VIDEO: Standing room only – PAX unpacks Dream Makers T.O. with ACV’s Nino Montagnese

The crowd spilled past chairs and packed almost every inch of floor space.

Air Canada Vacations’ (ACV’s) annual Dream Makers event touched down in Vaughan, ON, Thursday night (Sept. 18), turning the Universal Eventspace into a standing-room-only spectacle.

About 1,500 travel advisors attended the winter showcase, which made stops in five Canadian cities this month, concluding with last night’s Greater Toronto Area event, which was supported by headlining sponsors Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts and Sandals and Beaches Resorts.

Enhanced by a striking wall installation showcasing ACV’s brochure covers through the years — created to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary — the lively evening, complete with singers, dancers, and dazzling stage effects, highlighted the latest offerings from ACV’s sun and global collections.

This year’s Sun Collection, for one, boasts 620 hotels, including 41 brand-new Sun properties and 32 new additions across the United States.

There are new destinations like Cartagena in Colombia, Miches in the Dominican Republic, Palm Springs and Napa Valley in California, and San Juan in Puerto Rico, and new long-stay packages. 

ACV has also expanded its cruise offerings, introducing new itineraries with Virgin Voyages and CroisiEurope, with Avalon Waterways and Seabourn Cruise Line set to join the portfolio soon.

Above all, the ACV team has been listening to its trade partners, introducing new, flexible offers tailored to their needs.

READ MORE: A CareFlex revamp & “Options”: Key takeaways from ACV Dream Makers Toronto

One notable addition is “Options,” which allows travel advisors to put a file on option with no payment required, on hold for 24 hours. For some destinations, it will go up to 48 hours.
This is an ACV first. A revamped (and more flexible) CareFlex & CareFree program will also debut in November, 

With more than 100 supplier booths involved in the pre-event trade show, the evening felt less like a business affair and more like a travel industry reunion.

What’s trending this winter? Where has capacity been added? How are sales looking? What new tools have become available for the trade? PAX was on the scene last night, cameras rolling, capturing every electric moment.

Watch our chat with Nino Montagnese, vice president at Air Canada Vacations, where he shares all the answers.

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