Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC) has engaged Toronto-based PR and public affairs specialists Crestview Strategy to provide government relations and strategic planning services. The appointment is aimed at strengthening MMBC’s engagement with key decision-makers and political stakeholders in Ottawa.
Crestview will be tasked by the MMBC leadership to develop a plan to include a targeted engagement strategy for politicians and stakeholders on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. More reason for MMBC to stay close to the country’s politicians is the need to monitor ongoing tariff discussions between Canada and the United States, and to assess their potential impact on Canada’s business events sector.
MMBC, who’s mission being to advocate on behalf of Canada’s business events sector, which includes destination marketing organisations, hotels, transportation, convention centres, audio-visual, and many more suppliers and industry stakeholders, is urging the federal government to boost its commitment to the International Convention Attraction Fund (ICAF) beyond its scheduled expiration in 2027. Since launching in 2024, ICAF – a Destination Canada programme – has helped secure 21 international business events, generating CAD$122.2m in direct economic impact in Canada.
“Cross-border business travel is a critical economic driver, but shifting international policies can put thousands of Canadian jobs at risk. We’re asking the federal government to act swiftly in support of our sector so that all countries will consider Canada a top choice to host international business events,” says MMBC chair Minto Schneider. “The ICAF programme is proven to generate new business for the Canadian business events sector as well as Canadian communities.”
And, during MMBC’s first Member Update call of the year recently, John C. Dunn, Research Committee chair and Board member, shared progress on the Canadian Business Events Economic Impact Study. The national study, a partnership with Destination Canada, will provide key data about business events to help policymakers and industry stakeholders advocate for and grow the sector while enabling ongoing trend analysis and economic impact measurement.
In the coming weeks, an RFP process will be launched to select a research partner. Data collection is expected to be completed by the end of Q4 2025, with analysis beginning shortly thereafter.
