AGENDA
A donation has been made to the BCHF on behalf of each speaker who is appearing at this year's BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference.
MONDAY, MARCH 8TH | OUTLOOK
8:30AM - 8:50AM
OPENING REMARKS
Ingrid Jarrett, President & CEO of the BC Hotel Association
Walt Judas, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of BC
8:50AM - 9AM
INDIGENOUS BLESSING
Dennis Thomas, Sr. Business Development Manager at Tsleil-Waututh Nation
9AM - 10:15AM
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE BC TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY SECTOR | SPONSORED BY VERB INTERACTIVE
Jock Finlayson, Senior Policy Advisor of the Business Council of British Columbia
Ken Peacock, Chief Economist & Vice President of the Business Council of British Columbia
10:30AM - 11:45AM
BC’s TOURISM RESILIENCY NETWORK
The past year has been one in which BC’s tourism operators have faced many struggles, but it’s also been a period in which they have demonstrated determination and resiliency. This session will highlight the collaborative work of the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat and its five regional destination management associations - and their support to operators through the establishment of the BC Tourism Resiliency Network. Participants will hear from business owners who have accessed and benefitted from the Network through a panel discussion, and learn how this collaborative effort continues to assist operators, and help many navigate their way through an unprecedented period.
Anthony Everett, President & CEO of Tourism Vancouver Island
Andrew Jones, Owner of Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures & Coastal Rainforest Safaris
Christina Mary, Owner & Operator of Willow Grove Bed & Breakfast Inn & Traditional Arts School in Horsefly
JP Obbagy, Tourism Development Officer for Homalco Wildlife and Cultural Tours
12PM - 1PM
STATE OF THE VISITOR ECONOMY: LOOKING BACK AND PLANNING AHEAD FOR TOURISM IN CANADA | DESTINATION CANADA
Marsha Walden, President & CEO of Destination Canada
1:30PM - 2:45PM
RECONCILIATION IN DIGITAL TOURISM
We live, work, and play on the traditional territories of the world's most diverse assembly of living Indigenous cultures. Indigenous Tourism BC is transforming our marketing and destination development efforts to support reconciliation. Through this workshop we will share our insights on working with Indigenous communities, engaging in digital and content development. Participants will come away with a better appreciation and understanding of the value of building strong relationships to ensure we are honouring Indigenous cultures and territories. We will discuss ways our industry can bring the consumer and corporate audiences along in our journey of reconciliation in Indigenous BC.
Francine Douglas, Indigenous Tourism Specialist, Vancouver Coast & Mountains, Indigenous Tourism BC
Cohen Isberg, Project Coordinator, Indigenous Tourism BC
3PM - 4:15PM
PROMOTING MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN THE TOURISM & HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
The pandemic continues to have profound impacts upon the travel economy and workers' mental health, highlighting the needs to prioritize workplace mental wellbeing. In this panel discussion, Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, Canadian Mental health Association and go2HR will discuss the new resources, supports, and training content being developed to help promote mental health and wellbeing across the tourism & hospitality sectors.
Honourable Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions
Heather Bretschneider, Director, Workplace Mental Health, Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions
Johnny Morris, CEO, Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division
Arun Subramanian, Director, Industry Health and Safety, go2HR
TUESDAY, MARCH 9TH | COLLABORATION
9AM - 10:15AM
NATIONAL HOSPITALITY & TOURISM ADVOCACY PANEL | | SPONSORED BY CANADIAN WESTERN BANK
Vince Accardi, Acting – President & CEO/ Vice-President, Stakeholder Relations and Business Development of Industry Tourism Association of Canada | Executive Director, Meetings Mean Business Canada
Susie Grynol, President & CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada
Mike McNaney, President & CEO of the National Airline Council
10:30AM - 11:45AM
AVIATION PRESENTATION & PANEL
Lucie Guillemette, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Air Canada
Scott Norris, VP Strategic Customer Relationships YVR
12PM - 1:20PM
FACING CHALLENGES AND BUILDING COMPETITIVENESS FOR THE FUTURE | DESTINATION BC
In this presentation, Destination BC will share their plans to address pandemic-related challenges in 2021, and build future competitiveness now, in a sustainable way, that will ensure that tourism benefits all British Columbians.
Honourable Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport
Richard Porges, Acting President & CEO at Destination BC
Maya Lange, Vice President, Global Marketing at Destination BC
Grant Mackay, Vice President, Destination Management at Destination BC
1:30PM - 2:45PM
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PANEL | SPONSORED BY FORTIS BC
Randy Durband, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council
Angela Nagy, CEO of GreenStep Solutions Inc.
3PM - 4:15PM
USING RESEARCH EFFECTIVELY TO GUIDE BUSINESSES AND DMOS | DESTINATION BC
Destination BC’s Research & Analytics team will give a “real-life” example of how a community DMO or tourism business can use available and leading-edge research resources to inform marketing decisions, compare performance, and use insights to grow tourism.
Nancy Flello, Senior Researcher at Destination BC
Ryan Staley, Senior Researcher at Destination BC
4:30PM - 5:30PM
CRAFT BEER TASTING!
In this interactive and educational session, join Dave Pearson of Vancouver Island Brewing, a Certified Cicerone (Beer Sommelier), who will discuss 3 types of beer: Hazy IPA, Pilsner, and Porter/Stout/Dark Lager. Dave will also provide some insights into the history of beer, food & beer pairing, and proper beer serving etiquette.
Purchase a sample of each of the beer styles (Hazy IPA, Pilsner, and Porter/Stout/Dark Lager) from your favourite local craft brewery or local liquor store and join us for a great session.
Dave Pearson, Certified Cicerone & Host | Vancouver Island Brewing
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10TH | GROWTH
9:00AM - 10:15AM
A STRONGER FUTURE: B.C.’S GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR TOURISM RESILIENCY
The world-wide restrictions designed to protect public health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly affected the global visitor economy. Understanding and informing government priorities and processes is more important than ever for tourism partners as the pandemic reshapes our society. The provincial government plays an important role in supporting the British Columbia tourism industry. TIABC has worked collaboratively with the Province over the last year to identify challenges and seek creative solutions to support the sector’s recovery from the pandemic.
This is an opportunity to engage with a panel of senior provincial government officials on actions being taken by ministries to support the tourism sector through the pandemic and beyond.
Neilane Mayhew, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport
Trevor Hughes, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labour
Bobbi Plecas, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation
Kevin Jardine, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
Kaye Krishna, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Sarah Fraser, Assistant Deputy Minister, Rural Opportunities, Tenures and Engineering Division; Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development
10:30AM - 11:45AM
INCLUSION IN THE INDUSTRY - WHY REPRESENTATION MATTERS IN TOURISM | SPONSORED BY Go2HR
Mark Schwann, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategy and Innovation Policy at the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED)
Joanna Jagger, Founder & President WORTH Association
Candace Campo, Owner of Talaysay Tours
Natasha Jeshani, President & CEO of Career Contacts
1:30PM - 2:45PM
DESTINATION SESSION - RECOVERY & RESILIENCE | SPONSORED BY TOURISM VANCOUVER
As destination organizations around the world start to put their recovery plans in place, what should destination leaders have on their radar when it comes reopening? During this presentation by Don Welsh, attendees will learn about innovative and effective strategies to consider as our industry continues to adapt to the next normal.
Don Welsh, President & CEO of Destination International
3PM - 4:15PM
FROM “HYPER LOCAL” TO “LONG HAUL” | SPONSORED BY TOURISM PRINCE GEORGE
Learn how to mobile movement data and more traditional 3rd party data sources can be combined to assist tourism and hospitality organizations recover and grow.
Larry Filler, Senior Vice President & Practice Leader of Environics Analytics
THURSDAY, MARCH 11TH | INNOVATION
9AM - 10:15AM
CONSUMER SENTIMENT - CHANGING THE NARRATIVE & RESTORING CONFIDENCE | SPONSORED BY INTEGRAL SERVICES GROUP
Greg Klassen, Partner at Twenty31 Consulting
10:30AM - 11:45AM
CHECK IN CANADA - A MADE IN CANADA ONLINE BOOKING SOLUTION | SPONSORED BY CANADA WEST SKI ASSOCIATION
Robin Garrett, President of Meridian Reservations Systems
12PM - 1PM
EXECUTIVE Q&A | DESTINATION BC
Richard Porges, Acting President & CEO at Destination BC
Maya Lange, Vice President, Global Marketing at Destination BC
Grant Mackay, Vice President, Destination Management at Destination BC
1:30PM - 2:45PM
INNOVATION & THE TOURISM DATA HUB
The Tourism Data Hub—creating a connected, powerful marketing network for BC Tourism. Peek into the future, learn about what the Tourism Data Hub is, how it works and when it launches.
Allen Chen, Data Hub Operations Lead
Maya Lange, Vice President, Global Marketing at Destination BC
Daniel Vasquez, Director, Digital Strategy & IT at Destination BC
Karla Grenon, Director, Global Marketing Programs at Destination BC
Kirsten Homeniuk, VP Marketing at Tourism Whistler
3PM - 4:15PM
FUTURE OF TOURISM IN A POST PANDEMIC WORLD | SPONSORED BY WESTERN FINANCIAL
Doug Stephens, The Retail Prophet
FRIDAY, MARCH 12TH | BONUS WORKSHOP DAY
9AM - 10:15AM
WORKSHOP 1: ATTRACTING CULINARY TOURISTS
Through an in-depth look at the relationship between food & drink and tourism, this webinar explores how to appeal to visitors who are seeking a rich experience. Topics covered, including how to integrate foodways into existing value propositions, serve as the foundation for considering the culinary tourist as a market segment that can be grown through strategic marketing and promotion.
To learn more about additional Culinary Tourism webinars: www.tiabc.ca/2021-culinary-tourism-webinar-series
Agatha Podgorski, Director of Community Engagement at Culinary Tourism Alliance
Valerie Keast, Program Manager at Culinary Tourism Alliance
WORKSHOP 2: LABOUR STRATEGY
Krista Bax, CEO of go2HR
Phillip Mondor, President & CEO of Tourism HR Canada
10:30AM - 11:15AM
WORKSHOP 3: DETAILS COMING SOON
WORKSHOP 4: HOSPITALITY FINANCIAL LEADERSHIP | CREATING AN ENGAGED TEAM WITH YOUR HOTEL FINANCES
David Lund | Hotel Financial Coach
11:30AM - 12:15PM
WORKSHOP 5: THE SHIFTING DIGITAL LANDSCAPE
What's changing and what to do about it. Learn about some of the big shifts affecting digital marketing, what's driving them, and what they mean for BC’s tourism industry.
John Ounpuu, Partner at Modern Craft
WORKSHOP 6: WORKING WITH MEDIA PRESENTED BY BEATTIE TARTAN
Jessica Harcombe Fleming, Managing Director of Beattie Tartan
12:30PM - 1:15PM
WORKSHOP 7: UNDERSTANDING EMPLOYER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE COVID 19 VACCINE ROLLOUT
As the provincial vaccine rollout program begins in earnest this Spring, employers may be confronted with questions and concerns from their staff about COVID-19 vaccinations. Please join us for an informative, interactive session with legal experts as we delve deeper into the workplace ramifications of this public health initiative critical for recovery. Some key topics covered as a part of this session include: Infectious Disease Case Law – Lessons Learned for Tourism/Hospitality | Occupational Health & Safety, Workers Compensation and Privacy Considerations | Human Rights Considerations | Vaccination Policies - key elements & implementation | Questions & Answers
Arun Subramanian, Director, Industry Health and Safety, go2HR
Ryan Anderson, Partner at Mathews Dinsdale & Clark, LLP
Natasha Jategaonka, Employment Lawyer with expertise in Epidemiology at Mathews Dinsdale & Clark, LLP
WORKSHOP 8: SERVING THE LGBTQ2+ TRAVEL MARKET
The global LGBTQ2+ travel market spends over US$200 Billion annually, and presents a huge opportunity as destinations and tourism businesses look towards recovery. Learn more about the travel habits and motivators of this market, and how to become market-ready.
Darrell Schuurman, Co-Founder and CEO of CGLCC
Dale McDermott, COO of CGLCC
