Outdoor Adventure Show a smashing success!

We’ve finally caught our breath after the 2023 Toronto Outdoor Adventure show and what a show it was. We were representing all of our partners to the adventure-oriented crowd, all 21,000 of them! This consumer-focused show has bounced back in a big way, post-covid, with the largest crowds ever. Certainly a promising sign for all of us in the outdoor adventure industry.

We’re grateful to Barbara, Reiner, and Bruce for anchoring our presence; and to Tracie, Harsha, and Craig for their additional assistance working the booth and set-up. Scroll down to read some of their thoughts on the show.

 

As part of our show presence, we also had the opportunity to give a presentation on the Haliburton Highlands on the Sunday morning. Tracie and Barbara did a terrific job showcasing our area and some key adventure opportunities to a good crowd.

In summary, we came away from this show with an incredibly positive outlook on the upcoming year, both in general and for our Haliburton Highlands. There’s definitely a tonne of enthusiasm for adventure tourism and recreation travel, and the awareness of our region as an adventure destination was also noted by our team.

With the Outdoor Adventure Show finished, we now turn our attention to the Peterborough Cottage & Outdoor Show running March 31st through April 2nd. This has always been a successful show for Adventure Haliburton and Peterborough represents a key market due to it’s close proximity to the Haliburton Highlands. 

 
If you have new rack cards that you would like us to bring with us, please contact Bruce to arrange.
 
Show photos courtesy of Tracie Bertrand.

Thoughts from our Show Staff

“I was very excited to see the sheer number of people attending the show and how many of them
knew about the Haliburton Highlands. It seems that the travel lockdowns of the past few years have
helped to bolster our area and that people like what they see.”

“Tracie and my presentation was well received and we had people stopping by the booth with
compliments throughout the day. Highlighting our partners with strong visuals and storytelling seems to be a successful recipe.”

Barbara Kraus
Owner, Tamarack Lodge

For our first collaboration to promote the destination since I started with the County, I was very pleased. The teamwork that went into the initiative was outstanding! The destination was
represented and promoted well by Adventure Haliburton, and adventure in Haliburton was a hit with the attendees!

Having the opportunity to present on the Best of Canada stage was a bonus, Barbara
and I were pleased with the attendance and the engagement from the audience. It was nice to see that travel is back on people’s wish list and most importantly it was interesting to see how popular domestic travel was at the show. Many identified that they want adventure and unique things to do when they travel.

I was also pleased to see that other operators from the destination were also at the show and representing Haliburton Highlands.”

Tracie Bertrand – Manager Haliburton County Tourism

Tracie Bertrand
Manager, Haliburton County Tourism

“Hiking in the Haliburton was of a huge interest, and views for foliage during the Autumn season were questions asked by some visitors. Haliburton Highlands is on the map for sure as many knew of the Highlands  and they wanted to explore more! Winter activities were also of interest for many, too.

Trade shows are huge exposure and so valuable for tourism. This was my first show and a wonderful successful experience. I really hope we do more for Tourism and the one on one special stories we tell are a value added bonus!”

Harsha Manani
Owner, Lakeview Motel & Resort