CMW caught up with executive director, business events, Destination Canada, Chantal Sturk-Nadeau, to gauge Canada’s conference comeback post-Covid Destination Canada’s executive director, Business Events Canada, Chantal Sturk-Nadeau says that, “after two plus years of navigating the constant turns of Covid-19, the future of our industry is once again looking bright.” Sourcing and booking activity is the highest it has been since the pandemic began, she notes, and BE Canada is now seeing leads primarily come from three economic sectors: life sciences, finance and insurance, and technology. “Leads are coming in from the corporate short-term segment,” Sturk-Nadeau says, noting also a strong uptick from international associations and booking windows for associational business globally being shorter than they’ve ever been. So, what are the priorities now? “Throughout the pandemic, the Business Events team remained committed to telling powerful stories about the extraordinary experiences to reward top performers in Canada,” says Sturk-Nadeau. “We have highlighted Canada’s diverse destinations through content marketing, panel discussions and interviews, attendance at trade shows and more. These efforts have paid off and we have seen a surge in interest among international groups that want to host incentives in Canada. That said, we know it’s a dramatically different world, so, our focus is on aligning our offerings with the latest trends in the industry.” Sturk-Nadeau says personalisation is key and notes her team conducted a deep dive analysis to gain a deeper understanding of target audiences – from psychographics and demographics, to how they choose to spend their free time. “We’re helping our clients create events and incentive programmes that are uniquely tailored to their audience,” she says. Products at the forefront The task is to shine a light on meeting and incentive destinations from coast to coast. An example being the Canadian Signature Incentive Experience Collection, which showcases over 250 travel experiences across Canada. Sustainability and wellness are priority topics and developing and launching sustainable business event programmes is not optional anymore, Sturk-Nadeau notes. “If our industry is to meet net zero targets by no later than 2050, the entire supply chain must work in partnership to find and implement powerful solutions. Destination Canada’s Canadian Business Events Sustainability Plan will provide a national support arm to this supply chain and be the figurative rising tide that lifts all ships.” Allowing attendees to have down time or curating a wellness component, like sunrise yoga, is becoming a must-have, she believes, with authentic experiences another key focus with travellers keen to be immersed in the local community. Examples of cultural experiences include Aurora Village, a secluded teepee camp located near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It is owned by an Indigenous family Meeting with purpose Sturk-Nadeau underlines that economic sector strategy remains a priority. “We’ve identified six key sectors that Canada excels in which align with the government international trade priorities. By pursuing events across these sectors, we can align a conference’s focus with a hub or destination that has expertise in it. She notes priority is given to the corporations and associations that are ready to meet internationally and are searching for future host destinations. The economic strategy is leveraging smart partnerships, including with Invest in Canada, Global Affairs Canada and other economic development agencies. Flavour of recent events Recent successful events hosted across Canada have included the Ecological Society of America – choosing Montreal for their annual meeting in August 2022, which attracted 4,000 attendees. While Collison 2022, billed as ‘North America’s fastest growing tech conference’, attracted over 35,000 attendees to Toronto at the end of June. Destinations across Canada have also successfully bid on renowned conferences that will be held in future years, including:
- 2030 World Congress of Soil Science in Toronto
- 2023 International Conference & Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas in Vancouver and the 2024 International Gas Research Conference in Banff
- World Anaesthesiology Conference 2028 in Vancouver
The major marketing focus is on the US, Europe and the UK and Sturk-Nadeau says the key messages her team is taking to trade shows and forums are:
- Canada is open for business and home to the changemakers shaping the future of business events and redefining unforgettable experiences.
- Knowledge capital. Canada is home to visionary experts and innovations shaping the future.
On the economic sector side, Innovate Canada offers to take qualified international C-suite executives behind-the-scenes to see the groundbreaking work occurring across leading innovation sectors. Incentive Canada gives buyers the chance to take part in the legendary experiences that are available to celebrate top performers. These invitation-only events rotate destinations and areas of focus each year.
- Innovate Canada 2023 will be held in Waterloo in May 2023 and focus on advanced manufacturing. Attendees will gain a glimpse into what makes the destination a global hub for advanced technologies in the automotive, aerospace and food processing sectors – not to mention a leader in robotics and automation. Attendees will come from international manufacturing associations and corporations.
- Incentive Canada Winter 2023 will showcase the exhilarating winter incentive experiences that Québec City has to offer, 5-8 February, 2023. This will focus on senior level executives from mega agencies.
- Incentive Canada Summer 2023 will be hosted, 13-16 August in St. John’s, NL giving clients the chance to enjoy outdoor adventures and immerse themselves in local culture.
- BE Canada will also be hosting a second Oceans-focused programme in Victoria, British Columbia, in the autumn of 2023. Attendees will take hands-on tours of some of the world’s leading oceans research facilities.
Another initiative this year is the Legacy Impact Study, commissioned by DCBE and to be led by #Meet4Impact and Gaining Edge, who will evaluate the impact of past conferences in six key economic sectors. They will analyse retroactive conferences (2018/19) and future events taking place (2022/early 2023). 
Ottawa on course
Lesley Mackay, vice-president, meetings and major events at Ottawa Tourism, shares some insights Most important for us are the big wins. August saw 2,200 attendees for The 56th Convention of International Firefighters, which brought an estimated CAD$4m economic impact. We have confirmed events for Associated Country Women of the World, International Association for Vehicle System Dynamics and AFOA Canada. The strategy is for “a relationship first approach” to marketing. “We believe that getting to know people well, understanding their pain points and goals means we can deliver the right solution at the right time. Covid-19 hasn’t changed that. Ottawa has a highly developed sector strategy that plays to its strengths and is home to significant research organisations or clusters of expertise. CBRE’s Tech Talent Report, for the second time in three years, gave Ottawa top spot for the highest concentration of tech talent in North America – outperforming tech hubs such as San Francisco, New York City, Boston and Seattle.”
