SITE Canada Newsletter Issue 4

SITElines Welcome to our new edition of SITElines

September 26th, 2014

SITElines is published six times a year to keep you informed of what’s happening in Canada and around the world, what’s new, upcoming events

and linkages to members and other SITE Global Chapters.

Please contact Sandra Eagle, Director of Communications with feedback, suggestions or comments. sandra@ignitemag.ca

In this issue:

Page 2 Industry Calendar

Page 3 Golf Tournament

Page 4 New Member Spotlight

Page 5 Education Day

Page 6 Scholarship Winners

Page 7 Choosing Incentive Destinations

Page 8 Young Leaders

President’s Message I am writing this message while overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Coronado Island,

CA. It reminds me to take a break and realize how blessed we are in our industry to

enjoy unique experiences, travel and meet new friends.

At a Chapter Meeting level, our focus is also to create unique experiences and provide the

opportunity to network. Our September Chapter Meeting gave us the opportunity to explore

the new CHILL Ice House, Canada’s only permanent ice bar and lounge, a must see incentive

worthy location. Along with showcasing this unique venue, we enjoyed having WestJet’s

Reggie Lang, manager, business development groups, conventions and incentive travel, talk

about how airlines manage group business. We also collected new pairs of winter gloves,

mittens, hats and warm scarves for adults or children to donate to Windfall Basics.

Congrats to John Crowe and the entire Golf Committee on a successful tournament. What a

day! Gorgeous weather and good friends coming together for a great cause. Read more about

the day and the funds raised on pg. 3.

SITE Global will be releasing the new education platform at IMEX America this Fall and

participants of the global conference will be the first to benefit from the new curriculum.

SITE Canada office: 6700 Century Ave, Ste. 100

Mississauga, ON L5N 6A4 T: 905.812.7483

F: 905.567.7191 office@sitecanada.org

SITElines new flip book is fueled by

SITElines | Issue 4 September 26th, 2014

2

Industry Calendar

Oct. 12 – 14 IMEX Americas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Oct. 29 SITE Canada Education Day

St. James Cathedral Centre 65 Church Street, Toronto

Nov. 14 – 17 SITE Global Conference Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Nov. 18 – 20

EITBM Barcelona, Spain

Dec. 16

SITE Canada Hol iday Social InterContinental Hotel

Toronto Centre

I encourage you to seek out opportunities to continue to grow. It’s not too late to register for the

SITE Global Conference November 14-17th www.siteglobal.com/globalconference

Do you want to contribute to the future success of our Chapter? If you have been an involved

member for the last year, now is your chance to step up and apply for a Board position. Take it

from me, it is a rewarding experience where new opportunities happen. It is not for the faint of

heart, so take the commitment to volunteering seriously. I encourage you to discuss your interest

with any of our past or current Board members.

Fall always makes me think of cleaning up and starting new projects. This Fall, I am not starting

on any new projects within the Board, but taking time to reflect on what we do well and how we

can best share our best practices with other Chapters. Our Board’s legacy to our global

community is to ensure that we have created programs and events that can be duplicated by

other Chapters to ensure the continued success of SITE around the world. I want to personally

thank the entire Board for their personal contributions and for their continued support as we start

to wind down our year together.

This Fall make a promise to yourself to…..Fall In love with as many things as possible.

Jenn Glynn

SITElines | Issue 4 September 26th, 2014

3

we will be

presenting a

cheque to

KidSport Canada

at the September

chapter meeting

for over $2000.00.

Of course, a tournament would not be

possible without our many sponsors.

Al l iedPRA was our title sponsor for 2014

and has signed on again for 2015. Thank

you to Gabrielle Spanton and her team who

continue to support our tournament.

Thanks to our tournament sponsor

Meetings & Incentive Travel magazine,

producer of IncentiveWorks, and our many

other sponsors who make this wonderful

day possible.

Along with the Board of Directors of SITE

Canada, I would like to thank the golf

committee and the many volunteers who

helped out on golf day.

SITE Canada Golf Tournament 2014

On Monday August 18th, we all set our

alarms early and headed once again to

Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham for the

6th Annual SITE Canada Golf Tournament.

A chilly start then turned into a sunny day

resulting in the perfect temperature for golf.

Changing things up a bit this year, SITE

Canada chose KidSport Canada as a

partner charity. KidSport Canada believes

that no kid should be left on the sidelines

and all should be given the opportunity to

experience the positive benefits of

organized sport. In 2013, KidSport

distributed $6 million in grants enabling

more than 57,000 kids from coast-to-coast

to have the experience of playing organized

sports.

During tournament play this year, golf

committee members and volunteers were

diligently selling raffle tickets for three great

getaway packages. During our lunch and

awards banquet, five trips—including

airfare—flew off the auction block. Ticket

sales really took off when Jane Schuldt from

World Marketing Group announced she

would be matching donations for raffle

tickets up to $500.00. Thanks Jane, that is

much appreciated and certainly contributed

to the excitement. I’m happy to report that

All For A Good Cause and A Lot of Fun!

SITE Canada’s 2014

Golf Committee

Joanne Keating – Meridican

Tr ina Arjoon – Communique

Moniqe Lepage – SM + I

Susan Bernad – ALHI

Morag Donald – Incentive Insight

Jason Boyer – SITE Canada

Mark you calendars for Aug 17, 2015 when

we will host the Seventh Annual SITE

Canada Golf Tournament at Angus Glen

Golf Club. If you are interested in any

sponsorship opportunities, please contact

John Crowe at john@metracontravel.com or

416-322-8185 ext: 221.

John Crowe

2014 Chair – SITE Canada Golf Committee

See our 2014 Tournament winners on pg 4.

SITElines | Issue 4 September 26th, 2014

4

Filomena Nepomuceno

President / Owner

Altima Concept DMC

First and foremost, I am extremely honoured to

have been given this opportunity in being

featured in this issue of SITElines. Over my 28

years in the industry, I have acquired a vast

experience of the different aspects surrounding

the scope of this field.

Having worked for three different airlines and

three hotels within the Montreal area, including

other related industry experience, I have come

full circle to the point where this knowledge has

benefitted me greatly. I consider myself as a

people oriented person and blessed to be

amongst the great people that are attached to

this industry.

Today I am honoured to continue the Altima Concept legacy left behind by my brother, Filipe

Nepomuceno. Filipe was an avid SITE member whom many of you in the industry have known to be a

dear friend – this great industry, and working with a great team, enriches me daily.

Our 2014 Winners

Winning Team with a Score of 65

Michelle Smith, JW Marr iott Camelback Inn

Renu Ajwani, Wynford Stuart Evans, The Saguaro

Karen Weegar, SM&I

Longest Drive Men

Jeff Leggett

Closest to the Pin Men Mark Dosman

Closest to the Pin Ladies

Sandra Eagle

Most Accurate Drive Brooke Soucier

Longest Putt

Pam Graham

New Member Spotlight

SITE Canada’s Newest Members Be sure to extend a warm welcome to the newest members of our chapter at future events:

Krist ine Elborne – Butterfield & Robinson

Vanessa Gromer – Preferred Hotel Group

Wanda Hoehn – Ste. Anne's Spa

Camila Mart inez – Colombian Government Trade Commission

Shaun Pearson – InterContinental Toronto Centre

Amanda Skena – The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort

Mary Spano Greco – TD Bank Group

Jason Thomson – Jigsaw

Michael Welsh – FRHI Hotels & Resorts  Marcin Zerek – Rogers  Communications Inc.  

ICE Awards The window of opportunity is closing soon on the ICE Award submissions.

Don’t miss this chance to showcase your company or destination. Work

together as a team or submit as an individual. Check out all the details here.

The deadline of October 6th is quickly approaching. Award winners will be

announced at our SITE Education Day.

SITElines | Issue 4 September 26th, 2014

5

Registration is filling up for SITE

Canada Education Day; get your

tickets now as this informative event

sells out every year. Speaker’s include:

Padraic Gi l l igan, managing partner at

SoolNua. Gilligan has over 20 years of

leadership experience both nationally and

internationally in the tourism sectors

growing and managing companies and

business units. Gilligan will cover the topic

of Ethics in our industry. What role do our

industry organizations have in developing

and ensuring business is conducted

ethically…and by whose standards?

Michael Dominguez, MGM Resorts

International. What is the State of the

Industry today? Well—it's RELATIVE! Back

by popular demand; join Dominguez for a

review of where we have been, where we

are and what is on the horizon for the

incentive and meetings industry. You will

have an opportunity to look at the economic

headwinds, good news in economy and

demographic/taste shifts that are having an

impact on business and how meetings are

developed and executed today.

Patr ic ia Kerr, AVP Meeting & Event

Planning, Nationwide. With over 25 years of

strategic meeting experience, get into the

mind of an insurance executive from event

concept to delivery and what makes it all

come together. Attendees will learn about

event management conversations with the

C-Suite level. Is it reward? Is it incentive?

Kerr will breakdown the client perspective

so attendees can better serve their clients.

Ron Tite, Branding & Creativity Expert.

Brought to you by our wonderful partner

Speaker’s Spotlight, Ron Tite is named one

of the “Top 10 Creative Canadians” by

Marketing magazine. Tite will address a

variety of topics relevant to the event

industry from branding, corporate strategy,

creativity and social media. Tite’s

presentation is guaranteed to have you

laughing while you learn.

Paul Mi l ler, SITE president and managing

director at Spectra. Beginning his career in

catering management at Buckingham

Palace, Miller joined the incentive travel

industry in 1988. Miller will provide an

update on SITE Global as well as participate

on our Power Panel of Experts.

SITE Education Day Join us on October 29th at St. James Cathedral Centre

for a relevant, engaging and informative day of education on industry hot topics with a Power Panel of

Experts and speakers. Be a part of the discussion, ask any burning questions in the registration process and it

could be discussed by our industry pros!

SITE members are encouraged to bring along gently-used sleeping bags, winter coats, hats and mittens for donation to

support initiatives of St. James Cathedral Centre.

Don’t forget to register today!

SITElines | Issue 4 September 26th, 2014

6

SITE Canada congratulates both Vlad

Haltigin, CITE and Melaya Horsten,

CMP who have won the SITE Canada

scholarships to attend the SITE Global

Conference in Rotterdam. Both Vlad

and Melaya are required to report back

to the Chapter on their experience at

the conference in a future issue of

SITElines.

Haltigin says

“Continuous

learning is a vital

tool to help me

validate my existing

knowledge and to

give me relevant

new processes and ideas that I can share

with my clients to their benefit. Interacting

with peers from around the world at the

SITE Global Conference in Rotterdam is

important for my personal store of

networking information. The additional

knowledge gained at the conference will

also give me the opportunity to share and

give back some of that knowledge to my

peers, young leaders, and upcoming

students of the industry.”

Horsten, who is also a member of the SITE

Global young leaders is especially excited

to attend the conference. “I am honoured

to have been selected for the young leader

scholarship to the SITE Global Conference.

I have only been once before and it was

one of the best conferences I have ever

attended. The quality of education and the

opportunity to network with top

professionals is incredible. I am so proud to

be a part of SITE Canada and look forward

to representing us at this truly global

gathering.”

SITE Canada Scholarship Winners

SITE SITE Global will be releasing the new

education platform at IMEX America this Fall

and participants of the global conference will

be the first to benefit from them new

curriculum.

Seek out opportunities to continue to grow.

It’s not too late to register for the SITE Global

Conference November 14-17th

www.siteglobal.com/globalconference

Melaya Horsten, CMP

Vlad Haltigin, CITE

SITElines | Issue 4 September 26th, 2014

7

special and creates memorable and

unforgettable memories.

Sun and sand still rank high as a key

motivator when choosing a destination. An

exotic destination or interesting culture

comes in a close second. Distance is not an

obstacle if the program is luxurious or offers

a unique or distinctive experience that

participants would not otherwise be able to

obtain on their own.

While incentive travel programs are coming

back, changes have taken place that will

reflect the future make-up of programs. The

workforce is changing and widening the

scope of incentive programs to include

families, and appeal to a wider audience

and variety of lifestyles.

Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials and Boomers

make up the workforce and all have varying

ideas of what an incentive should be.

Adventure and experiential travel are now a

bigger consideration in the mix than ever

before. The world in many ways has

become smaller and safety and security are

major concerns in the selection of an

incentive travel destination.

Destinations can appeal to incentive travel

programs by supporting the incentive

buyers in the following main areas:

FAM trips are by far the best way to

showcase a destination, activities and

venues. There is no other activity that truly

sells an incentive destination than first-hand

experience of the destination and what it

has to offer.

Provide sample incentive programs with

budgets that the incentive buyers can view

and be able to quickly determine if it’s a fit

for their program and budget.

Highlight what is special and memorable for

the participants – why should they consider

your destination?

Communication collateral is very important

as it will assist the incentive buyers in

preparing the proposal, presentation and

guide in developing a theme.

Be prepared to provide ‘value-adds’ for the

program such as destination collateral, site

inspections, CSR programs, ground

transportation, or program banners.

Often destinations have wonderful incentive

qualities that are not appropriately marketed

to appeal to the incentive market. Be sure

to showcase your incentive destination

qualities to be considered for future

incentive program opportunities.

In August 2014 I was invited by the SITE

Mexico chapter to speak at the 21st

Congreso Nacional de Turismo de

Reuniones that took place in Merida,

Yucatan, July 30 – August 1, 2014. My

presentation was Challenges of Choosing

an International Destination for Incentives. I

am sharing the information that I gathered

from research and input from a number of

incentive buyers on the topic.

I believe that it’s important to understand

the definition of incentive travel as defined

by SITE as there is a direct correlation to

choosing an incentive destination.

“Incentive travel is a global management

tool that uses an exceptional travel

experience to motivate and/or recognize

participants for increased levels of

performance in support of organizational

goals.”

Taking the SITE definition into consideration

when selecting an incentive destination

means that the destination must have a

WOW factor which translates into having an

appealing theme, have an exotic

component to it, five-star hotels and

services which ultimately results in providing

a participant experience that must feel

Choosing International Destinations By: Maria da Cunha, CMP, CTC

Safety/Security 44%

Restaurants 39%

Ground Transportation

39%

Air Lift 37%

Adventure Activities 35%

Shopping 34%

Historical/Cultural 32%

Beach/Pool 32%

Organized Tours 31%

Unique Offsite Venues

31%

Audience Appeal 30%

Watersports 28%

Spas 27%

Golf 26%

The table below, taken from the Incentive

Travel Buyers Handbook, illustrates the key

areas that incentive buyers consider in

recommending a destination:

SITElines | Issue 4 September 26th, 2014

8

During IncentiveWorks, the SITE Canada Young

Leaders hosted the second annual Young Leaders

Meet Up. The next generation of incentive

professionals from the GTA and several international

destinations gathered at the Loose Moose for an

evening of networking and socializing. The 30 guests

were fortunate to have Kevin Hinton, the Chief

Excellence Officer of SITE, in attendance as well as

many of our current Board members.

It was a great event that brought everyone together to

share, collaborate and get to know each other in a fun,

relaxed setting. It is just one of the many events that

the SITE Canada Young Leaders will host throughout

the coming year, stay tuned for news of our next one! If

you or someone you know is interested in learning more

about the Young Leader program, please contact us at

youngleaders@sitecanada.org

Thank you to our Young Leader Program sponsor:

SITE Canada Young Leaders