Sitting in the workshop room, I quickly dashed down notes as a colleague shared a story. She was tasked with crafting policies for her organization and had a short time to do it. So she and her team sat down and brainstormed what the ideal policies would look like, using an AI tool to record their meeting. After the meeting, she used the transcript function to transform the meeting into coordinated notes and then asked Chat GPT to craft a set of policies from it. After the first draft (and some human edits), she asked AI to compare it to other best practices and add in anything they were missing. By the end of the day her organization not only had a whole new set of policies but she had saved herself and her team how many hours in the process.
This wasn’t the goal of the workshop, but its anecdotal “in the trenches” types of conversations are what always make the TIAC Congress such an invaluable experience. As attendees, we were there for the workshops and conference sessions, the forums, and of course the fun, but it’s side-by-side networking with your colleagues, tackling issues that are happening now in our industry is what makes the TIAC Congress such an important annual event.
Take a read as I dive deep into my TIAC Congress experience including personal photos and highlights from my experience.
What is the TIAC Congress?
The TIAC Congress is an annual event hosted by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. For the past 20 years it has been hosted in Ottawa and this year it was in my backyard, Vancouver, British Columbia! So I knew I had to be there to take part in the conference and welcome my peers to our beautiful city.
The theme for the 2024 TIAC Congress was “Canada, Powered by Tourism” emphasizing tourism’s vital role in shaping Canada’s economic, cultural, and societal landscape.
The TIAC Congress is primarily designed for those who work and serve in the tourism industry. Small and large businesses, hotel chains, tour operators, and restauranteurs are the main composition of the event. As a media member, it’s rare to attend these types of conferences, however, I love sitting at the tables with my peers, seeing behind the curtain, learning about the challenges they are facing, and how I can support them in the work that I do.
Day 1: Workshop Day
TIAC Congress is a two-day conference, but attendees can opt to take part in a workshop the day before the start of Congress. Workshops are approximately 3 hours and allow you and the presenters to really dig into topics, invest in hands-on workshop-style learning, and in my case, walk about with a tangible action plan of things you want to implement upon return to your business.
Here’s a list of the different workshops that were available at the Vancouver TIAC Congress:
- Introduction to Export READIness: Expand Your market reach with the TIAC READI Stamp Program.
- Advancing Sustainability in Tourism: An Experiential Workshop for Leaders and Managers: Transform your tourism operations with GreenStep’s sustainable tourism.
- Delicious Storytelling 101: Master food storytelling with Culinary Tourism’s Workshop.
- Managing Environmental & Social Impacts with Visitor Use Management Framework: Learn strategies for ensuring sustainable, positive experiences on recreational trails by effectively managing visitor impacts.
- Flourishing in Tourism: Building Your Capacity to Flourish in the Future: Explore how the Flourishing Business Canvas can help your organization shape a sustainable and impactful future in the Canadian tourism sector.
- Canada’s National Forum on Disaster Readiness and Response: Join us for an insightful session where tourism leaders and experts explore the impacts of global warming, pandemics, and natural disasters on Canadian tourism, sharing lessons learned and strategies for future resilience.
For my regular readers, it’ll be no surprise that I took part in the Sustainability Workshop hosted by Angela Nagy with GreenStep. Angela is a dynamic speaker and passionate about sustainability so I knew that this workshop would be fantastic but it still managed to exceed my expectations.
After a quick briefing on current trends and industry challenges, we were handed out worksheets and split into groups to take part in an experiential workshop. From brainstorming what a sustainable future would look like in our industry, to engaging in a full-on sustainability audit of our tourism businesses, it was a vulnerable space to ask hard questions, learn from our peers, evaluate where we are, and plan for where we want to be.
I walked away inspired and with a long action list of the changes I want to make in my business to help me become more sustainable. As well as with the practices I want to put in place to help me be able to work with the leaders in our industry who are raising the bar for what a greener future will be (my children’s children thank you).
Canada’s National Forum on Disaster Readiness and Response
After a networking lunch (which offered gluten & dairy-free meals – shout out to the crew at the Sheraton Wall Centre!), we headed back into the ballroom for a National Forum on something that affects us all.
Led by TIAC CEO Beth Potter, this personal conversation with industry leaders felt like a fireside chat where we could all sink into the challenges together and have a candid conversation. Candace Campo from Talasay Tours started off by sharing the challenges that global warming has had specifically on First Nations communities and Indigenous tourism providers. From large group cancellations to a lack of stability in what has traditionally been a steady season, small businesses are being very affected and having to craft creative responses to sustain their businesses.
Amy Thacker from Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism, Wendy Magnes from the British Columbia Ministry of Tourism, and Anita Ballantyne-Berthier from Destination Canada took the stage to share the mic over past experiences of managing major natural disasters, lessons learned as well as what we can do to be prepared. As a British Columbian, we’ve seen the devastating impacts of floods and fires cutting off major supply routes and stranding visitors and residents. Amy made a point-blank statement, “Don’t forget the visitors” and make sure that you have a plan to evacuate them if a natural disaster comes your way.
As a Mom, my travel preparation has changed, and I now focus on visiting communities that have a travel plan in place. Whistler is a great example of a destination that has an excellent emergency evacuation plan. When there were wildfires in the past, I felt confident visiting this destination as I knew they had a plan in place should we need to leave. I think other vacation planners will expect this from their destinations as we move forward to more uncertain times as global warming continues to evolve.
Welcome Reception – Vancouver Aquarium
Winter Wonderland Beneath The Waves was the theme for the TIAC Congress Welcome Reception and of course, I had to sneak in a selfie with Scuba Santa before he took his dives below the deck. He wasn’t the only fun installation at the Vancouver Aquarium, because as soon as we walked into the main atrium there were aerial ballet wine servers pouring drinks upside down!
These networking events are such a fun way to connect with colleagues and make new friends. The room is filled with energy that I’ve only ever seen at tourism conferences. Everyone is friends, knows friends, and is excited to introduce you to a new friend (so no worries, if you’ve never been to a TIAC event and are reading this deciding if you should go, you’re guaranteed to feel welcome within minutes of walking through the door!).
TIAC Main Congress
TIAC Congress kicked off with a TV superstar in my home, John Montgomery. Gold Medal Olympian and a regular in my living room as the host of Amazing Race Canada, John shared a passionate keynote about “The Power of Canada’s Tourism Industry.” He shared stories of his unforgettable Olympic Gold Medal win at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics that had me crying (again!) as we watched him win the title. He shared passionate stories about our beautiful country, the power of tourism and experiences across our vast lands, and some ad-lib jokes that kept us laughing. It was an incredible and inspiring way to kick off the TIAC Congress.
The next two days were filled with educational forums, hands-on workshops, panels, and presentations to help us all learn how to plan and navigate the tourism industry as we move into 2025. I won’t go into everything I learned and all the details of each presentation but here’s a peek at the topics and the summary of the workshops that we got to choose from.
And making choices was the biggest challenge of TIAC Congress, as there was so much to choose from:
- State of the Industry: Leadership Report & Innovation Forum: Join us for an engaging session that showcases TIAC’s impactful work over the past year and ignites fresh ideas for a thriving future in Canadian tourism!
- From Caution to Confidence: How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love AI: Explore how AI is transforming cultural tourism with interactive designer Corey King as he unveils Artefacta, an innovative AI-curation platform, and shares insights on enhancing visitor engagement, maintaining authenticity, and navigating future trends in the industry.
- Telling Your Destination’s Taste-of-Place Story: Discover how to leverage your destination’s unique culinary stories with Gabrielle Mueller and industry leaders as they explore the art of promoting local flavors to attract visitors, stimulate economies, and elevate your region’s global profile.
- Navigating the Future: Emerging and Key Sectors in Canadian Tourism: Explore the dynamic sectors reshaping Canadian tourism in this expert panel, where industry leaders highlight the rising economic impact of RVing, wellness tourism, sport tourism, and business events in driving the future resilience of destinations.
- National Tourism Panel Session: Enhancing Canada’s Global Competitiveness through Transportation: Join leading experts from the airline, rail, motorcoach, and water transportation industries as they explore groundbreaking advancements that are boosting Canada’s global competitiveness by enhancing accessibility, innovation, and infrastructure in the transportation sector.
- DestinationNEXT: Insights from the Canadian Futures Study: Discover the key insights and future trends shaping Canadian tourism from DestinationNEXT’s Futures Study, presented by MMGY NextFactor’s Greg Oates.
- Ensuring Tourism Thrive When All Belong: Powering Canadian Tourism Through Inclusive and Accessible Employment: Explore how inclusive employment practices can transform Canadian tourism as industry experts and diverse voices share insights on fostering accessibility, boosting innovation, and enhancing guest experiences for a more resilient and thriving sector.
- Navigating Tomorrow: How DMOs Are Addressing the Ongoing Challenges in Our Sector: Join top DMO CEOs as they explore sustainable tourism, crisis management, and technological advancements, offering actionable strategies to balance tourism growth with environmental responsibility, cultural preservation, and community benefits for long-term destination success.
- Sustainable Tourism: Global Trends and Canada’s Performance: Delve into the evolving landscape of sustainable tourism and Canada’s pivotal role in this transformation, as expert insights and compelling case studies provide practical guidance on navigating regulations, enhancing sustainability efforts, and avoiding greenwashing in an increasingly complex environment.
- Building Partnerships and Employment Pipelines With Canadian Educational Programs: Discover how the Canadian Coalition of Tourism Universities aims to strengthen the tourism industry through education by presenting a structured model for connecting students with industry opportunities.
- How Brand Leadership Will Power Canada’s Tourism Future: Explore the role of brand love and how Canada’s distinctive strengths can be the superpower that keeps our tourism sector resilient, even amid huge disruption.
- Harnessing the Spotlight of Major Events – Lessons Learned and Future Strategies: With major events such as FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026, the Invictus Games in Whistler & Vancouver 2025, how are our communities, cities, provinces/territories and Canada leveraging the most out of the influx of visitors and eyeball from the global media covering these events?
- Navigating Challenges and Seizing Opportunities in Canadian Tourism Investment: Explore the complexities of investing in the Canadian tourism industry as experts discuss challenges like economic fluctuations and regulatory hurdles while offering strategic solutions and insights on succession planning to help you navigate and seize opportunities in this dynamic sector.
- Strengthening Canada’s Global Position: A National Panel on Enhancing Competitiveness: Engage in a dynamic discussion with leading national organizations as they tackle Canada’s global competitiveness in tourism, exploring innovative strategies and actionable solutions to enhance the country’s status as a premier destination.
TIAC Congress Showdown
One of the highlights of my TIAC Congress experience was the last session of the two-day conference… which is always the hardest slot to have. Everyone is exhausted, their brains are overstimulated, and most people are ready for a social break between Congress and evening events. But this year TIAC finished with the Congress Showdown, an entertaining head-to-head debate with some of our most animated peers.
Who knew that some of our colleagues had it in them, from hilarious jokes to things that had us shaking our heads, the showdown was an entertaining way to talk about tourism’s hottest topics (like hotel fees) and hear each side of the discussion in a light-hearted and entertaining way. I can’t wait to see what they dream up for next year.
Canadian Tourism Awards
Finally, it was time for my favourite part of the night, the Canadian Tourism Awards. Last year I was a Finalist for Media Member of the Year, and I can tell you it is such an honour to be there with your peers and celebrate both nominees and winners in our industry. So after transforming from my business suit into my red ballgown, it was time to head into the gala and get the celebrations started.
The decor is always next level and the food is equally as incredible. I had the fortune of securing a seat at the Baxter-sponsored media table, where finalists for Travel Media Member of the Year were all sitting. We enjoyed eating all while learning about the nominees in other categories and seeing award winners take the stage.
Some of my favourite moments of the night included:
Sitting at the Baxter Media Table
Baxter Media was the sponsor for the Travel Media Professional of the Year which included a hosted table. There happened to be an empty seat so I was able to sneak in and hang out with my media friends (and make some new ones too). As a 2023 Finalist for this award I know how exciting it is to be a Finalist and it was a lot of fun sharing this event with my colleagues.
Seeing Diane Selkirk Win Travel Media Professional of the Year Award
When it comes to leaders in the Travel Media industry there are few who are at the level that Diane Selkirk is. As one of the top writers in our industry, her thoroughly researched stories meet at the intersection of purpose and inspiration, educating us on how to travel with intention and invest in experiences that are transformational for all.
She has a reputation for tackling difficult stories and spending months researching them, resulting in action-inspiring articles that act as a catalyst for positive change in our industry. A well-travelled writer Diane could easily choose to play it safe and write a myriad of round-ups showcasing our beautiful country. However, Diane also loves to tackle stories that matter showcasing Canada’s value of our Indigenous culture and our efforts towards reconciliation.
For example in “The Canadian Museum Filled with stolen art” Diane educates readers on the dark time in Canadian history all while bringing it full circle in sharing the return of the stolen totem pole. “Then, in 1884, the federal government of Canada enacted the Potlatch Ban, an amendment to the Indian Act of Canada, with a goal of crushing Indigenous culture. At the same time, disease kept coming. Missionaries pushed Indigenous people to assimilate into the growing settler population, warning them their “pagan” ways were to blame for their tragedies. By 1889, the Northwest Coast Indian Agency census counted 805 Nisga’a people; a population decline of 82-99%.” Click to read.
Congratulations to all of the Finalists and to Diane for winning the 2025 award at TIAC Congress.
Celebrating Klahoose Wilderness Resort and their Indigenous Tourism Excellence Award
As one of British Columbia’s most treasured experiences, it was really special to see Klahoose Wilderness Resort win the National Indigenous Tourism Award. I’ve followed the evolution of this resort and experience and it so rewarding to see them be recognized for their leadership and work in our industry.
“I want to extend my most sincere congratulations on behalf of our board and staff to ITAC member Klahoose Wilderness Resort for winning the 2024 National Indigenous Tourism Award as part of the Canadian Tourism Awards,” said Keith Henry, President and CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC). “Klahoose Wilderness Resort is one of Canada’s most compelling examples of an Indigenous destination we can all be proud of. Klahoose has planned and structured success by sharing their First Nations culture, participating in ITAC programming, and understanding the importance of collaboration through initiatives such as the Indigenous Tourism Destination Fund. Thank you to Klahoose Wilderness Resort staff and Klahoose Nation leadership for their relentless efforts in building another world-class Indigenous destination.”
“It means a great deal to be recognized by the Canadian Tourism Industry as the Indigenous Tourism Business of the Year,” said Chris Tait, Tourism Manager for Klahoose Wilderness Resort. “While we have just completed our fourth season, the Klahoose people have been welcoming visitors to their home for millennia.” [Excerpt from their post-win press release]
Seeing CanaDream RV Win Business of the Year
For years I’ve been a collaborator with CanaDream and have had the honour of traveling across the country in their RV’s. From road-tripping across Nova Scotia to exploring Banff CanaDream gives our local and international guests a way to experience Canada at their own pace, visiting some of our most iconic destinations.
“At the awards ceremony in Vancouver on Thursday, December 5, 2024, Kathryn Munro, Director of International Sales & Marketing at CanaDream, accepted the honour on behalf of the company. She expressed her gratitude, saying, “On behalf of everyone at CanaDream, we are incredibly proud to receive this award. For over three decades, CanaDream has been a pioneer in the RV and tourism industry, and this recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. We congratulate all of the finalists, and special thanks to Air Canada for sponsoring this award and to the Canadian Tourism Awards for celebrating excellence in tourism services and products.” [Excerpt from CanaDream press release]
Connecting With The Industry’s Best… And Stan 😉
Beth Potter, President & CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada
An inspiring and powerful leader, I knew I was a fan of Beth from the moment I first met her in the back of a tour bus on our way to an event. Since then I’ve continued to be inspired by Beth and her strong leadership, her passion for Canadian Tourism, her commitment to the people that she serves, and the authentic way that she relates to all of us in the room. Last year Beth was recognized for her work in Canadian Tourism in New York where she was recognized at the 2024 Power Women Gala where she was quoted as saying, “We must implement policies that support women in the workplace and create environments where their contributions are recognized and rewarded fairly.” With Beth’s busy schedule, I love being able to attend the TIAC Congress, learn from her presentations and be able to connect with her in person.
Stan Cook, CEO Rock & Water, St. John’s Newfoundland
For those of you that know Stan Cook from St. John’s Newfoundland, he’s got big energy and an incredible sense of humour, so he will appreciate this joke. But his Newfoundland welcome is aligned with a passion for Canadian Tourism and Stan not only runs a Tourism Business in Newfoundland but also sits on the Board of Directors for Destination Canada. One of the things I love the most about Congress is the ability to meet leaders from around the country, learn from their experience, and be a part of important conversations that help shape the future of our industry in Canada.
TIAC Congress Sponsors
This celebration of Canadian Tourism would not be possible without the support of the Congress and Tourism Awards Sponsors, so I wanted to do a shout out to those who step up and support important conferences like this.
