M&IT Best Meeting in Canada Award Winner, Large Meeting & Best Overall 2010. June 21, 2010
Best Meeting in Canada Awards
Oct. 25-27, 2009, the Fairmont Banff Springs hosted the ninth annual Travel Alberta Industry Conference, offering networking opportunities and education sessions focused on specialized areas of the industry. Last year’s conference attracted over 700 attendees, representing tour operators, attractions, hotels, motels, DMCs and town officials. Capping the two-day meeting were the Alberta Tourism (‘Alto’) Awards.
How to Plan Your Best Meeting
The Travel Alberta Industry Conference demonstrated the importance of incorporating strong programme elements: relevant and timely education content; a strong roster of industry-expert speakers; and interactivity (the Travel Alberta Marketplace networking session). Furthermore, an awards element, such as the Altos, fostered a sense of industry cooperation and community, key to any programme.
Everything was in sync: the right mix of programme elements, developed against a specific set of goals, executed professionally and measured against those goals after the event.
It’s crucial to align programme elements strategically with clearly articulated objectives and then measure attendees’ reaction, post-event. Otherwise, you have no way of knowing if your event was effective.
 Travel Alberta Industry Conference 2009  Jean Silzer (left), Don Boynton, of Travel Alberta and Niesa Silzer planned the winning Travel Alberta Industry Conference 2009.  Host Venue, Food & Beverage: The Fairmont Banff Springs  The conference has become the premier learning opportunity for the tourism industry.  Speakers: The Lavin Agency & Agenda Sport Marketing |
SuppliersLead Planners: Don Boynton, Travel Alberta; Jean Silzer Host Venue, Food & Beverage: The Fairmont Banff Springs AV, Staging & Production: Mediaco, The Presentation Company Creative Design & Printing: Foundry Creative Photography: Banff Photography Delegate Packages: Pinnacle Promotions Awards: Media Marketing Centrepieces: Details Convention & Event Management Florals: Nosegay Florist Speaker Gifts: Mountain Galleries Band: Soulah Fyah Speakers: The Lavin Agency & Agenda Sport Marketing Event DetailsMandate: The conference has become the premier learning opportunity for the tourism industry and is now integrated into Travel Alberta’s stakeholder-engagement strategy. The meeting’s purpose: increase industry awareness and knowledge of industry products and market growth opportunities; continue to develop pride and unity in the industry; deliver an opportunity for education, networking and relationship development among the industry and relevant stakeholders. Plenary sessions are designed to be of the broadest interest and provide new, relevant industry knowledge. Networking Component: During opening reception, five-hour Travel Alberta Marketplace provided opportunities for attendees to network with staff reps from Travel Alberta and Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. Programme Content: Presentations included timely subjects: Going for Gold in a Shifting Marketplace; Making the Most of Your Marketing Budget; Marketing to Different Cultures; Time Management; Developing and Maintaining Tourism Destinations; Alberta’s New Brand. Why This Event Won: Education sessions were “focused and geared to attendees”; programme was “diversified and up-to-date,” and “inspired and relevant” and noteworthy for “interactivity and contemporary content.” High attendeesatisfaction results (the satisfaction rating for the 2009 meeting was the highest ever recorded by the conference). Conference notable for “multiple dimensions — concurrent (complexity of organization).” Alto awards are “unifying” and “create a sense of organizations working together.” |
The Other Winners
MEDIUM MEETING 2010
SHNIER Summit - SHNIER, Gesco Limited Partnership
SMALL MEETING 2010
August Board Tour - Co-op Atlantic
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