The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has run some of the most innovative campaigns in recent years and its messages pop up in some eye-catching positions, such as arrival corridors at IMEX. Now Business Events Canada (BEC) is the new name for CTC’s MICE marketing arm and has targetted seven priority sectors where Canada is particularly competitive: aerospace; agriculture and food; clean technology; infrastructure/engineering; information/communication technology; life sciences and natural resources.
Meetings, conventions and incentive travel attracts 2m visitors each year to Canada and a spend of CAD$1.7bn (US$1.59bn). Canada is the No. 1 location for outbound meetings business from the US, which brings in about $1.4bn annually.
Michele Saran, BEC Executive Director, tells CMW: “The new strategy has resulted in us securing the 2014/2015 TED Conference in Vancouver.”
Québec
The Québec City Convention Centre is undergoing a 6,789sqm expansion that means it will be able to host 2,000 delegates in extra event space early in 2014.
Auberge Saint-Antoine has new event space, Le Quai du Cap Blanc on Samuel de Champlain Promenade. With views over the St Lawrence River, a banquet lounge can accommodate 300 guests.
There are 11 new meeting rooms at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, following a CAD$66m renovation project completed in November 2013.
Edmonton
The Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel opened in March 2013, offering 213 guest rooms and 20 meeting rooms.
A new downtown Hyatt Place opens winter 2014 with a conference centre.
Calgary
A big political conference was postponed in June when flooding hit Calgary. It didn’t stop Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre opening with 120 guestrooms and views of the Rocky Mountains. Located near Calgary International Airport, the hotel has 929sqm of meeting space, including a large ballroom.
The Runway Development Project at the International Airport, Canada’s fourth busiest, will mean the A380 and B747-800 can be easily accommodated. The runway should be open by June 2014.
Banff Lake Louise
In May 2013, following a $13.8m investment, Parks Canada re-opened the Cave & Basin, a unique heritage area with venues including: Story Hall, Belvedere and The Historic Pool Deck, as well as the new Galletly building which includes a 40-seat theatre for special events.
Opening in May 2014, the Brewster Glacier Skywalk will let visitors explore glacier formations 280m above the Sunwapta Valley.
Halifax
The Halifax Marriott Harbourfront’s expanded meeting space is the largest convention space in any hotel in Halifax.
Big recent convention wins for the Nova Scotia city include Harmony Inc, which will bring 1,200 delegates to Halifax in 2017 and the International Conference on Biomagnetism, attraccting 800 delegates in 2014.
A Hampton Inn and a Homewood Suites by Hilton are scheduled to open in downtown Halifax in spring 2014. The two hotels will be joined by the 650sqm Silverbirch Convention Centre, all part of a $62m redevelopment.
Toronto
Canada’s No.1 convention facility, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, sits in a district with 10,000 hotel rooms. It boasts 55,700sqm of meetings and events space and the John Bassett Theatre that seats 1,332 delegates. The Centre recently completed a $29m renovation.
The Sheraton Centre Toronto has expanded its conference facilities with the addition of two ballrooms and an executive meeting floor.
The Westin Harbour Castle Toronto Hotel has a new Lakeview Terrace with views of Lake Ontario and the Union Pearson (UP) Express is a new air rail link that will start running in 2015.
CMW’s Richard John was recently in Toronto and reports:
“I’ve rarely seen such a concentration of five-star hotels. The Trump Tower was as over the top as its owner’s hair, but the Ritz Carlton was understated perfection.
“I don’t profess to be a great culture vulture but venues such as the Royal Ontario Museum Art Gallery of Ottawa (AGO) kept me entertained for far longer than I anticipated Toronto is an incredibly walkable city and the waterfront is being upgraded. The little airport in the city harbour, named after air ace Billy Bishop, is a joy; it’s accessed by ferry although a pedestrian tunnel should open next year.
“The convention centre is in the heart of the city, but a host of first-class meetings and events spaces are offered in exhibition park, a short ride away. Some of the buildings are stunning; the Allstream Centre is an Art Deco structure, originally built for car shows, there’s ballrooms and meetings rooms, with an underground link to other halls. Also on the site is the Liberty Grand Entertainment complex, popular for upmarket meetings and dinners. For small events with a wow factor, consider the Toronto International Film Festival building, known as the Bell Lightbox. A quarter of Hollywood productions are actually filmed in Toronto. And Niagara Falls lies just 75 miles south.”
Ottawa
The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is part of the ‘Green Capital’ appeal of the capital, Ottawa, while the recently opened Events Pavilion can host large outdoor events.
Real Sports Bar and Grill which opened in November 2012, is a two-storey venue within Ottawa’s ByWard Market.
This bilingual G8 capital’s venue portfolio also includes: The Ottawa Convention Centre, The Ernst and Young Centre, The Canada Aviation and Space Museum and the Museum of Civilisation.
In 2013, EscapeHere (a US travel site) ranked Ottawa as the second safest city for women to travel alone. Only Copenhagen ranked higher.
Vancouver
Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump officially announced the development of the $360m Trump International Hotel and Tower Vancouver this year. Situated in the Coal Harbour, the 63-storey property will be among the city’s highest towers once completed in 2016, second only to the Shangri-La Vancouver. The hotel includes several meeting spaces.
Winnipeg
There is a $180m expansion of the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg due for completion in 2016. The expansion will double the event space to 24,500sqm.
This was first published in issue 74 of CMW. Any comments? Email cmw@mashmedia.net
