March 22, 2023 
12:00pm-1:30pm EDT
MINUTES

Present: TF, NA, JC, DH, YM, WNC, RC, GF, MS, PS
Regrets: PK

Minutes

1.0 Call to Order – TF
Meeting called to order at 12:02pm by Tracy

2.0 Approval of Agenda – TF
Approval moved by Pierre, Seconded by Jerry

3.0 Approval of Minutes – TF
February 15, 2023 – viewable here
Approval moved by Grant, Seconded by Wendy

4.0 Business Arising from the Minutes

4.1 Strategic Plan Working Group recommendations
PK – Mission/Vision Statement – PK was not present, however WNC expressed concern about the world
“acknowledge” and would like to see stronger wording within Vision. PS expressed support for option 3
and MS preferred “organization of choice”. YM stated the vision should be aspirational – To become or
be recognized at the trusted source….

PS and WNC don't like the word rooted and prefer to use based. YM commented that rooted gives more
strength.

ADOPTION OF NEW MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT
A vote was taken and 6 voted for rooted. Therefore, the following Vision and Mission Statement has
been adopted and will be shared with Eva to incorporate into our Strategic Plan.

VISION:
To be the trusted organization of choice for accredited travel media and tourism industry professionals in
Canada.

MISSION:
Rooted in Canada with an international reach, the Travel Media Association of Canada creates a positive
space for travel media and travel industry professionals to cultivate relationships that result in relevant
collaborative, comprehensive opportunities, and successful outcomes to foster and inspire travel.
RC – TMAC/Chapter Governance – RC recommended that a guide be developed to embrace the
individuality of the chapters. He suggested a letter to the bank about TMAC chapter accounts being
under the umbrella of TMAC National.

MS offered another suggestion -that the first step is to build a foundation to build on for the chapters.

ADOPTION OF TMAC/CHAPTER RELATIONS STRATEGIC PLAN ITEM:
The following was accepted by the board for Inclusion within our Strategic Plan and will be shared with
Eva for Incorporation:

TMAC National & Chapters
A key part of TMAC are our chapters and we recognize the importance of supporting and working with
them under the umbrella of the national board. We declare that the roles of the chapters are unique,
valued and critical to the success of our organization.

The leadership and authority of the national board is vital to the success of TMAC. In order to have a
strong organization, chapters and the national board must be on the same page. We recognize that over
time the members on the national and chapter boards will change. For that reason, we need an evolving
guide to serve as a foundation for all interactions between and within TMAC board volunteers – whether
it is chapter to chapter or chapter to national or vice versa.

Our recommendation is that we begin the process of creating a handbook that recognizes and protects
the authority of the TMAC National Board. The goal of the guide is to embrace the individuality of each
chapter by nurturing their ability to show initiative and leadership within the TMAC structure. Our hope is
to create a clear understanding of roles (financial obligations, reporting standards, etc.) for those who
follow in our footsteps. It is imperative for TMAC’s success that chapters feel they are being heard and
their points of view are considered.

Our recommendation is that we begin laying the groundwork for this document immediately.

JC – SWOT – Notes prepared and already shared with Eva.

4.2 Annual Report DRAFT for review (to be provided on March 20)
Once all outstanding financial information is added, the report will be distributed on April 12, comments
by March 27. AGM agenda will include an overview of the Strategic Plan with details to follow at the
Conference. It was noted that the announcement of the 2024 and 2025 hosts will not be included on the
agenda. Announcement for 2024 will be made on June 17th in Sudbury at the Future Host Luncheon.

4.3 ITAC Memorandum of Understanding: Proposed MOU for approval
Following a discussion, the following motion was approved:
MOTION: Moved by Judi, seconded by Pierre
TMAC will enter into an MOU with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada based on the MOU
presented, and that the signing and announcement will be forthcoming and In place on or before June
21, 2023.
Motion Carried.

4.4 International Indigenous Tourism Conference & TMAC National Meet Up: Winnipeg
Please refer to CAO’s report regarding hosting a successful meet up with assistance from TMAC partners
and Prairies & NWT Chapter Co-chair Noelle Aune and hosting of a ‘Working with Travel Media’ session
at the conference March 8 – 11.

5.0 Financial Report – GF
Grant reviewed the balance and the monthly financial reports.

5.1 Account Balance as of March 17, 2023
Business Unlimited $275,423.10
Business Investor Account $10,535.53
Credit Card Balance $100.00

5.2 Monthly Financial Reports: as of February 28/23 – View Here
Motion to accept Financial Reports moved by Grant, Seconded Mark, Accepted

6.0 National Committee Reports: (View Reports)
â- Awards Committee: Tracy Ford
TF reported that the judges were working hard and will have top5 in each category by April 12. Final
selections by April 17. The Member Voted Awards and BC Chapter awards are open until April 3, 12PM
EST. It was noted that there are low submissions for several of the categories within this round,
discussion was had around how to entice/enhance submissions Including more reminders, showcase of
volunteers, outreach to media who attended conference etc. These Items will be implemented ahead of
the deadline.

â- Communications Committee: Yashy Murphy
YM said that the communications committee can brainstorm ideas for member -voted awards and is
working on communications for the conference.

â- Conference Committee: Pam Wamback
PW reported that the Sudbury Conference is 92% sold out. Availability for 2 industry and 15 media
members left. The room block at the Holiday Inn is sold out. Overflow hotel is the Hampton Inn.

â- Future Host Committee: Jerry Grymek
No update on future hosts. Two years are locked in already.

â- Governance Committee: Judi Cohen
JC had no additional updates at this time outside of the full report enclosed within the board package.
WNC asked if nominees were asked why they wanted to be elected. No, they were not asked, the
nomination forms were accompanied by a bio, this will be used in association with the introduction of
the nominees when the slate is presented on March 29 for voting by membership. At one time,
nominees were asked to do presentations. A quorum of 25 members would have to cast vote.

â- Human Resources Committee: Jerry Grymek
JG had no update at this time.

â- Membership Committee (Media & Industry): Paul Knowles
PK not present. DH provided some information. 14% of delegates to the conference are first timers and
new to TMAC and conference. Many new members coming in, with at least 15-20 new members in the
last few weeks.

â- National PD Committee: Wendy Nordvik-Carr
WNC said there would be 5 PD sessions at the conference. They will be finalized by April 10th. She also
suggested that members should consider getting onto LinkedIn, and there will be a PD national Session
led by Tania Kedikian on April 27th.

â- Sponsorship Committee: Jerry Grymek
JG provided an update on additional sponsors, including Chelsea Hotel, Toronto, Tourism Nova Scotia for
Bronze, and Tourism Belize for Silver. Already achieved 94% of goal. ($37,215 out of $39,215) IHG could
lock in as a gold. MS is helping to reach out to others for sponsorships. During our meeting, PS of VIA
Rail expanded sponsorship in addition to a Silver, taking an award for $3,000.

7.0 Chapter Reports/Updates (View Reports)
â- BC & Yukon- WNC provided a report. Balance in their account is $6900.
â- Prairies & NWT- NA reported that the TMAC National Meet Up event at the Winnipeg HR Museum
was successful with 38 people in attendance.
They are planning a hike in April, Tourism Golden on May 26.
BC chapter will be invited to join events.
â- Ontario – Belize is hosting an M&M, and a regional pop-up event is planned in Burlington. A road trip
is planned in July.
â- Atlantic – No update at this time.
Chapters are reminded that their events need to be shared with TMAC National so we can showcase and
celebrate the events, please register them using the online calendar form:
https://www.travelmedia.ca/node/add/event 

8.0 CAO Report – DH (View Reports)
DH stated that it was an honour to attend the 2023 International Indigenous Tourism Conference hosted
by ITAC on behalf of TMAC. She thanked Noelle and panelist, Jennifer Bain and Ryan Rogers. She
commented that TMAC currently hasn’t any Indigenous industry members. She confirmed that that this
has been and will continue to be a very busy time, noting the schedule below under new business, as
well as other initiatives including press cards, new members and managing 174 delegate registrations.

9.0 New Business
9.1 Future Host Announcements – As noted earlier, revealing of Future Hosts will be done at the
luncheons during the conference in the year prior – not at the Annual General Meeting as discussed at
earlier meetings.

10. Other Business: Upcoming Timelines
March:
March 1: Member Voted awards OPEN
March 1: Call for Nominations
FOR MARCH ONLY 22nd (not March 15): Board Meeting + DRAFT AGM Package ready for review,
needs to be reviewed/approved for circulation in April
March 24 12 noon ET: Nominations CLOSE
March 29 12 noon ET – April 5 12 noon ET: VOTE
April:
April 3: Member Voted awards CLOSE
April 12: Distribute AGM Meeting Package with Annual Reports

April 19: Board Meeting
April 30th: Conference registration Deadline
May:
May 10: TMAC AGM, 1pm EST: REGISTER NOW
May 17: Board Meeting (New & Existing Board)
June:
June 14-18: TMAC Conference & Media Marketplace
2023-24 Board of Directors takes office.

10.0 Next Meeting
April 19, 12 noon EST – Via ZOOM

11.0 Meeting Adjournment -Tracy adjourned meeting at 1:36pm

Minutes by Judi Cohen – TMAC National Board Secretary