Open Jaw :: On The Town ::

with Martha Chapman
04DEC08

Jennifer Waver of Manulife Financial, itravel’s Rolf Nielsen, Elite Island Resorts/Anguilla’s Dale Pusching and
Paul Leon of Park’n’Fly.

Michelle Jones of Trafalgar and Lisa McLean with Contiki

Hosts extraordinaire
Jonathan and Eddie Carroll

iparty, ischmooze with itravel2000

I sense there was a quiet mood in many travel offices across the Greater Toronto Area on Wednesday. Lots of whispering, tiptoeing around. Was it yet another gloomy economic report? More coverage of that coup foolishness in YOW? No. Folks were just recovering from the annual itravel2000 Christmas bash.

They ate (including shrimp, bien sûre), they drank, and some tapped away at their Blackberrys (bah, humbug!).

This year the setting was the hip and luckily very spacious Spice Route club and resto on King Street West. After all, with 500 of your closest friends dropping in for munchies and that ever popular “open bar”, you want to make sure there’s lots of room to schmooze.

Spotted in the crowd were many of the industry’s movers and shakers plus a lot of folks who remember Sunflight (the first time around). Who better to poll on what we should be asking Santa to give the travel industry in 2008?

Jill Wykes of Thomas Cook would ask for “a massive and voluntary cut in capacity by…certain parties,” while Rob McChlery of ACV simply wants “stability.” Trafalgar’s Michelle Jones is dreaming of cheaper fares to Europe, while Deana Murphy of Sunwing would ask for “a super freezing cold winter – with just enough snow for skiing but not enough to gum up the airport.”

Meanwhile, host Jonathan Carroll voted for “peace and harmony.” Really? Brad Miron, Jonathan’s VP of strategic partnerships (who himself wants a winter cold enough to fill all the capacity), opined that what Jonathan really wants is “hair.”

Thanks itravel2000 for another great bash!