COSTA DEL SOL — Transat Distribution Canada welcomed owners and managers of franchised and affiliated agencies of the TDC network, the regional managers of Transat/Travel agencies, the members of the TDC management team as well as many preferred partners this week to Club Med Magna Marbella, on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

They’re all taking part in TDC’s National Leadership Conference, which kicked off March 23 with a welcome cocktail hosted by Manulife and greeting by TDC General Manager Karine Gagnon.

“It’s always exciting to feel the energy of everyone together, and this year, with this revamped version, it’s particularly exhilarating,” said Gagnon. “We focused on three main elements to maximize the experience of each participant: individual reflection on business objectives, a longer conference to better structure their reflection, and the ongoing support and advice of our executive coach Cloé Caron.”

Gagnon added: “Each of our members is different, none has the same profile or the same business needs. So, we had to refine our approach even further to equip them so that they could specifically get what they needed from this event. We, therefore, offered them a virtual reflection session, combined with a Playbook, a follow-up document allowing participants to collect their thoughts via a structured approach, reviewed and approved by Caron.”

As Caron put it in her presentation: “Your franchisor is giving you a priceless gift: the gift of time for guided reflection, with coaching if needed. Someone from outside your business who can support you and help you ask the right questions to move forward more effectively and try to plan for the obstacles that may arise as much as possible.”

The first day of activities was devoted to Partners Business Reviews, individual meetings between owners and managers and preferred partners.

In order to maximize participants’ time, business partner reviews are presented alternately with ‘TDC Talks’, short presentations in the style of TED Talks, as well as individual meetings with members of the TDC leadership team.

“Our TDC Talks cover seven topics that affect the daily lives of our members, whether it’s marketing and artificial intelligence, cost management, or social media,” said Dianne Jackson, Director of Franchise and Affiliate Members.

Joseph Adamo, President of TDC and Transat’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, gave a high-level update on the company’s activities. Adamo emphasized the evolution of Air Transat’s fleet and airline network, the scope of the Transat brand in the market, and the impact this brand has on the travel agency network.

Several of Transat’s expert managers are also on hand, including Renée Boisvert, VP, Tour Operator Products and Sales, Alain Brouillard, Senior Director of Finance, and Julie Bilodeau, Senior Director of Organizational Development and Talent Management.