IMPACT 2024 PROGRAM

IMPACT’S BELIEFS

• We need to have tough conversations
• The knowledge we collect is accessible to all
• We are not afraid to be vulnerable
• Financial success is a force for good
• Tourism can help reverse global warming
• We create safe places for candid discussion
• We need to push the boundaries and find common ground
• We engage people from all value sets, perspectives, provinces and territories

PLENARIES

• Future Leaders – What are we sustaining?
  A new take on our classic kickoff where we will bring in future leaders to share their vision for the future of Canadian tourism.
• IMPACT Pecha Kucha
  A series of short presentations on solutions organizations can implement. Themes will include clean tech, biodiversity, diversity and inclusion and more.
• ITAC Plenary
  The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) and IMPACT partner to bring you an engaging session on reconciliation and Indigenous tourism.
• Building Careers with Purpose
  Regenerative tourism as an employee value proposition. How to be a great employer and make tourism a meaningful, fun, and attractive career path.
• Hope is Climate Action & Biodiversity Protection
  Finding hope for the future in advancements in low-carbon technologies, biodiversity and citizen science.
• UNITE, COMMIT, ACT
  IMPACT’s signature wrap up session. After learning together, we share our commitments for the upcoming year before we head home to put our knowledge to work. Taking action is the most important part.

BREAKOUTS

• Workshop: Sustainability Planning
  What makes an effective sustainability plan? What topics should be included, which KPIs should be measured, who should be involved? Attendees will walk away with a draft outline of their very own sustainability plan.
• Workshop: Partnership Development
  Working together is the best way for us to address the issues facing the industry. Learn from experts on how (and how not) to build partnerships that are effective, meaningful and reciprocal. Attendees will walk away with sample MOUs and best practices for building partnerships.
• Responsible Marketing & Communications
  The intersection of sustainability and communications. How do the messages we share, who we market to, and who tells which stories contribute to the environmental and social success of our organizations?
• Beautiful KPIs
  What metrics should we track? We’ve all heard that we need to measure what we want to manage. But what about capacity, ESG best practices, dashboards data quality and the dangers of bad data?
• ITAC Breakout
  The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) and IMPACT partner to bring you an engaging breakout on reconciliation and Indigenous tourism.
• Workshop: Funding the Change
  With costs rising across the board, how do we find the funds to bring our sustainability plans to fruition? A look at eco-fees, post secondary co-ops, internship and hiring grants, and climate finance. Attendees will walk away with a list of active funding programs and best practices for implementing eco-fees.
• Dive Deeper: Building Careers with Purpose
  Dig into the practical application of the concepts and topics discussed in the Building Careers with Purpose Plenary. Attendees will walk away with a list of ways to contribute to their team’s financial, physical, professional, and social well-being.
• Circular Economy: Events, Accommodations & Tours
  Drawing on traditional and natural processes, a circular economy is about social equity, resource efficiency and economic opportunity. Learn how the tourism industry can contribute to a thriving economy through waste to resource, sharing, innovation, quality and equity.