On March 6^th, the conference kicks-off with opening keynote presentations by Steve Irvine from Facebook Canada, followed by Nikki Germany from Google Canada and Tom Gierasimczuk, Editor-in-Chief for Marketing Magazine in a candid and insightful interview with Nikki Germany. The afternoon session features keynote Leonard Brody of Clarity Digital Group taking about how the web and social media have fundamentally changed our behaviours.

Online Revealed is also home to the 2nd annual Canadian e-Tourism Awards presented by Google, with awards sponsored by Miles Media, VIA Rail, and T4G. The awards highlight excellence in marketing tourism online in Canada, and are submitted by the industry, and voted on by the Canadian e-Tourism counsel comprised of volunteers from Provincial organizations across Canada. The awards will be presented at a special luncheon during the Online Revealed Conference on March 6th.

We are excited this year to announce that 14 Canadian DMO’s, PMO’s and Visitor Bureaus have opted in to participate in a ground breaking study that will benchmark online performance of Canadian destinations, against each other as well as against other international destinations, said Patricia Brusha, Co-Founder of Online Revealed. We are working with Miles Media and Tripadvisor to set a standard for measurement of ROI in web marketing, including tactics such as search and social media marketing for destinations, and we look forward to making this report a standard in measurement for the industry. The report was offered to all registered DMO’s, PMO’s and Visitor bureaus.

Highlights of the report will be presented in a session at the conference.

Registration is still open for last minute attendees http://www.onlinerevealed.com/register_now.php

The agenda for the 7th annual Online Revealed Canada conference is shaping up to be two great days of information-packed workshops dedicated to marketing tourism online. It kicks off with keynotes Steve Irvine from Facebook Canada, followed by Nikki Germany from Google Canada.  Afterward, Tom Gierasimczuk, Editor-in-Chief of Marketing Magazine will join us for a candid discussion with these powerhouses.

ORC 2012 is for anyone who needs to build their business online. Learn about SEO, Social Media, ROI and much more in hands-on workshops that don’t just tell you how to master online marketing—they teach you.  Visit our website to view the full agenda.

The block of rooms reserved for ORC 2012 at The Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel is 90% sold out. We strongly encourage you to book your hotel room as soon as possible to ensure your spot and avoid higher room rates. Here’s a link to book the Sheraton and 5 other hotels options where we have secured conference rates http://www.onlinerevealed.com/accommodations.php.

Register before February 3rd to have your name published in the Delegate List.

Online Revealed offers exceptional value for travel and tourism professionals focused on building their online business. New this year, registration includes two free bonus features – access to breakout sessions during the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) Conference on March 6th, and free admission for a full day at the Canadian Tourism Marketing Summit on March 7th.

“Registered delegates are provided Freedom Passes with cross over privileges to all workshops offering the ultimate flexibility to chose to attend any breakout session they like. ORC delegates can mix & match with some of the sessions that HAC is offering or stay in the Online Revealed track. Either way, it will be two great days of information-packed workshops dedicated to tourism online marketing” states Patricia Brusha, Co-Founder of Online Revealed Canada and A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing who present Online Revealed Canada.

The 22 workshops offering hands-on learning include “How to Create an SEO Strategy” and “Social Media Champions: Who Is Managing Your Online Voice?” HAC sessions include “Travel Intentions Survey” and “QR Code Marketing, Does it Work for Travel,” and so many more. In addition, ORC 2012 features two inspiring keynotes presented by all-star social media gurus Steve Irving, Senior Business Leader at Facebook Canada and Leonard Brody, President, Clarity Digital Group.

To take advantage of super early bird rates available until January 6, 2012 for Canada’s leading online marketing conference for the tourism and travel industry, visit http://www.onlinerevealed.com/register_now.php

ONLINE REVEALED CANADA proudly hosts the Canadian e-Tourism Awards for travel and tourism industry categories.  The awards were created in recognition of the growth and the marketing power of Social Media/Web 2.0. Entries are eligible from all over the world, but what makes the awards competition unique is that every entry has to market, sell, or portray Canadian destinations, products, attractions, or experiences.

The four awards include:

• Best Online Campaign
• Best Website
• Best User Generated Content
• Best Innovative Use of Technology

Individual travelers and business entries will be judged for quality and the impact of their contributions. Business entries are open to companies that promote Canada online, whether they are based in Canada or outside its borders. Individual entries are open to anyone who raises awareness and interest in Canada online, through content that can include their personal travel experiences told through stories, photos, or videos. These can be posted on a personal blog or community sites.

ONLINE REVEALED CANADA proudly hosts the Canadian e-Tourism Awards at a special luncheon on March 6th, presented by Carol Alderdice from the New Brunswick Tourism and Parks and the Canadian e-Tourism Council.

NOMINATIONS ACCEPTED UNTIL DECEMBER 31st, 2011. Visit www.canadianetourismawards.com to make your nomination now.

Steve Irvine, Senior Business Leader at Facebook Canada opens the  conference with a keynote address “Travel Built Around People: Bridging Brand And Consumer Voice Online To Drive ROI”. Steve will talk about how marketers can leverage word-of-mouth marketing at a scale never before possible with the power of the social graph.

Online Revealed 2012 offers 22 workshops dedicated to online tourism marketing. All registered delegates are provided with FREEDOM PASSES to attend any ORC or HAC breakout sessions they like. You can mix and match or stay in one track – the choice is yours!

“As we enter our 7^th year of producing Online Revealed Canada, we are humbled by the support of our dedicated sponsors, number of multiple year attendees and cutting edge speakers who continue to be such an active part of our ORC family,” states Patricia Brusha, Co-founder of Online Revealed Canada and A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing. “The 2012 tourism marketing event promises to be our most outstanding to date.”

Hotel accommodations are at a premium throughout Toronto March 5-7, 2012 as the city hosts over 22,000 various convention delegates.    To take advantage of Super Early Bird rates and ensure your spot at Canada’s leading online marketing conference for the tourism and travel industry, visit http://www.onlinerevealed.com/register_now.php

A special thanks goes out to Michique Handbags who gave every Chick on the ACOC e-Marketing team a purse! Watch the video below to see this beautiful bag.

ORC 2011 sponsors included EcoLab, Allstream, Miles Media, Ceridian, Coast Hotels & Resorts, Travelodge, TripAdvisor, Expedia, IHG, and many others that contributed the success of  tourism online marketing conference.

We all know that Rubber Chickens don’t fly, but this one arrived at the 2011 Online Revealed Canada Conference in true Chick style, wearing her signature purple polka-bikini!

After playing Crack the Code, a contest to win a $10,000 website package sponsored by A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing, Henrietta joined delegates for lunch, where she met the Travelocity Gnome….watch the video to find out more!

Chris used the analogy Social media is like teen sex. Everyone wants to do it. No one actually knows how. When finally done, there is surprise its not better! A lot of companies are reluctant to get into social media because it has brought about a fundamental change in how we communicate…it requires us to listen, respond and participate.  The fact that they no longer control the brand messaging can be scary. Watch the funny, provocative Chick Chat interview with Chris Chong below.

Save the date for ORC 2012, March 5+6+7 at the Sheraton Centre Hotel Toronto. 2012 website coming soon!

Brad inquired what marketers can do to leverage the new opportunities presented by tablet devices. Jeff said as a marketer you need to be thinking about this how people are going to be using this device and where you are reaching them. They are going to be using it for business but you will also be reaching people when they’re on the subway or sitting on their couch at home.

One of the key highlights of Playbook is the ability you have to truly multi-task. You can have the camera running at the same time as all kinds of applications and move through them easily allowing you to work more like you would on your desktop.

RIM launched Playbook this Spring. Check out this Chick Chat video with Jeff Gadway.

Brad and everyone else can not wait to get their hands on the BlackBerry Playbook!!

Brad:  How can businesses in the tourism sector leverage Facebook?

Alfredo: The most common question businesses ask is “how do we get started”? We recommend your strategy begins with creating a Facebook Page and engaging Fans in a relationship way as opposed to using Facebook purely as a marketing or sales function.

Patti: How can we learn about the statistics of an Fan Page and about how our Fans are interacting?

Alfredo: The amazing thing is that there is all this data available in Facebook Insights and it costs nothing.  You set up a Pages and as people are interacting, Insights gives you access to this information including your demographics, so you can see if your marketing strategy is reaching the right people.  Because real people are engaging with you on Facebook, you get real information around your engagements and your brand using Facebook Insights.

Watch the video to hear more of Alfredo’s insights on Facebook.