Mississauga is ready for brighter days. After a stretch of shutdowns and social restrictions, the City’s meetings and events providers are ready to welcome guests back for safe and memorable in-person experiences.
“It’s time to move forward,” says Victoria Clarke, CEO, Tourism Mississauga. “A lot of our venues, hotels, restaurants, and attractions are ready and eager to host physical events again, and they’re taking all possible steps to ensure they do so safely.”
As a destination and organization, she adds, Tourism Mississauga is certified through the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario’s Safe Travels Stamp program, which recognizes organizations around the world that met or exceeded health and hygiene standards.
Landing in Mississauga
Tourism Mississauga and its partners have spent the last year ensuring meeti
ng and conference planners feel confident about visiting. That begins with ensuring a safe arrival which, for many, begins with landing at Toronto Pearson airport, the largest flight hub in the country that is located within the City itself.
“Our globally recognized healthy airport program is constantly improving with a focus on innovation and collaboration with industry, government, and health experts all to keep you healthy and safe,” says Tori Gass, Senior Advisor, Communications, GTAA.
In addition to staying ahead of the latest safety protocols and practices, Pearson has made its Ready to Travel resources available online. It has also invested in touchless technologies, autonomous cleaning equipment, enhanced cleaning programs, and other initiatives to protect travelers. Similar practices have been implemented in the trains, busses, and other transit options that bring guests into Mississauga from across Canada and beyond its borders.
Opening the doors
A focus on hygiene and top-tier experiences can also be found among Mississauga’s event venues and hotels. The Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel and Suites and Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale, for example, have partnered with the makers of Lysol and launched the Hilton CleanStay program, an industry-leading health and safety program that addresses every aspect of a guest’s hotel experience.
“This program is designed to create event experiences that are clean, flexible, safe, and socially responsible,” says Dominique Lavery, Director of Sales and Marketing with the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel. “[This applies to] the new and creative food and beverage offerings to precise distancing setups all with the highest standards of cleanliness throughout the stay experience.”
Meeting venues like the Hyatt Place Toronto Mississauga & Luxe Convention Centre, Waterside Inn, and iconic Small Arms Inspection Building are also eager to host. Each has implemented its own measures to make in-person events as impactful as ever in the “new normal”. Those measures include contactless check-in, pre-packaged breakfasts, social distancing floor markers, sanitization stations, and increased cleaning in high-traffic and high-touch areas, to name a few.
“The health and safety of our guests and employees remain our top priority,” says Mark Rowan, recent interim General Manger at the Hyatt Place Toronto Mississauga. “That’s why we are proud to be a GBAC STAR facility with accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, ensuring we are implementing the utmost strictest cleaning disinfection and infection disease prevention protocols.”
Time to enjoy
Entertainment is never in short supply in Mississauga. This is particularly true now as restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and live entertainment venues across the City are reopening their doors. Combined with hotspots like the Rec Room, Canada’s premier social entertainment destination, and Square One Shopping Centre, one of the largest and most popular retail destinations in the province, planners will have access to a wealth of after-hours networking hotspots.
Outdoor activities are also always in season. Mississauga’s Lakeview and Braeben golf courses are both hosting rounds of pictureseque golfing experiences just minutes from Mississauga’s downtown. Coupled with hiking, biking, and waterside activities, there are ample opportunities to connect guests with Mississauga’s vibrant natural surroundings.
Business hosting incentive program
Tourism Mississauga is also doing its part to welcome groups back into the City. Through its Business Events Hosting incentive program, event organizers, on behalf of the companies they represent, may apply for financial support for conferences and events that bring direct or indirect economic, social, and community development benefits to the City of Mississauga. Moreover, Tourism Mississauga’s team will work closely with planners to ensure they have all the resources they need to elevate their experience
A new day
The clouds are parting for the meeting and events community. And with a city-wide network of venues, hotels, restauranteurs, and entertainers at the ready, Mississauga is re-opening in style.
“This has been an incredibly difficult time for many of our business owners, and they’ve all made meaningful efforts to protect the health and safety of our community,” Mayor Bonnie Crombie said in her opening message for Tourism Mississauga’s recent virtual familiarization (FAM) tour “We’re all eager to join together in bringing in-person meetings and events back to Mississauga.”
Mississauga is going great lengths to welcome groups back for safe and impactful events. For more reasons why Mississauga should be your next go-to meetings and events destination to VisitMississauga.ca.
