Toronto has a plan for attracting event organizers to “The 6ix”. This February, Destination Toronto launched “Show Love, Get Love”, a campaign designed to entice small groups into the City with a host of the exclusive event offers, incentives, and enhanced safety measures.
“It’s been a trying year for event organizers, so the Show Love, Get Love campaign was created to remind Canadian planners that—once it’s safe to do so—our Toronto hotels are ready when they are to begin booking future meetings and events,” says Tara Gordon, Vice President, Global Sales & Services, Destination Toronto.
The promotion arrives at a challenging time for the meeting and events community. In a bid to promote safe, productive, and memorable in-person meetings and events, Destination Toronto has created a robust benefits package for those who book a small meeting of delegates in 2021. The package includes a 5% credit towards a group’s final bill, waived cancellation fees and food and beverage minimums, and a $50 credit per guestroom for “a bespoke Toronto experience for attendees.” What’s more, organizers who bring their event to Toronto receive a complimentary room for every 20 guest rooms they book, and each of their attendees receives 2-for-1 pricing on accommodations for future leisure trips in 2021.
Above and beyond
Safety is undoubtedly top-of-mind for the meeting and events community. Understanding this, Toronto’s promotion also spotlights its hotels’ commitment to mitigating pandemic risks. Those measures include:
- Enhanced meeting rooms, equipped with audio/visual technologies to conduct hybrid in-person/virtual meetings, and dedicated group sectors with decreased room capacity to support physical distancing.
- No-risk booking, with flexible and simplified contracts that enable planners to book with greater confidence.
- Physical distancing measures, such as new physical barriers and signage to maintain space between hotel occupants.
- Contact-free interactions, such as using no-contact technology (e.g., smartphones) to check-in and out of hotels, unlock rooms, connect with staff, and access hotel services.
- Redesigned food & beverage operations, including the introduction of contact-free delivery and the elimination of shared-use items.
- A commitment to clean, including around-the-clock cleaning and disinfecting activities in all public spaces and guestrooms.
“Toronto’s hospitality industry has always placed a high priority on guest safety, and that commitment has taken on new importance in the current environment,” notes Gordon. “Hospitality businesses like hotels, restaurants, attractions, and meeting facilities are welcoming people with a sense of safety, comfort, and inspiration. This industry, and the entire city, is doing everything possible to ensure guest safety at a time when it’s needed the most.”
The latter half of 2021 holds promise for the small meeting and events community. And while there is still some way to go before the world returns to a new way of working and collaborating together, initiatives like Toronto’s “Show Love, Get Love” campaign are poised to help bring people (safely) back together.
“Business events will be critical to our industry’s recovery,” Gordon adds. “Keeping Toronto top-of-mind now will go a long way in helping to move us along the path to full recovery for our industry and the city’s visitor economy.”
Want to show your event some love? Learn more about Destination Toronto’s Show Love, Get Love promotion.
