International tourism is a fiercely competitive marketplace—you can never get enough education and tools to help boost revenue and reputation. The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has just cut the ribbon on a series of free Signature Experiences Collection^®(SEC) workshops designed to improve Canadian businesses across the country as well as their chances to join the others in CTC’s top-notch international marketing program.

Sixty tourism biz reps made a beeline for Whistler, BC, for the first sold-out workshop on Jan. 25. CTC is working with destination marketing organizations and industry associations all over Canada to identify likely attendees, sparking huge demand. There are 26 planned workshops to date, with some destinations intent on organizing more to match industry’s appetite.

At the heart of the workshops is learning about Explorer Quotient^®(EQ), CTC’s innovative marketing segmentation tool to help businesses identify their best international customers. There are three separate three-hour training workshops:

• EQ Bootcamp: After learning the EQ fundamentals, attendees move on to exercises, tools and hands-on training to help understand how to align their tourism “experiences” with the social and travel values of their best customers.
• Building the Experience: With EQ basics securely in their back pocket, attendees move on to understanding the benefits of making the shift from selling a tourism “product” to a tourism “experience.” Inspiring stories from tourism-biz members who have done just that get things started, then tools, tips and exercises develop the training further. Attendees leave with at least three ideas on how to improve their own business.
• Marketing the Experience: This workshop gives attendees the nuts and bolts on customer-centric marketing, including market segmentation using EQ. Fully interactive, each attendee leaves with a minimum of three ideas to hone his or her targeted marketing communications.

The workshops are led by certified EQ trainers. Any interested businesses should contact their local destination marketing organization for more info. Here is the full list of planned workshops to-date:

Jan. 25: Whistler, BC (EQ Bootcamp) — completed

Jan. 26: Toronto Convention & Visitor Bureau, ON (EQ Bootcamp) — completed

Jan. 27: Toronto Convention & Visitor Bureau, ON (Building Experiences) — completed

Feb. 1: Chinook Country Tourist Association, AB (Marketing Experiences, am)

Feb. 2: Tourism Jasper, AB (EQ Bootcamp, am)

              Tourism Jasper, AB (Building Experiences, pm)

Feb. 3: Tourism Jasper, AB (Staff Orientation)

Feb. 7: Banff & Lake Louise Tourism, AB (Building Experiences, 9 am - 12 noon)

Feb. 8: Tourism Saskatoon, SK (EQ Bootcamp, pm)

Feb. 9: Tourism Saskatchewan, SK (Building Experiences, am)

             Tourism Saskatchewan, SK (Marketing Experiences, pm)

Feb. 13: Travel Manitoba, MB (EQ Bootcamp)

Feb. 15: Tourism Calgary, AB (Building Experiences, 9 am - 12 noon)

                Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association, BC (EQ Bootcamp, 1-4pm)

Feb. 16: Tourism Calgary, AB (Marketing Experiences, am)

Feb. 29: The Great Waterway, ON (EQ Bootcamp, am)

  Muskoka/Parry Sound, ON (EQ Bootcamp, 9 am - 12 noon)

  The Great Waterway, ON (Building Experiences, pm)

Mar. 8: Niagara Falls Tourism, ON, (EQ Bootcamp, 9 am - 12 noon)

Mar. 13: Tourism Victoria, BC (Building Experiences, 1-4 pm)

Mar. 14: Tourism Vancouver Island, BC (EQ Bootcamp (9 am)

Mar. 20: Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, NL (EQ Bootcamp, am)

               Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, NL (Building Experiences, pm)

Mar 21: Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, BC (Marketing Experiences, (9 am - 12 noon)

Mar. 22: Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, NL (EQ Bootcamp, am)

               Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, NL (Building Experiences, pm)