Business Events Update - October 2023
Strategic Partnerships Enhance Business Events Efforts
Banff & Lake Louise Tourism's corridor strategy continued to prove successful as a combined site visit to Calgary and Banff resulted in a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 2027 and 2029 for two winter retreats for 450 attendees (275 peak rooms/ 975 room nights).
BLLT participated in IMEX America under the Destination Canada umbrella, marking a collaborative venture with Tourism Calgary that yielded significant success. With a total of 90 appointments, the week showcased Banff and Lake Louise's appeal and highlighted the power of collaboration. IMEX America's record attendance brought promising leads for 2024 and 2025. We received recognition at Destination Canada's' Canada Night' for our role in an Indigenous fashion show led by Stephanie Eagletail of Tsuut’ina Nation.
We launched a video retargeting campaign on booking platform Cvent which focused on meeting planners in California, one of our high-priority markets for corporate and incentive business. This garnered 17,000+ impressions with a 55% view rate, significantly surpassing the industry average of 28%.
Sustainability Efforts Recognized
Following a nomination for the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Innovation Award, BLLT's Community Impact Program (CIP) has been chosen as a case study for inspiration amongst the GDS-Movement community. This will give the CIP coverage in GDS Performance Improvement Reports (PIR) and presentations. It will also be featured in keynotes at events as a case study on community impact, and on the GDS website, blog, LinkedIn page, and within their email marketing.
BLLT's CIP was also featured in Northwest Meetings & Events , in the Destination Canada Newsletter - applauding BLLT's commitment to sustainability - and in Ignite Magazine. The Ignite feature achieved a 25% open rate and a total of 2800+ clicks.
The 10th anniversary of The Gathering took place at the Fairmont Banff Springs. This partnership resulted in some big wins including a VIP Legends Dinner at Sky Bistro as well as a testimonial capture from some of the biggest brand leaders in the world; YETI, Columbia Bluejackets, Tableau, and Pepsi Co.
We incorporated Indigenous programming and included the CIP for the 800 attendees. We also led a career workshop for 40 students from the University of Alberta, showcasing the opportunities of living and working in Banff and Lake Louise. Plans to enhance this partnership are underway for next year.
Coming up for the Business Events Team
- SITE SoCal – December 13 – 15, 2023
- Incentive Canada 2024 – Winter Edition – January 21 – 24, 2024
Stay in touch with the Business Events team at meetings@banfflakelouise.com.