The Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) has revealed the venue for its 2020 awards, as well as releasing details of the event format.
This year’s CATO Awards will be held at Hyatt Regency Sydney on Friday 23 October and, in a fresh take on the event’s evening structure, the seated formalities will be completed in under 90 minutes.
CATO managing director Brett Jardine said this means there will be plenty of time left for pre-drinks, networking, grazing from live cooking stations, hitting the dance floor, and sampling delicious roaming canapés and desserts from around the world.
“The CATO Awards will not be just another awards night,” he said.
“We want everyone who attends the CATO Awards to spend more time interacting and celebrating than seated and watching an awards ceremony.”
The primary purpose of the CATO Awards is for the land-supply tourism sector to recognise the outstanding achievements of retail travel agents as well as trade and mainstream media.
But, as Jardine noted, there’s plenty in it for CATO members, too, despite not being up for awards themselves.
“The interactive nature of the awards night and the promotional lead-up to it offer brilliant opportunities for tour operators, wholesalers and suppliers to engage deeply with their retail partners and showcase their unique offerings,” he said.
The CATO Awards categories focus on areas of specialisation offered by members, and winners will be crowned in the following categories:
- Agency of the Year – Europe
- Agency of the Year – Americas
- Agency of the Year – Asia
- Agency of the Year – Africa/Middle East
- Agency of the Year – Oceania
- Consultant of the Year – Group Touring
- Consultant of the Year – Adventure
- Consultant of the Year – Youth Travel
- Consultant of the Year – Ski
- Consultant of the Year – FIT
- Rookie of the Year
- Trade Media Award
- Consumer Media Award
- CATO Hall of Fame Award
Full details of the CATO Awards nomination process will be announced in the coming months, and tickets to the event can be purchased here.
CATO Awards need-to-knows
Date: Friday 23 October 2020
Time: 6pm until late
Location: Hyatt Regency Sydney, 161 Sussex St, Sydney
Tickets: $150 per person
Dress code: cocktail
