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Friday,  November 8, 2024   1:18 PM
Travel pros work hard, play harder at CWT 2015

It was supposed to be a secret…. but word quickly spread that everyone was going to the moon for dinner.

The glitzy Moon Palace Golf and Spa resort, that is.

Nearly one hundred travel suppliers, office managers and partners attending Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s (CWT) annual conference took a brief pause from the jungle life in Playa del Carmen at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya, the conference’s host resort, last Tuesday and set forth via coach bus to Cancun’s wow-worthy Palace property for a night of hugs, handshakes and high fives.

“Tonight is about celebrating partnership and excellence,” said Denise Heffron, vice president of commercial and national sales for Transat Tours Canada, which hosted the swinging soirée.

As the party bus rolled into the resort, Moon Palace staff quickly locked into position and greeted conference attendees with complimentary margarita flowers and electric lemonade and blue lagoon cocktails. A tour of the jazzy hotel followed, which offered guests a quick glimpse into some of the property’s amenities, which includes a chic nightclub as well as a teen zone complete with air hockey, disco lights and a pizza and ice cream bar.

“There is nothing else like this in the Mayan,” said Heffron of the mega resort, which boasts more than 2,100 rooms. “It almost feels like Vegas or a cruise ship. You can surf outside, there’s 24-hour cafes…it’s one-of-a-kind.”

The night’s buffet-style dinner stole the show with the hotel’s chicken with mole earning top accolades. And before you could say margarita-on-the rocks-please, guests were on the dancefloor getting down to Uptown Funk.

It was the only way to properly unwind after a productive day of learning at Day Two of CWT’s conference — this year entitled “The Road Map to Success.”

The jam-packed agenda included keynotes by inspirational travel journalist Robin Esrock and social media wiz Steve Waugh, but nothing put a face to the experience quite like the conference’s lunchtime trade show, which allowed supplier partners the opportunity to set tables and put their products on parade.

“The trade show allows suppliers to get down to the product level, which we don’t cover in the [conference’s] sessions,” said CWT’s Louise Gardiner, senior director of North America operations and product solutions.

The event is also about showcasing the latest in travel that industry professionals sometimes miss while on the road. “There’s brochures hot off the press that some suppliers don’t always get to see,” said Gardiner.

Úna O’Leary, senior director, marketing and supplier management for North American Leisure at CWT, echoed that sentiment, crediting the conference’s trade show as CWT’s way of giving suppliers a “robust opportunity” to network with owners and managers.

“We’re very committed to making sure that we’re creating environments that are very collaborative and open,” said O’Leary.

For up-to-date pictures and highlights from CWT’s conference in Mexico, search #CWT15GrandVelasRivieraMaya on Twitter. Stay tuned as PAX brings you more conference coverage.

PHOTO: Louise Fecteau, commercial director - Quebec Region, Transat Tours Canada; Juan Carlos Calderon, corporate director of sales, Canada, Palace Resorts; Denise Heffron, vice president - commercial and national sales, Transat Tours Canada; Marjorie Larose, national accounts coordinator, Transat Tours Canada.

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