2025 Winner
BronzeBest in Niche Targeting
Destination Canada
"Leave Inspired, Not Tired"
Initiative
"Leave Inspired, Not Tired"
Initiative
International business events can bring up to $10 million in direct spending making them a vital target for Destination Canada’s tourism strategy. But while Canada is known for its natural beauty, event organizers are seeking intellectual capital — destinations that offer bold ideas and global expertise. They needed to shift perceptions and position Canada as not just scenic, but innovative too.
Too often attendees leave business events and conferences feeling drained, rather than invigorated and ready to tackle new challenges. They arrive seeking genuine insight but hours of passive listening in windowless rooms saps the very inspiration they seek.
They created real-world activations that brought Canada’s unique event philosophy to life — not through slides or brochures, but through immersive, rejuvenating experiences that mirrored what a business event in Canada could feel like.
They staged experiential activations at two major industry gatherings.
The first gathering was The Breakout Session. At ASAE, they invited select attendees to board a plane for Pelee Island — a real border-crossing breakout session. They toured a Canadian winery, participated in a sustainability-focused talk with Canadian Leor Rotchild, and returned the same evening — energized and intrigued.
The second gathering was The Walk N’ Talk. At PCMA, we distributed wireless headsets and streamed a talk from Canadian thought-leader Lori McCarthy — encouraging attendees to listen while enjoying the outdoors. This literal breath of fresh air embodied the Canadian approach to events.
They deployed a media strategy that targeted their elusive audience across every stage of their event journey. Airport advertising welcomed attendees the moment they arrived in Cleveland or Houston, setting the tone from the start. Uber Journey Ads reached them as they traveled from the airport to specific conference-affiliated hotels, timed precisely to key arrival windows.
Once settled in, In-Hotel Wi-Fi Ads connected with them as they worked from their rooms and simultaneously placed them in a pool for retargeting. Event-owned channels — including the website, e-blasts, and newsletters — promoted activations as attendees planned their schedules.
On the ground, local DOOH ads appeared in hyper-localized spaces surrounding the conference centers, while signage and wraps took over the event grounds for maximum visibility. Finally, social listening and hyper-targeted digital display ensured the campaign reached conference-goers based on their real-time conversations and movements.
The Pelee Island breakout turned a conventional conference session into a cross-border experience — literally moving attendees out of the country. This immersive activation reframed what a “session” could be and sparked media coverage for Canada.
Rather than crowding attendees into yet another theater, they used portable headsets to take the talk outside. The Walk n’ Talk embodied the Canadian mindset that fresh ideas come from fresh air — showing their audience, not just telling them.
From Uber rides to hotel Wi-Fi, the agency activated pinpoint moments in the attendee journey that are often overlooked. Every touchpoint reinforced Canada’s value as a forward-thinking destination for business events.
"Destination Canada Surprised Conference Delegates in Unconventional Ways" - HQ Mag
“How a Breakout Session at ASAE Turned Into a Border Crossing to Canada” - Bizbash
"Canada's Walk 'n Talk' at Convening Leaders is a natural hit" - CMW
The campaign generated over 3.7 million total impressions targeted directly to event attendees, marking the largest business events campaign in the brand’s history. It drove 11,300+ total clicks to the Canada Business Events website and achieved an impressive 6.2% swipe rate across hyper-targeted Uber ads — well above the 3.6% benchmark.
In addition, 32 key business event decision-makers attended at least one of the activations. Collectively, they represent 11,000 potential delegates across their events, which could generate up to $19 million in potential revenue for Canada.
Too often attendees leave business events and conferences feeling drained, rather than invigorated and ready to tackle new challenges. They arrive seeking genuine insight but hours of passive listening in windowless rooms saps the very inspiration they seek.
They created real-world activations that brought Canada’s unique event philosophy to life — not through slides or brochures, but through immersive, rejuvenating experiences that mirrored what a business event in Canada could feel like.
They staged experiential activations at two major industry gatherings.
The first gathering was The Breakout Session. At ASAE, they invited select attendees to board a plane for Pelee Island — a real border-crossing breakout session. They toured a Canadian winery, participated in a sustainability-focused talk with Canadian Leor Rotchild, and returned the same evening — energized and intrigued.
The second gathering was The Walk N’ Talk. At PCMA, we distributed wireless headsets and streamed a talk from Canadian thought-leader Lori McCarthy — encouraging attendees to listen while enjoying the outdoors. This literal breath of fresh air embodied the Canadian approach to events.
They deployed a media strategy that targeted their elusive audience across every stage of their event journey. Airport advertising welcomed attendees the moment they arrived in Cleveland or Houston, setting the tone from the start. Uber Journey Ads reached them as they traveled from the airport to specific conference-affiliated hotels, timed precisely to key arrival windows.
Once settled in, In-Hotel Wi-Fi Ads connected with them as they worked from their rooms and simultaneously placed them in a pool for retargeting. Event-owned channels — including the website, e-blasts, and newsletters — promoted activations as attendees planned their schedules.
On the ground, local DOOH ads appeared in hyper-localized spaces surrounding the conference centers, while signage and wraps took over the event grounds for maximum visibility. Finally, social listening and hyper-targeted digital display ensured the campaign reached conference-goers based on their real-time conversations and movements.
The Pelee Island breakout turned a conventional conference session into a cross-border experience — literally moving attendees out of the country. This immersive activation reframed what a “session” could be and sparked media coverage for Canada.
Rather than crowding attendees into yet another theater, they used portable headsets to take the talk outside. The Walk n’ Talk embodied the Canadian mindset that fresh ideas come from fresh air — showing their audience, not just telling them.
From Uber rides to hotel Wi-Fi, the agency activated pinpoint moments in the attendee journey that are often overlooked. Every touchpoint reinforced Canada’s value as a forward-thinking destination for business events.
"Destination Canada Surprised Conference Delegates in Unconventional Ways" - HQ Mag
“How a Breakout Session at ASAE Turned Into a Border Crossing to Canada” - Bizbash
"Canada's Walk 'n Talk' at Convening Leaders is a natural hit" - CMW
The campaign generated over 3.7 million total impressions targeted directly to event attendees, marking the largest business events campaign in the brand’s history. It drove 11,300+ total clicks to the Canada Business Events website and achieved an impressive 6.2% swipe rate across hyper-targeted Uber ads — well above the 3.6% benchmark.
In addition, 32 key business event decision-makers attended at least one of the activations. Collectively, they represent 11,000 potential delegates across their events, which could generate up to $19 million in potential revenue for Canada.
Credits
Destination CanadaYael Stein - Senior Marketing Manager, Business Events
Joel Walton, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, Business Events
Angela Trunzo - Marketing Intelligence Analyst
Gloria Loree - Chief Marketing Officer
Virginie De Visscher - Executive Director, Business Events
Initiative Canada
Emily Morrison - Group Account Director
Seher Qureshi - Communications Designer
Bikem Avsar - Supervisor, Communications Design
Sonia Saeid - Director, Communications Design
Indraneel Pandit - Senior Reporting Analyst
Marielli Rodriguez - Project Manager
Stephanie Freeman - Director, Strategy
Chaman Sandhu - EVP, Client Advice and Management, Global Managing Partner
Chris Gairdner - VP, Head of Creative Partnerships
Taylor Schmidt - Director, Creative Partnerships
Sammy Rifai - Chief Strategy Officer
Helen Galanis - Chief Executive Officer
Rethink
Mitch McKamey - Group Business Lead
Ella Blizard-Freeman - Account Supervisor
Ida Lotfi - Group Account Director
Georgia Greenacre - Group Account Director
Emily Momot - Account Manager
Bob Simpson - Partner, Creative Director
Emily Betteridge - Copywriter
Thom Peters - Associate Creative Director, Copywriter
Sheldon Rennie - Creative Director
Jamie Gurnell - Senior Art Director
Elyse Sanders - Head of Strategy
Julia Belouis - Senior Strategic Planner
Kyle Hicks - Associate Director of Digital Production
Ken Malley - Creative Technologist
Zara Thomas - Broadcast Producer
Kerry Bhangu - Integrated Producer
Paula Gill - Senior Producer