Conference & Meetings World Canada Supplement | Page 6

Vancouver , British Columbia

VANCOUVERISM : QUALITY WORK , REST AND PLAY

Right : Vancouver ' s port activities generate over $ 9.7bn in GDP
“ AS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING LOW CARBON ECONOMIES AND A PACIFIC GATEWAY CITY , VANCOUVER IS STRATEGICALLY POSITIONED FOR LEADING OCEAN SCIENCES AND CLEAN TECH COMPANIES TO CAPITALISE ON THE RELATIONSHIPS , REACH AND REVENUES FROM OUR BEACHHEAD ,” ACCORDING TO THE VANCOUVER ECONOMIC COMMISSION ( VEC ).
YOU MAY WELL HAVE BEEN to this city as a delegate ; Vancouver has hosted many international conferences and events , such as the 2010 Winter Olympics and the Generate clean energy conference series . In 1986 the city was host to the World Exposition , which attracted 20m visitors . Vancouver landmarks include the SkyTrain public transit system and Canada Place , built for the event .
Vancouver is consistently named as a top five worldwide cities for liveability and quality of life .
The city has long been working on a vision to become the world ' s greenest city , leading to the urban planning community adopting the word ‘ Vancouverism .’ The latest roadmap is the 2020 Greenest City Action plan . Through a set of measurable targets , its goal is to put Vancouver on the path to becoming the greenest city in the world .
Vancouver ’ s popularity as a destination to live and work created challenging transport problems , now being addressed by a $ 3bn Gateway Programme . The strategy
is designed to give greater priority to buses and cyclists , to reduce the reliance on private vehicles . Plans also include expansion of the Skytrain network . Vancouver has a citywide network of bicycle lanes and routes , and cycling has become Vancouver ' s fastest-growing mode of transportation .
Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada , and is also Canada ’ s most linguistically and ethnically diverse . That helps the city with its trading status ; Port Metro , Canada ' s largest port , manages more than $ 72bn in trade with 160 different economies annually . Port activities generate $ 9.7bn in gross domestic product and $ 20.3bn in economic output .
It ’ s no surprise that tourism is big business , with more than 10m visitors contributing nearly $ 4.8bn to the Metro Vancouver economy each year and supporting over 70,000 jobs . However , you might be surprised to know the city is home to more than 60 films and 50 TV series annually .
Vancouver has a number of world class film & TV studios , including
The city ' s strong focus on lifestyle and health culture also makes it a hub for many lifestyle brands .
Mammoth , North Shore and Iron wood Studios . Direct spending of nearly $ 5bn in and around the city makes Vancouver the third largest film and TV production centre in North America , supporting over 42,000 jobs . The region has a reputation for a supportive industry culture that includes a network of government agencies , industry associations , festivals and awards . The industry also enjoys strong private sector support , which has contributed billions in industry infrastructure to date .
The city ' s strong focus on lifestyle and health also makes it a hub for brands such as Lulelemon , Kit and Ace , Herschel Supply and Nature ’ s Path , all founded in Vancouver . However , Vancouver is also the headquarters of numerous forest product and companies , although in recent years , supported by strong public / private networks , Vancouver has become a centre for software development , biotechnology , aerospace and video game development .
But there ’ s no escaping the sea and the water is very much part of
6 CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD