Bob Family Travel hosts fifth annual summer social in Toronto

In the words of the Beatles: come together.

And that’s what  many who work in the travel industry in Ontario did on Thursday night in Toronto, with those people gathering by the shores of Lake Ontario for a summer evening of socializing.

The fifth annual event brought suppliers and TravelOnly agents together and was hosted by Pat Probert and Mary de Almeida and their Bob Family Travel team.

The get-together was clearly appreciated by those on hand and drew people from as far as Windsor and Ottawa.

“This is my fourth consecutive year attending this casual industry event, and I wanted to express my thanks to Bob Family Travel Team at TravelOnly and Baxter Media  for co-hosting it,” said Lisa Lau of Okushu Tours. “It’s always a fantastic opportunity to take a break from work, reconnect with familiar faces in the industry, and make new connections. I genuinely enjoy this event with good food and good company, and look forward to attending it again next time!”

Laura Nesteanu of Global Marketing & Sales in turn said that, “It’s wonderful seeing colleagues and friends.”

Quinn Brown of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism said that the event had a “great atmosphere” and provided an opportunity to “just relax and unwind after a long day.”

The long-running event uses the Mimico Cruising Club as a venue, with attendees having sailing vessels serve as a backdrop to their evening.

“It was a huge success with almost 100 coming out for dinner and drinks to this invite only event,” Probert said, adding, “it is becoming an event that so many look forward to so they can reconnect and network.”

de Almeida added a new twist, with some, such as Manulife and Ensemble wanting agents to have a hands-on experience, and so using the event to familiarize agents with what they offer..

“The training was a completely full venue, with not a seat left for the training, and we want this to be an annual event added on to the function,” Probert said. “The TravelOnly agents felt this was also a huge success and wished the training was even longer as there is always so much to learn in travel and even worked through lunch to learn as much as they could from Manulife and their new system that goes live in the next couple of weeks.”

Meanwhile Lisa Connell, director of sales, Canada for Royal Caribbean, also had high praise for the gathering.

“It was another fantastic night at Pat and Mary’s annual party at the Mimico Cruising Club!  It was a beautiful evening and always such a fun time connecting with the amazing Bob Family Travel Team, other agents, clients, and supplier partners. A big thank you to Pat, Mary and Bob Family Travel Team for hosting such a memorable event — always a highlight of the year for suppliers, agents, and a perfect way to kick off summer!”️ she said.