Top Reasons to Meet in Canada
Canada offers vibrant cities that are ideal possibilities for your next meeting or event – cities that are right on the edge of nature, featuring award-winning food and wine and multi-cultural locals. Meeting in Canada will provide your attendees with an all-new experience; they’re guaranteed to love this unique country that is recognized as one of the best meeting, convention and incentive travel destinations in the world. Here are just a few of the top reasons to consider a Canadian venue when planning your next meeting or event:
1. Better attendance. Statistics indicate that attendance typically increases when you meet in Canada. It’s a country that appeals to practically everyone because it’s “exotic” and international – yet it offers that familiar feel to Americans because it’s safe, easy to access and close to home, and is primarily English-speaking in most areas.
2. Easy access. Canada is exceptionally easy to get to. It’s close to the United States, and the airlines provide outstanding service between the two countries, with multiple daily flights between numerous U.S. and Canadian cities. Canada is also recognized as a hub for Asian and European travel, so it truly is easily accessible from practically anywhere in the world.
3. Unique products and venues. There are a wide variety of uniquely Canadian products and services available from coast to coast. And Unique Venues represents a myriad of conference and meeting venues throughout the country – in places such as Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. From state-of-the-art campus venues to outside-the-box meeting spaces. Fancy and formal to casual and relaxed. Classical and elegant to unconventional. Whatever type of meeting or event you’re planning, Unique Venues has a space in Canada that will turn tradition on its head.
4. Government programs and generous tax rebates. You can get help – free of charge – from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) if you are a meeting planner or show organizer or if you are involved in promoting Canada as a destination for a conference or a convention. In addition, the Foreign Convention and Tour Incentive Program (FCTIP) provides Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) rebates on certain property and services used during conventions held in Canada, and on the accommodation portion of tour packages for non-residents.
The Canadian provinces truly are a perfect location to consider when planning your next meeting or event. Your attendees will enjoy breathtakingly beautiful cities, a foreign culture that’s new and exciting while still maintaining a comfortable and familiar feel, and an overall terrific new experience. As a planner, you’ll also enjoy an array of benefits and incentive programs that are easy to take advantage of. Meeting in Canada is a win-win situation for all involved.
Which Canadian province is the right choice for your meeting?
Canada is divided into 10 provinces, and each has its own unique attributes that would make them interesting for various types of meetings or events. All of the provinces offer a variety of venue options, located both in the heart of large cities and in more outlying areas. However, there are two places in Canada that you may already be familiar with – and should consider for any type of meeting you’re planning.
The province of British Columbia is where you can find the city that was recently named North America's top destination for international meetings by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) – Vancouver. The distinction reflects Vancouver's attractiveness to planners and delegates both in North America and internationally.
So why is Vancouver a key conference destination? According to the Canadian Tourism Commission’s web site, Vancouver's work hard, play hard mantra means delegates can slide seamlessly from their workday into the recreational activity of their choice…such as sunset dinner cruises, numerous museums, art galleries and much more.
But that’s after hours…for your meetings and events, Vancouver offers some of the best Unique Venues available. You might consider the University of British Columbia, Canada's largest university conference facility, with its main picturesque campuses located just minutes from downtown Vancouver. This picturesque campus provides affordable accommodations for groups up to 3,000 – and attractions, recreation, shopping and restaurants on-site. Another lovely Vancouver venue is Simon Fraser University, which provides a variety of accommodation and meeting room choices in a safe and comfortable environment — either on its mountaintop campus or at its downtown IACC-rated conference centre.
If you prefer to meet in Eastern Canada, Toronto – the largest city in Canada, located on the province of Ontario — is a cosmopolitan place that offers lots to do. Your participants can enjoy the theatre, live music and dancing, museums of every stripe and trendy restaurants.
Which Unique Venues should you consider for your Ontario meetings? We represent some fabulous spaces in various locations around the province — including downtown meeting venues that offer the urban experience, campus locations all over Ontario, and some of Canada’s top conference centres. All of our distinctive venues can provide you with an excellent conference experience.
Canadian urban centres have so much to offer for your next meeting, conference or event. These large cities have breathing space: in the physical sense, they aren’t overcrowded; in the social sense, you’re free to be yourself and explore. They're cosmopolitan and sophisticated, with a taste for something wild. They provide the ultimate in terms of venues and accommodations. If you take your meeting to Canada, it’s a choice you’ll never regret – and a meeting your attendees will never forget.
