Schedule
November 4-6, 2025 - Inuvik, NWT
We can’t wait to see you!
2025 Speakers
Robin Esrock
Keynote Speaker
Robin Esrock’s career as a global adventurer, award-winning travel writer, bestselling author, and international TV host began with an unexpected twist. After a bike accident left him with a broken kneecap and a $20,000 insurance payout, Robin set off on a solo year-long backpacking journey to 24 countries. Sharing weekly reports, photography, videos, and interviews, he helped pioneer modern travel journalism across digital platforms.
Before discovering travel writing, Robin explored careers in media and music. In London, he worked with the Sunday Times, BBC, Reuters, and FilmFour. After immigrating to Canada, he founded a record label and worked with global artists like Coldplay and Norah Jones.
Robin’s travel stories have appeared in National Geographic Traveler, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, Sydney Morning Herald, Reader’s Digest, and more. He has featured on 60 Minutes, CNN, MSNBC, and Forbes Travel, and contributed columns to The Globe and Mail, MSN, and Canadian Geographic.
Robin Esrock co-created and hosted Word Travels, a groundbreaking TV series filmed in 36 countries. The show aired in over 100 nations on National Geographic, OLN, Travel Channel, and Amazon Prime. He also created the award-winning food series Get Stuffed.
Robin has inspired audiences at Scotiabank, IBM, Deloitte, Tourism New Zealand, and more. His TEDx talk on travel’s transformative power has over one million views.
He is the bestselling author of The Great Canadian Bucket List, The Great Global Bucket List, and The Great Australian Bucket List. Robin has earned numerous awards, including a 2024 Lowell Thomas Gold Medal, and holds fellowships with the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and SATW.
Now having reported from over 120 countries on 7 continents, Robin Esrock continues to write, blog, share, talk about and film his ongoing adventures. He lives in Vancouver with his wife and two children.
How do you inspire the right strategy for the right place and time? How do you introduce new ideas but manage expectations? Across 20 years and 7 continents, renowned travel personality Robin Esrock has worked with hundreds of tourism organizations, companies, media outlets and brands, sharing personal adventures and hard-won insights on the road to success. With stunning photography and the world as his canvas, Robin identifies and leaps over our personal and professional obstacles, exploring how to successfully manage risk; embrace new technology; earn our luck; and engage both teams and guests through the power of authentic storytelling.
Marsha Walden
President & CEO, Destination Canada
Marsha’s career spans leadership roles in strategy and organizational renewal, marketing and communications, corporate social responsibility, operations management, and business innovation. She has worked with enterprises in many of Canada’s flagship industries and found her true calling in tourism.
Marsha joined Destination Canada as President and CEO in August 2020 in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is proud to lead a team of passionate professionals who share a common purpose of inspiring those with glowing hearts to fall in love with Canada – enriching the lives of visitors and enhancing the quality of life of Canadians. Previously, Marsha led the team at Destination British Columbia, initiating ground-breaking strategies for tourism development and data-driven performance marketing.
A resident of North Vancouver, Marsha holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and is an active volunteer with the YMCA of Greater Vancouver, BC Business Laureates, and The Presidents Group, championing inclusive employment. Marsha’s glowing hearts Canadian moment was wildlife touring in Haida Gwaii and witnessing humpback whales bubble-net feeding nearby.
Phiilip MOndor
President & CEO, Tourism HR Canada
Philip is an accomplished leader with nearly 35 years of experience working with labour market stakeholders across Canada and abroad including foreign governments, pan-global organizations, Canadian and non-Canadian businesses, and various education and training bodies. Throughout his career, he has been called upon to offer input to various workforce policy directives with governments and associations. Philip served on federal ministerial advisory committees, several Board of Directors, and volunteers for causes that help advance workforce issues and improve opportunities for people to engage in community and meaningful employment. Currently, he is a Director on the Board of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, a member of the Program Advisory Board for the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management at the University of Guelph, part of Okanagan College’s Tourism Advisory Committee, and the Labour Market Information Council’s National Stakeholder Advisory Panel.
Trevor Tessier
Training Facilitator
As a Marketing Strategist, Educator, and Speaker, Trevor specializes in crafting comprehensive marketing strategies and implementing cutting-edge online marketing solutions. With a passion for empowering businesses, he provides expert consulting and training services designed to drive growth and success. Trevor's expertise spans digital marketing strategy, social media marketing, online advertising, web analytics, with a particular focus on the tourism industry.
Trevor has guided countless professionals in mastering effective marketing techniques. Speaking engagements include seminars, conferences, and webinars for organizations such as Travel Alberta, Edmonton Regional Tourism Group, Family Friendly Business Alliance, and TEC Edmonton. Each presentation is designed to deliver actionable insights that inspire businesses to evolve and thrive in an ever-changing marketing landscape.
NWT Tourism is excited to host an engaging training session with Trevor, who will share his expertise on website design and management, social media and email marketing (including both paid and organic strategies), booking platforms and channel managers, as well as virtual support for administrative and marketing tasks.
