2015 will be one of Vancouver’s strongest years for international conventions, according to the Vancouver Convention Centre and Tourism Vancouver.
“In many cases, we spend years working with local association hosts to bid on and secure these high-level conferences,” says Ty Speer, President and CEO of Tourism Vancouver. “Banner years like 2015 are a long time coming, and we look forward to celebrating one of our most successful years to date as we open our home to these delegates.”
More than 165,000 out-of-town delegates – 40,000 from outside North America – are expected to visit Vancouver in 2015. The strong attendance is driven in part by an influx of the world’s leading medical association conventions taking place at the award-winning Vancouver Convention Centre, including the World Congress of Dermatology – the city’s largest medical convention to date.
“With the arrival of some of the most prestigious global medical conventions this year, we are further solidifying Vancouver’s reputation as a premier international meetings destination,” says Ken Cretney, interim President and CEO, BC Pavilion Corporation “We are proud that the Vancouver Convention Centre will host these important meetings and the leading medical professionals who will attend.”
Highlights of upcoming 2015 medical conventions – all meeting in Vancouver for the first time – include: World Congress of Dermatology in June (15,000 attendees); International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in July (7,500 attendees); World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics in October (7,000 attendees); and World Diabetes Congress in November (12,000 attendees).
“This year our province will host more than 41,000 medical professionals, affirming our status as a leader in health and demonstrating how B.C. is on the cutting edge of medical research, which can save and improve lives,” says Health Minister Terry Lake. “This is an achievement of which all British Columbians can be proud.”
“The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) expects to welcome delegates from over 100 countries to the 2015 World Diabetes Congress (#WDC2015),” says Professor Bernard Zinman, Chair of the Congress Programme Committee. “Canada’s history of medical excellence, including the discovery of insulin, combined with Vancouver’s outstanding facilities, makes for an ideal congress location. As a Canadian and a healthcare professional, I look forward to bringing the world’s leading diabetes meeting to Vancouver.”
The Vancouver Convention Centre is expected to host 55 conventions total in 2015/16, as well as a diverse range of events that include consumer and trade shows, banquets, meetings and special events.
