On Location: “Very productive”: Trevello conference takes Northern Ireland by storm with culture & big ideas

The future of Trevello is experiential.

After hosting travel advisors and suppliers in Northern Ireland for a week, the host agency will expand its conference program by hosting a destination-focused event every three years to provide advisors with more culturally-rich experiences.

Zeina Gedeon, CEO of Trevello Travel Group, shared the strategy with PAX on the final day of the company’s 2026 “Building Bridges” conference, a first-of-its-kind learning event, involving some 250 delegates, that took place in Belfast and beyond from May 2-8.

“We had a meeting among our advisors, and [for conferences], they want one year all-inclusive, one year cruise, and one year destination,” said Gedeon, speaking to PAX in the Seahorse Lounge of Belfast’s Grand Central hotel – one of three hotels hosting Trevello’s conference – last Thursday (May 7).  “Of course, whatever my advisors want!”

As Belfast provided an exciting backdrop for Building Bridges — Trevello’s first conference held outside North America — next year’s edition will return to an all-inclusive resort, Paradisus Cancun, during the first week of May, once again timed to coincide with Travel Advisor Day (the first Wednesday of that month).

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

Looking back on Trevello’s big week in Northern Ireland, which PAX was invited to covered exclusively, Gedeon highlighted the unprecedented opportunities for suppliers and tourism boards to “build bridges” with Trevello’s advisors.

“There’s more to conferences than just sitting and working in a room,” she said, referring to the week’s jam-packed program.

A three-part extravaganza

As previously reported, this year’s Trevello conference was a collaboration with Brendan Vacations (a Celtic travel specialist with TTC Tour Brands), Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland.

The event felt like a show divided into three acts. 

At the start of the week, some 150 travel advisors from across Canada (both new-to-industry faces and seasoned pros) engaged with 36 suppliers (represented by 46 individuals) at presentations, workshops, networking tracks, as well as a “Meeting of the Minds” session, where advisors chose topics, shaped the agenda, and steered their own professional growth.

There were workshops covering relevant topics including the latest on AI tools for both beginners and advanced pros, with insights on how today’s tech can help grow businesses.

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

Fittingly, Global Travel Advisor Day (May 6), the second act, fell into the middle of the program, and as reported, Trevello celebrated in unforgettable style.  

Belfast’s Clayton Hotel, home base for the week’s sessions, sprang alive with the sound of live bagpipe music, an atmosphere of positivity, and a sea of pink, thanks to the branded t-shirts gifted to all attendees.

Renowned international speaker and TV personality David Meade took the stage that morning for a high-energy keynote focused on psychology, mindset, persuasion, and sales performance.

Finally, the third act were the world-class experiences that connected agents to the destination.

Last Tuesday (May 5), delegates spread out in Belfast's buzzing Cathedral Quarter, a cultural and nightlife hub with cobblestone alleyways, eye-catching street art, restaurants, bustling pubs, and live music – and took over two venues.

At the Waterman, a cookery school, event space, and award-winning European bistro, attendees created their own chocolate truffles, savoured scallops served in a shell at a Chef’s Table, sipped artisan cocktails featuring spirits from Northern Ireland (such as a berry-infused “Bramble,” using gin from Country Tyrone), ate gooey s’mores around a fire pit and other passed snacks.

The Dark Horse, meanwhile, paired its antique interior with an outdoor courtyard alive with surreal street art—everything from Titanic imagery to caricatured political figures— and live musicians, making it the place for sing-alongs, local snacks (like soda bread smothered in Irish butter and jam) and revelry.

Assignment: Northern Ireland

On Travel Advisor Day, delegates set off in various directions on FAMs curated by Tourism Northern Ireland.

County Fermanagh, Derry-Londonderry, the Causeway Coastal Route, Newry, Mourne, Down, Armagh, and Belfast, were just some of the participating communities. 

On the Causeway Coastal Route tour, which PAX participated in, agents and suppliers visited Dunfin Farm, a beautiful barn setting, surrounded by emerald-green hills, in Glenshesk, one of the nine Glens of Antrim in Northern Ireland.

Here, husband-and-wife duo Frank and Carol Dunfin invite small groups onto their farm for nature walks and sheep herding demonstrations led by an intuitive border collie, name Charlie, who “thinks he’s a wolf” (as Frank put it).

Some agents had the privilege of exploring the Giant’s Causeway, located on the north coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed 50-60 million years ago by volcanic activity.

Famed for both its geological wonder and the legend of giant Finn McCool, it is a popular tourist destination – and prime spot for picture-taking.

And of course, no visit would be complete without stopping at a few pubs along the way, like the historic Crosskeys Inn, established in 1654 and still filled with live music and local charm.

Here, live musicians — banjo, guitar, fiddle, and harp players — treated us to a folk music set, pausing in between songs to answer questions about how today’s local artists blend traditional styles with modern influences.

A Guinness or two to cap off the day? Make it three.

The FAMs offered a fun, on-the-ground look at local life, but it was Trevello’s awards gala, on May 6, that flipped the script with an over-the-top dinner and ceremony at Titanic Belfast, the world’s largest attraction dedicated to the luxury passenger liner that sank in 1912 after striking an iceberg.

The magical night, which unfolded in a ballroom featuring a replica of the Titanic’s Grand Staircase, honoured Trevello’s top-performing advisors and most-favoured suppliers.

See PAX’s detailed coverage from the event here.

Post-conflict Belfast

Trevello’s Building Bridges conference also coincided with a wave of new tourism developments in Northern Ireland.

In addition to Titanic Belfast, which opened in 2012, the constituent country of the United Kingdom 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, beyond a wave of new hotels and restaurants, perceptions of the region are changing.

“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, 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 dissects this dark and complex chapter in political history.

The private, driver-guided tours — which many Trevello advisors experienced— 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 explore powerful landmarks including the city’s politically-charged murals, peace walls, historic neighbourhoods such as the Falls and Shankill Roads, and turning points, such as the Good Friday agreement, a 1998 peace accord that brought an end to three decades of violence.

Political divisions remain entrenched in Belfast around the "constitutional question" – whether Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom or unite with the Republic of Ireland.

But as our Black Cab guide explained, the key difference, today, is that divisions, once marked by violence, are expressed through peaceful dialogue and political debate.

Belfast's peace gates (barriers dividing predominantly unionist and nationalist neighbourhoods) are still closed at night to deter unrest and manage community tension.

There’s hope for societal change – including the eventual removal of the city’s peace walls – but progress takes time. Today, it’s a source of generational trauma. 

“We still carry a lot of pain and blame,” our guide told us.

Trevello agents took in these firsthand accounts – stories that differ, depending on the guide – and were even invited to write messages on the Cupar Way Peace Wall using a marker.

Stretching between the Catholic Bombay Street and the Protestant Shankill Road in West Belfast, the wall, erected in 1969, bears countless signatures and messages, from visitors around the world, calling for peace, reconciliation, and unity.

By leaps and bounds

Modern-day Belfast has evolved beyond its turbulent past, emerging as a global centre for technology, culture and forward-looking innovation — a transformation locals are aware of.

“If my grandmother, who has been dead for about 40 years, were to see Belfast now, she wouldn't believe her eyes,” said Helen Jones, a tour guide with DeeTours Ireland, a local operator that leads walking tours for Brendan Vacations.

Jones has childhood memories of car bombs going off in Belfast (sadly, this was common from the early 1970s through to the late nineties).

The city, however, “has come on in leaps and bounds,” Jones told us.

“Lots of companies and multinationals now have their headquarters there…it’s incredible,” she said.

Tourism has also become a defining characteristic of the “new” Belfast and Northern Ireland. 

“When Belfast was given city status in 1888, we were well known for shipbuilding, linen production, and for rope making,” she said. “Now, it’s tourism. It’s a major industry here.”  

And what’s distinctively Northern Ireland, beyond its currency (the British Pound Sterling) and use of imperial system for road signs?

“I think it’s the way we talk,” Jones said. “We have lovely colloquialisms. Like the use of ‘wee’ [as a term of endearment]. You could be six-feet tall, but still a ‘wee man.’”

What stood out, to us, was the friendliness of Northern Ireland’s people.

As Jones guided Trevello advisors through the mural-lined streets of Belfast on her tour, she seemed to know everyone, stopping to chat with random shopkeepers, construction workers, and even a BBC broadcaster along the way.

Every interaction felt genuine and effortless, giving us the sense that community is deeply woven into everyday life.

“We may have had our troubles over the years, but I think we're getting to a stage where we're starting to trust each other,” she said. “We're very much an example of hope and new beginnings.”

No stupid questions

The conference came amid continued growth at Trevello.

Full-year 2025 at the company delivered nine per cent total sales growth and seven per cent commission growth.

2026 is also performing well: Q1 sales are up eight per cent with commissions up 10 per cent.

For Tina Knox, a travel advisor from Shediac, New Brunswick, attending the conference was both a learning experience and a confirmation that she’s found a right fit in the industry.

She’s only been a travel advisor since last November.

“I am very, very new,” Knox told PAX, explaining that after 25 years working in healthcare procurement, she finally decided to “take the leap” and pursue her passion for travel.

What surprised her most about Trevello’s conference was its personal approach.

“It ended up being more intimate than I expected, which was fabulous,” she said. “It exceeded my expectations.”

Instead of feeling overwhelmed by presentations, Knox appreciated the one-on-one conversations and group discussions that helped her identify which suppliers best align with her growing niche in adventure travel.

“Quark and G Adventures stood out for me,” she said. “I want to support travel in smaller communities where maybe tourism isn't seen.”

She also plans to work with all-inclusive brands, like Sandals, “because where I’m from, there's a lot of people travelling to get away from winter.”

Knox also praised the support she has received from Trevello since joining the host agency.

“There is no stupid question. They’re happy to help,” she said. “They've given me tips that I didn’t think I needed.”

“Very productive”

As for Roblyn Williams, becoming a travel advisor was “10 years in the making.”

The Cape Breton, Nova Scotia-based advisor joined Trevello in November 2024 after years of researching host agencies and realizing her passion for travel planning could become a career.

“I planned our 25th anniversary trip to Greece. It went so well, so I thought, ‘Okay, that’s it. I gotta do this for other people,’” Williams said.

Since launching her agency, Williams has sold river and ocean cruises and all-inclusive vacations, while developing a unique speciality in “set-jetting,” inspired by a former career in the film industry.

“My niche is going to be tours and trips inspired by film and TV,” she said.

At Trevello’s conference, Williams discovered new ways to elevate her business. “I’ve learned that I can totally curate a trip that would be specific to me by working with suppliers,” she said.

The one-on-ones she had with suppliers were also “very productive,” she said.

More than anything, Williams highlighted the strong sense of community she has found at Trevello.

“Right out of the gate, you feel like family,” she said. “Without a doubt, I picked the best one.”

100,000 thank yous

For Brendan Vacations, which entered the Canadian market in 2020, the conference offered a wonderful opportunity to introduce Trevello advisors to the Celtic travel brand and its network of local experts and experiences.

The goal is for advisors to bring lessons and experiences back to Canada and translate them into value for potential clients.

Catherine Reilly, managing director of Brendan Vacations, which has an office in Dublin, summed it up best. 

“In Ireland, we like to exaggerate everything,” she told delegates at the event’s farewell party. “When we say ‘welcome,’ we say céad míle fáilte, which [in Irish Gaelic] is ‘a hundred thousand welcomes.”

“Well, I have a hundred thousand thank yous, to all of you, for being with us.”

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