WHAT'S NEW

Meeting planners know that Canada is much more than mountains, moose, and Mounties. The country's varied group destinations offer good value, world-class convention facilities, convenient access from U.S. gateways, and the added bonus of spectacular settings.

Nevertheless, tourism in Canada has yet to rebound to pre-9/11 levels, and much of the world still considers the country to be a little stodgy. To rectify that, earlier this year the Canadian Tourism Commission launched a new campaign, Brand Canada. “Instead of the common destination branding approach, Brand Canada and its tag line ‘Canada. Keep Exploring’ are meant to evoke emotion, to inspire travelers to create their own adventures,” says Michele McKenzie, CTC president and CEO.

As well, several Canadian destinations are luring convention business at a healthy clip. In 2004, Toronto hosted 46,000 delegates during the International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous — one of the largest conferences held anywhere in the world — and announced that 20,000 Shriners will descend on the city in 2010. Vancouver had a record-breaking year for meeting and convention business, with two dozen citywide conventions, each representing more than 1,000 out-of-town delegates. In a typical year, the city hosts 14 conventions of this magnitude. And in 2006, Montréal will be the site of the first World Outgames, an athletic and cultural event expected to bring more than 250,000 visitors to the city.

FACILITY UPDATE

ALBERTA

• The FAIRMONT CHATEAU LAKE LOUISE has developed a quintessentially Canadian menu of activities for large and small group teambuilding. Team challenge possibilities include snow golf, igloo construction, geocaching (a scavenger hunt using a global positioning unit), and mini “Olympic” games, such as an obstacle relay on snowshoes, bocce ball on snow, and a hockey shootout.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

• The first phase of the WESTIN BEAR MOUNTAIN VICTORIA RESORT & SPA opened adjacent to Victoria's new Bear Mountain Golf and Country Club, which has the first Jack Nicklaus — designed course on Vancouver Island. The initial phase includes 65 guest rooms and a business center. The next phase, set to open in August 2006, will include a 4,600-square-foot conference facility, spa and wellness center, restaurant, bar, lounge, and 91 additional guest rooms.

• SAVE-ON-FOODS MEMORIAL CENTRE, a 7,300-seat arena, opened in March 2005 in Victoria. It replaced the 53-year-old Memorial Arena.

• An expansion under way at the VANCOUVER CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE will add 359,000 square feet of waterfront meeting space, bringing the total to 492,000 square feet. It is scheduled for completion in 2008, in time for the 2010 Olympic Games.

• A renovation project at VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT will add nine gates to the international terminal; expand customs, check-in, passenger screening, and baggage handling facilities; and equip the airport to handle new, larger passenger aircraft such as the Airbus A380. The work will take a decade. The airport is one of the world's most accessible airports for passengers with disabilities — it's outfitted with a visual paging system, visual fire alarms, Braille lettering in elevators and restrooms, tactile maps of the terminal area, and more TTY pay phones than any other airport terminal.

• VICTORIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, which reconstructed its arrivals area in 2003, has added more check-in counters and improved baggage screening.

• FAIRMONT HOTELS AND RESORTS is developing a hotel/condo project adjacent to the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. It is expected to open in mid-2009 and have 415 guest rooms.

• The FAIRMONT WATERFRONT HOTEL, also in Vancouver, has introduced a “featherless floor” to accommodate guests with allergies. Rooms have duvets and pillows filled with polyester, and the floor is designated no smoking/no pets.

• The PAN PACIFIC VANCOUVER recently debuted a new Galley Level, part of an $8 million expansion and renovation that increased the hotel's event space to 42,000 square feet and 20 rooms, most with floor-to-ceiling views of the harbor and mountains. The Galley Level includes two executive board rooms, four event suites, and eight event rooms that can be used individually or combined into two large spaces for up to 800 people. The hotel also recently opened the 12,000-square-foot Spa Utopia and Salon and a 2,500-square-foot fitness center.

• Vancouver's SUTTON PLACE HOTEL has added a Vida Wellness Spa, which offers treatments such as a warm ginger Vichy water massage, a Shirodara head and scalp massage, and an orange and green tea wrap.

• SHANGRI-LA HOTELS AND RESORTS plans to open a new five-star hotel in Vancouver in early 2007. It will occupy 15 floors of a new 60-story landmark building in the heart of downtown.

• The PACIFIC WHISTLER VILLAGE CENTRE opened in July 2005 with 83 boutique suites. Services include a 24-hour concierge, mountain-base ski valet, guest lounge with complimentary breakfast buffet and afternoon hors d'oeuvres, heated outdoor lap pool, hot tubs, and fitness center. The resort has 920 square feet of meeting space in two adjoining rooms.

ONTARIO

• The COSMOPOLITAN TORONTO opened with 97 suites and an environmental philosophy that includes an energy-efficient infrastructure and eco-friendly cleaning products. Rooms feature 400 thread-count sheets, hardwood floors, and a spa. Each suite is equipped with a full kitchen and a washer/dryer. Guests can consult with a lifestyle manager and receive a guided meditation CD to begin their stay. Three boardrooms are available for groups.

• The NATIONAL TRADE CENTRE IN TORONTO is adding a 75,000-square-foot conference facility and a hotel, both expected to open in 2007. The centre now has 24 meeting rooms and more than 1 million square feet of space.

• The 53-story RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL AND RESIDENCES, TORONTO, will have a 267-room hotel, conference and meeting facilities, restaurants, and a spa. Construction will start in 2006 and is slated for completion in 2009.

• The SHERATON CENTRE TORONTO recently outfitted 700 guest rooms with new furnishings and softgoods, complete with Sheraton's signature Sleeper Beds. A new lobby and other public spaces debuted in May; this winter, the convention facility will shut down for several months for a complete refurbishment and expansion of the exhibit hall to 27,000 square feet.

• PANTAGES SUITES HOTEL AND SPA, which opened last year in Toronto's entertainment district, recently completed a 6,400-square-foot, single-floor conference facility with six boardrooms and banquet space for up to 200 people.

• The WESTIN TRILLIUM HOUSE BLUE MOUNTAIN recently opened in Collingwood. The 222-suite, ski-in/ski-out resort includes a family aquatic center, 24-hour fitness center, restaurant, lounge, and a 10,000-square-foot conference space with an executive boardroom, two ballrooms, and convertible meeting rooms. Some suites will be under construction through March 2006.

• The SHERATON OTTAWA renovated all 236 guest rooms last year; the lobby and other public spaces are expected to be complete by year's end.

QUÉBEC

• The HYATT REGENCY MONTRÉAL spent more than $16 million to upgrade all 605 rooms and suites, pool, fitness facility, and public areas and has a new outdoor pavilion on its patio with room for 200 guests.

• The HOTEL GOUVERNEUR PLACE DUPUIS in Montréal's Quartier Latin upgraded its guest rooms and renovated five meeting rooms, the fitness center, and pool.

• The DELTA MONTRÉAL completed the first of a series of major renovations. All rooms were redone, a 66-room executive floor was designed, and public spaces were revamped.

• HOTEL PLACE D'ARMES, one of Old Montréal's most popular boutique hotels, added 39 rooms and 48 luxury suites. All feature stone and brick walls, fireplaces, and state-of-the-art electronic equipment. The hotel also added a new spa with four treatment rooms, a Vichy shower room, a relaxation room, and a Turkish bath.

• All 126 rooms and seven meeting rooms at Québec City's HOTEL GERMAIN-DES-PRES are under renovation; work should be complete by mid-2006.

• The ACCOR NOVOTEL MONTRÉAL CENTRE added 40 “Novation” rooms; all are equipped with a CD player, safe, ergonomic furniture, cordless phone, and feather duvet.

ASK THE CVB

ALBERTA

TRAVEL ALBERTA
(866) 511-1200
www.travelalberta.com
Total Hotel Tax: 11%*

BANFF/LAKE LOUISE TOURISM BUREAU
(403) 762-8421
www.banfflakelouise.com
Total Hotel Tax: 11%*

CALGARY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
(800) 661-1678, (403) 750-2370
www.tourismcalgary.com
www.visitor.calgary.ab.ca
Total Hotel Tax: 11%*

BRITISH COLUMBIA

TOURISM BRITISH COLUMBIA
(800) 663-6000, (604) 660-2956
www.hellobc.com; Total Hotel Tax: 17%*

NOVA SCOTIA

GREATER HALIFAX CONVENTIONS & MEETINGS BUREAU
(877) 422-9334, (902) 422-9334
www.meethalifax.com
Total Hotel Tax: 15%*

ONTARIO

TOURISM TORONTO
(416) 203-2600
www.torontotourism.com
Total Hotel Tax: 15%*

QUÉBEC

QUÉBEC CITY & AREA TOURISM AND CONVENTION BUREAU
(418) 522-3511
www.quebecregion.com/e/
Total Hotel Tax: $2 night plus 15%*

TOURISME MONTRÉAL
(514) 844-5400
www.tourisme-montreal.org
Total Hotel Tax: 17.5%*
*includes 7% rebatable GST

PHANTOM PLANNER

• Tourism Toronto recently introduced an Attendance Building Toolkit, a customizable, ready-made marketing campaign for meetings and conventions. Planners with confirmed Toronto region bookings receive an ID and password for the online service, which provides press-ready ads and Web banners, postcards, newsletters, a mapping tool, an attraction “special deals” section, and more.

• In Toronto, several new event venues are about to come online: The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is under construction in the heart of the city; its 2,000-seat auditorium is designed expressly to showcase productions by the Canadian Royal Opera Company, which first performed there in September 2005. The Gardiner Museum will remain closed until the end of 2005 for a renovation involving a new third floor, three galleries, and additional educational facilities. The Royal Ontario Museum is opening up its original grand spaces to create space for additional collections; construction should be completed at the end of 2006. The Art Galley of Ontario is also being enlarged by 75,000 square feet as part of a Frank Gehry — designed addition that will include new meeting spaces and improved amenities. It will be completed in 2007.

Special Venues

• Opening in spring 2006, THE BC EXPERIENCE is an interactive multimedia showcase in VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA. The interior of a historic building will be transformed into an educational and entertainment experience including a high-definition theater screen and electronic exploration stations, introducing visitors to the geography, geology, climate, wildlife, habitats, and history of the province. The Crystal Tea Garden will be available for receptions and parties. www.bcexperience.info.

• The HR MACMILLAN SPACE CENTRE in VANCOUVER is a high-tech spot for events and meetings. Facilities include a 217-seat auditorium, an 87-seat multimedia theater, and an 800-square-foot lounge and courtyard. www.hrmacmillanspacecentre.com

• The FRANCIS WINSPEAR CENTRE FOR MUSIC, home of the EDMONTON (ALBERTA) SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, houses a dramatic performance chamber, practice hall, and several smaller spaces for large or small events. www.winspearcentre.com

• The ARCADIAN COURT, located on the 8th Floor of the Hudson Bay Co.'s flagship department store in downtown TORONTO, provides an elegant setting for a meeting or social event. www.arcadiancourt.ca

• BURNABY VILLAGE MUSEUM in VANCOUVER offers venues for groups, ranging from 20 to 2,000. Choose from traditional meeting rooms, a 1920s-style ice cream parlor, a carousel pavilion, or a grassy meadow. The entire site can be booked for a “step back in time” experience. www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca