On Location: A “pinch-me moment” – Trevello awards gala dazzles at Titanic Belfast

An “unbelievable, pinch-me” moment.

That’s just one of the many ways travel advisors from Trevello described the experience of having Titanic Belfast entirely to themselves.

The world’s largest attraction dedicated to the RMS Titanic — the luxury passenger liner that famously sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York after striking an iceberg — served as a spectacular setting for Trevello’s annual awards gala on Tuesday (May 5) during its 2026 “Building Bridges” conference.

Located just steps from the very site where the Titanic was designed, built and launched, the iconic museum, in Belfast’s waterfront “Titanic Quarter” (the former Harland & Wolff shipyard), welcomed some 250 Canadian travel pros on a private tour, through its 10 interactive galleries, before guests gathered in the top-floor “Titanic Suite” – an elegant ballroom that features a replica of the ship’s Grand Staircase.

For Susan Lawson, Trevello’s director of engagement, the special night – which honoured the host agency's top-performing advisors and most-favoured suppliers – was an emotional one.

“I never expected to be here in all my years,” said Lawson, standing at a podium under a wash of purple and pink lights. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime.”

Building Bridges

Arguably setting a new benchmark for conference events, the evening, which was two years in the making, represented a culmination of partnerships among key travel and tourism players.

Trevello’s first conference outside North America — which PAX covered on location in Belfast from May 3-8 — teamed up with Brendan Vacations (a Celtic travel specialist under TTC Tour Brands) along with Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland, which sponsored Trevello's gala.

For Tourism Northern Ireland, hosting a conference like Trevello’s was especially significant as the destination– a constituent country of the United Kingdom – gains momentum thanks to a wave of new investment.

READ MORE: On Location: “If we get them here, we get their hearts”: Trevello conference kicks off in Belfast

In addition to Titanic Belfast, which opened in 2012, Northern Ireland has become a hot spot for set-jetting, thanks to attractions like the Game of Thrones Studio Tour (the region was a primary filming location for the popular HBO series).

And, in addition to a wave of new hotels and restaurants, perceptions of the region are beginning to shift.

“People are starting to see the new Northern Ireland for what it is, rather than what they might have read in the news 25, 30 years ago,” George Diamondis, head of business solutions at Tourism Northern Ireland, told PAX earlier in the week, alluding to “The Troubles,” an ethno-nationalist conflict that lasted from the late 1960s to 1998.

“We're an incredibly young city. You have to experience what a post-conflict society is about, how we're making a success of that, and how we’ve become a poster child in global peace and reconciliation.”

Black Cab Taxi Tours, based in Belfast, is one attraction that dissect this complex political history.

The private, driver-guided tours — which many Trevello advisors experienced this week — are conducted in London-style black taxis, with local drivers, many of whom lived through The Troubles, sharing deeply personal accounts of growing up during that time.

The tours (which are incredibly fascinating and a must-do) explore powerful landmarks including the city’s murals, peace walls, and historic neighbourhoods such as the Falls and Shankill Roads.

VIDEO: Trevello celebrates Travel Advisor Day in a sea of pink in Belfast

At the same time, Trevello’s conference theme, Building Bridges – which highlighted the importance of meaningful relationships as a foundation for success – wasn’t lost on local officials.

“Here, ‘Building Bridges’ isn’t just an abstract concept,” said Laura McCorry, CEO of Tourism Northern Ireland, addressing delegates at the Titanic gala. “It has come to represent something much deeper. Reconciliation after conflict, movement between communities, shared futures rather than separate pasts.”

“On that basis, there’s no more fitting place for your theme.”

10 million visitors 

Titanic Belfast, which came on the back of the Good Friday agreement – a 1998 peace accord that brought an end to three decades of violent conflict in Northern Ireland – is emblematic of Belfast’s rise as tourism destination.

The eye-popping attraction, its façade wrapped in 3,000 silver anodized aluminium panels folded into sharp asymmetrical forms, resembling ship hulls.(said to be the height of the real Titanic), was expected to draw at least 400,000 visitors in its first year — but welcomed nearly 800,000 instead.

In 2016, it was crowned the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards.

Trevello’s gala on Tuesday (as if it needed any extra sparkle) also just happened to be a very special day for Titanic Belfast.

The museum, earlier that morning, welcomed its 10-millionth visitor – a couple, fittingly, from Ontario, celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary.

“Canadians love the authenticity”

Speaking to PAX at the event, Judith Owens, CEO of TBL International Ltd, which runs Titanic Belfast, said Canadian visitation at the museum has skyrocketed 78 per cent over the past year.  

“They really seem to connect to the story,” she said. “One of the things we did here was bring the story of Titanic back to Belfast, back to where she belonged. I think Canadians love the authenticity of it – the fact that Titanic was actually built here, and how the stories are all rooted in this place.”

At Titanic Belfast, guests are taken on a journey through the story of the world’s most famous ship, from the rise of “boomtown Belfast” and the bustling shipyards where Titanic was built and embarked on its maiden voyage.

The multi-level experience features a shipyard ride, an underwater exploration theatre, recreations of the ship’s cabins, holograms of passengers and a 7.6-metre scale model of the ship that rotates and illuminates in sync with projections.

The experience also explores the tragedy of the sinking, the aftermath, the search to find Titanic, and her final resting place deep beneath the Atlantic.

Along the way, visitors gain insight into the hopes, dreams and lives of the people forever connected to the ship, while discovering a collection of Titanic artifacts.

Canadians are also part of Titanic’s story. After all, Halifax, Nova Scotia, holds a connection to the disaster (at the time, it served as a primary hub for recovery efforts).

Owens views the Titanic story as a “play in three acts.”

“The first is her building,” she said. “The second, the fit out, life on board, and the sinking, and the third act is the aftermath,” she said. “For me, Halifax in Canada is the resolution. It's the final chapter in Titanic’s story. The sympathetic way Canada dealt with the aftermath was so poignant.”

The museum, besides delivering $700 million in economic spending, has brought “a sense of civic pride back to Northern Ireland,” said Owens.

“We're telling the story of Titanic, but we're also telling the story of the regeneration and growth of tourism, which we can see today,” she said.

The attraction is a rollercoaster of emotions, from beginning to end, as evidenced by the many Trevello advisors seen wiping away tears as they exited the galleries before dinner (for the record, the mood bounced back once a lively group of Irish dancers hit the floor and the awards show began).

I’m flying!

Of course, there’s an element of fun at Titanic Belfast as well, thanks to the global success of the massively-popular 1997 James Cameron film, Titanic.

The museum is well aware that many visitors are fans of the award-winning romance/drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

There’s even a spot dedicated to Titanic’s role in pop culture where visitors, yes, can recreate the movie’s iconic "I'm flying" moment on a reconstructed replica of Titanic’s forward-deck railing.

“I don't think we would be here if it wasn't for the movie,” said Owens. “All of our children have watched the movie and still continue to. Yes, it romanticized it, and if you talk to true historians out there, they maybe wouldn't think it's a great representation.”

“But I still think that anything that tells this wonderful story is something that we should be proud of, and it certainly has helped us.”

Perhaps the most memorable moment of Trevello’s gala was the final act when a group of musicians – a singer, accompanied by piano, flute and strings – closed the night with a soaring rendition of “My Heart Will Go On,” the power ballad, made famous by Celine Dion, that defined the movie.

There wasn't a dry eye in the room.

"I have been to hundreds of industry events. I have never seen an entire room cry at a gala dinner,” said Zeina Gedeon, CEO of Trevello Travel Group.

"When you watch 300 travel professionals hear 'My Heart Will Go On' performed live inside Titanic Belfast and you see their faces, and you feel what that song means in this place, that is the moment you understand why destination experiences matter more than any brochure ever written."

"These advisors will carry tonight with them for the rest of their careers. This is what it looks like when an industry falls in love with a destination."

And the award goes to...

Who took home awards that magical night? See the winner’s list here!

Supplier awards (voted on by Trevello advisors):

Advisor awards:

Lifetime members (celebrating 25 years at Trevello):

Stay tuned for more of PAX’s exclusive coverage from Trevello’s Building Bridges conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 

To see more pictures from Trevello's gala and awards, visit and "like" PAX's Facebook page here. 

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