Travel MarketPlace wraps its third year

“The minute we start saying ‘think outside the box,’ we’ve already put ourselves in a box,” Gary Gzik, CEO of BizXcel, told a ballroom of agents as part of his How to build a kick ass organization session held at Travel MarketPlace in downtown Toronto.

The annual conference wrapped up its third year on May 3, having welcomed more than 400 attendees for two days of peer-to-peer professional learning, featuring a well-rounded program of expert speakers, interactive sessions and a bustling tradeshow that was filled with familiar faces.

Sponsored by ACTA, Marriott and Starwood Hotels and Resorts (still separately, mind), Air Canada Vacations, Air Canada and Norwegian Cruise Line among others, this year’s conference followed many themes, included technology and social media in marketing, thinking creatively when it comes to engaging clients (such as considering “single” travellers as “solo” travellers instead, and the broader sales opportunities therein), and embracing entrepreneurship as a viable path to profitability.

Speaker sessions featured a range of notable organizations from across the industry, including The Travel Agent Next Door, TravelOnly, PATA, Out Now and Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs, but the main incentive of the conference, according to Executive Vice-President and Co-Publisher of Travel Market Report Anne Marie Moebes, was to give a voice to the agents in the audience.

“At the end of the day, the retail travel agent has a lot to do because they’re selling the world,” Moebes told PAX, “and they’re not only doing the selling, they’re also doing the operational side for suppliers.”

“It’s really important that they have a venue to voice their issues and concerns,” she continued, “because they almost have too much to do for the amount of money they make.”

Travel MarketPlace was followed by the World Romance Travel Conference on May 4, a gathering focused on the destination weddings and romance travel sectors.