We have the winners!

The results are in and LogiMonde media is proud to announce the winners of the 2017 Awards of Excellence!

Each year, LogiMonde asks the Canadian travel industry to nominate their peers (or themselves) for their achievements over the last year in one of six categories – and with dozens of entries across the six categories, voters had their work cut out for them!

In fact, the 2017 edition of the awards saw a record number of votes cast – more than 7,000! – for the 195 nominees.

This year also saw the introduction of a unique new category, Social Media Guru, which recognizes the outstanding effort of an individual in representing their brand or business through digital channels.

The category’s inaugural winner is Caroline Belgrave, business development and education manager at Nexion Canada, who said she was ‘incredibly honoured and excited!’ to win the award.

“After two weeks on the road, this is the best Christmas news – I am absolutely ecstatic!” she told PAX.

The 2017 Travel Agent of the Year award was given to Melanie Doiron of SellOffVacations in New Brunswick. A 16-year industry veteran who was bitten by the travel bug following a high school trip to the Dominican Republic, Doiron was “very honoured and surprised” to receive the nomination and eventual win in the category.

“I try and go above and beyond for every single client and put myself in their shoes, treating them exactly how I would want when I go on vacation,” she said.

A member of the travel industry for more than 20 years, Representative of the Year went to Trafalgar’s Ken Nickerson, who is now in his ninth season with the tour operator.

“Being from Atlantic Canada it’s a smaller market so you don’t always expect to win, so it’s quite the honour!” he said.

Sunwing’s William McPherson was named Reservations Agent of the Year, who has been a member of the tour operator’s Groups team for the last five years.

“It’s something I wouldn’t have been able to do without the support of the management,” he said. “I’m really proud to be a part of the awards!”

The winner of the Rookie of the Year award for 2017 is Dianne Maano of Cruise Connections Canada, who described herself as ‘very excited!’ to have picked up the award. It caps a successful first year in the industry for Maano, who became a cruise specialist at the company as recently as February.

And a familiar face throughout the Canadian travel landscape, Air Canada’s Duncan Bureau, was named Personality of the Year for 2017.

“It’s very cool and exciting!” Bureau said of the award, adding that he views the honour as a win for the Air Canada team as a whole. “We get to be in front of our partners on a daily basis and our significant growth has put us in the news a lot…. We’re much more active in the marketplace, thanking and rewarding our partners.”

Check out the February 2017 edition of PAX magazine for a feature on this year’s winners.

Congratulations to all of the 2017 winners and thanks again to all who participated by nominating a candidate and voting!