INK Entertainment’s Head of PR shares the five compact essentials she uses to navigate TIFF 2026’s run of emails, interviews and events.
Lisa Persaud’s TIFF Survival Kit Is Built for the Work Between Screenings — TalkofToronto
TIFF’s red carpets draw the attention, but the festival also runs on the people moving between emails, interviews, introductions and late-night events. Lisa Persaud, Head of PR at INK Entertainment, offers a glimpse of that less visible pace in her personal TIFF 2026 survival kit.
Her list is rooted in logistics, not spectacle: a portable battery pack, Excel mints, B12 vitamins, business cards and ONE/SIZE by Patrick Starrr Oil Sucker Liquid Blotting Paper Touch Up Spray. Together, they sketch the small routines that help keep a packed festival day moving.
A battery pack comes first for a reason
Persaud leads with a portable battery pack, calling a dead phone during TIFF simply not an option. It is the most practical item in a week built around constant communication and shifting commitments.
The rest of the kit follows the same efficient logic. Sugar-free spearmint Excel mints offer a quick refresh between conversations. The blotting spray is for a fast touch-up when there is no time to step away, while B12 vitamins are Persaud’s chosen form of TIFF stamina support.
Business cards still matter on TIFF’s social circuit
Business cards give the list an old-school note. Persaud’s card identifies her role at INK Entertainment, reflecting the value of a quick in-person introduction during one of Toronto’s busiest entertainment stretches.
That work operates at considerable volume. Persaud says INK is hosting 51 events during TIFF 2026. The feature does not include individual dates, venues or access details, so the figure offers a sense of the activity around the festival rather than a public event schedule.
A martini-and-caviar break in the middle of the rush
Persaud also makes room for a little pleasure between commitments: a Dirty Vodka Martini and caviar from Honey More Than Chinese, included in “The Star Treatment.” It is a fitting counterpoint to a list otherwise centred on power, polish and preparation.
What’s in My TIFF Survival Kit? is not an event guide. Its appeal is its clear picture of the work around the screenings: stay charged, keep the essentials close, make the next connection and find a brief moment to enjoy festival season.
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