Canada serves up a seasonal treat at EIBTM

Canada cooks up a storm to wow attendees at mega meetings and global business show in Barcelona

2012-12-20 — /travelprnews.com/ — The meetings, conventions and incentive travel (MC&IT) team at the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) ended 2012 with a splendid finale in Spain.

EIBTM in Barcelona always ends the MC&IT year with a bang. The 25^th-anniversary event on Nov. 27-29 was no exception, with Canada adding extra sparkle. Attendees to EIBTM had to walk through the “Canada Tunnel,” 110 floor-to-ceiling images showcasing the best of our country’s experiences and business venues, to get to the main marketplace for thousands of pre-scheduled appointments.

CTC was joined at the Canada stand by 29 partners (including convention centres, hotels, tourism destinations and visitor bureaux), as well as Executive Chef Blair Rasmussen from the Vancouver Convention Centre, BC, who cooked and served up Canadian finger foods. A Canada Night event at Capella Macba provided a great opportunity for relaxed networking for 117 guests, with one lucky client winning a five-night trip of a lifetime to the Canadian destination of his choice.

EIBTM 2012 had impressive stats: more than 6,000 hosted buyers who took part in over 65,000 pre-scheduled appointments as well as more than 3,000 exhibitors of worldwide destinations, services and companieson the floor. Michele Saran, executive director, MC&IT, Susan Frei, director, International Meetings & Incentives, and Heather Phelps, director, International MC&IT Partnerships, led CTC’s delegation in Barcelona.

Looking ahead to 2013, the next EIBTM in Barcelona is Nov. 26-28.

• The SE USA Chapter of the Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE), has named Steve Felahis, CTC director, Southeast MC&IT Sales Development, Convention & Incentive Travel Sales, as its Partner of the Year—2012. Felahis collected the award from the board of directors at the SITE SE Share the Love event in Hilton Head Island, SC, last month, which aimed to support US troops overseas and their families at home.

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