VIDEO: Embracing AI & moustache mania: Friisdahl unpacks TTAND conference at sea

Tech, tools and moustache madness.

The Travel Agent Next Door’s 2026 conference, Leading The Way, concluded last week after bringing nearly 400 Canadian travel professionals together for an unforgettable journey through the ABC Islands aboard the Celebrity Silhouette.

As previously reported, the event – TTAND’s largest-ever – explored a range of themes and subjects, including TTAND’s new equity partnership with UK-based Travel Counsellors, the launch of a new luxury division, LUXE by TTAND, workshops about social media, marketing and boosting sales, as well as valuable one-on-one meetings with suppliers.

“Even though there’s a lot happening, it doesn’t feel rushed,” said Dawn Tanner, owner of Tripping with Dawn T, based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, attending the conference for the first time. “It’s so well organized.”

READ MORE: On Location: TTAND conference lights up with awards, luxury success & $28,500 moustache

Tanner, a former hair stylist, joined the travel industry about four years ago. She started at another host agency, but “outgrew them within a year,” eventually making the move to TTAND.

“The support has been incredible,” she told PAX. “It’s a big host agency, but it still feels like a family.”

TTAND’s conference also raised $124,545 for Pencils for Kids, which will go towards constructing two new schools in Niger, West Africa.

One of the biggest money-makers? A high-profile moustache attached to Flemming Friisdahl, TTAND’s CEO and founder.

What does the future hold for TTAND? Is bigger necessarily better? How is the host agency embracing AI and navigating headwinds?

Watch PAX’s in-depth interview with Flemming Friisdahl at the conference, filmed on board the Celebrity Silhouette!

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