Policies and regulations

I- Introduction

The objective of Bienvenue Québec’s functioning procedures is to create and maintain a framework where delegates can conclude an optimal number of appointments in a fair and efficient manner.

  • The rules, their application, and the penalties help ensure that:
    • In an extremely competitive market where millions of dollars change hands, each company is treated fairly, and none suffer from non-compliance with the rules.
    • Only those registered for Bienvenue Québec are authorized to be present on the physical premises of the event or in the virtual rooms for the appointments.
  • The rules govern all the activities that take place during Bienvenue Québec. It is important that all participants read, understand, and agree to abide by the policies contained on this page.
  • Non-compliance with the rules is a violation of the contract under which Bienvenue Québec has agreed to register and accredit a person. This contract may be terminated without further notice. In serious cases, the penalties may even apply to future years.
  • Bienvenue Québec employees are mandated to fully enforce the rules appearing in this document.
  • Bienvenue Québec employees have the appropriate training and hold the necessary powers to this end, and they are capable of responding to complaints professionally and interpreting the rules correctly.
  • Bienvenue Québec employees are also mandated to enforce any Public Health order or recommendation in effect, in light of the prevailing health situation at the time of the event.

II - FUNCTIONING OF BIENVENUE QUÉBEC

The Bus Carriers Federation is responsible for managing Bienvenue Québec and determining the policies that govern it.

In light of the pandemic related to COVID-19 and its variants, the Bus Carriers Federation wishes to reiterate that it will enforce all regulations, laws, and orders arising from the Public Health Act.

In-person component
All activities included in the program will take place at the Hotel Bonaventure Montreal, as well as places in the City of Montreal chosen by the organizer. However, some appointments may take place in virtual format with participants registered for this component; in-person participants must therefore bring their own technological tools (laptop, tablet, or cell phone) to the event.

Virtual component
A virtual room is assigned to the buyer to conduct their appointments with sellers. Sellers registered for this component will have to log in to the buyer’s virtual room to conduct each of their appointments. Certain target activities in the event program will be broadcast live on the web (view program).

III - “Bienvenue Québec” trademark

Bienvenue Québec is an official copyright-protected trademark. The use of this registered trademark, which is owned by the Bus Carriers Federation, is reserved for the promotion of the event by its organizers, and it must not be printed, used, or displayed without the express written permission of the Federation.

IV - PARTICIPANT SELECTION CRITERIA AND RESTRICTIONS

BUYERS

Buyers with appointments schedule

a) Buyers with appointments must first be approved by the Bus Carriers Federation, in accordance with the recommendations made by the Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec, the Canadian Tourism Commission, professional tourism organizations, industry representatives, and sellers participating in Bienvenue Québec.

b) Buyers with appointments must develop and sell packages in Quebec, including accommodations, transportation, and activities at a minimum.

c) Buyers with appointments must have operated at least one group travel departure or at least 50 days of group travel in Quebec for the 12-month period preceding the date of the company’s registration application, unless they are participating in Bienvenue Québec for the first time.

d) In the event that a buyer with an appointment is soliciting the Quebec destination for the first time, they will have to show significant development in the two years following their first participation in Bienvenue Québec.

e) Buyers with appointments must hold public all-risk civil liability insurance, professional liability insurance, and error and omission insurance coverage from a reputable insurance company.

f) Buyers with appointments must comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations and be duly qualified and licenced to do business in each jurisdiction that requires such qualifications or licences.

g) The buyer must delegate an English-speaking decision-making representative. In the event that the representative is participating in the in-person event, they must comply with the vaccination coverage required by the Government of Québec, if applicable.

h) The buyer must be able to demonstrate that they are prepared to enter into contracts with sellers during the Exchange.

i) The buyer must hold all the appropriate operating licences.

SELLERS

Sellers with appointments schedule

a) The types of companies accepted as sellers are: agrotourism activities, adventure activities, nature, outdoor, learning activities, aquariums, inns, casinos, shopping centres, health centres and spas, resorts, chains, cruises, destinations (DMOs), festivals, golf courses, hotels, gardens, microbreweries, museums, parks/outfitters, amusement parks, picnic areas, tourist residences (condos, cottages, apartments), restaurants, performance spaces (offering a regular program), guide services, agrotourism sites and local products, cultural sites, industrial sites, religious sites, sports venues, ski resorts, Indigenous tourism, transportation (only carriers who are members of the Bus Carriers Federation), orchards, vineyards, and zoos.

b) Coach operators, tour operators, and incoming agencies must both be members of the Bus Carriers Federation and be previously registered as buyers with the Exchange.

c) Any company with vehicles that meet the definition of a minibus as stated in section 4 of the Highway Safety Code must be a member of the Bus Carriers Federation to participate in Bienvenue Québec.

d) All companies that wish to register for Bienvenue Québec as sellers with appointments must be members of the Bus Carriers Federation from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023.

e) Bienvenue Québec requirement concerning membership with the Bus Carriers Federation: In order for the Bienvenue Québec registration requiring membership with the Federation to be valid, the civic address in the member file must match the civic address in the registration.

f) The seller must delegate a bilingual (French and English) decision-making representative, and the product or service that they represent must be ready for international marketing. In the event that the representative is participating in the in-person event, they must comply with the vaccination coverage required by the Government of Québec, if applicable.

g) Companies registered for Bienvenue Québec are required to have an English version of their website.

h) The seller must be able to demonstrate that they are prepared to enter into contracts with buyers during the Exchange by being capable of offering net contractual rates according to the sales intermediaries and respecting these rates for the duration of the agreement. The products must be available immediately or in time to meet the operating needs of the buyers present.

i) The seller must communicate and accept reservations or requests for information by telephone or email.

j) The seller must establish billing agreements with the operator, agency, or tour company.

k) The seller must hold all the appropriate operating licences.

l) Criteria “h” and “j” do not apply to tourism marketing boards or industry associations.

V - COMPANY POSTING POLICY

Sellers or buyers with appointments must submit a “company profile” that lists the products and/or services that they are looking for or selling. The company profiles will be posted for appointment requests.

vi - appointments

  1. Registration entitles each company (buyer or seller) with an appointment to a single set of appointments. In the event that the company wishes to register more than one delegate with an appointment, it will have to complete another registration form.
  2. Registration allows each company (buyer or seller) with an appointment to submit appointment requests for which each delegate is responsible.
  3. Bienvenue Québec provides 4 appointment sessions. The number of appointment sessions varies according to the availabilities chosen by the delegate. For all appointment sessions, the buyers have the virtual room.
  4. A notification indicates the start of each meeting. It is the responsibility of each delegate to respect the appointment time.
  5. All appointment requests from buyers and sellers are submitted via the web platform. Everyone must accept or reject the requests that they receive from either side.
  6. Only sellers who have paid the registration fees will have access to the appointment request platform and be displayed to buyers.
  7. All scheduled appointments are mandatory. If a delegate is prevented for one reason or another from attending the scheduled appointment, they are asked to notify the delegate with whom they had the appointment via the web platform.