Conference & Meetings World Supplements Canada Supplement | Page 4

Canada
From creating the world’s first
pacemaker to discovering stem
cells used in lifesaving therapies,
to combatting some of the world’s
deadliest infectious diseases,
Canadian researchers have been
forging a path toward a healthier
world.
Canada’s leadership in digital
technology and robotics, is helping
to change patient care through
future-focused advancements
in everything from medtech to
medical manufacturing.
The world’s second-highest
number of bio-tech companies
are concentrated in Canada.
The 10th largest market for
pharmaceutical sales, it is
Canada’s infrastructure, talent
and ready access to key markets
that has drawn the world’s largest
Life Sciences companies to
the country, including Pfizer,
AstraZeneca, Gilead, Novartis,
Johnson-Johnson, and others.
They are all conducting research,
running clinical trials and
manufacturing new drugs in
Canada.
Canada is also home to North
America’s second largest Life
Science corridor, the Québec—
Ontario Life Sciences Corridor
includes some 1,100 organisations,
490 graduate and undergrad
programmes in biological and
biomedicine sciences.
Toronto alone, at the western
edge of the Life Sciences Corridor
and one of Canada’s most
sought-after destinations to
host business events, boasts
some 37 research institutes and
nine teaching hospitals, fueling
innovation in medical research,
biotechnology, development of
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CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
medical devices, pharmaceuticals
and more.
Leveraging academia to
attract international events
According to Robert Mercure,
President and CEO of the Palais
des congrès de Montréal, Life
Sciences accounted for almost
40% of the conferences hosted at
the Palais in 2018.
The Metro Toronto Convention
Centre hosted a record number
of Life Sciences events last year,
as well.
Business Events Canada and
its partner destination marketing
organisations are busy working
together with Canadian academia
to help attract global events in the
Life Sciences space.
“Organisations are looking to host
global conferences in destinations
that align with their mission and
values,” says de Visscher. “Initially,
researchers may not see their
area of study as a draw for tourism
or business events, but we know
having access to local knowledge
experts is of growing importance to
conference organisers—especially
as it relates to creating meaningful
and engaging content for
audiences.”
By tapping into Canada’s
intellectual capital, business
events become a conduit to
grow innovation and economic
development, thereby creating
even more opportunities for
innovation within each sector.
Whether it’s Vancouver’s MIND
programme, Montréal’s Cercle
des Ambassadeurs, or Toronto’s
Leader’s Circle, when leveraged,
those local champions can help
augment conference agendas,
create professional networking