Meeting Community

Feds Launch Program that Provides Financial Aid to Hard-Hit Businesses
2021/02/08

Eligible businesses can now start applying to the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP). Announced Jan. 26, the program provides financial support to businesses across the country, in all sectors, that have been hardest hit by the pandemic. This includes restaurants, businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors, and those that rely on in-person service. Through HASCAP, the Business Development Bank of Canada will work with participating Canadian financial institutions to offer government guaranteed, low interest loans of up…
Work Program Offers Temporary Employment to Events Industry Personnel
2021/02/08

GES has launched a program that provides temporary work for experienced exhibition professionals in anticipation of in-person events returning in 2021. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and events abruptly cancelling, thousands of experienced and talented trade show personnel lost employment,” says Jeff Quade, executive vice-president of exhibitions at GES. “As shows and events begin to come back safely, we want to prioritize work opportunities for those talented and skilled exhibition employees that have been so pivotal to the success of…
New Guide Aims to Help Event Organizers Emerge from Pandemic Better Positioned
2021/02/08

The Events Industry Council (EIC) has released a new guidebook to assist events professionals amidst major disruptions like the current global pandemic. “It is critical we continue to raise the notion of resilience and adaptions to drive innovative practices,” says EIC CEO, Amy Calvert. “A resource that aggregates and curates principles of business continuity will support industry professionals and organizations as they work to strengthen their business models and prepare for recovery and their future relevance.” The Business Continuity Accepted…
Tête-à-Tête Trade Show Shifts Gears After More than 30 Years
2021/02/08

CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau is rolling out its most popular event, Tête-à-Tête, in a new format this year. The day of learning and connecting for event planners and association professionals will be held virtually. “The program has been carefully created to provide attendees with many unique opportunities to explore best practices and learn about products and services that will help them succeed in the year ahead, despite some unique challenges they’re facing,” says Christine James, chair of the Canadian Society of Association…
Vancouver Convention Centre Starts 2021 on High Note
2021/01/25

The Vancouver Convention Centre has earned the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Star accreditation for outbreak prevention, response and recovery, and been awarded the 2020 Clean Air Award by the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA). Administered by GBAC, a division of the worldwide cleaning industry association ISSA, GBAC Star provides third-party validation that public facilities have rigorous protocols in place for thorough response to biorisk situations. With the events venue’s achievement, all of B.C. Pavilion Corp.’s (PavCo) facilities have earned the…
Toronto Hotel Debuts Fresh Look after Multi-Million Dollar Renovation
2021/01/25

The Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport reopened its doors Jan. 11, after completing a $20 million renovation. The transformation marks a new beginning for the hotel, which looks forward to hosting conferences and meetings when the need resumes. “The hotel is one of the largest airport hotels in the market and now the most modern,” says Sukhdev Toor, president of Manga Hotels, which owns and operates the Crowne Plaza. “The renovation and undertaking of this new look and design was extensive…
MMBC’s New Video Series Addresses Advocacy Work and Initiatives
2021/01/25

Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC) started the year with a new video series outlining its key activities for the first quarter of 2021. The first video, featuring chair Clark Grue, addresses the coalition’s advocacy work and provincial initiatives. Grue explains MMBC will continue to advance the following messaging to all levels of government: face-to-face events bring business leaders together to create transactional opportunities that drive the economy, jobs and other growth opportunities; and the business events sector has decades of…
Hilton Introduces Hybrid Solutions for Meetings and Events
2021/01/25

Hilton has introduced a set of hybrid solutions to address the dramatic shift away from in-person meetings and events during the pandemic. The new offerings, which will continue to evolve alongside customer needs, direct event planners to Hilton’s hybrid-ready hotels while also providing them with additional resources, including an expanded ‘playbook’ with in-depth information on planning and executing small hybrid events and flexible customer offers for a more seamless contract experience. “Hilton has remained a leader in the meetings and…
New App Adds Real-Time Language Translation to Any Virtual Event Platform
2021/01/25

Interprefy has launched a desktop app that allows real-time interpreting to be added to any virtual meeting and event. “The new normal of connecting remotely offers an unprecedented opportunity for event organizers to attract a wider and more diverse audience, and to democratize access to the conversation by offering a truly multilingual experience where everybody listens and speaks in a language they’re proficient in,” says Interprefy CEO, Annett Polaszewski-Plath. Interprefy Select can be used on any live streaming platform, including…
Landlords of Vacant Sites Offer to Help Canadian Vaccination Efforts
2021/01/25

Prominent commercial landlords are offering free space in conference centres, hotels and other well-located sites across Canada to accommodate COVID-19 vaccination clinics and related support services. The newly announced initiative, coordinated through the industry association REALPAC, is an effort to replicate the United Kingdom’s uptake of commercial venues into its national network of vaccine dispensaries. “REALPAC members are keen to work with the government to repurpose their unused spaces to function as vaccination sites or storage spaces for vaccines, essential…

Venue & Supplier Profiles