Roundup: The Travel Summit 2024

After an outstanding play astatine The Travel Summit 2024, we’ve had a fewer days to remainder up and bespeak connected the largest lawsuit we’ve organized to date.

We’d similar to connection a roundup of The Travel Summit 2024 for our sponsors, peculiar guests, speakers, and attendees, including immoderate highlights, photos, and impressions.

Friday Evening VIP Event

The archetypal authoritative lawsuit astatine The Travel Summit 2024 was our Friday Evening VIP Event, which we hosted astatine the five-star St. Regis Toronto.

Our VIP guests were welcomed by The Travel Summit 2024 staff, and enjoyed aboriginal registration for the weekend’s festivities.

The afloat complement of speakers, sponsors, and manufacture guests were connected manus for an evening of speech and networking, arsenic good arsenic immoderate curated touches.

After grabbing a customized aviation cocktail from the crystal sculpture astatine the bar, attendees mixed and mingled with each other, creating a buzz passim the lawsuit space.

Ricky Zhang delivered opening remarks, which were followed soon by the ubiquitous Champagne sabrage ceremony, pb by the Butler squad astatine The St. Regis Toronto.

Air Canada – a Diamond Sponsor for The Travel Summit 2024 – had a sommelier connected manus to showcase a enactment of the airline’s featured wines disposable successful concern class, bringing the acquisition astatine 35,000 feet down to the ground.

Guests astatine the VIP lawsuit enjoyed a delicious array of buffet items, which paired nicely with the wines suggested by the sommelier.

Halfway done the evening, Tyler Shaw took to the signifier to present an outstanding show successful an intimate setting. 

Throughout the evening, Marriott Bonvoy – the Presenting Sponsor of The Travel Summit 2024 – generously provided customized acquisition bags for our VIP guests. 

As the evening drew to a close, Air Canada besides offered attendees a vessel of vino from its postulation to bask astatine home.

Welcome to The Travel Summit 2024

Early the adjacent day, registration began for our 500+ guests, who filed successful to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to cod their lanyards and prosecute with the activations connected site. 

Aside from a beardown complement of Canadian guests, we were thrilled to invited 40% of our guests who flew successful from the United States, arsenic good arsenic speakers and attendees from Argentina, Brazil, Sweden, Hungary, and adjacent Australia.

Marriott Bonvoy acceptable up a beauteous edifice lobby activation front-and-centre, which was a engaged spot for guests passim the weekend. Plenty of unit from Marriott Bonvoy were connected manus to prosecute with attendees, who besides near with immoderate goodies.

Aeroplan’s Escape Room besides had a beardown engagement passim the weekend, arsenic guests were tasked with answering questions to triumph Aeroplan points, arsenic good arsenic the accidental to triumph Aeroplan 50K presumption arsenic portion of the grand-prize draw.

On the mode to the main auditorium, attendees had the accidental to larn much astir Prince Collection – our in-house question bureau – arsenic good arsenic prosecute with immoderate of the different sponsors of The Travel Summit 2024, including TravelCon, ALLWAYS, Chexy, Rock Star Inner Circle, and Shippsy.

As the main auditorium filled up, Ricky Zhang delivered the opening remarks and officially welcomed everyone to The Travel Summit 2024, providing his reflections connected the maturation since the archetypal variation of The Travel Summit successful 2022, arsenic good arsenic his excitement for the play ahead.

Industry Leaders Panel: an Inside View of Travel & Loyalty

After the opening remarks concluded, we kicked disconnected The Travel Summit 2024 with 1 of the astir anticipated sessions of the event, the Industry Leaders Panel.

The country was packed arsenic Mike Arnot, Principal astatine Juliett Alpha Media Relations, moderated the panel, which consisted of Scott O’Leary (VP Loyalty & Product, Air Canada), Mark Ross-Smith (CEO and Co-Founder, StatusMatch), Ben Lipsey (SVP Customer Loyalty | Head of Flying Blue, Air France/KLM), and Dave Canty (SVP, Head of Loyalty & Partnerships, Bilt Rewards).

The assemblage was treated to an insightful treatment astir the existent authorities of affairs successful loyalty, arsenic good arsenic manufacture trends for the future.

Scott O’Leary hinted astatine much breathtaking developments to travel from Aeroplan aboriginal successful 2024, portion Ben Lipsey discussed his program for Flying Blue to summation its beingness successful North America, arsenic good arsenic the eventual instauration of upgrades with Flying Blue miles.

Mark Ross-Smith touched connected however Status Match bridges the spread betwixt airlines and loyal consumers successful a unafraid fashion, portion Dave Canty shared his immense expertise with gathering loyalty programs, including the fashionable Bilt Rewards successful the US.

For each successful attendance, the Industry Leaders Panel gave an insider’s presumption into immoderate of the champion loyalty programs retired there. 

Saturday Breakout Sessions

Following a networking break, The Travel Summit 2024 began successful earnest with the archetypal of 3 breakout sessions for the day.

Attendees could prime and take betwixt 4 tracks passim the event: Miles & Points – The Points Beginner, Miles & Points – The Frequent Flyer, Travel Freedom – The Lifestyle Designer, and Travel Freedom – The Content Creator.

Each league was hosted by 1 oregon 2 experts successful the field, who guided attendees done their topics and answered immoderate and each questions that arose during oregon aft the sessions.

Three presentations took spot connected the main stage, portion others were dispersed crossed 3 much intimate rooms.  

In betwixt sessions, determination was precise energetic discussions and networking taking spot astir the big venue. It was besides a large clip to interact with the assorted activations from our sponsors. 

All attendees of The Travel Summit 2024 volition person recordings of the sessions, truthful if you had to miss 1 due to the fact that you had to take another, you won’t miss retired connected immoderate of the invaluable accusation shared by our speakers.

Marriott Bonvoy Keynote Speech

The archetypal time of The Travel Summit 2024 concluded with a keynote code from Nikhil Takalkar, Senior Vice President, Loyalty Program Operations astatine Marriott Bonvoy, and Laura Pallotta, Regional Vice President Sales and Distribution, Marriott Hotels of Canada.

Mr. Takalkar shared immoderate precise absorbing facts and figures astir Marriott Bonvoy, arsenic good arsenic immoderate anecdotes from his career, and Ms. Pallotta presented the assemblage with accusation astir Marriott from a Canadian perspective.

Following the keynote addresses, our MC Jayce Loh hosted Mr. Takalkar and Ms. Pallotta for a fireside discussion.

The 2 peculiar guests answered questions prepared by Jayce, and besides took immoderate candid ones from the audience.

Day 1 of The Travel Summit 2024 officially ended with a astonishment from Marriott Bonvoy. Under each seat was an envelope, which contained a code. At the Marriott Bonvoy activation, determination was a harmless with rotating prizes, and if your codification unlocked the safe, you’d triumph the corresponding prize.

It was a large mode to headdress disconnected an breathtaking day, but the festivities weren’t wholly finished conscionable yet.

Saturday Night Social

Immediately aft the keynote code wrapped up, guests, speakers, and peculiar guests made their mode to the Westin Harbour Castle – the authoritative big venue for The Travel Summit 2024.

VIP guests were treated to a solid of Champagne and a dedicated entrance, portion each different attendees and speakers ordered signature cocktails and drinks aft receiving their portion tickets.

As a DJ played a set, we mixed, mingled, and shared our champion tips and tricks portion overlooking Lake Ontario, with airy nibbles connected manus for all.

The nighttime officially wrapped up astatine 10pm, but determination appeared to beryllium galore groups of Miles & Points enthusiasts who continued the networking offsite.

Welcome Back, Miles4Migrants

For the 2nd clip successful a row, our foundation spouse – Miles4Migrants – kicked disconnected Day 2 of The Travel Summit with a keynote presentation. 

Patrick Stouffer shared with america the past of and ngo down Miles4Migrants, which helps radical fleeing warfare and unit get to information with donations of cash, points, and miles to screen the outgo of flights.

Once again, Patrick’s engaging presumption was a large reminder of the privilege of travel, and however not everyone travels simply for leisure.

Attendees besides participated successful the “Yeet a Plane” activation, which was facilitated by the Upper College of Canada successful enactment of the foundation run concern with Prince of Travel, Air France KLM Flying Blue, and Miles4Migrants.

By participating successful the “Yeet a Plane” challenge, guests vied for the longest propulsion of a insubstantial airline. The planes were past made into an creation installation, and guests could donate currency oregon points/miles successful enactment of the foundation campaign.

In sum, guests, speakers, and unit astatine The Travel Summit raised implicit $15,000 in currency and points/miles for Miles4Migrants, and we’re highly grateful for everyone’s generosity successful raising wealth and miles for specified an important charitable cause.

There’s an ongoing run successful enactment of our extremity of reaching $25,000 by June 30, 2024. Plus, if you marque a donation of $100 (CAD) oregon more, you’ll beryllium entered into a gully to triumph 100,000 Flying Blue miles.

Full details tin beryllium recovered on the foundation run website.

Sunday Breakout Sessions

Day 2 of The Travel Summit 2024 continued with 3 much rounds of breakout sessions, erstwhile again covering a scope of topics wrong our 4 tracks.

Attendees were erstwhile again treated to invaluable accusation from immoderate of the champion successful the business, with plentifulness of opportunities to mix, mingle, and web successful between. 

We were thrilled to spot specified an engaged assemblage successful each session, with the question and reply sessions often spilling retired into the hallways afterwards.

To wrapper things up, Ricky Zhang took to the signifier erstwhile again to stock his thoughts and gratitude for everyone who participated. 

The lawsuit formally wrapped up with the past grand-prize giveaways of the event, including an all-inclusive travel for 2 to Cancun and a planetary airdrome lounge pass.

One fortunate attendee who successfully completed the Aeroplan Escape Room situation was awarded with Aeroplan 50K status, which volition assistance her question successful benignant for the remainder of 2024.

Conclusion

From an elevated Friday Evening VIP Event to the closing remarks, The Travel Summit 2024 was a resounding success. 

The Travel Summit 2024 squad would similar to widen our utmost acknowledgment to each who sponsored, spoke, and attended, arsenic you each came unneurotic to marque the lawsuit outstanding.

We’d similar to erstwhile again widen peculiar acknowledgment to Marriott Bonvoy, our Presenting Sponsor, Air Canada, our Diamond Sponsor, and our big of Platinum (Status Match and TravelCon), Gold (ALLWAYS, Chexy, and Shippsy), and Silver (Cardpointers, Mediaplanet, Rock Star Inner Circle, and TeamLTD) sponsors. We wouldn’t person been capable to signifier and big specified a superb lawsuit without your generous support.

If you weren’t capable to be this clip around, oregon if you did and can’t hold for the adjacent one, beryllium definite to articulation america for the adjacent variation of The Travel Summit successful Fall 2025. 

The station Roundup: The Travel Summit 2024 appeared archetypal connected Prince of Travel by T.J. Dunn.