HoHoTO

Alexa is one of the founders and organisers of HoHoTO – “the party that twitter built” – bringing together the startup, social media and tech communities in Toronto for an annual holiday party and to raise some much-needed funds for The Daily Bread Food Bank. Over $285,000 has been raised since HoHoTO began December 2008.

The first HoHoTO was organized in less than 20 days, sold out all 600 tickets in nine days, and went on to astonish all involved as the founders watched something bigger than they’d ever dreamed take shape before their eyes.

HoHoTO was created and organised almost entirely on social media and founded and organised by people who were almost exclusively connected through social media many of whom met for the first time at the first HoHoTO. The message of HoHoTO engaged the social community both locally and worldwide and created a groundswell of attention and enthusiasm. HoHoTO is often cited as one of the first examples of a hyper-connected social media movement using the power of self-organizing online groups to make a real world difference.

Alexa committed to HoHoTO from inception. She became the driving force behind HoHoTO’s fundraising, project management and sponsorship coordination. Alexa worked closely with Rogers, Virgin Mobile and Molson to find opportunities for them to increase their support and generate funds for the Daily Bread.

The Hangover Auction, Alexa’s brainchild, started in 2009 and uses Twitter to auction the unclaimed raffle prizes from the party to raise additional funds. The auction has recognised as a new and innovative way to use Twitter to do social good and was mentioned by Queen Rania of Jordan at the Le Web conference in 2009.

5 Years of HoHoTO. from Michael Penney on Vimeo.

Alexa makes HoHoTO happen, not just with her unfailing energy and good judgement, but also her gift for communication, driving much of the excitement around the event and helping it reach the amazing heights it has reached. She is a joy to have around, and she will improve any organization with her skills and experience.

Corey Reid Director of RD TalentFreshBooks

 

Ive worked with Alexa since the first year of HoHoTO and she has been a key leader of our group. Without her organizational skills, attention to detail and operational judgement, HoHoTO could not have grown into what is now one of the DailyBread Food Banks most successful fundraising events.

April Dunford Marketing Executive

 

Alexa and I met when we were both founding and organizing #HoHoTo. Shes an incredibly resourceful person, and great team member, and a steady hand when it comes to planning outreach strategy, using social tools to reach our audience, and building our community.

Its been such a pleasure to work with her.

Rob Hyndman OwnerHyndman | Law

 

Alexa is a dynamo of good energy. She helped spearhead many parts of HoHoTO an amazing event that raises money for good.

Alexa possesses the unique ability to motivate but also ensure all manage their respective responsibilities. It is a total pleasure working with Alexa on this initiative and others.

Joseph PuopoloCEO and FounderPrintchomp

 

Alexa has been my mentor, partner and cheerleader as HoHoTO has grown into a magnificent community in no small part due to her commitment and tireless work. She manages to be a stellar creative, independent thinker in tandem with being a devoted team player. Weve done four years of the event together and I wouldnt trade a minute of it I have learned so much from her!

Wendy KoslowM.Ed

 

Lex is the boss of HoHoTO. She can get anything and everything done in a blink of an eye. Lex rounds up volunteers, sponsors, and prizes seemingly overnight, while blogging, tweeting and managing the famous HoHoTO Hangover auction. She knows a good idea when she sees it and in digital space thats being crowded by consultants, thats rare. Lex is the real deal. Lex is creative, hardworking, committed, fun and she gets things done.

Without Lex, HoHoTO would be no HoHo.

Elena YunusovDigital communications, UX Strategy and Planning

 

I have had the pleasure to work with Alexa on projects since 2008  (including Mesh and HoHoTO). Since I was so impressed with her capacity to deliver positive results and motivate her teams, I have added Alexa to lead teams within large client projects locally and abroad. Each time, Alexa has demonstrated strong project management skills, a deep passion for the digital space, a focus on the customer experience and an abundance of creativity.

Moreover, she has exhibited strong leadership and team management skills under the pressure of live events with their tight timelines and many moving parts. She is an astute entrepreneur who is able to quickly mobilize and integrate into a team efficiently and effectively.

For these reasons, Alexa has always proven to be an asset to our team whether managing a team in person or online elements of a specific project.

Sheri Moore Partner, Creative DirectorMCC Moore Carlyle Consulting

 

Alexa knows how to leverage social media in a mutually-beneficial way, satisfying the needs of both Second Harvest and Toronto Taste attendees. She continues to be instrumental in engaging Torontos food & social media communities to make the event a huge success, particularly in the online world.

If you are looking for someone to make sense of how social media fits into your organizations strategy, Alexa is your gal!

Stacey FowlerDirector of MarketingHeritage Toronto

 

Alexa and I met when founding and organizing hohoTO. It has been 5 years if not more. At hohoTO she is an unstoppable force. Strategy, marketing, planning, social media, outreach, fundraising. You name it, she gets it done. She is a cornerstone of our community and a total team player.

Leila Boujnane CEO TinEye