Bienvenue Québec adjusts to the future

(Originally published in TOURISM)

Organizations which ask themselves which directions they might choose in the future are often well on the way to ensuring their own sustainability. All indications are that Bienvenue Québec and The Association des propriétaires d’autobus du Québec (APAQ) are thriving as a result of this probing approach; this year’s edition of the marketplace included a session where buyers and sellers were asked a series of questions designed by François Chevrier from the École des sciences de la gestion (ESG) at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM):

“There is a will at the APAQ organization (Bienvenue Québec's owner) to allow the event’s formula to evolve,” according to Chevrier. He says APAQ is reviewing the event’s structure and is currently assessing the potential value of implementing additional components. “They have identified through their research the emerging interest in providing an even greater number of networking and knowledge-delivery opportunities for participants.”

APAQ was certainly keen on experimenting at Bienvenue Québec 2007 in Saguenay: it introduced a dynamic new roundtable concept which proved very popular, according to Marilyn Désy, the marketplace’s development and promotion coordinator. “This roundtable activity between sellers and buyers stems from sellers’ need to find out more about who the buyers are. Bienvenue Québec draws some big players, like hotel sector representatives, who know the buyers well. However, what often makes a difference in destination appeal are the small players and attractions that impart flavour to tour operators’ programs.”

During the Francophone Culture Tourism Carrefour, buyers moved around in pairs to 9 roundtables lasting 11 minutes each. Désy says many sellers in the past simply couldn’t afford to participate at Bienvenue Québec. “With this formula, the first day is devoted to francophone product, networking and market knowledge acquisition for marketplace participants in different sessions, while days two and three are regular marketplace days.”

The participating sellers certainly felt there was great value for them in this format. Pierre Derouin is executive director of Le Village Québécois d’Antan in Drummondville: “Because there were several buyers and sellers at the table, there seemed to be more ideas emerging and we received better answers to our questions. I certainly found the exercise useful.”

Julie Bouliane looks after customer service at the Parc national du Saguenay: “This is my first participation at Bienvenue Québec. I have attended other marketplaces in the past where we met our clients one-on-one, and I found it is easier to break the ice in this kind of a format. It prepares us for upcoming appointments; each participant benefited from a bit of time to introduce their activities, and we quickly moved on to asking relevant questions about what buyers are looking for. Within minutes, we had useful answers about offering potentially successful products.”

This sentiment was echoed by Catherine Boulay of ManiganSes, an international puppetry arts festival in Jonquière, who felt this was a less intimidating introduction to the tourism marketplace environment.

As APAQ’s Marilyn Désy notes, without a thorough understanding of buyer needs it is difficult for the sellers to maximize marketplace opportunities. “This type of activity encourages sellers to listen, so they gain a better appreciation for buyers’ business realities.”

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