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CANADIANS WOO EVENT PLANNERS

THE CANADIAN TOURISM Commission (CTC) has launched a European marketing campaign. "We have not had a presence here in the MICE market for 10 years for budget reasons," says CTC's director of international meetings and incentives, Susan Frei. "But we have got stimulus money from the government and are raising our profile in the UK, Germany and France through PR, marketing and trade shows. We started at EIBTM last year and have hired Axis to develop the market."

ALSO NEWLY STRUTTING ITS STUFF in Europe is Santa Monica, California. Its convention and visitors bureau attended IMEX last year and has taken on Magellan for PR representation. This activity is prompted by the launch of a number of venues, including the restored Annenberg Community Beach House, a five-acre seafront estate available for exclusive use as a meeting or events space; and a US$30m renovation of Santa Monica's Shangri-La Hotel. The bureau is working on partnerships with Air New Zealand and Virgin Atlantic for groups' business and has produced its first official visitors' guide to complement a corporate travel and meetings planner.