by Pádraic Gilligan, Founder, SoolNua & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE
Stay Strange St John’s
I saw a t shirt in the window of one of St John’s, Newfoundland many independent retailers that said: “Stay Strange St. John’s”, a variation on the wonderful “Keep Austin weird” tagline. Following my week in Canada’s most eastern provincial capital, I’m saying St. John’s is neither strange nor weird but I think I know where they’re coming from!
St. John’s studiously eschews metro-cool slickness and sophistication, super-comfortable in its “take me as you find me” vibe. Global chains like Starbucks are conspicuous by their absence replaced, instead, by a plethora of shabby-chic coffee shops with de rigeur beards, tattoos, piercings and dock martens. And while I may not appear on the menu, they all know how to craft a great flat white.
Fred’s, a magical record store near our hotel, has a treasure trove of new and used vinyl, CDs and, believe it or not, cassette tapes. Celebrating 50 years in St. John’s, Fred’s is impressively heavy on Irish trad and local Newfoundland artists.
Nearby, Elaine’s books was a surprise and delight of great second hand titles while, SALT, a gender neutral apparel store, launched by two friends in 2017 is a values-led business dedicated to “celebrating personal expression and making meaningful expressions.” No boring globalisation or banal homogenisation here!
The people of St. John’s, Newfoundland are genuine, warm and friendly without that irritating, over-caffeinated “have a nice day” familiarity you sometimes find south of the border. Traffic flows in St. John’s as freely as the bar conversations and cars slow down and pause as this jaywalking, undisciplined Irish guy makes his way across the road at unauthorised crossing points. It’s slower here, but more accepting and tolerant.
Locals I talked to comment on an evolving, changing demography that lost its cod fisheries in the 90s, grew prosperous with oil in the noughties and is now coming to terms with opioid induced vagrancy, previously unseen on the streets of St. John’s. Whatever the underlying challenges – and what town or city is without them? – I experienced a wonderfully irreverent city of shining souls that made me feel genuinely at home.
St. John’s, Newfoundland hosts Incentive Summit Americas
When St. John’s was announced as the host destination for Incentive Summit Americas, it must be admitted, eyebrows were raised and questions asked. “But it’s not an incentive destination” we were told. Now, following a thoroughly triumphant event, delivered under mostly azur Floridian skies, there are 125 new brand ambassadors for Destination St John’s, all appropriated screeched!
Our host property for ISA, Alt Hotel, is part of Le Germain Hotels, a brilliantly conceived and designed family-owned brand originating in Montreal. Situated on the waterfront, Alt provides dynamic and gracious hospitality, capturing the vibrant energy of the destination with its large, lively lobby that serves as a colourful community space. Our welcome function was held on the garden terrace, where views of a working port with massive container ships on one side, contrast with a beautifully curated kitchen garden, complete with greens, herbs, and tomatoes, on the other.
Distinctive Experiences at St. John’s, Newfoundland
A key objective of Incentive Summit Americas is to showcase the one-of-a-kind activities and distinctive experiences that the destination offers to corporate qualifiers. Over two days, we got to choose from a range of exceptional options, all drawing us into the beautiful landscape and rugged topography of Newfoundland. I took the Quidi Vidi hike, a demanding climb to the top of Signal Hill followed by a steep descent to the eponymous village where beer flights and delicious fish & chips were served at the local brewery. En route, we were treated to some unscheduled, but greatly appreciated, whale activity in the waters below.
Others amongst us took to the skies and enjoyed a heli-ride around the Newfoundland Irish Loop, a 312km circuit of the south-eastern section of the Avalon Peninsula, tracing 400 years of shared traditions between Ireland and Newfoundland. I heard wonderful stories of a perfect picnic of home-baked treats served at the Ferryland lighthouse. I also heard less enthusiastic comments about the defecating puffins that unloaded liberally and indiscriminately on our participants. You want diversity, equity and inclusion? We’ll give it to you!
What we learned in St. John’s, Newfoundland
Another key objective of ISA is education and for that we decamped to the Signal Hill campus of Memorial University, enjoying stunning views over St. John’s Harbour from our high eyrie on the side of the hill. SITE’s CEO, Annette Gregg, delivered a pacey keynote on “What’s in store for 24” and led an instructional conversation on DEIB with Jeff Fehr, Client Engagement Manager at Destination Canada. Jeff shared a great but all too typical story of checking into a hotel with his husband. When the receptionist intoned “Two queens?” Jeff replied “Technically yes, but we’d prefer a king!”
On day 2, former MMA fighter turned humanitarian and philanthropist, Justin Wren, delivered one of the most honest, poignant and ultimately redemptive keynotes I’ve ever heard. Viking-esque in stature, with long blond locks and a beard that could hide a small army, Justin detailed his elevation from brutally bullied boy to MMA master before ocytocin plunged him into a spiral of despair and attempted suicide. His redemption story involved a transformational journey from the waters of Mexico to the Congo basin where he found purpose and passion helping indigenous people get access to clean water.
Justin’s keynote was powerful, impactful and deeply resonant and, needless to say, by the end of his address, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. For me, however, it was his undisputed decency, kindness and gentle humility that shone through, particularly in the many personal encounters that so many of us had with him before and after the keynote. Justin is truly the real deal. May God bless his work.
And then we all got screeched …
ISA is intentionally designed with generous gaps in the scheduling to foster connections and relationship building, and to allow the destination to shine through with its cultural traditions, gastronomy and entertainment. Our closing event on day one brought us up the steep hill to The Rooms, a cultural centre / museum as visible on the St. John’s skyline as the storied catholic basilica. On day two, instead, we were taken to The St John’s Fish Exchange, a fine dining bar and restaurant for a cornucopia of fresh fishy delights. And that’s where we all got well and truly screeched.
Getting screeched in St. John’s is an initiation rite as strange and weird as St. John’s may claim to be. It involves a rubber Sou’wester, a morsel of meat, a shot of rum, a frozen cod and the swearing of an oath. You wear the Sou’wester, eat the meat, shoot the rum, kiss the cod and reply “Indeed I is” to whatever question you are asked. You are then a Newfoundlander. Simple as.
We all got suitably and appropriately screeched, finally pitching up at O’Reilly’s to bring our St. John’s, Newfoundland sojourn to a reluctant conclusion and return, heart-filled and memory-rich, to our respective homes.
Massive thanks to Destination Canada and Destination St. John’s for working with SITE to craft this unforgettable group travel experiences in a place that few of us had previously been too. A big shout out too to Stan Cooke of Rock & Water / Stan Cooke Travel for the insights, the raucous laughs, the insider tips and, above all, the camaraderie.
All the better pix here are taken by Joey Woolridge [aka Jojokabo] whom you can find here https://www.instagram.com/jojokabo/. Be sure to view his full gallery for Incentive Summit Americas here.
