Industry update: what’s hot in world of meetings, conventions and incentive travel

• Och, aye! Scotland played host to this year’s Trailblazers July 27-30 at the Sheraton Grand, Edinburgh. The annual event showcased the incentive destinations of five countries. CTC flew the flag for Canada, joined by VisitBritain, Tourism Ireland, the Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Office and Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau. Fifteen hand-picked Canadian partners worked with CTC’s Robin Thompson and Melanie Kuranda to promote Canadian incentive destinations.
• CTC had a strong presence at the second iteration of AIBTM at the Baltimore Convention Center, MD, this past June. (AIBTM is the younger sibling of EIBTM, the annual major MC&IT show in Europe.) Key stats: there were 689 exhibitors from 44 countries, 725 hosted buyers and 461 trade visitors plus more than 12,000 pre-scheduled appointments that took place between American- and international-hosted buyers and suppliers (all figures subject to audit). The CTC team (Michele Saran, Danielle Foisy, Melanie Kuranda and Heather Phelps) ran a daily social-media contest to pique attendees’ interest. To enter, delegates had to get a picture of themselves with two of the Mounties at the booth and then tweet it using the #CanadaMountie and #AIBTM hash tags to enter a draw for an American Express gift card. Next year, AIBTM heads off to Chicago, IL, June 11-13 before going to Orlando, FL, the year after.
• Did someone say bacon? The CTC and 11 Canadian industry partners sponsored a Canada breakfast at the CESSE (Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives) annual meeting in Louisville, KY, in late July. Eggs Benedict (with Canadian bacon) and laughs from the Vancouver TheatreSports League improv group was the order of the day at the Galt House Hotel. Danielle Foisy, CTC director, MC&IT Sales development for NE America, took the helm.
• Sandi Galloway, CTC director, Southwest MC&IT Sales Development, and her Camp Wisdom committee picked up two awards of excellence from the MPI Dallas/Fort Worth chapter for event of the year 2011 and committee of the year 2011. Kudos, Sandi!

###