VAUGHAN — Yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs were playing their season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. And sure, the Toronto Blue Jays were on their way to becoming ALDS champions.

But as TravelBrands’ Director of Sales, Bruce Lidberg, put it to a packed house at last night’s Agent Appreciation Event, “this is the hottest ticket in town.”

More than 500 travel advisors turned out for the Toronto edition of the TravelBrands event, held at Universal Event Space in Vaughan.

The night’s ‘Change & Create’ theme (‘Change with purpose, create with passion’) is perfect not just for the industry, but for TravelBrands too. “We’ve always embraced change,” said Lidberg. “We’re always looking at ways we can help you work with us better.”

Added TravelBrands’ President & CEO, Nathalie Tanious: “We want to make sure you and your clients have that level of service that they deserve, and you deserve.”

Executives from TravelBrands’ parent company H.I.S. were also on hand, and the evening’s presentation included a look at super-popular Japan.

As Tanious told Travelweek earlier this week in a pre-event interview, “we want to show travel advisors what we can do by leveraging the power and scope of H.I.S. The breadth and width of our range, I don’t think every travel advisor realizes the extent of it. Agents who have customers who want Bali, Thailand, Japan, South Africa, you name it, we offer all those products and more, and with our expertise, with travel styles from FIT, to groups, to escorted. With H.I.S., we’re even opening lodges in Africa. We have the luxury of a multinational company behind us.”

“WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK”

Lidberg and his co-presenter, TravelBrands’ Strategic Account Manager, Jeff Carpenter, shared all the latest news.

Many of TravelBrands’ companies go back, way back. Sunquest has been around since 1972. Intair will celebrate 40 years in business in 2026.

Exotik Journeys, another legendary name in the industry, will mark 50 years in 2027. Lidberg noted that agents can now book online with Exotik. The company is very much B2B. “We are not your competition. We want all the business to come to you,” he said.

For trip quotes for Exotik, Carpenter encouraged agents to include as much information as they can in the quote request. “That will really speed things up,” he said.

Exotik should be on agents’ radar for any clients looking for new long-stay options. “Exotik is your long-stay expert,” said Carpenter. “People who used to go south of the border are looking for alternatives. We have Tunisia, Thailand, Bali and more. And we now offer long stays up to 88 days.”

Encore Cruises is another perennial top performer in the TravelBrands portfolio.

With the recent addition of Riverside Luxury Cruises, there’s now 22 cruise lines available through Encore. “We do more than 800 cruise groups every year through Encore,” said Lidberg, adding that the company has been helping clients set sail since 1991.

Carpenter highlighted TravelBrands’ strong support for travel advisors, especially when it comes to the company’s 24/7 in-destination support. “Anything you book, there’s a phone number and an email address you and your clients have, you can reach out day or night. And with our Air/Sea Protection Program, we have 85 airline partners. If anything goes wrong with one airline, we have dozens of others.”

Lidberg added: “I don’t think anyone offers support to travel agents like we do. The TravelBrands promise says it all: We’ve got your back.”

Meanwhile TravelBrands’ much-loved Loyalty Rewards Program is getting even better. As reported earlier this week, the program will feature lower thresholds for redemptions, no caps on groups and more. There’s also a new giveaway with 80,000 Loyalty Points as the grand prize.

TravelBrands’ Gigi, launched a couple of years ago, is keeping travel advisors current with an NDC-focused approach, with dynamic pricing with fares adjusting in real time. “We needed to provide you with the tools to allow you to remain competitive,” said Lidberg.

Enhancements to Gigi are happening all the time, he added, including the recently slashed admin fee, from $50 to $25. Agents can also now add their agency logo to their e-docs.

Also reported earlier this week, newly enhanced multi-destination booking functionality allows agents to combine up to nine cities in a single booking. “It’s perfect for clients hopping around Europe, or maybe the Hawaiian islands,” said Lidberg.

Lidberg and Carpenter reminded agents that with TravelBrands’ TravelGenie, “you can set your commission. We see a lot of agents really maximizing their revenue this way.”