"Powered By Heart": TDC's Rendez-vous energizes Toronto, honours milestone advisors and rising stars

Transat Distribution Canada's (TDC) "Powered By Heart" theme took centre stage this past weekend at the English Canada edition of Rendez-vous, its annual conference. On-site, PAX spoke with Marc Pelletier, senior director of marketing, communications and events, and Karine Gagnon, general manager, only days after an earlier interview with the executives on AI, life after Cuba and the future of travel advisors. 

The Toronto event ran Sept. 26 and 27 at the Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale, drawing nearly 250 advisors following the French edition held Sept. 19 and 20. The theme was built around TDC's conviction that AI can sharpen the travel advisor's role but not replace it.

Keynote speakers, Jasmin Bergeron and Édith Lemay headlined a packed weekend of programming. Bergeron spoke on creating a "wow" effect and leaving a lasting impression with customers, while Lemay shared her family's story, featured in the National Geographic Documentary Films production Blink. Advisors also connected with over 50 exhibitors, attended breakout sessions, and closed the day with cocktails and dinner.

Speaking with PAX on-site, Pelletier said suppliers and advisors have responded well — the energy in the room, plus the timing heading into high season, has advisors feeling inspired and ready to go.

"I think people are really happy about the theme this year. We hit a sensitive element of their feelings with regards to technology," Pelletier told PAX. 

"Some fear it, some embrace it, but there's a general consensus that it's changing the industry, and our theme is powered by heart — that's the first thing that matters to us. All our content is connected to that theme as well."

Content, creators and AI visibility 

Beyond the theme itself, Pelletier said two priorities stood out among the new initiatives TDC shared with owners during the conference: content marketing, and AI visibility.

On the first, TDC has brought on a new marketing manager with a background in content marketing from Cirque du Soleil, someone Pelletier said faced a similar challenge in her previous role.

"Cirque du Soleil had somewhat of the same challenge as we did. They wanted to promote their shows and they wanted to leverage their artists to promote the shows. We have 2,000 travel advisors in our network — how do we leverage them, and how do we train them to build their clientele through content marketing?" Pelletier said. "We want to build this ecosystem."

The second priority is making sure AI tools themselves point travellers toward advisors. Pelletier pointed to a shift already reshaping search behaviour: one in two Google searches now surfaces an AI overview, and when it does, 68 per cent of users do not click through to any link below it.

"Our goal with AI, short term, is to make sure that it understands the value of travel advisors," Pelletier shared with PAX. 

"Same as the financial industry — if I ask a question to AI around financial advice, like what stock should I be buying, typically it will end with, you might want to consult with a financial advisor. We want the same for travel. We don't mind people using AI for travel inspiration, but what we would like is that it finishes by saying you might want to talk to a travel advisor who's been there," he added.

That priority is compounded by another shift TDC is tracking. According to Pelletier, social media has now overtaken friends and family as a source of travel inspiration.

"That's a huge message when you think about it," Pelletier told PAX. "Dream and inspiration are happening in the feed, which is why we want our advisors to be there with content that connects with that top part of the funnel — here are my top five ideas of where to travel, here's where I've been, sharing tips and experience. That's what we want."

On the tools side, TDC rolled out a new reputation management platform just two weeks before Rendez-vous, giving owners a single dashboard to monitor and respond to Google reviews and social media comments with the help of AI, rather than logging into each platform separately.

AI as a tool, not a threat

Asked what she hopes advisors take home from the weekend; Gagnon returned to the conference theme's central idea: that efficiency and humanity aren't in competition.

"AI should be taken with openness — don't see it as competition, don't be scared of it. Embrace it for the things that will bring you efficiency," Gagnon told PAX.

"'Powered by heart' is the fact that however much technology and AI you can have online, people are actually looking for that human connection, and we can never lose that. Take maybe two or three tasks that you do in work that don't really have that much value, so that you can make more time to focus on the relationship with the customers."

She acknowledged the unease some advisors still feel.

"Twenty-some years ago, it was the internet. Now it's AI, and there's all these bots and different tools, and it can be a little bit scary," Gagnon said. "But if you can leverage both — taking AI for all the efficiency it can bring into your work, and showcasing yourself out there — that's kind of the key for us, and we'll have great success as an industry."

From showcase to spice route and milestone recognitions

Between attending special sessions and workshops, advisors packed the TDC Travel Showcase floor, connecting with over 50 preferred supplier partners. Gagnon noted the format has evolved well beyond a traditional trade show floor.

"If you look at the showcase here, it's not your traditional trade show as we used to do it before — it's more interactive, it's digital, we have spotlight stages," said Gagnon. "Every year we go, okay, we created this great energy, we have these great speakers, our partners — what are we going to do next?"

With style cues shared by TDC beforehand, guests in chic, spice route inspired outfits stepped into "A Stopover Along the Spice Route" later that evening for cocktails, dinner and celebration.

The ballroom leaned into the theme, featuring giant illuminated "TDC" letters glowing under colourful lights, flanked by ornate lanterns, floral arrangements and vintage travel trunks.

Transat, which presented the evening, had commercial director Julie Sareault take the mic for a quick thank-you. "Sincerely, a heartfelt thank you for your support, year after year. You guys are warriors, troopers — you are true rock stars. And powered by heart, you put all your heart in it," Sareault said.

Between courses, preferred suppliers kept the room buzzing with prize giveaways, including a live prize wheel — "spin that wheel" was the phrase of the night as attendees hoped to land everything from travel credits to full vacation packages. After dinner, the DJ took the room straight into TDC's own conference theme song, "TDC is the Heartbeat," and the dance floor filled to wrap day one.

“Recognizing the longevity of our members is always one of the highlights of the evening,” said Gagnon.

The following are members who were celebrating milestone anniversaries ranging from five to twenty years:

20 years
Virginia Frew, Marlin Travel Port Perry

15 years
Deedee Atwell, D&D Travel Ltd
Laura Batey & Shelly Hulzinga, Marlin Travel Flamborough
Tina Morrow, The Travel Firm
Denis O'Brien, Marlin Travel Whitehorse
Hemant Raigangar, Century Travel
Mary Ann Winterton, Travelworld of Collingwood

10 years
Steven Cheng Ma, Marlin Travel Burnaby
Ana Tremblay & Elaine Simpson, Algonquin Travel & Cruise Centre Travel Plus

5 years
Virgil Palermo & Giacomo Parisi, Marlin Travel Vaughan / Marlin Travel Cobourg
Sheena Revet & Heather Calvert, Marlin Travel Regina / Marlin Travel Moose Jaw / Marlin Travel Swift Current

For the second consecutive year, the network presented the TDC Awards in two categories: Rising Star, recognizing advisors with less than three years of experience, and Customer Experience Star, for those who consistently exceed their clients' expectations.

Rising Star Award: Terra Ouellette, Marlin Travel Pembroke, and Lindsay Kerr, Transat Travel Oshawa

Customer Experience Star Award: Erin Louise Hettle, Transat Travel Northgate Centre

Next year's theme?

As for what comes after "Powered By Heart" and last year's "Star Power," Gagnon doesn't know yet, either. "Not yet," she said with a laugh, when PAX asked if TDC has landed on next year's direction.

"We come out of these every year and go, oh my gosh we're raising the bar. We're very attentive to the feedback we get, and we want to make it engaging. We don't know the theme yet for next year. We'll reveal it soon." Whatever it is, if "Powered By Heart" is any indication, TDC isn't just picking a slogan — it's building a message its network can feel.

Check out more pictures from the evening on PAX's Facebook post. 

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