by CTC News Staff
From Wimbledon to Los Angeles, Canada shows it’s a world leader as a host for meetings, associations and incentive travel.
When trying to convince prospective clients to do business, having Canada as the destination is the ace that settles the tiebreaker. The Business Events Canada (BEC) team at the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) and its strategic industry partners have had a busy summer, driving new deals at meetings, conventions and incentive travel events from Los Angeles to Wimbledon.
- Pass the strawberries and cream, please: BEC and partners hosted 20 top conference, events and incentive execs at Fairway Village and then Wimbledon itself on July 3. The event provided an excellent opportunity to showcase Canada as an ideal host for conferences and incentive travel, with a particular focus on life sciences. After lunch at the club, the group went to the tennis championships to watch the quarter-finals on No. 1 Court. BEC’s partners (not ball boys and ball girls) were Travel Alberta, Tourism Toronto and Ottawa Tourism.
- Newfound opportunities: The second annual Incentive Canada took place in St. John’s, NL, a chance for international movers and shakers in the incentive travel industry to learn what Canada has to offer. Forty-two qualified buyers from Europe and the US met with 25 Canadian destinations, hotels and resorts July 18-21 for a blend of one-to-one 15-minute marketplace meetings and social activities to promote relaxed networking. These included a champagne toast atop Signal Hill, dining at a local fishing village and whale watching. “The travel show was well organized and gave me an excellent overview of destinations, hotels and venues,” says Marilyn Marcus, Maritz Travel Proposal Development Manager. “I made some wonderful Canadian discoveries that I look forward to sharing with my colleagues, while St. John’s was a lovely surprise: every meal was so delicious and every tour so worthwhile.” Incentive Canada 2015 will take place in western Canada.
- Top teaching: BEC and its strategic FICP partners were at their learned best for the FICP Education Forum June 18-20. The Canada team led a Canada-inspired lunch in New Orleans and attendees also had a chance to “stay and play” with the team when the program concluded. BEC’s mortar-board-wearing partners were Tourism Vancouver, Vancouver Convention Centre, Tourism Whistler, Tourism Toronto, Tourisme Montréal and Québec City Tourism.
- London calling: BEC teamed up with Tourism Toronto and Ottawa Tourism at the Meetings Show in central London, UK, July 8-10. More than 1,500 hosted buyers, drawn from the meetings, conventions and incentive travel (MC&IT) industry in the UK and across Europe, came to Olympia, with many taking part in one-to-one appointments at the Canada stand.
