Karryon’s first-ever Niche is Nice 2024 boutique roadshow for travel advisors has concluded its inaugural three-city East Coast outing with sold-out shows in Sydney and Melbourne after debuting in Brisbane.
The first-ever showcase of its kind brought a fresh and dynamic perspective to the travel trade event format, with dedicated and diverse tourism offerings across luxury, touring, cruising, and adventure eagerly embraced by agents up and down the East Coast.
The Niche is Niche 2024 event series presented by Karryon was a showstopping success that trained the spotlight on more than 32 specialist suppliers and diverse destinations, some of which had never attended a travel event of this size.
The roadshow kicked off at the trés fantastic W Hotel in Brisbane, then moved on to the sophisticated Sofitel Sydney Wentworth and finished at the stylish Langham Hotel in Melbourne.
The interactive marketplace and impactful presentation format shook up the tried-and-true tradeshow formula, allowing both in-person networking and learning opportunities.
Advisors and exhibitors alike reported that the Niche is Nice 2024 experience was extremely valuable for future sales and industry relationships.
Attending Niche is Nice at the W Hotel in Brisbane, Vanessa Tokatly from Travel Associates Burleigh Heads said, “I had a fantastic evening. The format was spot on, and it was really refreshing to listen to presentations from suppliers who wouldn’t always get a voice amongst the bigger players at these kinds of events.”
Karryon General Manager (and emcee for the events) Dani Tuffield said she was delighted with the overwhelmingly positive response and feedback to the Niche is Nice 2024 roadshow. She thanked trade partners for coming on board and advisors for attending the inaugural event series.
“We are thrilled at how wholeheartedly the travel industry has embraced the concept of the Niche is Nice boutique travel roadshow for advisors,” she said.
“Our industry is ever evolving, and making sure we showcase a wide range of suppliers is key to our continued success.
“Across three jam-packed evenings in three cities, Niche is Nice 2024 highlighted more than 32 diverse and different tourism offerings, allowing over 300 advisors to make valuable connections.
“Karryon’s mission is to connect people through Together in Travel, and we are extremely proud to create this first-of-its-kind opportunity for niche operators to showcase their incredible products and experiences with the best of the travel trade.”
Platinum Sponsor
Platinum Sponsor Evolution Travel Collective showcased six unique tour and rail brands at the events: Albatross Tours, Explore Worldwide, Great Journeys New Zealand, Rail Online, Touropa and TruTravels.
Gold Plus Sponsors
Gold Plus Sponsors Utah Office of Tourism, Visit Utah, Kanab and Cedar City joined forces at Niche is Nice 2024 to offer an enlightening overview of the statewide attractions and activities, complete with an AI green screen photobooth and a major prize everyone wanted to win.
Gold Sponsors
Gold Sponsors included Bunnik Tours, CATO, Designer Journeys, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Kii Peninsula, Prompéru, Quark Expeditions and SeaDream Yacht Club, highlighting the diversity and opportunities within the niche travel brands and destination marketing organisations on show.
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors also piqued agents’ interest with representatives from airline, touring, rail, culture and cruise operators on hand, such as AmaWaterways, Rocky Mountaineer, Royal Brunei Airlines, Wendy Wu Tours and Wild Earth Travel.
Niche destination operators also included Discover Portugal, Spain & Morocco Holidays, Fine by Nature Tours, France Travel Solutions, Inside Travel Group, Okinawa Tourism, San Diego Tourism Authority & Visit Greater Palm Springs and Simply Cuba Tours.
Advisors were also able to travel to Africa (virtually) thanks to Silver Sponsors The Africa Safari Co., Bench Africa, and Prestige Safaris & Prestige Collection.
And the prize winners are…
The Langham Hotel in Melbourne saved the best for last with the big reveal of the Niche is Nice 2024 major prize winners.
Attendees from all three events were eligible to win amazing prizes, including multi-day tours, cruises, adventures, rail journeys, and more.
Teniesha Gill from Travel Associates was the lucky winner of the Visit Utah package, which featured a National Park pass, stays in Brian Head/Cedar City and Kanab and exclusive tours and activities.
Meanwhile, Tanya Patterson from TravelManagers nabbed a Hapag-Lloyd cruise for two from Sydney to Melbourne, and Travel Associates’ Elise Moynihan walked away with a Wendy Wu China tour.
Karen Birch (Main Beach Travel) was the recipient of the Coastal Pacific Plus rail experience with Great Journeys New Zealand, while Kerrie Croft (MTA Travel) won a spot on a seven-night Explore Turkey tour.
The Granted Holidays Philippines prize went to Lyndell Edwards (Helloworld) and Maha Noore from Savenio, who received $500 in co-op marketing funds from Quark Expeditions.
And that’s a wrap on Niche is Nice 2024!
If you didn’t make it to one of the events, you can still download the exclusive 30-page digital Niche is Nice 2024 Supplier Brochure to connect with the exhibitors and find out more.
Advisors! Become a recognised touring specialist: Register now for the CATO Touring Academy to earn your Touring Certification using the promo code NICHE25 (25% discount off year one subscription). Register at cato.travel/touring-academy-agents
