2024 Regional Tourism Summit
Explorers’ Edge is pleased to announce that the 2024 Regional Tourism Summit will take place on Wednesday, November 6 at Windermere House on Lake Rosseau, Muskoka.
With a dual focus on product innovation and rural strategy, the day will feature discussions with multiple industry experts, including:
Join us to learn about TIAO’s efforts to build a provincial tourism strategy that addresses rural concerns, Thunder Bay’s successful cruise industry development, Municipal Accommodation Tax successes and challenges, motorized and non-motorized product development, approaches by smaller stakeholder collectives, the significance of AI to the regional industry, and for a first look at the Explorers’ Edge Travel Agency marketing initiatives.
Windermere House** on beautiful Lake Rosseau, established 1870
Summit Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Time: 8:30am to 4.00pm
Draft Agenda – Click Here
Place: Windermere House**
The Day’s Agenda
8:30am to 9:15am:
Coffee & Industry Meet & Greet
9:15am:
Opening Remarks by CEO James Murphy
Catalyst Housing Update
9:40am:
Guest Speaker: Andrew Siegwart, President & CEO, TIAO: Provincial Tourism Strategy & The Importance of Rural
10.00am:
Municipal Accommodation Tax update:
Kelly Haywood, ED, Huntsville Municipal Accommodation Tax Assoc.
Paul Pepe, Manager, Tourism Thunder Bay
Amy Taylor, Manager, Economic Development, Town of Gravenhurst
10:30am:
Small But Mighty: Rural Collaboration for Success
Angela Pollak, South Algonquin Business Alliance
Hilary Chambers, Loring Restoule Business Association
Todd Lucier, Explore South River
11.00am:
Break: coffee or leg stretch in the Village of Windermere
11:15am
Explorers’ Edge Regenerative Travel Agency Update/James Murphy
11:45am
Product Development Survey & Capacity Building Launch/James Murphy
12:00pm
LUNCH
1.00pm:
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT BREAKOUTS – 1
a. Non-motorized Development: Louisa Mursell, Ontario By Bike, on fat biking, electric bike growth and OBB successful packages program
b. Motorized Development: Mike Jacobs, CEO The New Business & Paul Pepe on successful motorcyle touring programs
1:30pm:
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT BREAKOUTS – 2
a. Val Hamilton, ED Muskoka Tourism on “Muskoka: Home of the Stars” collaborative marketing initiative for shoulder season development
b. Paul Pepe, Thunder Bay’s successful Great Lakes cruise strategy
2:15pm:
AI is Here: Insights from Mike Jacobs of Tourism Technology Co.
2:45pm
Guest Speaker: Trevor Norris, Senior Manager, Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board (includes PEC) on strategies for innovative rural destination development
3:15pm:
Closing Remarks, James Murphy
Registration
This is a ticketed event with a limited capacity. Tickets are $50.00 (inclusive of fees and taxes)
- Included in your summit fee; morning and afternoon network refreshment breaks along with lunch from the kitchen at Windermere House.
*** A room block has been reserved at Windermere House for summit attendees arriving the day before, with a rate of $145.00 per night, plus a $49.00 resort fee and taxes. The price also includes a hot buffet breakfast.
Registration will close on Monday, November 4th or when capacity is reached so we can forward numbers to the resort staff.
