TDC hosts Leaders Forum in B.C. for owners, managers & partners

Transat Distribution Canada (TDC) invited its English Canada owners, managers, preferred partners, and leadership team to River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, B.C. for a strategic retreat from April 15-17. 

According to a press release about the event, the agenda included keynote speaker, executive coach, entrepreneur and author Cloé Caron; a workshop on equity, diversity, and inclusion; an extensive round-table session to promote the exchange of best practices among members; an update on the TDC network's strategic priorities; and much more. 

Owners and managers of franchised and affiliated agencies in Quebec were invited to attend a similar event at the Club Med, in Charlevoix, Quebec from April 8-10.

"This Leaders Forum, a gathering for reflection, in addition to our National Leadership Conference, another event held every two years, are important, high-level meetings, that are all aimed at our franchise and affiliate owners and managers. Indeed, we need to offer these entrepreneurs places to meet and exchange, during which they can really reflect, and take a step back with the entire TDC leadership team, preferred partners, and speakers. It's one of the ways we bring value to our network," said Karine Gagnon, general manager of TDC, in a statement. 

"Once again, we presented a rich agenda, focused on the realities these entrepreneurs face daily. I'm particularly pleased with the impact of the presentation by Cloé Caron, an experienced speaker because the feedback I received from the owners was that her content hit the nail on the head." 

"Each member present was able to reflect on his or her Unique Strategic Contribution (USC), a concept developed by Cloé Caron. Everyone asked themselves what their highest strategic level is, i.e. what only they can achieve in their team. This is a fundamental element that leaders must focus on if they are to create the influence they wish to have on their organization."

Another highlight were round-table discussions - "a two-hour session during which we were all in reflection and sharing mode, and where members of our leadership team were in active listening mode," said Gagnon. 

"Because offering our members this forum to ask for their feedback on TDC’s role in the success of their business is essential for us." 

High demand for travel advisors

The Leaders Forum was an opportunity to share data from a recent Canada-wide study commissioned by TDC from Ipsos, showing an interesting trend in the use of travel professionals. 

"The survey reveals that 31 per cent of Canadians have used the services of a travel professional in the last 12 months. A higher proportion (40 per cent of Canadians) intend to use their services within the next year. This data sparked some interesting discussions, and clearly demonstrated that the trend of travellers using travel professionals is strong and firmly established," noted Marc Pelletier, senior director, marketing, communications and events. 

Transat was the event's presenting sponsor; other major sponsors included Manulife, Air Canada Vacations, TravelBrands, and WestJet Vacations. 

“I have been in the travel industry for a long time, and I must say that the quality and the variety of content presented during the 2024 edition of the TDC Leaders Forum was really impressive. In my opinion, the most interesting part of the entire event, or should I say the most valuable for me, was the financial benchmarks presentation, because it provided an important point of comparison, to better guide my business decisions. Furthermore, the presentation of TDC’s strategic priorities by General Manager Karine Gagnon is positive for the organization's future," noted Ying Chun, owner of Bay View World Travel and Cruises, in a statement. 

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