I’m thrilled to announce our first in-person event of 2022: the Prince of Travel Signature Event, Montreal 2022.
In addition to our initially announced guest lineup, I’m delighted to confirm that Tiezheng Bu from Vicarious Voyager will also be joining Ryan Swain, Andrew d’Amours, and Scott Kennedy among our guests.
General admission tickets are now on sale as of Monday, February 28, so make sure to snag your ticket as soon as possible. Tickets to the VIP Evening Social are now sold out.
Our Next Signature Event
After kicking off a new generation of in-person events for the Miles & Points community with our Vancouver Signature Event in September 2021, we’ve been excited to continue our series with more events around the country.
As before, we’ve been focused on pulling out all the stops to make our future events as great as they can be, and we’re keen to experiment with a few new and interesting elements at every event we host – and there are a few elements that we’re very excited for in Montreal.
You’ll find all the details at our official Montreal 2022 event page, and I’ll touch upon some of the highlights of the event below.
Welcome to Montreal 2022
Our event will take place from 1pm–6pm on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at the W Hotel Montreal – one of my favourite hotels in the city, with whom I’m delighted to be able to host our event.
Keynote Sponsor
We’re thrilled to welcome HSBC Bank Canada as the first-ever keynote sponsor of a Prince of Travel Signature Event.
As part of HSBC’s sponsorship, you can look forward to the following:
- Take part in a live discussion and Q&A with an HSBC executive to chat about the bank’s credit card portfolio, rewards program, and upcoming plans in the Canadian market.
- Present an active HSBC credit card to receive additional perks at the event, such as priority check-in, complimentary HSBC swag, and entry into a prize draw for a $500 (CAD) prepaid Mastercard courtesy of HSBC.
- Meet HSBC representatives at the event to discuss your banking, credit card, and portfolio management needs and sign up for an HSBC product if you’re interested.
VIP Evening Social
Another very exciting first-time addition to our event series is the VIP Evening Social, which will be hosted in the comforts of the W Montreal’s Extreme WOW Suite from 6:30pm–9pm after the main event.
I will join a small group of VIP attendees to break bread over some of my personal favourite foods from all around Montreal:
- Cold spread from Damas Restaurant
- Sushi from Park Restaurant
- Chicken from Ma Poule Mouillée
- Kouign-amann from Pâtisserie Au Kouign Amann for dessert
What’s more, in true Singapore Suites style, guests will enjoy a glass of their choice between Krug and Dom Perignon Champagne. Additional alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will also be included.
The VIP Evening Social is now sold out. Additional tickets will be available as part of the event’s prize draw.
Special Guests
We’re honoured to have the following special guest speakers at our event:
- Ryan Swain, Head of Credit Card Acquisition, Wealth & Personal Banking at HSBC Bank Canada
- Andrew d’Amours, co-founder of Flytrippers, one of Canada’s top websites for flight deals and cheap fares
- Tiezheng Bu, creator of Vicarious Voyager, one of YouTube’s hottest flight review channels
- Scott Kennedy, well-known frequent flyer and creator of several popular tools that help Canadian points collectors travel better
Food & Drink
Attendees will receive two (2) complimentary drink vouchers, which can be exchanged for beer, wine, basic cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages at the venue’s bar.
Prince of Travel Royal Platinum members will receive one (1) additional complimentary drink voucher.
Additional beverages will be available for purchase.
In addition, staff will be passing around a series of light canapés, ranging from local favourites like smoked meat sandwiches to elevated offerings like lobster & caviar, for attendees to snack on as we mingle. Gluten-free and vegetarian options will be available.
The Agenda
We’ll start with guest registration at 12:30pm, followed by opening remarks at 1pm.
I’ll kick off our event proceedings with a fireside chat discussion with Ryan Swain from HSBC Bank Canada, in which we’ll discuss HSBC’s plans for their credit card and loyalty portfolio in Canada and grill them on their areas for improvement. 😉
In addition to the questions that I’ll be posing to Ryan, you’ll also have the opportunity to interact with our special guest in a live audience Q&A session after the discussion.
After that, I’ll be joined by our guests Andrew d’Amours from Flytrippers, Tiezheng Bu from Vicarious Voyager, and Prince of Travel team members to discuss the unique challenges around travel during the post-pandemic era.
Andrew and I have both navigated many challenges along our travels over the past few years, so we’ll be sharing our stories and perspectives of what travel may look like over the course of its recovery over the next few years.
After breaking for a first round of networking, we’ll hear from Prince of Travel team member Amy Tung on “How & Why to Become a Travel Agent”.
Amy has recently navigated the process of completing her travel agent certification, and will be sharing that experience with us and some unique perks that come with it.
Lastly, I’ll be joined by our guest Scott Kennedy for a unique interactive session that I’m very excited for: a live-action demonstration of searching and booking award travel, in which we’ll take the audience’s suggestions for the most complex award trips you can dream up and weave together an optimized award booking strategy.
Prize Draw
We’re thrilled to offer two spectacular grand prizes at the event. Lucky attendees may walk away with each of the following:
- WOW Suite, W Montreal: Win a complimentary one-night stay in the W Montreal‘s WOW Suite, an impressive bi-level suite with world-class amenities and sweeping terrace views of Square Victoria.
- $500 Prepaid Mastercard: Win a $500 (CAD) prepaid Mastercard courtesy of HSBC Bank Canada. You must present an active HSBC credit card to enter this prize draw!
We’ll also have additional prizes to be announced later on and at the event itself.
Merchandise
As with our Vancouver event last year, Prince of Travel merchandise will be available for purchase at the Signature Event Montreal 2022.
We’re also excited to debut a new merchandise item at the event: the Prince of Travel branded face mask.
In addition, every guest will receive a dedicated amenity kit that serves as the “swag bag”, complete with collectible items specific to the Montreal 2022 event.
Meet the Prince of Travel Team
Along with myself, our fellow Prince of Travel team members Josh, T.J., Jayce, Amy, Rohin, Rachel, Richard, Ben, Alex, Sophie, and Melissa will also be attending the event.
Alas, Kirin will be enjoying the sunset from the W Maldives on the day, but he’s promised to FaceTime in from his pool deck.
Learn More
As mentioned above, you’ll find all the details that you need to know over at our official event page.
Why You Should Attend
I’ve always championed the notion that attending in-person Miles & Points events can accelerate your learning process by many orders of magnitude, as you get to learn firsthand from a large group of fellow practitioners who are all extremely eager to discuss our shared passion with other people who are just as passionate about the same thing.
By taking advantage of events like these to build your network and connect with everyone else, you’re able to absorb information and learn the tricks of the trade much faster than simply scouring for information online.
Over the past few years, I’ve witnessed many individuals going from an absolute beginner to a seasoned practitioner in very a short span of time.
All of these enthusiasts had recognized the value of in-person events at the beginning of their journey, taking the opportunity to meet others, make friends, set up group chats, and exchange knowledge over the long run in a mutually beneficial manner.
That’s the key to success in this game, if you ask me – and indeed, I myself had followed a similar path back in the day, having picked up a few bits and pieces of information here and there when I first started, but only significantly boosting my learning process upon attending an event in 2016.
And now, with the phenomenon of “revenge travel” just around the corner, it’s never been more important to meet and connect with like-minded individuals who can help you raise your game and avoid paying skyrocketing travel prices over the coming years.
On our part here at Prince of Travel, as in-person events become more feasible, we’re looking to put together as many of these events as possible across a wide range of event styles to facilitate these conversations and get more people interested in Miles & Points.
In doing so, I’m convinced that we can spread the joys of travel far and wide and help as many people as possible go on some amazing trips that they’d otherwise never get to experience.
COVID‑19 Precautions
Prince of Travel and the W Montreal are fully committed to following all health and safety guidelines set forth by the federal and provincial governments. Our event will operate under the Province of Quebec’s guidelines for indoor events.
- To learn more about Quebec’s provincial guidelines, please visit the Province of Quebec website.
- To learn more about W Montreal’s Commitment to Clean, please visit the hotel’s What to Expect page on the Marriott website.
We encourage attendees to stay home if they are experiencing any COVID‑19 symptoms or has come into contact with a confirmed case of COVID‑19.
In the unlikely situation that the event is unable to go ahead due to formal COVID‑19 regulations introduced by the Province of Quebec, the event will be rescheduled for a future date. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled date, you may opt for a full refund of the ticket price and taxes.
Get Your Tickets Now
General admission tickets are priced at $199 (CAD) per person, and are now available for purchase as of Monday, February 28.
Prince of Travel members receive discounts based on their membership tier:
- Royal Platinum members receive a $60 discount on their first ticket.
- Platinum members receive a $40 discount on their first ticket.
- Gold members receive a $20 discount on their first ticket.
The VIP Evening Social is now sold out. Additional tickets will be available as part of the event’s prize draw.
Between the discussions of the more advanced topics in our space, the wealth of knowledge and experience among our special guests and fellow attendees, and the opportunity to win one of two spectacular grand prizes, I have no doubt that you’ll be getting excellent value for money.
If you’re interested in attending, you may view all the event details and purchase your tickets at the Prince of Travel Signature Event Montreal 2022 official page.
Space at the venue is limited, and many were left disappointed at previous events when they hesitated on purchasing tickets and the event reached capacity. I would therefore recommend securing your tickets sooner rather than later!
If you have any questions about the event besides those listed under Frequently Asked Questions on the event page, don’t hesitate to reach out, either via our contact form or by leaving a comment below.
See you at the W Montreal on April 2!
Any ms talks?
I think there will indeed be some MS talk in our discussions – the topic always inevitably comes up at these events.