day, I could feel the impact of the connections I had made. If we took a photo together with my phone, you can find the image to download here:
If you see your colleagues in the photos, please send them the link! Here is a preview of just a few of our moments together:
We humans are able to develop cultural pride & shared heritage based on the different places in which where we were born - and that is beautiful. But my prayer for humanity is that we all can also stay close to the truth that these invisible lines - these made-up borders that divide us into states and nations - are not a determinant of who is worth knowing, who is worth caring for, and who is worth loving.
Modern technology has made it possible for us to see and meet people from all over the globe. So, yes, let’s really SEE and MEET each other.
Thank you to the IIA Global team for having me. It was an honor and a privilege to serve as your emcee and to share that space with your incredible delegation of members.
