Supplier registration is now open for the Granite Travel Trade Expos which are returning in 2024 after
seeing a strong demand from travel agents in smaller markets across the country. The shows will be happening in 11 key secondary markets across the country.
The Granite Travel Trade Expos were launched this past spring by Bradley Dean, Oakville/
Toronto Partner at Granite Productions, a leading events company with strong roots in the
travel industry. The event is designed after seeing an opportunity to better connect suppliers
with travel advisors who are not able to travel to markets where the larger, traditional trade
shows typically are.
A total of 32 suppliers and over 675 travel advisors attended Granite Travel Trade Expos across
the country in 2023, in what some are referring to as the best planned trade events post-COVID.
Offering an opportunity to connect with travel agents in typically smaller markets outside the
larger trade show circuit, Granite Travel Trade Expos allow the agents meaningful face- to-face
connections with the suppliers they sell. By providing an event that educates advisors on new
offerings at a location closer to home, key relationships can foster and grow to help deliver a
strong ROI for everyone.
“I liked the fact the venue and number of suppliers was manageable,” said Audrey Knight,
Travel Advisor at Expedia Cruises, Ottawa. “It was nice to be able to talk with suppliers as long as
we needed to and not waiting endlessly in lines four or five deep to even get to say hello.”
Dean said the decision to bring the Expos to more communities was made after the initial
demand from agents at the inaugural spring shows.
“We listened to agents who wanted us to bring the show to more local communities,” said
Dean. “That led to our fall Expos which were a huge success and that response allowed us to
go into 2024 full speed ahead with 11 Expos scheduled across the country in 2024.”
Each Expo is focused on training and networking, with face-to-face interaction with agents
and products. In each city, a presentation series featuring seven, 15-minute segments by
suppliers are followed by a trade show, dinner, and prize giveaways.
The top hotels, airlines, resorts, cruises, and destinations in the industry gathered under one
roof for 11 Granite Travel Trade Expos in 2023. Bahia Principe Hotels and Resorts, Transat,
WestJet Vacations, Playa Hotels & Resorts, Canada Jetlines, Riverside Luxury Cruises, Porter
Airlines, Catalonia Resorts, MSC Cruises, and the Jamaica Tourist Board were just a few
suppliers in attendance at the 2023 Expos.
“We are so pleased to attend the Granite Trade Travel Expos and be able to connect with
quality travel agents,” said Juan Carlos Hernandez, Tour and Travel Sales Manager of BlueBay
Hotels and Resorts. “Small venues provide a more intimate environment to connect with those
agents that cannot drive or even fly to other areas. We consider these events so important in
this industry; networking is the most amazing tool for this business. The investment we make
to be part of these events becomes small vs the incoming we can create in our properties."
All events are free for agents to attend each of the events, and a $20 Gas Gift Card was available
to the first 50 agents at each of the Expos.
The Granite Travel Trade Expos 2024 dates are as follows:
ONTARIO: Windsor, April 22; Kitchener, April 23; Oshawa-Ajax, April 24; Barrie, April 25.
WESTERN CANADA: Winnipeg MB, October 7; Victoria BC, October 9; Langley BC, October 10.
ONTARIO: Ottawa, November 4; Hamilton-Burlington, November 5; London, November 6; Richmond Hill, November 7.
More information about supplier registration to participate in the 2024 Expos can be found
via www.GraniteTravelExpos.com, or by contacting Bradley Dean directly at
[email protected] or 416-565-5212.
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