Busy year ahead for Discover America Canada
Things seem to be moving along nicely for Discover America Canada (DAC) as it reviewed its accomplishments in 2023 and looked ahead to a busy 2024 during its annual general meeting (AGM) at Toronto’s Boulevard Club last week (March 27).
The well-attended AGM heard and approved the President’s, Treasurer’s and Membership reports before going on to new business and enjoying a luncheon sponsored by Visit Rochester.
There was no election as the current Discover America Canada board has one more year left on their turn.
DAC president, Susan Webb reminded her audience of the organization’s mission statement which is to “create an open, inclusive and transparent environment that provides both members and non-members with visibility into how DACC’s [Discover America Canada Committee] policies and decision-making processes work.”
Discover America has also released its new Transparency Statement covering are range of topics that include: Who is eligible to join DACC? Who is eligible to run for a DACC elected board member position? How do elected board members select non-elected directors? Who is eligible to sponsor DACC events and how are event sponsors selected?
About the Transparency Statement
Treasurer Stephen Fine noted that the Transparency Statement is a response to questions that DACC has had about many of these issues and it is one that will ‘evolve over time’ and is designed to let people know and understand how the board operates.
The good news just kept coming as Fine told the AGM audience that DACC is ‘in good financial shape’ and he also revealed that in the next couple of months, the organization will be launching its new website. It will allow people to pay for their membership and sign up for events online as well as having other functionalities.
DACC president, Susan Webb noted that the organization also expects to get ‘more engagement’ from its members with launch of the new website.
As for membership, DACC has just under 65 members and Visit Rochester’s Greg Marshall suggested that members of the organization should all encourage their colleagues to join Discover America Canada by getting the word out about the benefits of being a member of DAC.
Upcoming events for 2024
In 2024, Discover America Canada has a batch of events on its schedule. Dates are still to be announced, but there will be a virtual session with the Conference Board of Canada’s Jennifer Hendry in all likelihood in April.
Planning is well underway for the highly anticipated Canadian reception at IPW in Los Angeles. The event takes place on May 4. DAC is also looking to do a summer social event and there is another virtual update session being planned for September. Discover America Day 2024 is planned for October, while the organization’s Thanksgiving, Christmas event will take place in November.
The DAC AGM also featured Barry Choi of moneywehave.com as its keynote speaker. Choi offered the AGM crowd a range of insights on loyalty programs and Canadians’ use of such programs.
One of the key takeaways from Choi’s presentation was his advice to destinations to reach out to loyalty program companies to see what kind of added value such programs can bring to a destination.
Stay tuned, there will be more from Discover America Canada as it gears up for a busy 2024.
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Seen during the March 27 Discover America Canada Annual General Meeting, from l to r, are Air Canada’s Audrey Tanguay-Beaudette; DAC president, Sue Webb; and Brand USA’s Casey Canevari.
