2011 Best Year For Vancouver Convention Bookings

Vancouver, BC (June 3, 2008) – With nearly twenty major conventions either signed or in the process of signing, 2011 is shaping up to be the busiest and most successful year in Vancouver’s convention history.

Some major conventions already booked for 2011 include:
• The Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
• NAFSA: Association of International Educators
• Special Interest Group on GRAPHics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH)
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
• International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM)
• American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)

“Without a doubt, these bookings are a direct result of the expansion of the convention centre and the aggressive sales and marketing of Vancouver as a preferred meeting destination,” says Warren Buckley, president and CEO of PAVCO and acting president of the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre (VCEC). “2011 is poised to launch a successful post-Olympic decade for Vancouver and BC – in terms of conventions, meetings and tourism visitation.”

In building on the momentum of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the VCEC and Tourism Vancouver are working hard in partnership to book more convention business for 2011 and beyond. With 2011 just three short years away, another 22 conventions are at the tentative stage and seriously considering Vancouver.

“Clearly, the world sees Vancouver as the place to meet, building on the image of hosting the Winter Games and showcasing an incredible expanded centre,” explains Rick Antonson, president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver. “As a result, we are presenting more bids than ever before, competing against many destinations – and winning those important bids.”

In 2011, the confirmed bookings – combined with those we are still competing for – add up to some 120,000 delegates and nearly 300,000 room nights.

“Increased visitors means more chances for B.C.’s tourism industry to grow, fulfilling the Province’s goal of doubling tourism revenues by 2015,” adds Stan Hagen, British Columbia’s Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts. “We’re already proving that Vancouver is attracting large conferences and we’re building on our position to make us the leading convention centre in North America and around the world.”

To date, the largest conference Vancouver will host in 2011 is SIGGRAPH. Tourism Vancouver and the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre officially won this bid earlier this year against San Francisco and San Diego.

SIGGRAPH is expected to attract some 25,000 delegates, and result in an estimated $30 million in direct non-resident delegate spending. SIGGRAPH will use the expanded Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre, which was a focal point of the successful bid.

Vancouver’s conferences and meetings also help to support local industries, as conventions highlight an array of BC’s unique food products and award-winning wines.

In promoting the city as a premier meeting and event destination, Tourism Vancouver also benefits from the strength of the local community through the Be A Host program. Spearheaded by Tourism Vancouver – and supported by partners such as the VCEC and the hotel community – the Be A Host program encourages British Columbians to work with the tourism industry to bring their colleagues to Vancouver for a national or international conference. For more information on the Be A Host program, please visit www.tourismvancouver.com/meetings/host/.