Ottawa Tourism gathered 25 meeting planners, association
managers, sporting event experts and trade media in Gleneagles, Scotland, to showcase
the Canadian capital’s appeal.
Beginning as strangers and leaving as friends was Ottawa
Tourism's intention during a hosted trip to the luxury Gleneagles resort. Guests were gently encouraged to network, have fun and get to know the Ottawa Tourism team through a roster of engaging activities
including archery and golf, delightful dinners and traditional Scottish ceilidh dancing.
Unique format
Ottawa
Tourism takes a gentle approach to winning business conferences and events. The
unique format of inviting qualified buyers to a luxurious venue to enjoy a relaxed
and mostly unprogrammed weekend stay, to get to know the Ottawa Tourism team and
by association, Ottawa, works well because it doesn’t feel like work.
“We
strongly believe the best way to approach business is to make friends first
and clients later,” said Glenn Duncan, executive vice president and chief marketing
officer at Ottawa Tourism.
“We’ve
been doing this event for six years now and we’ve had a very strong return on
investment from each one, and we already know some attendees of this year’s
trip are considering Ottawa for their next group,” he added.
Narek
Arakelyan, CEO of the International Real Estate Federation said, "It's amazing
to meet potential partners for future congresses and summits in this beautiful
setting. The venue and the way this event has been organised is just fantastic.
“The
way Ottawa Tourism has designed this event, from our arrival at Edinburgh
Airport, to the amazing content from Mark Tewksbury, to the activities and everything in
between has been perfect. Normally I wouldn’t say there’s a ‘perfect event’ but
this is perfect.
“It’s
clear that Ottawa Tourism want to build trust and relationships, which is
imperative for our industry. I'm quite sure this type of event will push us to
make decision and consider Ottawa for our events. The personal touches Ottawa
have included in this event make all the difference and the hospitality from
Gleneagles couldn’t have been more welcoming.”
Speaking
from experience
From
making new friends to showcasing the friendships that have
already paid dividends, Ottawa Tourism invited Emma Jane Taylor, founder of
association management specialists Dot-The-Eye to share Ottawa experience.
“Back
in 2014 a venue I had booked for a major association congress bailed on me and I was left panicking. I found myself at IMEX in Frankfurt handing out requests
for proposals to North American destinations in a desperate attempt to find a
venue. I chanced upon the Ottawa booth and got talking to Lesley Pincombe, who
is vice president for meetings and major events at Ottawa Tourism. She instantly
showed me that she cared and wanted to help.
“They
quickly got me out to Ottawa for a site visit and Lesley spent hours on the phone with me
to the local tax office in Ottawa to ensure the association could reclaim tax. Nothing
seemed to be too much trouble for them.”
“Ottawa
really is the hidden gem of Canada.”
Inspirational keynote
As part of the relaxed events, delegates were treated to a
workshop from decorated Canadian Olympic swimmer, Mark Tewksbury, who famously women
gold in the men’s 100 metre backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in true
nail-biting fashion. “I won the race by one sixth of a hundred of a second,” he
told the audience. “That’s the difference between cutting your nails and leaving them a tiny be long,” he
added. Tewksbury was explaining how he was head-to-head with the world number one at the
time, Jeff Norman Rouse, but Tewksbury's fingertips hit the wall a fraction of second
before Rouse’s to see him take first-place.
Since retiring from competitive swimming, Mark has become an
passionate keynote speaker sharing his personal story with thousands of people
and encouraging them to question the status quo that we all too easily accept. He
left the audience with a few key pieces of advice:
- Let life surprise you sometime
- There is no failure, just feedback
- Incremental improvement will have a lasting
affect
Ottawa fast facts:
- Ottawa is the capital city of Canada
- ‘Ottawa’
means to trade and Ottawans are proud that exchanging and engaging with one
another is in thier city's DNA
- It’s
a city of four distinct seasons with fresh springs, hot summers, golden autumns
and snowy winters. "There's never a bad time in Ottawa"
- The Shaw Centre, Ottawa's main convention venue, received the
2020 APEX Award for ‘Best Client Rleated Convention Centre’ for maintaining the
highest rating in customer satisfaction survyes
- More than 6,000 hotel rooms are located downtown
and within walking distance from the Shaw Centre
- Ottawa is a G7 capital and home to 130 embassies
and high commissions
- Ottawa has the world’s largest naturally frozen skating
rink located on the Rideau Canal – a World Heritage Site
- AirFrance is introducing a direct route to Ottawa
from Paris
- The city is also getting a new light rail transit
system
