This year’s IGLTA annual convention, held at Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castle, was a fantastic event, with something from everyone, from travel marketing professionals to destination management representatives, as well as travel agencies and specialists. As a first-time attendee myself, I was very impressed. I spoke with interesting people from all over the U.S. and Canada, as well as places as varied as Colombia, Guam, Uganda, Hong Kong, Israel, Sri Lanka and Brazil.

Attendees were provided a wide variety of sessions to learn more about the latest in travel: AI in travel experiences, queer marketing tips, sustainability, human rights concerns, women’s issues, and more.

Two of the most interesting presentations came on the final day. First was the Travel Talk presentation by Bernadette Smith, of 14 Stories and The Gay Wedding Institute, who spoke on “Lessons learned three years post marriage equality in the U.S.”

Following Smith, Drew Cumpson gave a moving talk on "Making travel more accessible: Addressing stigma within our community." Cumpson, who was injured while wakeboarding in Peru, spoke about his frustrations in travel, which include issues with hotel rooms and airplanes that make his getting around more difficult than it should be.

Networking is always a huge benefit to these types of conventions, and at this event, IGLTA did an exceptional job in facilitating getting people together. During the multiple breaks, attendees could mingle with a variety of tabletop booths that lined the hallways.

The other highlight of the Convention was Voyage: The IGLTAF Benefit, which was held at the Fairmont Royal York downtown. This fundraiser for the IGLTA Foundation was an inspiring night that included a panel discussion involving four Queer as Folk actors: Sharon Gless, Gale Howard, Scott Lowell, and Peter Paige. The foursome recounted how groundbreaking the series was and marveled at how more than a dozen years have passed since the show’s finale.

The Benefit also announced multiple awards, including travel journalist Dirk Baumgartl for the Storyteller Awards; Dean Nelson, founder of Pride House for the Pioneer Award; and Rainbow Railroad for the Pathfinder Award. Additionally, Tanya Churchmuch of MuchPR was inducted into the Hanns Ebensten Hall of Fame.

A highlight was when Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau received the Pinnacle Award for the amazing support he has given the queer community. Accepting the award was Randy Boissonnault, an out member of Canada’s Parliament representing Edmonton. Boissonnault, who is also the official LGBTQ2 Liaison to Trudeau, spoke at length about how far the country has come in recognizing the right and dignity of queer citizens over the last generation.

The evening’s events raised more than $40,000 for the Foundation.