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RENDEZ-VOUS CANADA 2010 POLICIES & PROCEDURES |
OVERVIEW
Rendez-vous Canada (RVC) is the CTC's major Canadian international coorperative sales marketplace for the buying and selling of Canada's tourism products and services. The Canadian Tourism Commission holds the Official Mark for Rendez-vous Canada and has been responsible for the event since 1977. As of 1998, Rendez-vous Canada has been staged by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) in cooperation with the Canadian tourism industry, including provincial, territorial and municipal/regional tourism authorities and the private sector.
Rendez-vous Canada's principal objectives are:
This business is conducted between Canada's internationally competitive tourism industry sellers, in cooperation with our Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), and international buyers (foreign tour operators, wholesalers and packagers). Participation in the event is by invitation only.
International buyers are qualified and nominated under established RVC guidelines by Canadian Tourism Commission staff in Canadian embassies, high commissions, consulates and trade offices -- both overseas and in the United States -- in consultation with provincial government and industry partners. Nominations may also be suggested by delegates registered for RVC.
Selling organizations are qualified, selected and invited using RVC guidelines established by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada in consultation with provinces, territories and the private sector.
Destination Marketing Organizations include the provincial and territorial governments, regional tourism associations and visitor and convention bureaus.
Media from major international markets, as well as selected national and local trade media, are invited to participate.
Travel Trade Media are invited to participate in the Tourism Mall.
There are approximately 430 booths in the Marketplace. DMOs and Sellers are geographically located throughout the Marketplace. Found near the Delegates' Lounge is the Tourism Mall, where other government organizations, sectoral associations and travel trade media provide information and services useful to the tourism industry.
INTRODUCTION
The operational arrangements for Rendez-vous Canada are intended to serve a single purpose: to create and maintain an atmosphere in which a maximum amount of business can be transacted by delegates in the most fair and efficient manner.
A number of systems, arrangements, policies and rules have been developed and refined to serve this purpose. Many delegates have assisted in this process by making suggestions Their comments indicate their continuing approval of the existing operational arrangements and the policies necessary to support them.
The policies and procedures of Rendez-vous Canada ensure that:
Rendez-vous Canada management is available at all times to respond professionally to enquiries or to assist participants with the interpretation of any policies. In addition, this document has been prepared to:
It is important that all participants read, understand and agree to abide by the policies contained in this booklet, copies of which are provided to all participants.
Infractions of RVC policies may affect the ability of organizations and/or individuals to continue their participation during the event and in the future.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Rendez-vous Canada Operations The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is responsible for all aspects of the Rendez-vous Canada Marketplace. All policy development work is done in consultation with the Rendez-vous Canada Advisory Committee which is composed of industry stakeholders from the private and public sectors. All changes in the general policy objectives and conditions of RVC must be pre-approved by the Canadian Tourism Commission.
Contact information for matters relating to policy and long-term direction: Ken Ross Director, Event Operations Tourism Industry Association of Canada 116 Lisgar Street, Suite 600 Ottawa, ON CANADA K2P 0C2 Telephone: (613) 238-3885 Facsimile: (613) 238-3878 E-mail: kross@tiac.travel
Contact information for matters relating to delegate registration: Manager, Delegate Services 116 Lisgar Street, Suite 600 Ottawa, ON CANADA K2P 0C2 Telephone: (613) 238-4080 Facsimile: (613) 238-3878 "Rendez-vous Canada" Trademark Rendez-vous Canada is an official mark protected by copyright. The registered trademark, which is held by the Canadian Tourism Commission, is restricted to the promotion of the event by its organizers, and it must not be printed, used or displayed without the express written permission of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. Such permission will not be granted for purely promotional purposes, or in any way to imply endorsement of a Seller or Buyer, product, service or activity.
Seller and Buyer Selection Selling organizations are selected using RVC guidelines established by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada in consultation with provinces, territories and private sector professionals who participate in Rendez-vous Canada.
Each contracted booth or portion of a booth is assigned to a specific organization by their respective province or territory. Sub-contracting of booths is prohibited.
Buyers are invited on the basis of recommendations made by the Rendez-vous Canada Advisory Committee, Canadian Tourism Commission post managers, industry representatives, sellers participating in Rendez-vous Canada and by Canadian municipal and provincial/territorial tourism officers.
An effort is made to create a balance between the number of buying organizations and the number of selling organizations. The quota of selling organizations is determined by the number of selling booths which can be accommodated on the marketplace floor.
NEW PRODUCT* may be given booth space priority if there is CTC, Provincial/Territorial agreement that potential exists for the product/destination in question. New Product: New business - Must meet the EXPORT READY definition provided below. Existing business - New tour, service or structural addition that will generate demand. A) Improvements/Renovations - i.e. hotel upgrades, addition of rooms… B) Name Change/New Ownership.
Marketplace Rendez-vous Canada is a table-top marketplace conducted in a simple, business-like atmosphere. The marketplace is comprised of selling booths, arranged in provincial and territorial groupings, with a separate section for national organizations.
Booth Allocation Rendez-vous Canada is responsible for establishing the provincial, territorial and national groupings in the marketplace. The provinces and territories assign booths in the provincial and territorial groupings. The Tourism Industry Association of Canada assigns booths in the national grouping. Whenever possible, consideration is given to the stated desires of individual organizations.
RVC/TIAC Directory Organizations invited to participate in Rendez-vous Canada submit a marketing profile which lists the products or services that they seek or sell. Rendez-vous Canada assigns a registration number to each organization, and publishes these, along with the organizations' respective profiles, in the RVC/TIAC Directory. Registration numbers are assigned on a "first-come, first-served" basis to organizations which have submitted their registration forms and marketing profiles along with full payment of fees to Rendezvous Canada.
An electronic copy of this directory and an on-line search engine serves as the basis for selecting pre-scheduled appointments. A hard copy version of this directory is available for onsite use and up until the next Rendez-vous Canada.
Rendez-vous Canada cannot guarantee directory listing if information is received after the registration
Pre-scheduled Appointments There are seven pre-scheduled appointment sessions. Buyers meet with Sellers and DMOs in the marketplace.
Appointments are 12 minutes in length, within a 15-minute timeframe. A system of chimes and announcements signals the start and end of each appointment and permits a short period in which to finish a conversation and to arrive at the location of the next appointment.
Buyers may request back-to-back appointments with the same Seller if the Buyer estimates they will require more than 12 minutes to conclude discussions with that seller.
All requests for appointments must be submitted via the Online Appointment Request Form.
Each delegate registered for Rendez-vous Canada will receive an official Appointment Schedule Booklet upon arrival at the Rendez-vous Canada Registration Desk. Should Buyers be unable to keep a scheduled appointment for any reason, they are requested to cancel it as far in advance as possible at the Appointment Scheduling Desk.
Delegates are urged to register on Saturday during the hours of operation, allowing sufficient time to examine their Appointment Schedules prior to the start of official Rendez-vous Canada events. Buyer appointments with Sellers/DMOs
Appointments are scheduled in the marketplace according to the following priorities for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday:
1. Buyers and Sellers/DMOs who mutually seek appointments create a perfect match which is scheduled automatically.* 2. Second priority is given to appointments requested by Buyers and almost always results in a scheduled appointment.* 3. Third priority is given to appointments* requested by Sellers/DMOs. * Please note: It is possible that such requests, in exceptional circumstances, may not be pre-scheduled as organizations may not have mutually available timeslots. This is most likely to happen to those organizations which registered close to or after the deadline, as appointments are scheduled according to their assigned registration number. Buyers and Sellers are asked to submit their requests for appointments in order of priority.
Shared Booths Seller organizations registered with a half booth will be partnered with another seller organization with a half booth and will share the appointment schedule for that booth. A maximum of 36 appointments will be pre-scheduled for each seller organization. Unless concurrent appointments are selected, the booth partner without an official pre-scheduled appointment must vacate the marketplace. If both booth partners select concurrent appointments during registration, they will be able to book additional appointments into a full 72 appointment schedule. This means that both half booth partners may have appointments with two different buyers at the same time. This option is only for smaller sellers who do not require the full booth space, do not mind conducting business at the same time as their booth partner, and are willing to work hard for those additional appointments.
Free Time The computerized appointment-scheduling program automatically schedules a morning and an afternoon "break" of 15 minutes for each organization at appropriate times. This has been arranged in such a fashion that no more than 25 per cent of delegates will be absent from the marketplace at one time.
Shopping Sessions Shopping sessions are scheduled periods which permit Buyers and Sellers to move freely about the marketplace to arrange additional appointments. They precede morning and afternoon appointment sessions except for the last afternoon session. There are no pre-scheduled buyer-seller appointments during shopping sessions.
Messages The Rendez-vous Canada Message Centre is centrally located and is in operation during the hours of the marketplace. Messages must be recorded on official Rendezvous Canada message forms, quantities of which are included in the delegate kits. Extra forms are available at the Message Centre and the Registration Desk. Messages must be placed in message boxes which correspond to the individual's or organization's buyer/seller registration number. This is the same number used in the RVC/TIAC Directory and the Appointment Schedules. Organizations sharing booths are assigned the same numbered message box.
Anything other than official Rendez-vous Canada message forms will be removed from the Message Centre by staff. Mass distribution of brochures and promotional literature through the use of the Rendez-vous Canada Message Centre is not permitted. Literature distribution facilities are available to registered seller organizations, as well as Destination Marketing Organizations, for publications approved by Rendez-vous Canada.
Messages for News Media delegates should be directed to the Media Centre.
Delegates are advised to check frequently for messages since there is no paging system at Rendez-vous Canada.
Official Activities Included in the Rendez-vous Canada program are a number of official activities which are an integral part of the awareness and marketing objectives of the event. These activities include the Rendezvous Canada city tours. They are intended to present new products and regional developments, the cultural and entertainment diversity of Canada and its regions, and the touristic relevance of the area in which the event is held. The Official Schedule of Events details the start and finish times of these functions. All delegates are urged to attend these activities which may involve audio/visual, cultural, entertainment and other forms of presentations.
Hospitality or any other activity, including off-premise displays, are not permitted during the hours in which an official Rendezvous Canada activity is scheduled. Please consult the official Schedule of Events. Organizations violating this rule may face fines equivalent to the damages to the host and may be suspended from the next year's event. Hospitality or other activities may be offered on the free evening (Tuesday) and before and after scheduled evening events.
Please consult with Rendez-vous Canada before scheduling any non-official activities. The Tourism Industry Association of Canada wishes to work in cooperation with all stakeholders to maximize the marketing opportunities offered during Rendez-vous Canada.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Registration and Payment of Fees Invited Buyer and Seller organizations, as well as Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), must complete and sign an Official Application for Registration which includes a marketing profile and return this, along with full payment of delegate and booth fees, to Rendez-vous Canada prior to the published registration deadline.
Registration applications received without full payment will be considered incomplete, and will not be processed; these incomplete registrations will be automatically waitlisted until full payment has been received, and will be processed only on the date that full payment has been received. No exceptions will be made.
The total number of Seller and DMO delegates that can participate in Rendez-vous Canada is limited by available space. Returning organizations that register by the published registration deadline will usually be accepted, while late registrants are subject to replacement by organizations on official waitlists. All late registrations are subject to a late-fee charge.
Upon receipt of an organization's forms and full payment, Rendezvous Canada assigns it a registration number, e.g. BUK139, SBC256, on a "first-come, first-served" basis. This number is used in the production of the RVC/TIAC directory and establishes the order for processing appointment requests. An organization whose cheque is refused by a financial institution because of insufficient funds (NSF) will be charged an additional $50.
One-Day Registration One-day registrations are available to individuals whose organizations have already been accepted for participation via the normal registration process.
Primary Contacts Primary Contacts are the designated liaison persons between their organization and Rendez-vous Canada. They are responsible for the registration of delegates from their organization, the payment of all fees, and the timely submission of the Appointment Request Form. It is their responsibility to ensure that all delegates from their organization receive, read and understand all RVC policies. It is also their responsibility to inform Rendez-vous Canada in writing of any change in the registration status of themselves, their delegates or organization. The name of the Primary Contact is requested on the Official Application for Registration forms.
Accommodation Arrangements Official hotels meet Rendezvous Canada's standards for in-house services, quality of rooms, maintenance and security. They are serviced by the Rendezvous Canada shuttle system. Hotel reservations made by Rendezvous Canada are "arrival guaranteed" in the name of the individual delegate, not the organization.
Buyers who have registered with accommodation will be assigned to their hotels according to the region/market they represent. Their accommodation costs are included in their registration fees. Buyer delegates who do not use the accommodation arranged for them by Rendez-vous Canada, and instead choose to stay at an unofficial hotel, forfeit the accommodation portion of their fee and must pay the unofficial hotel directly.
Sellers and DMOs must book their own accomodation. Sellers and DMOs are encouraged to use the discounted RVC room blocks at the official RVC hotels. Shuttles only service official RVC hotels. If upon arrival, there is no reservation, delegates should immediately contact the Delegate Services Manager at the Rendez-vous Canada Registration Desk. Delegates should not attempt to resolve the difficulty with the hotel and should not accept or arrange alternative accommodation without first contacting Rendez-vous Canada officials.
Any substitution of a delegate must be made through the Rendez-vous Canada Delegate Services Manager prior to check-in, up to 2 weeks prior to the event.
Rendez-vous Canada will not pay for alternative accommodation assigned by a hotel or booked by delegates.
Delegates requiring suites should make arrangements directly with the hotel of their choice. To respect the privacy of delegates, Rendez-vous Canada does not publish or communicate the room numbers of registered delegates and requires that official Rendez-vous Canada hotels adopt a similar policy.
Payment of Hotel Room Accounts Rendez-vous Canada pays the accommodation cost of Buyers who have registered with accommodation for five nights. Buyers wishing to extend their stay beyond the five room-nights paid for by Rendezvous Canada are requested to make arrangements directly with the hotel to which they are assigned. Incidental charges such as room upgrades, double occupancy, extra room-nights, and early and late departure fees are the direct responsibility of Buyers. Sellers and DMOs are responsible for payment of all their accommodation costs directly to the hotel.
Badges Rendez-vous Canada name badges must be worn visibly by all delegates at all times and are not transferable under any circumstances. Badges may not be concealed with business cards, pins or stickers, or altered or defaced in any way.
The badge bears the name of the individual, the registered organization and its city and province or territory of operation. Admission to all Rendez-vous Canada functions and facilities is by badge alone. Lost badges can be replaced only after notifying the Rendez-vous Canada Registration Desk on site and the payment of a $50 service charge. Should the lost badge be found, it is to be returned to Rendez-vous Canada as it is the property of the event. "Forgotten" badges must be retrieved to gain access to any Rendez-vous Canada facility or officially sponsored function.
An organization may arrange to substitute a delegate during the event by depositing with Rendez-vous Canada the name badge of a registered delegate and obtaining a name badge for a temporary or permanent replacement delegate. The badge of the replacement delegate must be returned to Rendez-vous Canada before the badge of the originally registered delegate will be re-issued.
Guests/VIPs/Accompanying Persons Policy With the exception of the specific authorization by the host of a function and the approval of the individual by Rendez-vous Canada, no guests, spouses, "VIPs" or accompanying persons are permitted access to functions. In addition, no accompanying and/or non-registered person is permitted access to other Rendez-vous Canada facilities, including the marketplace and the Delegates' Lounge. Rendez-vous Canada does not sell tickets to its functions, tours, etc.
News Media Coverage
Solicitation and Sale of Advertising Space Media representatives, Buyers, Sellers and DMOs are not permitted to solicit or sell advertising space or time on Rendez-vous Canada premises or at Rendez-vous Canada-sponsored activities. Advertising solicitors will be evicted from the RVC event and accreditation privileges will be withdrawn.
Smoking Policy The marketplace, Delegates' Lounge, lunches and most common delegate areas are smoke-free.
Safety and Security The Registration Desk is linked at all times via two-way radio to senior Rendez-vous Canada and Tourism Industry Association of Canada personnel. Qualified Rendez-vous Canada personnel are on duty at all functions to deal with problems should they arise, and are located near the main exits of the function room. A person qualified in first aid is always on duty or "on call" in the event of illness or accident. Safety precautions are given priority over all other considerations.
BOOTH REGISTRATION GUIDELINES All Seller, DMO and Tourism Mall organizations registered for Rendez-vous Canada will be given a copy of the RVC "Sellers' Guide", which contains specifications for booths and installation, dismantling, electrical and shipping information. This guide is provided to Sellers, DMO and Tourism Mall primary contacts at least 60 days before the event.
The Sellers' Guide is a comprehensive guide to successful exhibiting and outlines the policies and guidelines that affect exhibits in the RVC Marketplace, or DMO Lounge and Tourism Mall.
Character of Exhibits The event has been planned as a "tabletop" marketplace at which Buyers and Sellers can meet in a businesslike atmosphere with minimal noise and visual disruption. The dimension of the booth which is constructed of pipe and drape is 2.4 m (8 ft.) wide, 3 m (10 ft.) deep and 2.4 m (8 ft.) high. Selling organizations can distribute only printed matter, souvenirs or other articles within the booth. Each Seller organization is provided with a 1.0 m × 0.25 m (40" × 10") white sign with black lettering, which is to be suspended from the back of their booth.
All aisle and air space belongs to Rendez-vous Canada; no exhibits or advertising matter will be allowed to extend above or beyond the contracted booth space.
Care of Exhibits Sellers and DMOs must keep their exhibits cleaned and dusted and in good order, at their own expense. Booths must be maintained in perfect condition and be properly staffed throughout the event. Exhibits must remain intact until the official tear-down period on the last day of the event.
Booth Decor All bunting, draperies or other fabrics must be flame resistant before entering into the decoration of any exhibit. Paper decorations, cut evergreens or branches are not permitted. Flammable materials are prohibited. In general, it is intended that samples or giveaways be limited to printed material such as pamphlets, photographs and books. The distribution of souvenirs such as buttons, models, badges, decals or flags is left to the discretion of the Seller, provided their intrinsic value is nominal. Distribution of sample foods or beverages is not permitted.
Security of Exhibits Rendez-vous Canada will provide necessary security for the Marketplace and DMO Lounge during the hours the event is closed. However, Rendez-vous Canada and TIAC are not responsible for any loss or damage of any materials on RVC premises.
Insurance and Liability Sellers who desire insurance on their exhibits must place the same at their own expense. Rendez-vous Canada and TIAC will not be liable for any loss or damage to the property of the Seller, or its employees, due to fire, robbery, accidents, or any cause whatsoever that may arise from use and occupancy of the leased space or building. The Seller agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Rendez-vous Canada and TIAC against any and all claims of any person whomsoever arising out of acts or omissions of Sellers or their employees. Sellers shall furnish their own public liability insurance. |
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