Granite Travel Trade Expos has big plans for 2024
After seeing a strong demand from travel agents in smaller markets across the country, Granite Travel Trade Expos will be returning for 2024 and suppliers / vendors are now being invited to register to participate in the 2024 expos, which will be happening in 11 key secondary markets.
The Granite Travel Trade Expos were launched this past spring by Bradley Dean, Oakville/ Toronto Partner at Granite Productions. The event is designed after seeing an opportunity to better connect suppliers with travel advisors who are not able to travel to markets where the larger, traditional trade shows typically are.
A total of 32 suppliers and over 675 travel advisors attended Granite Travel Trade Expos across the country in 2023, in what some are referring to as the best planned trade events post-COVID.
Karen Klosterman, Travel Consultant with Travel Best Bets, Cowichan Valley, said: “All the agents were so happy to have Granite Travel Trade Expos come to Victoria, BC in October. I found it to be a very well-organized and informative event. I also really appreciated the suppliers’ dedicated efforts to seek out sales performers in smaller markets, giving us the chance to liaise with them face to face. I’m looking forward to attending again in 2024.”
Offering an opportunity to connect with travel agents in typically smaller markets outside the larger trade show circuit, Granite Travel Trade Expos allow the agents meaningful face- to-face connections with the suppliers they sell. By providing an event that educates advisors on new offerings at a location closer to home, key relationships can foster and grow to help deliver a strong ROI for everyone.
Audrey Knight, Travel Advisor at Expedia Cruises, Ottawa, said: “I liked the fact the venue and number of suppliers were manageable. It was nice to be able to talk with suppliers as long as we needed to and not waiting endlessly in lines four or five deep to even get to say hello.”
Dean said the decision to bring the Expos to more communities was made after the initial demand from agents at the inaugural spring shows.
Said Dean: “We listened to agents who wanted us to bring the show to more local communities. That led to our fall Expos which were a huge success and that response allowed us to go into 2024 full speed ahead with 11 Expos scheduled across the country in 2024.”
Each Expo is focused on training and networking, with face-to-face interaction with agents and products. In each city, a presentation series featuring seven, 15-minute segments by suppliers are followed by a trade show, dinner, and prize giveaways.
The top hotels, airlines, resorts, cruises, and destinations in the industry gathered under one roof for 11 Granite Travel Trade Expos in 2023. Bahia Principe Hotels and Resorts, Transat, WestJet Vacations, Playa Hotels & Resorts, Canada Jetlines, Riverside Luxury Cruises, Porter Airlines, Catalonia Resorts, MSC Cruises, and the Jamaica Tourist Board were just a few suppliers in attendance at the 2023 Expos.
Juan Carlos Hernandez, Tour and Travel Sales Manager of BlueBay Hotels and Resorts, said: “We are so pleased to attend the Granite Trade Travel Expos and be able to connect with quality travel agents. Small venues provide a more intimate environment to connect with those agents that cannot drive or even fly to other areas. We consider these events so important in this industry; networking is the most amazing tool for this business. The investment we make to be part of these events becomes small vs the incoming we can create in our properties. Thank you Granite Travel Expo for this unique opportunity.”
All events are free for agents to attend each of the events, and a $20 Gas Gift Card was available to the first 50 agents at each of the Expos.
The Granite Travel Trade Expos 2024 dates are as follows:
Spring 2024
Ontario
April 22, 2024: Windsor
April 23, 2024: Kitchener-Waterloo
April 24, 2024: Oshawa-Ajax
April 25, 2024: Barrie
Fall 2024
Western Canada
October 7, 2024: Winnipeg, MB
October 9, 2024: Victoria, BC
October 10, 2024: Langley, BC
Ontario
November 4, 2024: Ottawa
November 5, 2024: Hamilton-Burlington
November 6, 2024: London
November 7, 2024: Richmond Hill
More information about supplier registration to participate in the 2024 Expos can be found via www.GraniteTravelExpos.com, or by contacting Bradley Dean directly at brad@graniteproductions.ca or 416-565-5212.
