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Southern Ontario Tourism Conference - Keynotes & Registrations Opening |
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Planning for the next Southern Ontario Tourism Conference (SOTC) is well underway! Join RTO3 and Ontario’s Southwest on March 3rd & 4th, 2026 at the Lamplighter Inn & Conference Centre in London, Ontario for a tourism industry conference that will bring together business operators, destinations managers, municipalities, community leaders, and sector associations from across southern Ontario for two days of learning, networking, and fun.
We are happy to introduce our two Keynote speakers who aim to provide both inspirational and practical knowledge during their sessions: Brent Colmer, the Boy who Blogs and Entrepreneur, and Peter Katz, Juno-Nominated Singer-Songwriter and Transformational TEDx speaker. |
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| Brent Colmer is a marketing strategist and content creator who specializes in social and influencer marketing. Through his company, creator services, and his personal brand Boy Who Blogs, he's collaborated with major tourism brands including Ontario's Southwest, Marriott, Hilton, and Flair Airlines. His expertise spans digital strategy, content creation, and building authentic partnerships that deliver measurable results. |
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Peter Katz is a Juno-nominated singer-songwriter and keynote speaker who creates transformational "keynote concerts" blending music with powerful messages about connection and purpose. He's delivered experiential presentations to organizations including Bell, American Express, and Royal Bank, and has performed for over 150,000 people virtually, including addressing the House of Commons of Canada. |
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Registrations for the conference will be opening on October 21st with Early Bird rates until the end of the year so stay tuned for more information to come! |
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Regional Tourism Awards -
Apply or Nominate Today! |
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Great achievements deserve recognition. That's why our 2025 Regional Tourism Awards is now open to celebrate the innovators, collaborators, and changemakers who make our tourism industry extraordinary.
Through three distinct award streams - Innovation, Partnership & Collaboration, and Sustainable Tourism - we laud the spirit of innovation that creates unique experiences, the power of partnerships that makes a project go even further, and the commitment to sustainability that ensures our destination thrives for generations to come. Each winner's story inspires others and highlights the incredible work happening across Hamilton Halton Brant.
Do you have an exciting new tourism experience, project or initiative that is making waves or know of one that deserves more recognition? We want to celebrate them! Deadline for submissions is December 5th so learn more about the Awards and submit your application or nomination today! |
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2025/26 Partnership Funding Program Intake 2 Closing October 28 |
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Our 2025/26 Partnership Funding opportunities are closing soon! Applications must be submitted via our Google forms that are open until October 28, 2025; or until capacity is reached. Multiple applications are allowed and partnerships will be awarded subject to availability, program fit and equitable distribution of funds.
Shoulder Season Experience Development Looking to extend your business season by creating experiences in November through April? RTO3 matches your investment to develop shoulder season offerings to attract visitors year-round.
Certification Support Build business credentials with nationally recognized certifications that appeal to specific visitor markets. RTO3 covers 50% of first-year certification costs for: Rainbow Registered by Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce, Feast On® by Culinary Tourism Alliance, and Ontario By Bike registered.
Travel Influencer Marketing Planning to work with travel influencers? Partner with us to stretch your budget through cost-sharing and create more authentic content for their followers. |
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Co-op Advertising: Paid Social Media Campaign Double your marketing budget with our social media advertising partnership, driving traffic to your business for up to 8 weeks with expert campaign management. Please note that the campaign must be at least 8 weeks from your application date.
Photography Asset Development Ready to refresh your visual storytelling? Partner with professional photographer Damian Dudek of Dudek Photography to capture premium-quality images of your business, products, or events at a special discounted rate. |
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RTO3 Fall 2025 Industry Exchange |
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Join us for our annual Fall 2025 Industry Exchange, where we continue our Sustainable Tourism Learning Series and feature expert insights, real-world case studies, and actionable strategies. Date: November 12th, Wednesday
Time: 9:00am to 1:00pm
Address: Sandman Hotel Oakville (3451 South Service Road West, Oakville, L6L 0C3)
This year, we will explore how tourism operators and event professionals can create meaningful, sustainable gatherings that benefit communities, reduce environmental impact, and enhance visitor experiences. |
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| After our keynote presentation from Natalie Lowe, co-founder of The Sustainable Events Forum, our own Hamid Dwyer, Destination Sustainability Officer of RTO3, will present on The Roadmap on Destination Sustainability in RTO3 that will highlight our sustainability journey to date, regional initiatives, future direction of our journey, and opportunities for collaboration. |
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Register through the form below and participate in a day of insightful presentations, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities designed to equip tourism operators with practical tools for sustainability. |
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Tourism Industry Association of Ontario - Forward Ready Tourism |
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Launched as of September 18th by the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) and funded by the Government of Ontario through the Skills Development Fund, Forward Ready Tourism is a collaborative solution designed to meet the evolving workforce needs of Ontario’s tourism industry.
Facilitating access to a range of workforce attraction and retention support has never been more critical and results from recent tourism operator focus groups facilitated by TIAO underscored the importance of balancing immediate workforce needs such as improving access to training, with long-term talent pipeline strategies. The goals of the Forward Ready Tourism project are aligned with what TIAO heard from industry stakeholders and will help Ontario’s tourism industry maximize its inclusive economic potential.
Register for one-day, virtual Forward Ready Leadership Workshops that are designed to reflect the unique dynamics in the tourism and building transferrable leadership skills, or attend a Forward Ready Tourism Webinar featuring industry professionals and experts addressing tourism challenges and opportunities. |
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| Free Marketing Opportunities with RTO3 |
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Ensure your business listings are up-to-date on our visitor website theheartofontario.com and share what's happening in your business with our Marketing & Communications team so we can amplify your events, experiences, and offerings through our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram and our monthly e-newsletters. |
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Get Listed on Our High-Traffic Consumer Website Take advantage of our consumer website traffic by creating a self-serve listing account. This free marketing opportunity allows eligible tourism-facing businesses to showcase their business, events, tours and experiences. Last year, over 330,000 unique visitors explored theheartofontario.com, generating 200,000+ partner listing views and 136,000+ direct referrals to tourism operator websites. |
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Keep Us Updated on What's New Share your business updates, special events, and new experiences directly with our marketing team. We regularly feature operator content across our email marketing (65,000+ subscribers) and social media platforms (65,000+ followers). This additional free opportunity allows us to promote your business to our engaged audiences at no cost to you! We encourage you to submit content to us reguarly throughout the year! |
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