Schedule

Kickoff for 49° x 110°

MC opening remarks

Welcome from Mayor of Swift Current Al Bridal

Tourism Industry Highlights in Saskatchewan

Jonathon Potts

Destination and Experience Development

Brendan Manz

Brendan will be presenting on Tourism Saskatchewan's Destination and Experience Development programs and resources. This includes information on the Tourism Diversification Program, the Achieving AWEsome and AWEshop Programs available to tourism businesses throughout Saskatchewan. He will also be highlighting other resources and programs offered through Tourism Saskatchewan's Workforce Development Department.

Southwest Facility Foundation

Panel: Collaboration in Tourism

Each speaker will describe their experiences with collaboration in tourism. This will be followed by a Q & A session.

Jace Anderson

Collaboration can be hard, but it is an incredibly rewarding experience. In collaboration as in life, we spend time with those that we know, like, and trust. With humility, coffee, and maybe a little humour Jace will share a toolkit that informs his approach to influencing a growing visitor economy. Jace will share personal and real examples of collaborative experience development, from the Medicine Hat Independent Coffee Tour to the co-creation of the Miywasin Story Tour, a ticketed and bookable indigenous elder-led experience. The discussion will make room for learnings, key takeaways, and question and answer.

Kyla Bouvier

Kyla will be presenting on Collaborations within the Tourism Industry. Back2Nature Wellness & Adventures has a passion for sharing experiences with guests and creating truly memorable wellness adventures outdoors. She believes that when we combine the passions of tour operators and facilitators, we can create a unique experience that will provide long lasting transformation and memories. Kyla will provide an overview of the benefits of collaborating and provide examples of past experiences that provided a unique experience in Saskatchewan.

Ashley Stone

Ashley will focus on the significance of crafting memorable tourism experiences through strategic collaborations with key partners. Creating tourism products that matter requires an understanding of your community or organizations core values and stress the importance of aligning these with those of potential partners. She will also highlight the necessity of developing tourism products that are not only authentic to one's region and community but also resonate with the unique cultural, historical, and natural offerings of the community.

Navigating Indigenous Acknowledgements

Annie Charles

Navigating Indigenous Acknowledgements

-Where to start

-Things to consider

-Community Engagement

-Connecting to Reconciliation

-Personal call to action

Niche Markets in Saskatchewan

Jeannette Lye

This presentation will provide an overview of Tourism Saskatchewan's niche audiences, including their travel motivations, preferences, expectations, and barriers, as well as their journey when planning a trip.

Annual General Meeting for Tourism Swift Current

Tourism Swift Current Board of Directors

Open to all members of Tourism Swift Current, and the public.

Morning Training Sessions (refreshment break 10:15-10:30)

Online Reviews - Make them work for you! 

Presenters: Clint Hartog and Cyril Amoyen

In this workshop, you will find actionable strategies for leveraging customer reviews to enhance marketing efforts. Attendees can expect to gain valuable insights and practical tips for harnessing the power of online feedback to fuel growth and success in their own businesses.

Our goal is to leave you equipped with the knowledge and motivation to take your marketing strategies to the next level. Whether you're a small local business or a larger enterprise, our goal is to provide intriguing tactics that can be immediately applied to drive results.

HR - Attracting, Hiring and Retaining Employees

Presenter: Karen Richmond

This presentation will address the steps businesses can take to ensure they are viewed as a desirable employer, as well as, setting up hiring procedures to select the candidate who will provide the skills needed, and wrap up with steps to retain the successful candidates.  We will work through a self assessment of your business to understand the work environment that a new employee will see and what you might do to address any concerns.  We will also talk about training for new hires and tips to ensure it is a positive experience for both the trainee and the trainers.

Afternoon Training Sessions (refreshment break 2:15-2:30)

Canva - Beyond the Basics

Presenter: Heidi Deg

Heidi will be presenting many functions in Canva. Advanced design techniques, working with images, animation and video editing, collaboration and sharing, branding and brand kits, designing for different platforms.

Cultural Intelligence - Know your team and customers

Presenters: Wendy Swann and Deanna Baje

Cultural Intelligence or CQ is a globally recognized way of assessing and improving effectiveness in culturally diverse situations.  It is based in rigorous, academic research conducted in more than 100 countries.  It offers a toolbox full of insights for our interactions with people.