With Martha Chapman
28FEB08
Even the ice sculpture offered a warm welcome!
The Fairmont Royal York was alive with some 500 meetings and incentives professionals.
Team Quebec in Toronto: Susan Prophet, Gillian Hall, Heather Fernandez and Isabel Gil.
La Belle Province Comes To T.O.
Once the home to stodgy matrons sipping afternoon tea, the Fairmont Royal York was recently alive with the vibe and the laughter of a stylish swat team from Québec. Their mission? To capture more groups and incentive business from YYZ.
So of course they did it just right. Musicians serenaded the guests who enjoyed a generous buffet (served with wine, bien sur) as they strolled among the exhibitors.
“Toronto is a fabulous market for us,” says Carol Brown, sales manager for the Chateau Montebello, “More clients are looking for the seclusion that we offer – some even choose us so they can have top secret meetings, like pharmaceutical firms.” Oh yes, and politicians we hear.
And the feeling was mutual. According to Sally Swinamer of Audience Communications and Events, “It’s great to meet new faces, even those we speak to on a regular basis on the phone. The people who come here really make you want to host functions there.”
Today was the 26th such get together and the annual love-in is growing. According to Isabel Gil, the much-loved doyenne of Tourisme Québec here in T.O., this time there were 98 companies participating and 300 guests. And whether the gang was learning about the no-frills chic of Alt Hotel in Québec City or paperless conferences at the Best Western Ville-Marie at Peel and Sherbrooke (“We are not a hotel, we are an oasis,” GM Rafik Zikry assured me) it was a room of happy campers. I mean meeting planners.
© Open Jaw