Tourism Canada takes bold step with ASAE Day Tours

Earlier this year, when the team at Tourism Canada was brainstorming how to add “oomph” to their branded events at the 2024 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Conference & Expo, they had an epiphany: Canada’s Pelee Island is just a 20-minute flight from ASAE’s host city, Cleveland. Rather than talking to planners about how great Canada is, they figured, why not take them there and show them around?

Virginie de Fisher

Cut to the afternoon of August 12, when Virginie De Visscher, Executive Director of Business Events for Tourism Canada, boarded a light aircraft with 13 ASAE attendees who had won a lottery to participate in a “breakout session” for a five-hour round-trip trip to the island on the final afternoon of the conference.

Ontario’s Pelee Island is Canada’s southernmost populated area, a lush green island in Lake Erie that covers just 16 square miles and is home to just over 200 permanent residents. The island is best known for the 700-acre Pelee Island Winery and Vineyards, but visitors also come to enjoy its undisturbed natural beauty – great for bird watching, fishing and walking trails that meander through acres of nature preserves.

De Visher told reporters that the island has an idyllic background Convening A few days after the ASAE conference, she brought to life what she calls Canada’s biggest selling points: inspiring, welcoming, conscientious. Although Canada is well-known, especially among American audiences, “we want to bring a little bit of energy,” she said, “to let us know that we are special, different, unique.”

Tourism Canada arranged a tram to transport ASAE attendees around Pelee Island.

Afternoon activities included a walking tour of the 158-year-old Vin Villa, Canada’s first commercial winery, whose crumbling stone ruins “feel like ancient Roman ruins,” De Visscher said. The walk ended in an underground wine cellar, where everyone gathered around a communal table to taste wine and snacks prepared by a local chef. Next, attendees strolled through the estate to the lake, where the remains of an amphitheater provided a backdrop for a collaboration with Canadian sustainability experts and the recently published “The Winery of the Future.” How We Collect Information. With the blue of Lake Erie behind him, Rothschild shared examples of Canada’s success in sustainable development.

The Canadian Tourism Bureau team chartered a light plane for a 20-minute flight from Cleveland to shorten the trip to the island by ferry, and also chartered a vintage open-air tram for the team to travel around the island. “We may have five Plan Bs, depending on the weather,” said De

Fortunately, the meeting went well — it was a sunny, clear day, Visscher said. The biggest worry? Hopefully, attendees remembered to bring their passports.

Canada’s first commercial winery, Vin Villa, is 158 years old and its underground cellar provides a cozy atmosphere for enjoying wine and snacks.

The Destination Canada team randomly selected attendees for the Pelee Island tour through live submissions during the first two days of the conference. To get the word out, the team advertised on the conference’s digital wall, placed ads on kiosks and other prominent locations around the Huntington Convention Center, and placed ads on Ubers around Cleveland so attendees knew they could visit the booth. The effort had a positive byproduct: creating buzz.

The excursion had about 80 entries for the 13 destinations, but De Visscher estimated that more than 200 participants visited the booth out of curiosity. De Visscher said they anticipated the reaction and staffed accordingly — more than 40 representatives from 22 destinations across Canada attended the event.

“We like to go deep and narrow because that’s the beauty of relationships,” she said. “Those 13 people are now lifelong friends and we have a shared experience, which is amazing.” But “the impact goes far beyond the individual who actually took the trip. That’s the whole reason we do this, to reach so many people.”

Destination Canada showcased best sustainability practices and case studies from its “Sustainability Storybook” at scale on the walls of the Sustainability Storyhouse installation.

Connect the (green) dots

Virginie De Visscher of Tourism Canada said Tourism Canada’s primary goal at the 2024 ASAE Annual Conference & Expo is to communicate its commitment to sociocultural and environmental sustainability.

To showcase this in an engaging way on site, Destination Canada collected best practices and case studies from events across Canada and compiled a “Sustainability Storybook” which was displayed on a large scale on the walls of the Sustainability Storyhouse. During Canada Night, Canada’s Indigenous culture took center stage with live performances by traditional hula hoopers and pauw dancers Notorious Cree, and a fashion show by Métis fashion designer Anne Mulaire from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

De Vischel said he hopes the “stories shared … inspire planners to understand how to integrate sustainability into their events.” The experiential events, a first for Destination Canada in the business events space, are more likely to convey an authentic message than traditional gift-giving strategies. “It’s more about how you make them feel,” De Vischel said.

On the web

For more information about the breakout sessions, visit the ASAE website.

Jennifer N. Sethers yes convened.