TORONTO — Granite Travel Trade Expos will be returning for 2024, with shows taking place in 11 key secondary markets across the country.
Suppliers/vendors can now register to participate in next year’s Expos.
The Granite Travel Trade Expos were launched in spring 2023 by Bradley Dean, Oakville/ Toronto Partner at Granite Productions, a leading events company with strong roots in the travel industry.
Dean saw an opportunity to better connect suppliers with travel advisors who are not able to travel to markets where the larger, traditional trade shows typically take place.
Some 32 suppliers and more than 675 travel advisors attended Granite Travel Trade Expos across the country in 2023, in what some said were the best-planned trade events post-COVID.
“All the agents were so happy to have Granite Travel Trade Expos come to Victoria, B.C. in October,” said Karen Klosterman, travel consultant with Travel Best Bets, Cowichan Valley. “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.”
By creating an opportunity for suppliers to connect with travel agents in typically smaller markets outside the larger trade show circuit, Granite Travel Trade Expos makes it possible for agents to have meaningful face-to-face connections with the suppliers they sell. Key relationships can grow, helping to deliver a strong ROI for everyone.
“I liked the fact the venue and number of suppliers were manageable,” said Audrey Knight, travel advisor at Expedia Cruises, Ottawa. “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. “We listened to agents who wanted us to bring the show to more local communities,” said Dean. “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, he said, with face-to-face interaction with agents and products. In each city, a presentation series featuring seven, 15-minute segments by suppliers is 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. Suppliers for those shows included Bahia Principe Hotels and Resorts, Transat, WestJet Vacations, Playa Hotels & Resorts, Canada Jetlines, Riverside Luxury Cruises, Porter Airlines, Catalonia Resorts, MSC Cruises, the Jamaica Tourist Board and more.
“We are so pleased to attend the Granite Trade Travel Expos and be able to connect with quality travel agents,” said Juan Carlos Hernandez, Tour and Travel Sales Manager of Blue Bay Hotels and Resorts. “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 versus the income 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.
Here’s the list of cities and dates for 2024 …
April 22, 2024 – Windsor
April 23, 2024 – Kitchener / Waterloo
April 24, 2024 – Oshawa / Ajax
April 25, 2024 – Barrie
Oct. 7, 2024 – Winnipeg
Oct. 9, 2024 – Victoria, B.C.
Oct. 10, 2024 – Langley, B.C.
Nov. 4, 2024 – Ottawa
Nov. 5, 2024 – Hamilton-Burlington
Nov. 6, 2024 – London
Nov. 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.caor 416-565-5212.
