Travel pros unite just for one night to see Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical

London, U.K. and New York-based agency Made made its 15^th annual sales visit to Canada this week for meetings with tour operators and travel industry professionals.

The tourism marketing and representation company – and the power of music – also brought together members of VisitBritain, Royal Irish Tours, Goway, Royal Scenic, AMpm Canada, Baxter Media and other trade partners for a networking session at JOEY Eaton Centre before the group headed to take in Just for One Day – The Live Aid Musical, the story of how music united the world.

“There’s lots of exciting and great things to do in terms of art, culture and entertainment in London,” shared Jonathan Mountford, managing director of Made, stressing how important the Canadian market is. “Working with VisitBritain, we met with the largest players in the travel industry encouraging them to include theatre tickets and cultural activities in their clients’ trips and itineraries for this year and beyond. The call to action is for them to access tour operator prices via the various ticketing partners such TTG Encore and Ticketpipe for hit shows in the West End such as MJ the Musical, MAMMA MIA!”

A large portion of Made’s client roster stems from the theatre and entertainment sector. Calling it “a brilliant start to their 15^th annual sales trip to Canada and the US,” Mountford said they brought together their largest contingent ever for this mission.

Fran Downton, chief executive of Tourism South East, which represents South East England, said travel advisors and tour operators can reach out for help creating tours, itineraries and experiences. “We’re very happy to talk about the wonderful products we have in the South East of England, it’s about helping facilitate whatever you need, build whatever you need, itineraries, support, images.”

Meanwhile, Sally Everton, general manager of Visit Devon shared that they’re the third largest county in England, including North Devon, Exeter and Plymouth. Everton shard that the unique destination has two coastlines, two national parks and UNESCO sites, including The Dorset and East Devon Coast natural site, popularly known as the Jurassic Coast.

Hayley Beer-Gamage, the CEO of Experience Oxfordshire, said they represent over 200 different members from accommodations and attractions to transport. “We are your one-stop shop for information and inspiration to the city and the county,” she shared. “The Canadian market is really important, the volume of visitors you bring over, the repeat clientele and the fact that people stay for a significant amount of time is really valuable, we’re really grateful for that.”

Then it was off to the show at CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, which tells the story of the monumental Live Aid concert (1985) and the people working behind the scenes to make it all happen. The production is part theatre and part musical with renditions of hit songs by Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Who, U2, Queen, Madonna, Sting, Elton John, Paul McCartney, and The Boomtown Rats, all of whom were part of the legendary fundraiser concert staged simultaneously in England and the US.