The Calgary TELUS Convention Centre marks 50 years of growth and change in a vibrant and dynamic city
As a city grows, so do its institutions–and the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre reflects a vibrant city becoming increasingly prominent on the world stage.
This year, the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (CTCC) will officially turn 50. As the city it calls home has grown from a population of just over 440,000 people in 1974 to about 1.6 million in 2024, the CTCC has increased in size, witnessed significant changes and hosted historical events.
“The Calgary TELUS Convention Centre is a place of possibilities, where people can gather and create meaningful connections,” Kurby Court, president and CEO of the convention centre, says.
“We first opened our doors in 1974 as the very first purpose-built convention centre in Canada.”
As a convention centre, the facility is impressive. Located in the heart of the city’s downtown and attached to the +15 Skywalk, the CTCC was actually one of two projects launched by Calgary half a century ago to celebrate its 100th birthday.
Development began in the 1960s with a vision of a connected convention centre, hotel, and arts space. The Convention Centre Complex, which included the Glenbow Museum and Four Seasons Hotel (now the Calgary Marriott Downtown) officially opened on Nov. 15, 1974, with the Hon. John Diefenbaker on hand to herald the arrival of a meeting and event space that, at the time, boasted a 20,000-square-foot banquet hall, 23,000-square-foot exhibition hall and 11,700-square-foot garden terrace and foyer (just to name a few features).
The CTCC has been inspired by their 50-year history, paying homage to the original opening in unique and impactful ways. As part of the celebration in 1974, 10,000 commemorative coins were created and now, 50 years later, the CTCC is honouring that tradition by commissioning a new challenge coin to celebrate the upcoming milestone.
From the moment the doors opened, the centre became a place where residents and visitors could host everything from important business meetings to intimate, personal engagements with the help of a dedicated crew of team members who know how to make events, both large and small, meaningful and memorable.
“Our connectivity to Calgary has always been paramount for us, and the experience of our visitors and delegates in the city is cultivated because we’re directly connected to hotels and steps away from world-class dining in an established arts and culture district,” explains Court, adding that the CTCC is an integral part of Calgary’s downtown core and community.
The connections have only grown in the past 50 years.
In 1979, the facility hosted Canada’s first million-dollar fundraising dinner for the Calgary Foundation, raising $2 million (the equivalent of $7.99 million today). In 1988, the Olympic Committee used the CTCC for the XV Winter Games.
In June 2000, the building was officially renamed the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, and it opened its North Building, which would go on to host the 16th World Petroleum Congress. In 2011, the CTCC hosted its largest event to date for the International Development Bank.
In recent years, the CTCC has faced significant local and global challenges head-on, quickly adapting to emergencies and serving the community as both a shelter for up to 300 people during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and, a year later, the province’s largest COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
Now, the CTCC is still bringing people together by hosting events for new and long-standing clients, including the Art Market Craft Sale, which has called the centre home since 1987.
“During the four days of Art Market, we see over 10,000 people experience and celebrate art and artisans from across Canada,” says Court, adding that many events, such as the Art Market Craft Sale, have grown alongside the centre, expanding and welcoming more visitors year after year.
As for what continues to set the CTCC apart, Court says it’s the impact it has on the community and the special way it exceeds its clients’ expectations.
“With our location in the heart of downtown, we are a place to connect, innovate, and inspire. And as a blank canvas, we can become whatever a client wants the space to be and our clients can own the entire venue from top to bottom. You are not one convention amidst others, you own your space,” he says.
“We are a vessel for all kinds of connections to take place, and our team is inspired by the possibilities this presents. Where a conversation could spark an idea that ripples out across the world.”
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