Par: Anne-Marie Forcier

Selon un sondage national organisé en mai 2007 par Radio-Canada (CBC), le canot est une des sept merveilles du Canada (avec l'igloo, les chutes du Niagara, le Vieux Québec, le Quai 21 à Halifax, le ciel des Prairies et les Rocheuses). C'est une embarcation préférée des peuples autochtones du Canada et des premiers explorateurs européens, le canot est encore très utile pour les Canadiens d'aujourd'hui. Faire du canot est une façon amusante, saine et pratique d'apprendre à mieux connaître les cours d'eau mondialement connus de notre pays.

Saviez-vous que le canot s'appelle un « Canadian » si vous demandez à quelqu'un de l'Angleterre et de plusieurs autres pays aussi? Pour ceux d'entre nous qui font de la promotion de nos circuits d'eau pour de la pagaie aux marchés internationaux  nous devons décrire l'embarcation pour mieux préciser l'expérience exacte soit en kayak, canot ou même en canot voyageur.

Les canots de voyageurs variaient en longueur et largeur selon l'utilisation prévue et les régions parcourues. Deux principaux canots servaient à la traite: le canot de Montréal (ou canot de Maître) et le canot du Nord. 

Le canot de Montréal mesurait de 9 à 11 mètres (30 à 36 pi) de longueur et pesait environ 270 kilos (570 lb). Il était conçu spécialement pour affronter les vagues des Grand Lacs et les rapides de l'Outaouais. Un équipage de huit à dix hommes assurait son déplacement.

Le canot du Nord mesurait environ 7,5 mètres (25 pi) de longueur et avait la moitié de la capacité du canot de Maître.

Aujourd'hui vous pouvez faire l'experience de pagayer un canot voyageur dans plusieurs endroits au Canada et deux de ces experiences se retrouvent dans le sud-est de l'Ontario.

« Aboriginal Experiences » a Ottawa offre un programme qui inclus le canot voyageur comme mode de transport pour se rendre sur l'ile Victoria pour une animation autoctone traditionelle. L'autre experience se trouve sur le canal Rideau avec « Voyageur Canoe Tours » animé par le groupe « Rideau Round Table ». 

A question from new media member Veronica Leonard:
Could someone explain exactly how the meetings with industry reps on Thursday and Friday morning of the conference work? How do you prepare for these and what are the industry reps expecting from you in the conversations? Should you try to have markets in hand or is this a venue to seek out the story to pitch to potential markets? I'm still very much a newbie in this organization and don't know the rules.

Longtime media member Sandra Phinney responds:
So pleased you are going to the conference, Veronica! Here's some information about the media marketplace.

First, the physical setup: You'll enter a huge room where there will be as many "stations" (tables) as there are industry members. They will be numbered - for example, Tourism Nova Scotia, # 7; Starwood Hotels, #56. You will have already booked your appointments and you'll have a printed schedule provided in your registration kit that will tell you what table to be at and at what time. Each appointment is 15 minutes long (a bell rings to tell you to move on). Think speed dating. It's noisy, intense, exhausting and invigorating. Stay focused!

Second, preparation: When you are on the registration website, you'll see a full list of industry members who will be at the conference. Highlight any one and information about them pops up to the right. Although it's time-consuming, it's worth checking out every single one to see who they are, where they are located and what they are about. This will give you a gut feeling about if and why you should meet with them.

Our business is all about relationships. This is a great way to meet people in the industry and start building relationships (and growing some you've already started). So think in terms of what you can do for industry members and what they can do for you. Think about your particular interests and expertise and how it fits in with what they have to offer. Think in terms of the media outlets you have that may support a story about X, Y and Z. Think about new markets you are willing to pitch to sell a story. You may or may not have a story or market lined up - both are okay.

Industry definitely will have story ideas for you. They, too, will have done their homework and checked out your profile. So this is a chance to give them more information about yourself and to explore what you can do for them and what they can do for you. If you are interested, destinations may put you on a list for a press tour down the road if your interests, expertise and potential markets match. You may also be able to open the door to set up individual press trips. Some industry are not destinations per se, but offer other kinds of services or attractions (such as hotels, museums, parks and festivals).

When lining up your appointments, think strategically. What are your personal goals for your business? If, for example, one of your goals is to visit a certain city or province, you might want to see as many industry members as you can who are from that region. Why? They will often pitch in together to offset the costs of a visit. For example, if I wanted to go camping in Nova Scotia for a potential outdoor story, with a side trip to Halifax for a theatre/food story, I would try to line up meetings with Parks Canada, Tourism Nova Scotia and Destination Halifax. 

Although there is not time at the conference to line up specific trips, once you have met folks eyeball to eyeball, you can then start corresponding with them to map out a trip based on your needs and interests as well as theirs. Another one of your goals may be to expand your expertise, or expand the kind of markets you write for.

Have fun!