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2010 Board of Directors
PRESIDENT:

Joanne Sasvari Media, British Columbia

 

VICE-PRESIDENT:

Judy Hammond


[email protected]

CLEAR Communications, Conference Co-Chair



TREASURER:

Dale Dunlop


[email protected]

Media, Nova Scotia

 

SECRETARY:

Irene Knight

[email protected]

CN Tower



DIRECTORS:

Evelyn Hannon

[email protected]

Media, Ontario



Catherine Kaloutsky

[email protected]

VIA Rail Canada Inc.



Margaret Mackenzie

[email protected]

New Brunswick Tourism



Ursula Maxwell-Lewis

[email protected]

Media, British Columbia



H�l�na Katz

[email protected]

Media, Northwest Territories



CHAPTER CHAIRS

Randall Shirley

[email protected]

British Columbia Chapter



Deb Cummings

[email protected]

Alberta Chapter



Marty Rice

[email protected]

Ontario Chapter



Sandra Phinney

[email protected]

Atlantic Chapter


New_MemberNew Members
Industry



Luba Plotnikoff

Vancouver Island Media

Qualicum Beach, BC

250-954-9777

[email protected]



Jorden Hutchison

Tourism Vancouver

Vancouver, BC

604-631-2859

[email protected]



Media



Diana Ballon

Toronto, ON

416-516-9635

[email protected]



Doug Wallace

Wallace Media

Toronto, ON

416-558-8075

[email protected]



Anne Kostalas

Montreal, QC

514-380-5341

[email protected]
contributorsContributors to This Issue


Dale Dunlop



H�l�na Katz



Susan Mate



Josephine Matyas



Sandra Phinney



Darcy Rhyno



Marty Rice



Joanne Sasvari



Cathy Stapells



Mariellen Ward

Greetings!  
For many TMAC media members, fall is the time of year we are "back on the road again"; travelling in full swing pulling our rollies through airports, passing time in departure lounges, flipping open laptops on long flights and frantically searching for a reliable (and free!) Internet connection once we reach our destination. Sound familiar?



It's also the time of year when our hard-working industry members put in long hours - and pull all sorts of strings - to make the magic of this travel happen. Without this partnership, the destinations, new (and the tried and true) properties, and fabulous activities would never see the ink on the page (or the film on the screen, or words on the airwaves).



I hope that you find this newsletter to be a part of that mutually supportive, and very fruitful, collaboration between media and industry.



Jo



- Josephine Matyas, TMAC Travels editor

[email protected]

President_ReportMessage From the President

How to get the most out of TMAC:



When non-TMACers ask about the benefits of joining, what do you tell them? Do you talk about all the great networking and professional development? The conference, with its marketplace and pre and post tours? The directory that links hundreds of colleagues across the country? This newsletter?



One benefit that you may not have considered is the expertise that comes from volunteering for TMAC. That's right: sometimes you get the most when you give the most.



Volunteering can teach you things you may not have known you were missing, both business skills and personal insights. It can earn you respect among your peers, introduce you to exciting new people and give you a much deeper understanding of our industry. It can also allow you to help shape the future, not just of TMAC, but of our industry and your role in it.



That's not a bad return for donating just a little time.



There are many ways to volunteer for TMAC, depending on how much time you have to offer.



The best way to get involved is to run for the national board. In fact, we're about to open nominations for the elections at the 2011 Conference & AGM in Ottawa and maybe this is the year you finally put your name forward. We hope you do.



But you can also get involved in your chapter, sit on a committee or just step up for an hour or two on a special project.



In January, the national board is going to launch a volunteer drive that will establish a list of people who want to get involved. When our e-blast lands in your inbox, please tick the box that says "yes!"



And in other news . . .



Don't forget that membership requalification is ongoing right now. Note that there are a couple of important changes in the latest requalification package, such as the addition of points in the media package for certain online content.



And all members should note that the deadline for paying your dues has been moved up to Nov. 30. In addition, there is now a $50 penalty for late payment, and if you haven't paid up by Dec. 31, you'll have to start all over again and, yes, pay the application fee as well as your dues.



So if you need pressure to get things done (and don't we all?), consider your deadline to be now.



Also, although the early bird deadline for the 2011 TMAC Conference & AGM in Ottawa ended on Nov. 10, you can still sign up for the best opportunity all year to network with Canada's travel and tourism experts.



In addition, the deadline for your TMAC Awards entries is fast approaching on Dec. 3, so media members should be busy compiling tear sheets and URLs of the work they're most proud of.



Meanwhile, happy travels and we hope you have a terrific and productive winter.



- Joanne Sasvari, national president, TMAC

[email protected]



Finance_GovernanceFinance / Governance Update
How many TMAC members know exactly what roles are played by the Governance Committee? The Nominations Committee has recently been rolled into Governance as a sub-committee. It is the responsibility of that committee to come up with at least one nomination for each open position. This year is the first election for both media and industry vice-presidents. The Committee would very much like to hear from anyone who is interested in either of those positions or in a board position. Please let us know if you are interested. TMAC relies upon volunteers and without them we cannot exist.

 

With respect to the Finance Committee, it is imperative that our Ottawa 2011 conference be a financial success. Given that we are in the heartland of most of TMAC's members and taking into account the 75 per cent reduction in VIA Rail fares so generously provided by VIA, please make every effort to attend.



- Dale Dunlop, treasurer, TMAC

[email protected]



Membership_CommitteeMembership Committee Update
Membership guidelines, Re: points for photography



As you know, we made changes to the media membership guidelines recently. Media members with surnames beginning with A to K are requalifying this year and should have received the notice and application package.

 

Unfortunately, the update for points for photographs was omitted from the new guidelines. My oversight and I'm very sorry.

 

The following change has been made to reflect the value of the placement of photographs in a magazine/newspaper layout. The update is as follows:
  • If your photograph appears as one-third, one-quarter or one-sixth of a page in size, award points as outlined on the chart. In these cases, the current points chart is correct.
  • If your photograph appears as a half, two-thirds or three-quarters of a page in size, add up the applicable points plus half the applicable points together. For example, if it should count as two points for being published, add another one point, for a total of three points.
  • If your photograph runs a full page (cover or inside), award it double the points accorded on the points chart. For example, if it should count as two points, add another two points for a total of four points.
  • Always round up to the nearest point as necessary.
 If you have any questions on this, please don't hesitate to contact me directly at [email protected]

 

Thanks very much.



- Cathy Stapells, chair, media membership committee

[email protected]



Conference2011 Ottawa Conference Report

All aboard for the TMAC 2011 Conference & AGM in Ottawa!



There is no experience more truly Canadian than travelling aboard what Gordon Lightfoot called that "iron road running from the sea to the sea." And so we are delighted to announce that VIA Rail Canada will be the official travel sponsor of TMAC's 2011 Conference & AGM in Ottawa, March 9 to 12.



VIA is offering generously discounted fares for all TMAC members attending the conference: 75 per cent off regular prices for media members and 50 per cent for industry. This applies whether you're taking a quick commute or travelling across country, in convenient economy class or luxurious business / sleeper.



Not only is this a relaxing and scenic way to get to your destination, it has other benefits, too. There are countless great story ideas along those railway tracks. There's time to catch up on work. There's plenty of opportunity to network with your colleagues and fellow travellers. And there will even be prizes - in a few weeks, we'll be announcing TMAC's inaugural "Getting There is Half the Fun" social media contest.



Note that the discounted fares will be in effect from Feb. 27 to March 20, 2011, inclusive. Space may be limited and some conditions may apply. More details on how to reserve your tickets will be provided within the next few weeks.



And don't forget: although early bird registration for the conference ended on Nov. 10, there's still time to register for the 2011 TMAC Conference & AGM.



You don't want to miss this opportunity to:

  • Participate in the media marketplace that offers the best opportunity to connect travel industry and media professionals in Canada.
  • Explore one of Canada's greatest cities.
  • Cast your vote for the next TMAC president.
  • Cheer on the winners of the TMAC Awards.
  • Add your opinions to the roundtable discussion.
  • And catch up with your TMAC colleagues at the myriad lunches, dinners and casual events throughout the conference, not to mention an unforgettable train journey there.
If you book now, you can also take advantage of the best prices for rooms at the conference host hotel, the Fairmont Chateau Laurier. And media members should remember that the deadline for TMAC Awards entries is Dec. 3.



Visit www.travelmediaevents.ca to register or for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Ottawa - we know you'll have a capital time!



- Joanne Sasvari, TMAC conference co-chair and national president

[email protected]





Conference_NoteConference Special Note:
Heading to Ottawa for the annual TMAC conference? You won't want to miss these special events.



Join the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp for Friday breakfast at the conference.

Philadelphia is the place to be in 2011! Francophiles can delve into "Springtime in Paris," the theme of the Philadelphia International Flower Show in March, and take in the brand-new, three-week Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (April-May) inspired by Paris artists of 1910-1920. The city boasts a new 100,000-square-foot National Museum of American Jewish History and will welcome major exhibitions, including Secrets of the Silk Road; Paris through the Window: Marc Chagall and His Circle and Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus. What's more, 2011 is the last year to visit The Barnes Foundation in its original home. Plan your trip today at www.visitphilly.com 



Join Visit Wales for Friday lunch at the TMAC conference in Ottawa.

Rob and Eirlys welcome you with a real Welsh "cwtch" to rediscover Wales. Back in March 2010, Wales was honoured to welcome the first overseas TMAC conference. Included on the itinerary was a stellar lineup of tours that ranged from woolly sheep to castles and caddies, fine food and fresh air and health and well-being. But there is much more waiting for you to discover - spas, golf, beaches, places to stay, walks, unusual places, food, culture and heritage. After the cwtch, visit Rob and Eirlys at the media marketplace in Ottawa to discover more about Wales.



bc_chapterChapter News

BRITISH COLUMBIA - Our chapter's autumn mix & mingle was held on Nov. 9 at the sparkling new Coast Coal Harbour hotel, with an emphasis on sharing "The Value of TMAC" with many interested guests. To do so, we paired up media / industry duos that have worked successfully together to briefly tell how it works. We'll surely see an increase in membership from this event, and will let you know in the next national newsletter how it all turns out.

 

Meanwhile . . . on the business front, our members continue to do what they love: write, photograph and publish travel. Media member Janice Mucalov gets the spotlight this month as she's really doing some inspiring things in both traditional and new media. Janice's feature on riding elephants bareback in northern Thailand was just published in Cruise & Travel Lifestyles magazine. She is currently contracted by Sutro Media to write a travel app on Cabo San Lucas to be published on iPhones, iPods and iPads. How cool is that?! Says Janice, "I'm excited about venturing into this whole new futuristic world of travel writing!" Her new website www.JaniceMucalov.com showcases more of her work.

 

I've personally been promoting TMAC . . . in Las Vegas, Ontario and even Texas?! I've recently been honoured to speak on media issues at two conferences, one on culinary travel http://ontarioculinary.com/, and one on gay travel http://www.travelgaycanada.com/. I've discovered that no matter where I go, people are interested in TMAC, and that we can all help grow our national organization by talking it up even outside our jurisdiction.

 

Happy travels,

- Randall Shirley, B.C. chapter chair
[email protected]

ab_chapterALBERTA - Well, who would have thought this could happen? The Alberta chapter of TMAC has cancelled an event for the first time ever. Our PD day, planned for Nov. 6 at Canada Olympic Park to showcase its new facilities and the theme of sports tourism, has been scrapped due to low registration numbers. It seems our media and industry members are simply extremely busy in early November. After much consideration by our board, we determined the enrolment numbers did not justify the cost and effort to organize our third annual professional development retreat (especially for our speakers, host and presenters), so we'll put this on our agenda for early 2011. We hope to organize something in the new year on this topic, and are grateful for the folks at C.O.P. and Winsport Canada for their support as we head into another year. The board is now in the process of navigating a Plan B - a pre-Christmas Munch & Mingle, so please watch your email inbox for news in the coming week.


- Susan Mate, Alberta membership co-chair

[email protected]



onONTARIO - The October meeting of the Ontario chapter of TMAC took place at the Toronto office of Intrepid Travel, the world's leading adventure travel company. Intrepid Travel offers departures to more than 120 countries, including packages for families, "comfort" travel and "out" travel. Thirty-four TMAC members attended, despite weather warnings of high winds that kept another dozen confirmed away.



The next M&M is being hosted by Clarington Tourism on Nov. 30.



The Ontario chapter is anxiously awaiting the new year and looking forward to having the Travel Media Association of Canada annual conference back in the province of Ontario where it will be held in Ottawa in March 2011.



We are currently looking at a variety of options for additional professional development seminars that will take place in 2011 and once that is completed, members will be notified.



- Ron Brown (media) & Marty Rice (industry)

Ontario co-chairs

[email protected] and [email protected]



atATLANTIC - Members are counting the days until they meet in Halifax on Nov. 13 for their annual PD session. The chapter has partnered with the Atlantic Magazine Association (AMA) to host the day's workshops. Our own Lucy Izon (Canada Cool) is delivering a half-day session on Twitter while Tim Currie, a professor at Kings College of Journalism is leading the afternoon session on blogging. Industry members Emily Kimber (Destination Halifax) will give us some tips on how to attract folks on Facebook. Bonus for us is having a chance to network with editors, graphic artists and publishers from the AMA.


- Sandra Phinney, Atlantic chapter chair
[email protected]



Member_NewsMember News

Martha Chapman of Tourism Marketing International in Toronto is pleased to announce that her client, Intrepid Travel, has picked up Canada's prestigious Responsible Travel & Tourism Forum's Leadership Award. The annual award recognizes Intrepid's dedication to embracing sustainability (including contributing to habitat preservation) and support and contributions to the communities that Intrepid travellers visit. As one judge commented, "Intrepid is simply in a different league - they demonstrate admirably what is achievable by a travel organization that has social and environmental responsibility as a core value." Melbourne-headquartered Intrepid offers small-scale escorted tours to over 100 countries on all seven continents. More info at www.intrepidtravel.com. Interview requests to [email protected]



Destination Halifax's LGBT Leisure Campaign won Bronze in The Summit International Awards. Destination Halifax's campaign was among thousands of entries in the Consumer Print Materials Campaign for Tourism and Hospitality category and was judged against an international field of the very best in the industry with entries from 24 countries. The Rainbow Halifax campaign consisted of print ads, posters and postcards directing consumers to www.rainbowhalifax.com , the organization's LGBT travel website.

 

New Brunswick won two out of five SATW Phoenix Awards in recognition for conservation and preservation efforts. Winners were Dr. Mary Majka and Mary's Point Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve and Miscou Island. Congratulations!

 

The recent designation of the Stonehammer Geopark in southern New Brunswick as the first North American member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-supported Global Geoparks Network is worth a mention. The Geopark encompasses 2,500 square kilometres and extends from Lepreau Falls to Norton and from the Fundy Trail to the Kingston Peninsula. http://stonehammer.nbm-mnb.ca/home 

 

The November issue of National Geographic Traveler rated the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador at the very top of 99 coastal tourism destinations in the world, beating out popular seaside travel spots in Wales, New Zealand, Hawaii, Italy, Australia and other provinces within Canada. For more information go to www.travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/coastal-destinations-rated/ 



Newfoundland and Labrador's tourism marketing efforts were also rewarded at the 2010 Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise (ICE) advertising awards, taking home 17 awards, including the top honour - Best of Show - for the province's Find Yourself Here campaign.



Irene Butler announces her book launch of Trekking the Globe with Mostly Gentle Footsteps: Twelve Countries in Twelve Months. It entails adventures and misadventures of her and Rick's epic journey across four continents for the same cost as being couch potatoes. She had a successful book tour in Manitoba in June, and will tour B.C. and the Pacific Coast of the U.S. during September and October 2010, and Ontario in the spring of 201l.



Media member Julie Ovenell-Carter is now living in downtown Vancouver. Her new address is #302-1238 Melville St., Vancouver, BC  V6E 4N2 and her new phone is 604-331-4749. Her email remains the same. Check out www.whygocanada, her new all-Canada travel guide for the BootsnAll Travel Network! @whygocanada on Twitter and WhyGo Canada on Facebook. 

 

Thanks to a referral from TMAC colleague, Helena Katz, Sandra Phinney signed a contract with National Geographic Books to provide content on National Parks and National Historic Sites (N.B., N.S. and P.E.I.) for an upcoming book celebrating the 100th anniversary of Parks Canada.



TMAC members won big at the annual Caribbean Tourism Organization Media Awards two events, held recently in Montreal and Toronto. Michael DeFreitas won for Best Online Story, Michele Peterson won for Best Travel Feature for a Publication or Television in English, and Josephine Matyas took home three awards - Best Feature Article in a Consumer Magazine, Best Photograph in Conjunction with a Feature Article, and Best Feature Article in a Trade Publication. Way to go, all!



find_marketFinding New Market

Trade mags anyone?   Sandra New Market Nov

 

By TMAC media member Sandra Phinney, who writes from her perch on the Tusket River in Yarmouth County, N.S. Although she's passionate about travel writing, she also turns to other forms of writing to make ends meet.



Please click here to read the article.



stright_shooterStraight Shooter

MIND YOUR P's AND Q's

by TMAC member, Darcy Rhyno



In this article, Darcy Rhyno speaks on why he adds photos to his stories and shows by example the benefit of including photos with a story.



To contribute a STRAIGHT SHOOTER column, please contact Ursula Maxwell-Lewis at [email protected]



ask_expertAsk an Expert

ASK AN EXPERT



In this article, Mariellen Ward a.k.a. BreatheDreamGo, shares the why and how of her travels to India.



Please click here to read the article.



TMAC Travels - Newsletter Submission Guidelines
Submissions should fit into one of the following categories:



MEDIA MEMBER NEWS

Professional news about you: books published, awards won, new markets obtained, positions attained, requests for travel-related information (story-specific requests ONLY), contact/profile information updates/changes.

Social notices about you: weddings, babies, non-industry awards and so on (at the editor's discretion and with a 50-word limit; these must be things directly connected to the member).

NOT allowed: requests for comps (airfare, accommodation, tickets, etc.), assignment requests, promotion of stories already written.



INDUSTRY MEMBER NEWS

Professional news about you/your company: announcement ONLY of new products, new clients, travel-related info requests, contact/profile updates/changes.

Social notices: as per Media, above.

NOT allowed: press releases, promotion of anything beyond new products, new clients or awards. (For information on distributing electronic press releases to all media members for a fee of $75, please contact TO Corp at [email protected]).



The newsletter also seeks chapter news and info on press trips (short descriptions with dates, rough itineraries, requirements - e.g. assignment letter) as well as tips, news and updates submitted by members.



Items must be sent, with "TMAC TRAVELS" in the subject line, to Josephine Matyas at [email protected]. Items may be edited for length, grammar or clarity. The newsletter will be delivered to members by e-mail regularly.  Material should be sent by the 1st of each month unless the editor gives prior approval.


Travel Media Association of Canada | 55 St. Clair Avenue West - Suite 255 | Toronto | M4V 2Y7 | Canada