Conference & Meetings World Issue 134 | Page 24

Canada

Left : Downtown Calgary
Left : Calgary TELUS Convention Centre venue measures 11,300sqm in event space , and is the city ’ s best-connected convention centre with over 1,100 nearby hotel rooms spread across three four-star hotels . It is also connected to a world-class museum and performing arts campus , both of which are accessible via the + 15 Skywalk Network . In keeping with Calgary ’ s plan to move beyond oil and gas dependency , sustainability is an area of keen interest for the venue . CTCC reports that it aims to meet the City of Calgary “ aggressive goals ”, by reducing water-use activities , installing air curtains to trap heat and reducing overall power usage by adding variable frequency drives .
In 1979 the CTCC held Canada ’ s first million-dollar fundraiser . In need of financial support , the Calgary and District Foundation set its sights on inviting 1,000 of the city ’ s elites , at $ 1,000 per plate , to achieve its goal . In what became a who ’ s who of Calgary , the dinner surpassed its goal , raising $ 2 million dollars ($ 8 million in 2024 dollars ), an astonishing feat for 1979 . BMO Center – located in Stampede Park , home of the world ’ s largest outdoor rodeo , the BMO centre spans 93,000sqm of event space .
Increasingly , the destination is detaching from its petroleum dependency , investing into sectors like renewable energy , healthcare , communications and more .
In 2023 and 2024 , Calgary hosted Canada ’ s biggest renewable energy conference – Electricity Transformation Canada – with both events running at the BMO Centre , the largest convention centre in Calgary . 2024 ’ s event brought together over 2,600 attendees and 125 expert speakers , making it the largest edition to date .
Beyond energy , Calgary has also held Canada ’ s largest marketing conference – SocialWest . Pulling in over 850 digital marketing professionals , the event has been held at numerous locations across the city , with 2025 ’ s venue booked for the CTCC – Calgary TELUS Convention Centre ( the oldest of its kind in Canada ).
Calgary major venues Calgary TELUS Convention Center – Canada ’ s oldest convention venue , CTCC was opened in 1974 ( celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024 ). The
On the doorstep of wilderness Alberta is widely recognised to be one of the most stunning provinces in Canada . Calgary sits on the doorstep of that scenic beauty . Within two hours ’ drive from the city , visitors can reach Lake Louise , Moraine Lake and the mountain town of Banff . The lakes surrounding Calgary provide some of the most famous mountain vistas in the world – something delegates can experience on ‘ bleisure ’ trips .

Ottawa

The Canadian capital is a city of talent . Ottawa contains the highest concentration of tech talent in North America , as well as the highest
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