Vocabulary

tourism

The act of travelling to and exploring a place outside one’s usual environment for leisure or enjoyment.

tourism industry

A sector of economic activity that encompasses transportation services, accommodation and food services on the one hand, and recreational activities designed to meet visitors’ needs on the other hand.
NOTES: The term tourism is sometimes used in the sense of tourism industry.

business tourism

A sector of economic activity, typically business trips and business travel for the purpose of attending corporate events, training and information events, and events for commercial or corporate activities, along with activities and services provided by professionals in the field of leisure travel.
NOTES: The term corporate includes associations, federations and other non-profit organizations (NPOs).

business travel
work trip

Travel that involves an overnight stay for professional purposes.

work trip
business travel

Travel that involves an overnight stay for professional purposes.

business trip

A journey to a place some distance away, including accommodation, to perform work-related activities.

day visitor
excursionist

Person who makes a trip that involves one or more overnight stays, but not longer than one year, outside his or her home town, and who stays in a commercial or private establishment.

excursionist
day visitor

A person who makes a return same-day trip outside the municipality, covering a distance of at least 40 kilometres each way.

tourist

Person who makes a trip that involves one or more overnight stays, but not longer than one year, outside his or her home town, and who stays in a commercial or private establishment.

event planners’ show

An event at which exhibitors forge business ties and network with invited event planners whose expenses are paid if they qualify under confidential criteria established by the event promoter.

familiarization tour

A trip organized to promote a destination to event planners by having them visit and get to know a city or region, based on an itinerary with fixed stops or visits (e.g. hotels, tourist attractions, companies) and encouraging them to organize events in these locations.
NOTES: Sometimes “fam tour”

inspection visit

A trip that is organized and personalized for an event planner to confirm the feasibility of the planner’s event (e.g. hotels or rooms), based on the client’s specific characteristics and organizational needs.

events

The business tourism market for business trips and travel can be divided into four (4) sectors:

• corporate events;
• training and information events;
• events for commercial activities;
• events for corporate activities.

AGM
annual general meeting
annual meeting

annual general meeting
annual meeting
AGM

annual meeting
annual general meeting
AGM

incentive travel

meeting

retreat

reward trip

colloquium

A meeting of a limited number of experts who have been invited to present their ideas on a specific theme, discuss the theme and deal with conflicting ideas if necessary.

congress

A provincial, national or international meeting that brings together a large number of people to exchange ideas on a predetermined theme that they have in common.
NOTES: The people who attend a congress are called attendees.

forum

A meeting that is open to the public, at which questions relating to a particular theme are debated, generally to promote exchanges among participants.

gathering

A meeting that brings together a high number of people in view of taking joint action.

lecture

A public oral presentation designed to inform participants about a targeted theme.

seminar

A scientific meeting with a limited number of people, generally chaired by an expert moderator, with the objective of studying specific questions related to their discipline or specialty.
NOTES: As a general rule, a seminar is given as a form of training.

symposium

A scientific congress that brings together a limited number of experts to exchange opinions on a specific subject.

workshop

A working group of limited size brought together to discuss a particular subject or theme and to formulate principles and find methods and best practices for the theme or subject in question.
NOTES: A workshop is often a break-out session from a more general meeting and is generally part of a more broad-based event (e.g. a congress or colloquium).

exhibition

A large public presentation that charges admission, in a predetermined place and for a limited time, showing products from a specific sphere of economic activities or having to do with the products or objects on display.

fair

An industrial and commercial exhibition for the general public, generally including a fair component, held periodically, frequently outdoors, at which exhibitors, producers or merchants present and sell many products, notably regional products.
NOTES: Fairs are the oldest kind of commercial event. The term fair is often used, erroneously, in the sense of show.

show

A regular commercial event (e.g. the Salon du livre de Montréal, the Salon des artisans et des métiers d’arts de Québec) at which exhibitors, producers or merchants in a specific sphere of activities in a particular industry or trade offer to the general public a predetermined category of products, notably their latest new products that they want to promote and sell.
NOTES: In French, the term Salon is capitalized when used in this sense.

specialized exhibition

A commercial event reserved for groups or experts in a predetermined sector or group of sectors to present products or services to professional buyers.
NOTES: By invitation only, most specialized exhibitions do not admit the general public, or admit them only for a limited time.

tourism exchange

An event that provides an opportunity for buyers and sellers to organize individual or collective meetings that are often pre-determined, designed to foster information exchanges, and limited to prequalified and selected clients or potential suppliers.

trade fair

An event that brings together by invitation partners and suppliers who are required to register, from a target group of merchants affiliated with the host of the exhibition or members of a professional association, to offer a range of products and services at interesting prices, often based on a specific theme.

team building

A technique that involves a range of activities that bring together a work team to foster and improve mutual understanding and respect for their respective skills and abilities, making teamwork more effective.
NOTES: Various methods, such as games and techniques for stimulating the imagination, may be used to create an atmosphere of openness that fosters ingenuity, the acquisition of new tools and a sense of belonging to the team.

hotel

A commercial establishment in a predetermined category that offers tourists paid accommodation and generally ancillary services as well (e.g. meeting rooms, food services).

site

A place that is configured for business events, with a property complex that includes facilities and equipment, but no on-site accommodation.
NOTES: Sites are generally configured in such a way as to promote universal accessibility (for people with reduced mobility) and increasingly, sustainable development concerns.

Four types of establishments come under this category:

• conference centres;
• congress centres;
• non-traditional sites;
• trade fair centres;

conference centre

A property complex that includes on-site facilities and equipment, with modular rooms, generally connected to hotel facilities, with a limited capacity and offering a range of services that are indispensable for holding such events.
NOTES: The terms conference centre and congress centre are not synonymous, although they are sometimes used interchangeably in English. A conference centre is much smaller than a congress centre.

congress centre

A very large property complex that includes on-site facilities and equipment, with modular rooms, sometimes connected to hotel facilities, that can accommodate various large events with thousands of attendees and offering a range of services that are indispensable for holding such events.
NOTES: The terms congress centre and conference centre are not synonymous, although they are sometimes used interchangeably in English. A congress centre is much larger than a conference

non-traditional site

A place (e.g. a museum, the Botanical Garden of Montreal, a golf club) that rents space for business events, without that being its primary vocation.

trade fair centre

A multifunctional property complex that includes a large rough floor space where booths can be set up, notably suited to holding large exhibitions, shows, and corporate activities.
NOTES: Ancillary services and equipment are generally sub-contracted to external suppliers.