NATIONAL POST
An industry extravaganza in Whistler teaches our travel editor a thing or two Sarah Murdoch October 3, 2009 Just back from last week’s GoMedia Canada Marketplace, an exhausting but entertaining event at which 125 journalists (75 Canadian, 50 representing the international press) vigorously took notes, milled and looked attentive while destinations, events and tours were pitched to them by about 125 representatives from the travel industry –hotels, cruise lines, provinces, botanical centres, spas, regions and the like. Each meeting is exactly 15 minutes and over the course of two-and-a-half days, each journalist talks to 27 tourism concerns. Yes, exactly like speed dating–and very quid pro quo. Travel writers meet travel providers, to their mutual benefit. Trips are arranged and business cards exchanged. For journalists, it’s a great boon because the trips are paid for by the host of GoMedia,…