This text is part of the special Business Tourism booklet
It is with optimism that Gilber Paquette, General Manager of Tourisme d’affaires Québec (TDAQ), foresees the year 2023. After a very good 2022 vintage despite a late recovery, the indicators are green for the industry, driven by very strong demand.
The figures and trends for the past year will be known at the end of a study which will be conducted from February 22 by the polling company Léger and the results of which will be revealed in April. “But we know that several regions of Quebec have fully recovered the volumes of 2019, which was nevertheless a record year for business tourism. Some hoteliers in the Eastern Townships, the Laurentians and the Bas-Saint-Laurent even told me that they had a record year in 2022,” rejoices Gilber Paquette.
To continue collecting data on the sector, TDAQ announced in November the creation of the Business Tourism Observatory. “It will be a place of convergence, on our website, of all the data we have, because the industry was poorly documented until now,” explains Gilber Paquette. This virtual library will be supplied in part thanks to an agreement concluded with the Tourism Watch Network of the Transat Tourism Chair.
All events postponed or canceled during the pandemic have generated an influx of requests since the masks fell in May 2022, says Gilber Paquette. The availability of spaces has now become the main challenge. “It’s a headache to find a free room on the date of your choice”, says the one who observes that the seasons have shifted, and even stretched.
Traditionally, the ideal period for business tourism was from April to June and from September to November, but due to lack of availability, the organizers are making concessions. “I have never seen so many business events in February as this year! In principle, it’s not a very good month because of the risk of snowstorms,” says Mr. Paquette. Likewise, Mondays (and even Sundays) are no longer shunned for business meetings.
Program and surprise
This change prompted TDAQ to facilitate reservations with a tourist exchange, during the first National Business Tourism Day organized in Montreal on February 21. The nearly 200 industry players who will meet there (buyers and sellers of conventions) will be able to meet to plan their next events together. This day also offers a workshop, a conference and a round table on the new event reality.
A conference on “the effect wow will also be offered. “In our internal surveys, the organizers tell us that their bank of ideas is running out. We have to create enticing programs to surprise our participants, who have become used to staying in their virtual slippers and have more difficulty getting around,” notes Gilber Paquette.
A plan B in the face of the shortage
Mr. Paquette expects 2023 to grow, even if a survey conducted at the end of summer 2022 by TDAQ revealed a brake. “Only 44% of establishments were operating at full capacity due to lack of staff, which prevented the majority of them from opening all their rooms,” said the general manager. He observes that institutions often limit group size to around 50 participants. He also sees the return of buffets, which require less staff.
The technical organization of events also suffers from this problem. “The rooms have to be set up in a short period of time, because they are recovered around 6 or 7 p.m., and the technicians no longer work at night. It’s very stressful for the organizers,” says Gilber Paquette, who gives this advice: “Now you have to have a plan B (or even a plan C) in events. On February 21, we have planned a remote Zoom if our speaker catches, for example, COVID, ”he breathes.
There is no doubt that he will also work on a plan B for November 29 and 30. TDAQ will organize in Montreal the first national symposium on business tourism, where 350 people from the political, economic and tourist sectors of Quebec will be expected.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.