Big Applause Awards 2026: Event Outcomes
On May 13, 2026, tourism operators, community partners, destination leaders, and industry champions gathered at Grandview Golf Club in Huntsville for the Big Applause Awards 2026 — a morning focused on celebrating the people who create exceptional visitor experiences across the Explorers’ Edge region.
The event recognized outstanding tourism professionals who supported the fall 2025 and winter 2026 shoulder seasons with care, professionalism, adaptability, and leadership. It also brought the industry together for timely conversations about AI, digital discovery, geofencing, visitor data, and the future of tourism growth in the great Canadian wilderness just north of Toronto.
Event at a Glance
The Big Applause Awards 2026 combined recognition, learning, and real-time industry feedback.
- 39 active tourism industry participants
- 25 interactive polls
- Presentations from Destination Ontario and Central Counties Tourism
- Feedback to help shape future Explorers’ Edge programming
Celebrating Tourism Excellence
This year’s awards recognized the people behind the visitor experience — those who show up during challenging shoulder seasons and help tourism thrive year-round.
Top Honourees
Norah Fountain
Executive Director, Muskoka Lakes Chamber of Commerce
Recognized for exceptional leadership, dedication, community impact, and her role in supporting Muskoka Oktoberfest and major regional events.
April Denman
Executive Director, Parry Sound Downtown Business Association
Recognized for creativity, dedication, and community leadership, including her work transforming a short-notice community celebration into a vibrant downtown street party.
Runner-Ups
Michael Dorbyk, Bracebridge Hall
Emily Brown, Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce / Bracebridge Visitor Centre
Stefan Ottenbrite, Muskoka411
Jacki MacPherson, Away We Go Trips
Each runner-up was recognized for their contribution to hospitality, community connection, visitor service, tourism promotion, and regional experience development.
Honourable Mentions
Explorers’ Edge also recognized Nancy MacMillian, Jane Spencer, Tim Bryant, Haley Predum, Ted Hudson, Brian Monstross, Daniel Taylor, and Ryder Lynch for their dedication, care, and commitment to the visitor experience.
What We Heard
Attendees responded positively to this year’s simplified award format. 67% said the streamlined single-category approach made nominations easier and clearer, while only 4% preferred returning to multiple categories.
Ideas for future recognition included:
- Volunteer recognition
- Youth and student recognition
- Community event recognition
- Back-of-house and frontline staff
- Community connectors and tourism champions
When asked to describe the people who make tourism work during the fall and winter shoulder seasons, attendees used words such as:
Resilient. Passionate. Dedicated. Welcoming. Adaptable. Creative. Committed.
Key Presentation Takeaways
Navigating Change in Tourism Discovery
Lauchlan Rogers, Chief Marketing Officer at Destination Ontario, explored how generative AI is changing the way travelers search, plan, and choose destinations.
Key takeaways included:
- AI-powered search is becoming part of mainstream travel discovery.
- A decline in website traffic does not automatically mean a decline in influence.
- Destinations need to be findable, current, and human.
- Clear, structured website content will help businesses show up in AI-powered search.
- Partnership is essential in this new digital environment.
Attendees identified website/content audit guidance and an AI search readiness checklist as the most useful next supports.
Cell for Success: Geofencing to Grow Your Destination
Tom Guerquin, Research and Development Manager at Central Counties Tourism, showed how geofencing and visitor mobility data can help destinations better understand who is visiting, where they come from, when they arrive, and how they behave.
Following the session:
- 52% said assumptions about visitors may not always be accurate.
- 48% said better data is needed before making decisions.
- 43% said data can help with marketing and partnerships.
- 29% said data can support funding and investment cases.
What Businesses Want Next
Polling showed that tourism businesses want practical intelligence they can use to make better decisions about:
- Off-season traffic
- Visitor origin markets
- Visitor demographics and profiles
- Marketing and promotions
- Staffing and hours of operation
- Packaging and itinerary development
- Funding and investment cases
Next Steps for Explorers’ Edge
Based on event feedback, several possible priorities emerged:
- Launch a volunteer award category.
- Develop an AI and search readiness program.
- Share more geofencing and visitor data with partners.
- Restore youth or student recognition.
- Grow the event with more networking, promotion, and community participation.
- Continue short, timely industry updates through a weekly “Tuesday Tip” format.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who attended, nominated, participated, presented, and helped make the Big Applause Awards 2026 a meaningful celebration of tourism leadership across the Explorers’ Edge region.
Most importantly, thank you to the tourism workers, operators, community builders, visitor centre teams, event organizers, volunteers, business owners, and frontline staff who continue to create exceptional visitor experiences, especially during the seasons when it matters most.
