After finishing first in North America for hosting the most international association meetings in 2012, Montreal once again has claimed top honours. According to the 2013 Country and City rankings from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), the city took first place for a second consecutive year, ahead of other major urban centres, including Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington D.C., San Diego, and Chicago.
This ranking is the result of the combined efforts of the Palais des congrès de Montreal, its Ambassadors, and Tourisme Montreal, as well as of the collaboration of numerous partners. Montreal’s leading position reflects its ability to meet the needs of large-scale international associations with regards to infrastructure, hospitality, and entertainment.
As the city’s main venue for large meetings, the Palais des congrès attracts thousands of business travellers each year, confirming its position as a leader in North America’s tourism industry. For the 2013-14 annual period, more than 37,000 participants took part in international meetings, generating over $82 million for Montréal and the province of Québec. Overall, 71 international events were held in Montréal in 2013.
“More excellent news for the city! Our destination has an undeniable power of attraction, and the Palais des congrès possesses major advantages that make it the ideal venue at which to hold larger international meetings,” says Raymond Larivée, CEO of the Société du Palais des congrès. “The colossal work done not only by the Palais des congrès and its ambassadors, but also by Tourisme Montreal, local hotels, Aéroports de Montréal, and other partners is paying off, and our collective actions are generating results such as the ones revealed today!”
“International meetings are of paramount importance for Montreal’s vitality, both economically and in terms of influence abroad. This top spot in the ICCA ranking shows us Montreal’s potential – a city that has everything necessary to classify as one of the world’s major business centres,” states Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montreal. “We are delighted by these positive results, which inspire us to work even harder, and in concert with our various partners, to further attract international meetings to Montreal.”
For the 2013-2014 fiscal year, the Palais des congrès welcomed a total of 25 international meetings and 17 Canadian meetings, generating close to $161 million in economic spinoffs for the city.
