Vancouver Secures Two More Conventions For 2010 & 2011

Vancouver, BC (July 27, 2009) – Tourism Vancouver and the Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC) have successfully booked two key conferences for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 2010 and 2011.

In 2010, Vancouver will host ASME’s Engineering Congress & Exposition for six days, from November 13 to 18. Vancouver effectively competed against cities such as Austin, Houston and San Francisco to win this bid.

This important conference is expected to attract some 3,000 delegates and generate upwards of 4,000 room nights, creating substantial economic benefits for the city and province, as well as considerable business for the convention centre.

“The ASME conferences are just one example of how our city will benefit from the extensive marketing of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” explained Tourism Vancouver chair Rick Baxter. “As we approach 2010, we’ll continue to build on this momentum to help create a thriving post-Olympic decade for the city in terms of conventions, meetings and general visitation.”

Vancouver has also been selected to host the 2011 ASME Turbo Expo of the International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI) for five days, from June 6-10. Some 1,100 delegates will attend resulting in more than 3,450 room nights for the city. Other cities that have been awarded the IGTI conference include Montreal, Berlin, Orlando and Glasgow.

“Due to the expanded convention centre, 2011 is already proving to be the busiest and most successful year for meeting and convention business for Vancouver,” said David Podmore, chair of BC Pavilion Corporation, which operates the Vancouver Convention Centre. “And there is no doubt that these bookings are also a result of the exposure from the 2010 Winter Games, as well as the effective sales and marketing of Vancouver as a preferred meeting destination.”

Both conferences will take advantage of the expanded convention centre facilities.

As an organization, ASME has previously held numerous meetings in Vancouver. Most recently, the city played host to ASME’s board of directors meeting in July 2008.

“With these successful bookings, it’s clear that Vancouver is recognized as a world-class city offering a rich cosmopolitan culture, superior service and first-rate amenities,” noted Kevin Krueger, British Columbia’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. “We must continue enhancing this reputation as Vancouver’s conferences help support other local industries and regions, especially as many delegates take the opportunity to explore other parts of the province.”

Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that promotes the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences throughout the world. The core values of ASME are rooted in its mission to better enable mechanical engineering practitioners to contribute to the well-being of humankind. ASME has 120,000 members worldwide, and is headquartered in New York City.

Tourism Vancouver, along with partners such as the Vancouver Convention Centre and the hotel community, spearheads the Be A Host program, which encourages local 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/.