For the first time in its history, the BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference will be headed north.
The conference takes place between March 1st and 3rd, and will see an estimated 500 people flock to Prince George.
“It is the go-to conference for the tourism and hospitality industries in BC,” Colin Carson, the CEO of Tourism Prince George, told My PG Now.
The event is put on by a partnership between the Tourism Industry Association of BC and the BC Hotel Association, where stakeholders from both groups meet annually.
Prince George was supposed to host the conference in 2021 and 2022 but both years it was either canceled or moved due to pandemic-related concerns.
“From the very beginning, what it means is economic benefit coming to Prince George and the region, that is first and foremost,” Carson said.
“Looking at it from another angle, it is an opportunity to highlight what we are doing in Prince George and the North… any time you are given the chance to showcase what you are doing to your peers across the province it is pretty special.”
One of these scheduled highlights will be the welcome reception, which will be hosted at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club where conference-goers can rent equipment and explore the trails.
The evening before the conference begins, Tourism PG will also be hosting anyone who arrived early at the Cougars game on February 28th when they host the Vancouver Giants.
Alongside meetings and seminars at the conference, some northern groups have been nominated for this year’s awards, including Tourism PG itself.
“[We] are nominated for the Professional Excellence award, which is recognizing the best destination marketing organization in BC,” Carson said.
Chilliwack and Victoria are the category’s other two nominees.
Two of the three nominees for the Remarkable Experience award are also from Northern BC – Barkerville and Northern Fancon, alongside the Rambo: First Blood self guided walking tour in Hope, where the movie was filmed.
Carson added that registration is still open for the event, and that interested groups in the tourism and hospitality sectors can get their passes here.
For more information on the conference, click here.