Well, day one of TIABC's AGM & Summit at Sun Peaks has been a busy one. We were welcomed to the beautiful Thompson Okanagan region by TOTA CEO Glenn Mandziuk, followed by the first keynote presentation on solutions to the labour shortage delivered by Destination BC CEO Marsha Walden and go2HR CEO Arlene Keis.

At TIABC's AGM, we welcomed two new board members - Robyn Cyr from Shuswap Tourism and Alroy Chan from Rocky Mountaineer. Both organizations are strong supporters of TIABC and are Summit sponsors. Members of TIABC's Policy Committee led the discussion at o ur Town Hall, that also featured a presentation by TIAC Vice President Rob Taylor who provided a great venue for summarizing tourism issue priorities and hearing from our members. 

At lunch, Aboriginal Tourism Canada CEO Keith Henry spoke on the potential of aboriginal tourism, particulary in British Columbia. Following this presentation we moved to the scenic terrace for the media conference where Hon. Shirley Bond officially launched and proclaimed both Camping Week and Tourism Week in BC (see the story below for our Tourism Week - 5 Steps to Success).

We wrapped up the afternoon learning from 11 sector associations who shared their priorities and challenges during a roundtable session.

Now, we take a few minutes to rest before tonight's dinner banquet hosted by the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel & Conference Centre. If you here with us in Sun Peaks - see you shortly.  If not, we wish you were here!

At today's AGM, TIABC announced two new board members. Alroy Chan from Rocky Mountaineer and Robyn Cyr from Shuswap Tourism start their two-year terms, replacing out-going board members Stuart Coventry, WestCoast Sightseeing and Jacqueline Clarke, Capilano University.

Alroy is the Director of Corporate Development at Rocky Mountaineer.  In his role, Alroy leads the Company's government affairs activities and is very active in tourism advocacy efforts provincially and nationally.  Currently, Alroy co-chairs the Pacific Northwest Economic Region's (PNWER) US-Canada Preclearance working group, with the goal of operationalizing the Land, Rail, Marine and Air Transport Preclearance Agreement. 

In addition, Alroy oversees the development of Rocky Mountaineer's corporate strategy and strategic growth initiatives, which include assessing acquisition opportunities and new business ventures.

Prior to joining Rocky Mountaineer, Alroy spent 13 years in the financial consulting and accounting industry where he advised clients in the areas of business valuations, corporate finance, corporate restructuring, and transaction services.  Alroy also spent 2 years with PwC's global IT team where he spearheaded the organization's IT transformation and cost management strategy.

Alroy is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.  

Robyn Cyr has been involved in Economic Development and Tourism Development for over 18 years.  Robyn is currently in the position of the Economic Development Officer for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District in Salmon Arm.  Included in her duties are also the management of Shuswap Tourism - a Tourism Marketing and Destination Management Organization for the Shuswap region, and the management of the Columbia Shuswap Film Commission.  One of Robyn's strengths is the ability to bring communities together to work on collaborative projects and to develop strategic partnerships. 

Robyn has completed implementation of the 2010 Shuswap Tourism Development Plan and will now be implementing the updated plan which was completed in 2015. Robyn has also just completed, in partnership with other community organizations, the Shuswap Agriculture Strategy which will guide the development of agriculture in the Shuswap region for the next five years.  Robyn is completing her third term as a director of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association and also volunteers her time as a director of Adams River Salmon Society, the Shuswap Association for Rowing and Paddling, and the local 4H Dairy Club.

Robyn's education includes the Business Administration Program through Capilano College, Non-Profit Management Program - SFU, and the Local Government Management Program at the University of Victoria.   Robyn has also completed many economic development courses through the BCEDA. 

Bios for all TIABC board members can be viewed at: www.tiabc.ca/about-tiabc/board-of-directors