Turn it up: Bruce Poon Tip, Ed Sheeran & travel’s who’s who rock Rogers Centre

There was plenty of Perfect harmony between travel and music Friday night (Aug. 21) as G Adventures’ Founder Bruce Poon Tip brought together some familiar industry faces for an evening with English singer Ed Sheeran at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

Poon Tip hosted around 40 travel partners, members of G Adventures’ leadership team, friends, family and select media in a private box for the Toronto stop of Sheeran’s Loop Tour.

And with a room full of travel-industry personalities, British-inspired comfort food and one of the world’s biggest pop stars performing just outside the door, it wasn’t exactly your average Friday night industry function.

Before Sheeran took the stage, guests chowed down on fish and chips, Yorkshire pudding, prime rib, bangers and mash and other British-inspired bites while catching up over drinks.

The gathering attracted a who’s who of the travel industry, but one guest came particularly prepared for a trip down memory lane.

Christine James, vice-president, Canada, of Travel Leaders Network, arrived wearing a vintage “GAP Adventures” t-shirt – bearing G Adventures’ original name – which quickly became a conversation piece in the suite.

Getting ‘Flexy’

The night came as G Adventures looks ahead with a new approach to booking flexibility.

The company recently launched its Stay Flexy Adventure Plans, a three-tier program – Flexy, Flexier and Flexiest – designed to give travellers greater peace of mind and more options when booking.

Speaking to PAX on location before the show began, David Green, G Adventures’ global VP, customer sales and solutions and managing director, Canada, said the new offering responds directly to what travel advisors have been requesting.

READ MORE: Flexy, Flexier, Flexiest: G Adventures unveils flexible booking options

“We're really excited. It's something that our agents have been asking for. It gives more peace of mind,” he said. “At the point of sale, if an agent's talking to a traveller, and there's a bit of an objection around what's happening in the current market, it’s the ideal product.”

The option gives travellers more choice over what happens to their money if they need to cancel, with enhanced cancellation terms, Future Travel Credits and additional pre-departure perks available through the higher tiers.

The “Flexier” option, for example, extends the cancellation window and converts more cancellation penalties into Future Travel Credits.

It also includes a 1GB travel eSIM, lost luggage protection of up to US$500, priority service and double the trees grown on the traveller’s behalf while on their trip.

The plans arrive at a time when uncertainty can give some travellers pause before committing to a trip.

For advisors, Green said, there’s another important component: commission protection.

The new plans create an earning opportunity for travel advisors, with G confirming that Flex is commissioned at the same rate as the tour.

“The agent now gets to keep the commission in the whole booking. So all that hard work that the agent has done is now protected,” he said.

And customers, apparently, didn’t need much convincing.

“We did the first sale within 10 minutes of going live. The vast majority of sales are showing that people are interested in Flex in one form or another,” Green told PAX.

So, which of the three options does Green expect to emerge as the crowd favourite?

The answer may depend on how you shop for wine.

“The middle one, Flexier,” he said. “It’s like when you're buying wine, people tend to go for the middle-[range] option. I think that's what's going to happen here as well.”

From flex plans to Perfect

Business talk eventually gave way to the night's main event.

Sheeran, the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, was performing one of three Toronto dates on his Loop Tour, and delivered a three-hour set, in an open-air dome, drawing from eight studio albums.

With a vast catalogue of hits to his name, Sheeran worked his way through fan favourites and radio mainstays, including wedding-playlist staples Perfect and Photograph.

For G Adventures and its guests, the concert offered a chance to trade the usual conference halls for a decidedly louder setting – while still sneaking in a little shoptalk.

And between James’ retro GAP Adventures shirt, the British pub-inspired menu, G’s flexible approach to bookings and three hours of Sheeran, there was plenty to talk about.

For one night at Rogers Centre, the travel industry was very much in the loop.

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