TLN’s Toronto ELEVATE draws record crowds as AdvisorOS prepares for launch

The balmy weather outside Toronto's Pearson Convention Centre on Oct. 29 offered a welcome reprieve from autumn’s chill. But Canadian travel advisors know what comes next: the first snowfall, and the rush to trade winter coats for warmer shores. 

“Our advisors brace themselves for the first snowfall because that’s when they go completely crazy and the phones start ringing,” Christine James, Travel Leaders Network’s (TLN) outgoing vice-president, Canada, said during a media briefing. 

Inside, preparations for that demand were well underway as TLN’s inaugural ELEVATE Canada conference brought together advisors and supplier partners for two days of training, networking, business development, and a Preferred Partners Trade Show from Oct. 28 to 29. 

The Toronto-area gathering also provided a platform for the network’s latest technology announcement: AdvisorOS, an evolution of its AgentMate platform launching Nov. 2 that will bring agency management, booking access and client engagement tools into a more connected experience. 

For TLN president Lindsay Pearlman, the priorities behind the event and the technology were closely aligned: helping members increase revenue and operate more efficiently. 

“Focus in on what works for you,” Pearlman said. “And that will vary from individual to individual.” 

A Canadian alternative gains traction 

ELEVATE expands TLN’s previous one-day regional events into a two-day conference format, giving members more time with suppliers, trainers and senior executives. 

Pearlman said the decision reflected a desire to bring programming closer to Canadian members. The question was whether advisors would commit to both days, and whether supplier partners would invest in the expanded format. 

“The results have been phenomenal,” he said. “You walk in that room next door right now, and the room’s full. And that’s on day two.” 

James said Toronto had 240 member registrations, additional walk-ins and more than 100 supplier partners, bringing the total to nearly 350 participants. 

Vancouver, which hosted the first ELEVATE Canada stop the previous week, drew 175 members and approximately 65 to 70 suppliers. Both locations set attendance records, she said. 

The additional time allowed more networking, internal training and executive presentations, while workshops emphasized Canadian content. 

“It’s just heartwarming to see that kind of engagement, especially in an inaugural event,” James said.  

Looking ahead, Pearlman said registration for EDGE 2027 in Cancun was already nearly sold out, with strong Canadian interest. 

AdvisorOS connects the tools 

Part of Internova Travel Group, TLN provides independent agencies with access to supplier relationships, marketing, education and technology. 

AdvisorOS is its latest effort to connect those resources more closely. 

According to the launch announcement, the platform will offer enhanced sales reporting and business intelligence, centralized client profiles, customizable communications and reminders, improved invoicing, secure electronic authorizations and a redesigned dashboard. 

Integrated access to SNAP and Cruise Complete will also help advisors move between booking and client management activities. 

The AgentMate name will be retired, but existing users will retain their current functionality, workflows and login credentials. 

Webinars, training resources and dedicated member support are planned to guide the transition. 

At the briefing, Pearlman emphasized that AdvisorOS builds on the existing platform. “It’s an evolution of it,” he said, adding that support and training would accompany the changes. 

The new AdvisorOS draws on the success of SNAP, TLN’s booking tool. Rather than simply announcing a product and expecting members to adopt it, Pearlman said the network built a support structure to help advisors use it. 

“We’re going to launch this tool, but we’re going to build an infrastructure around the tool that will carry our members through it,” he said, describing the thinking behind SNAP’s rollout. 

AdvisorOS’s first vendor integration, with Project Expedition, is planned for late November. Additional partner integrations and AI-driven capabilities are expected in 2027 and beyond. 

More personal support 

The technology investment is being accompanied by changes in how TLN supports member agencies. 

In a separate interview with PAX, Megan Wollak, senior vice-president, member services, said the network had divided territories more closely this year, limiting each business solutions manager’s territory to 150 agencies, with smaller portfolios in Canada. 

The aim is to understand individual businesses and connect them with relevant programs as new tools arrive. 

“It’s absolutely not a one-size-fits-all,” Wollak said. 

Some agencies are already sophisticated users of AI, she explained. Others need help with basic operational improvements, such as invoicing. 

The same emphasis on practical results applies to Agent Profiler, TLN’s consumer lead-generation program. 

Wollak recounted an advisor’s experience in which an initial hotel inquiry became a booking worth approximately $10,000, followed by a $30,000 Bali trip and a third booking. For the network, those examples show how a lead can develop into a lasting client relationship. 

Safeguards are also part of the system. Wollak said that filters stop approximately 30 per cent of incoming leads before they reach agencies, helping screen out fraudulent or bot-generated inquiries. 

Beyond the standard itinerary 

The conference’s education extended beyond technology to the expertise that distinguishes an advisor’s recommendations. 

During the “Beyond the Bucket List” panel discussion moderated by James, four supplier partners discussed how local knowledge, flexible itineraries and personal connections can turn a familiar destination into a more meaningful trip. 

Examples ranged from exploring a destination beyond its best-known central district to encouraging visitors to venture outside the all-inclusive resorts and immerse themselves in the local culture.  

The practical message was that access to information is only the starting point: advisors add value by matching experiences to the individual traveller. 

That willingness to learn also ran through a keynote on developing a growth mindset, delivered by Gloria Di Francesco, founder and CEO of GDF Talent Inc. 

She encouraged advisors to treat unfamiliar destinations, changing booking platforms and constructive feedback as opportunities to build skills. 

Confidence heading into winter: Demand holds, but clients changing where they go 

Despite higher prices and shifting destination preferences, TLN executives expressed confidence in travel demand. 

Pearlman said the network expected its Canadian business volume to finish 2026 approximately 10 per cent above last year. With growth in place, he said, the question is less whether Canadians will travel than where. 

Clients are shifting rather than cutting back, he said.  “They’re not going to Florida for three or four weeks. They’re going to Costa Rica for two. It may even cost them more money, but they’re still going.” 

Pearlman pointed to continued interest in less crowded destinations, while James highlighted demand for Mexico and the Dominican Republic. 

The broader message was that clients continue to travel, even when they change where they go. 

Luxury is setting the pace. Pearlman said it is growing at double-digit rates, compared with single digits for the larger contemporary segment.  

“Luxury is the tip of the spear,” he said. He contrasted today’s travellers with those of 2008, when people with money stayed home: “Now they’re travelling.” 

James said the average booking window in the mass-market segment had extended to approximately four or five months, with clients also booking further ahead. 

The loss of Cuba, once a significant part of TLN’s sun business, hasn’t hurt revenue, executives said, as clients shift to destinations such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic at higher price points.  

A farewell on a high note 

For James, who retires Oct. 30, ELEVATE also brought an emotional farewell. 

During the briefing session with trade media, she shared that a standing ovation the previous day had caught her by surprise, as members and colleagues offered thanks for her years with the network. 

But she said the Canadian team and the programs presented throughout the conference gave her confidence in what comes next. 

“I leave behind an organization that is so well positioned and so ready to make you even more successful,” she told attendees during the closing general session. 

Her own next chapter will include time with family and friends, fewer conference calls and a different kind of travel. 

“Actually travelling without a laptop,” she said. “I think that is like, wow, that’s like a top three.” 

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