With a strong reputation for safety and plentiful outdoor space, Canada is in a great position to attract meeting and incentive groups post pandemic.

The destination boasts a wide range of incentive experiences - whether that’s experiencing wide open spaces with small group champagne picnics on top of a mountain; private gallery tours with local guides and artists in its urban centres; getting nose to nose with polar bears; or discovering fresh local lobster on the beaches of the east coast.  

Over the past year, the Destination Canada Business Events team has developed an in-depth roadmap that identifies where Canada can best meet international client needs through engaging incentive experiences and meaningful business events.

Through storytelling of Canada’s legendary experiences, as well as the human connections to local communities, the team hopes to share Canada’s value proposition to the world, building on its positive brand reputation globally to welcome back innovative meetings and incentive programmes that leave a lasting mark on not only the visitor, but the host community.

We caught up with Chantal Sturk-Nadeau, Executive Director, Business Events, at Destination Canada to find out more…

Are business events able to take place in Canada right now? If so, in what capacity?

Due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, gathering restrictions vary by jurisdiction across Canada. Depending on the local restrictions, we have seen many small events happen in the past year when restrictions have allowed.

For example, Pacific Destination Services (PDS) hosted a corporate retreat in Whistler this fall for a client who wished to thank his local Vancouver team and partners for their dedicated work navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic. This meeting mattered. The organisers were reminded of how important human connection is to celebrate achievements and develop leadership skills. The PDS team demonstrated that by working closely with their client and vendor partners, they could create responsible, safe programs during the pandemic that are engaging and significant to participants. 

The utmost care is taken by our event professionals across the country to ensure a welcoming experience for attendees. We have also seen the rise of hybrid events to ensure larger reach of these smaller events, using new and innovative technology to provide an engaging experience for all.  

How is Destination Canada supporting regional CVBs and tourist boards to bring events back safely?

As the national tourism organisation for Canada we are working closely with our partners to ensure that Canada is ready to welcome business events and incentive travel programmes to take place safely. The meeting and incentive market has always been about personalisation and custom programmes, something hugely important now more than ever.

Our partners are continually working with clients to develop custom programmes that meet their individual needs within the restrictions in place to keep attendees and host communities safe. We are working with our partners to ensure they have the data and intelligence they need to successfully plan and meet client needs.

We are working with our partners on incentive asset development to ensure Canada’s products meet the current trends – whether that’s working with small communities to create new experiences that will give back to the local economy at the same time as creating meaningful group programs that provide the transformational experiences clients are looking to provide for their teams – or working with partners across the country on hybrid experiences that share the magic of Canada both in person and virtually. 

How have you had to adapt the way you communicate with event planners during the crisis? 

Through this time, we have very much focused on listening to our clients in order to understand their needs. Our team has conducted focus groups and surveys, as well as maintaining our valuable relationships to ensure we are on top of current trends and what our clients want to hear from us.

This has enabled us to ensure our communications are providing our clients what they need, as well as ensuring we are empathetic to this extremely challenging time that our industry is going through. We’ve heard the need for information and reacted by producing a COVID-19 updates page, as well as providing updates through our social media channels.

We also heard that our planners wanted to stay inspired. To do this we launched the digital version of our Canadian Signature Incentive Experiences Collection, as well as proving inspiration through our Canada Nice platform. By keeping our communications clear, regular through digital channels, but also by simply picking up the phone and connecting personally to provide the support needed to ensure our planners can plan with confidence and creativity. 

When do you expect larger international events to resume?

Although it is still unknown when large international events will resume, we are doing all that we can to ensure Canada is ready for that time. The world market will be ferocious coming out of the pandemic as governments have recognised the value of tourism in their economies and they are doing everything they can to regain, or increase, their market share.

The Business Events team at Destination Canada has been focused on keeping Canada top of mind in our international markets, telling stories of innovation, resilience and examples of success stories. We will be ready and waiting for the return of larger international events, and we can’t wait to welcome our clients back. 

Around the world, brand perception of Canada is high. Across the country, DMOs, hotels, conference centres, DMCs and all facets of our industry are ready. Ready for a new era of hybrid events with event-tech solutions to integrate virtual components seamlessly into live events.

Ready with extensive health and safety protocols that will give planners confidence that their attendees will be safe, happy and relaxed when meeting in Canada. Ready to provide memorable, meaningful and engaging ‘only in Canada’ experiences that our clients are longing for.

What’s the situation in Canada now with regard to Covid and the vaccination rollout?

As a federation the stretches across six time zones local conditions can vary widely. The Canadian constitution grants each province and territory the authority to manage its own public health response. The Federal government manages international border measures and manages the procurement of vaccine centrally on behalf of provinces and territories. Destination Canada is a federal Crown corporation mandated with supporting the tourism sector through research, marketing and other areas of focus, however we are not the governing body regarding policies such as health regulations, border measures, etc

This pandemic is an incredibly fluid situation that continues to change every day. The borders remain closed and there are differing restrictions throughout the country. 

We are hopeful that with the roll out of vaccinations and continued efforts by the government and health officials, we will be able to reunite our country once restrictions are relaxed. This is a crucial step needed before we can welcome international visitors back. 

Can you tell us more about the safety procedures in place across Canada?

Businesses throughout Canada, including tourism businesses, have made huge investments in new hygiene protocols that Canadians can have confidence in. These vary based on the business however, the health and well-being of tourism employees and guests is paramount. 

As Canada gets moving again, travel providers have introduced measures to put the public’s health and safety first. Transport Canada implemented a multi-layered suite of measures to protect Canadians; The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) outlines enhanced industry-wide health and safety protocols to reassure guests of the cleanliness of the country’s hotels and help these establishments to welcome back guests; and Restaurants Canada (RC) published a series of resources, including the COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Guide.

Are there any specific protocols in place for the MICE sector? 

As with the leisure travel space, protocols vary across the country. We have created a website with a multitude of resources for planners, including a user-friendly Interactive Map that shows current travel restrictions and requirements by province and territory. 

We encourage planners looking to book Canada for their next MICE event to connect with our Director, Incentive Travel, Jennifer Attersall, who can put you in touch with our partners across the country that can provide local knowledge and advice to help you plan with confidence. 

What trends do you expect to see in the meetings and events market over the next year?

There are many key trends we are seeing. Firstly, the new workplace is impacting the future of business events. For example the move to distributed workforce and virtual teams increases the need to build rapport and corporate culture. The rise of multi-generational incentives as Gen X and Millennials are working together, will mean that experiences need to be tailored towards the demographics of both generations

We are also seeing a theme of ‘giving back’. A shift from a “consumption” to a “contribution” mentality will impact incentive and meetings programming. What legacy can we leave behind? How can we impact communities and our environment in a positive way through our programming? We are working closely with our partners to develop new Canadian product that focuses on the recovery of smaller communities, and the memorable experiences these communities can provide. Niagara’s tree planting program is allowing groups to connect through good, particularly popular with groups visiting from Asia looking to add elements of ‘giving back’ into their incentive programs. 

The incorporation of wellness practices into incentive itineraries and meetings is now of huge importance. With the current climate, a focus on mental health and wellbeing has become a focus within all organizations. For example, groups can experience ‘forest bathing’ within one of Canada’s many breath-taking rainforests before returning to their remote luxury retreat. 

Finally, we are hearing more and more about how experiences outweigh the destination. Incentive travel in particular will become less about where to travel, and more about the curated bespoke experiences one cannot experience as leisure traveller. Our clients are looking for authentic Indigenous experiences that are native to the destination