Meeting Community

New Event Venue To Open in Ottawa
2024/11/14

A new and state-of-the-art venue is slated to open in Ottawa next year. Developed by Live Nation Canada, the new addition will transform the former downtown Chapters bookstore into a premier destination for live events, significantly enhancing Ottawa’s event hosting capabilities. Located in the heart of downtown Ottawa at 47 Rideau Street, the new 2,500 capacity venue promises an intimate yet dynamic setting for diverse gatherings from corporate events and conferences to concerts and comedy shows. “Owing to its…
Canada Scores 21 Events With Funding
2024/11/01

The multimillion-dollar International Convention Attraction Fund (ICAF), launched in March 2024 by Destination Canada, has supported 21 successful bids made by Canadian Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) to host high-value major international conferences. Created and administered by Destination Canada, and funded by the Government of Canada, the ICAF is a vital component of Destination Canada’s strategy to establish Canada as a leading destination for hosting business events. This is especially important as many Canadian destinations have yet to meet the business-events activity level…
Meetings and Events Budgets to Rise in 2025
2024/11/01

The meetings and events industry is projected to flourish in 2025, according to a report by American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT). The TMC’s annual Global Meetings and Events forecast, which surveyed more than 500 people working in the M&E sector around the world, found that budgets are on the rise for two-thirds of respondents. There’s also a high level of optimism heading into 2025, with 74 per cent of meetings professionals feeling optimistic about the industry’s health,…
Air Canada Wins Again at APEX Awards
2024/11/01

Air Canada has been recognized once again with a Five Star Global Airline Award at the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) 2025 Awards for its continued commitment to excellence. This is the sixth time in seven years that the airline has been awarded an APEX Five Star rating, which is based on customer feedback. “I thank our customers and APEX on behalf of our 40,000 global employees for bestowing on us this recognition as a Five Star Global Airline.…
5 Reasons to Do a Post-Event Report
2024/10/31

As a festival and event producer, I know the post-event daze well. You know the feeling — the days and weeks after an event when you are relieved it’s over and proud of the event you produced but you are already planning and potentially stressing about the next one. Before you move on to the next event, here’s five reasons why you should complete a post-event report. 1.It brings closure and finality to the event A post-event report wraps…
Edmonton Named a Top City For Travel
2024/10/31

Edmonton was selected as a top city in Lonely Planet’s prestigious Best in Travel. It is the only Canadian city named in the guide. This accolade celebrates the publication’s expert predictions for where to go in the year ahead, and spotlights Edmonton as a premier travel destination, showcasing its diverse communities, rich history, and vibrant spirit and culture. Best in Travel 2025 is Lonely Planet’s 15th publication of its annual collection and features 30 must-visit destinations from all around…
Truelink Capital Will Acquire GES
2024/10/31

GES announced that its parent company, Viad Corp, and Truelink Capital have entered into an agreement for Truelink to acquire the GES business. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of 2024, subject to applicable and customary closing conditions. “This is an exciting time for GES. The business has tremendous momentum, and our team is driving strong revenue growth, margin expansion, and client service. The publicly traded Viad conglomerate has been a great home to GES for…
Porter Airlines Celebrates 18 Years
2024/10/31

Porter Airlines is celebrating 18 years of service and it’s been another transformative year for the airline. With its continuing North American expansion, Porter is already the second-largest airline operating flights to the U.S. and Canada at Toronto Pearson International Airport, and the largest airline operating out of Ottawa. The airline now serves every province in Canada. It is also expanding further across the U.S., with six destinations in Florida, as well as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas,…
Nick Di Donato Receives TIAO Lifetime Award
2024/10/18

The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) announced Nick Di Donato, president and CEO of Liberty Entertainment Group, as the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Tourism Industry Awards of Excellence: Lifetime Achievement Award. This accolade recognizes Di Donato’s more than three decades of significant contributions to Ontario’s tourism industry, enhancing Toronto’s appeal as a premier destination. His journey in Ontario’s tourism sector began more than 30 years ago when he founded Liberty Entertainment Group. His innovative vision and entrepreneurial…
PCMA Enhances Spark AI Tool
2024/10/18

PCMA and CEMA announced enhancements to Spark, the only generative AI tool built by event professionals for event professionals, and now boasts more than 9,000 users. Spark, introduced to the global business events community nearly 16 months ago, now includes the ability to identify viable destinations and venues. The integration with Tempest will enable business events strategists to be even more productive providing the capability to identify destinations and venues that meet their needs and criteria, all in one…