PAX's first-ever golf tournament a smashing success

“This has been incredible. It has surpassed our wildest expectations,” John Kirk, executive vice-president and co-publisher for Logimonde Media told a sun-kissed crowd at PAX’s inaugural golf tournament awards night in Mexico this weekend.

More than 60 travel consultants, tour operators and airline executives from both the French and English markets flew down to participate in the first tournament of the trade season, which ran from May 12-15 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.

“We’re thrilled with the level of national representation we’ve seen supporting our first-ever networking event,” Marie-Klaude Gagnon, president of Logimonde Media remarked, adding that the tournament attracted travel professionals across Canada, from Newfoundland stretching all the way to Alberta.

“It’s so encouraging to see that our online and print publications have this level of readership and reach.”

Industry support seemed to be the theme of the weekend; the tournament was arranged in partnership with Hard Rock Hotels, and was sponsored by Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations (ACV), as well as Softvoyage, Toronto Star and Manulife.

According to Amr Younes, vice-president, sales of Air Canada Vacations, a big part of what attracted ACV to the tournament was how uniquely it promised to stand out from other events of the season.

“When this was pitched to us as an idea, we knew it would be cool, and different – and we wanted to be a part of that,” he told PAX on the green. “So we were happy to support it, and we’ll be happy to support it in the future as well.”

Participants were given plenty of opportunities to network between rounds of golf in the lively atmosphere of the nearby Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, with foam-filled pool parties, cocktail gatherings, leisurely evening dinners and after-hours dance nights offering a relaxed social backdrop for some productive shop talk.

“This was an amazing couple of days with so many opportunities to meet some great contacts,” Ash Tembe, vice-president of global field sales, All Inclusive Collection, Hard Rock Hotels said, agreeing with Kirk and Gagnon that the collaboration between the two companies is largely what made the event so successful – a feeling that was reciprocated by other attendees.

“This was a wonderful event,” Eamonn Ferrin, president & COO for Air Canada Vacations said of the tournament. “I’m sure it will be even bigger next year - which means more seats to fill!”

Indeed, due to the astounding success of the weekend, it was announced that the second annual PAX golf tournament will take place April 27-30, 2017 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana.

“We would not have been able to provide such a great event without our partnership with Hard Rock,” Kirk stated from the podium, adding that the companies are participating in a five-year agreement.

Following the awards dinner (which included a Best Foursome prize of two seats on Air Canada and three nights' accommodation at any Hard Rock all-inclusive property), guests took to the dance floor at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya’s Heaven Night Club for the PAX after-party - the details of which, of course, remain strictly off the record (and if you’d been there, you’d know why).

Award recipients for the PAX First Annual Golf Tournament:

Men’s longest putt

Paul Foster, Tripcentral.ca

Ladies’ longest putt

Lisa Voisin, Assured Assistance

Men’s straightest drive

Danny Murray, Goliger’s TravelPlus

Ladies’ longest drive

Gladys Loong, G & G Travel

Men’s longest drive

Aaron Dwyer, Flight Centre

Men’s closest to the pin  

Dan Langevin, Softvoyage

Best Foursome

This award was a tie between two groups, but as PAX (the event host) and Air Canada (a platinum sponsor) were part of both teams, certain team members declined the prize, deferring it to the remaining teammates.

Phil Sproul, Merit Loyalty Services (Prize recipient)

Danny Murray, Goliger’s TravelPlus (Prize recipient)

Duncan Bureau, Air CanadaSteve Goodfellow, Air Canada

John Kirk, Logimonde Media

Jason Clark, Toronto Star (Prize recipient)

Frederic Gonzalo, Gonzo Marketing (Prize recipient)

Check out next month’s PAX magazine for more photos of the event!