Next week will be a huge time to connect in Calgary, when Convention Centres of Canada (CCofC) and Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) meet at Calgary TELUS Convention Centre. CCofC will hold its annual convention Oct. 27-28, rolling into the CSAE annual convention Oct. 28-30.
It marks the first time the two major meeting players in Canada have interlinked their conferences, opening the door to exchange and merge knowledge between suppliers and buyers.
“Meetings are about making connections,” says Marcia Lyons, general manager of Calgary TELUS Convention Centre. “By connecting these two conferences, Calgary is facilitating new networking opportunities between industry counterparts.”
Convention centers that will be represented during the CCofC event include Vancouver Convention Centre, Shaw Centre (Ottawa), Metro Toronto Convention Centre and The Palais Des Congres De Montreal. CSAE members include industry and professional associations, charities and issue-specific organizations such as Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Bar Association, Real Estate Institute of Canada, Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Automotive Industries Association of Canada.
There will be a joint conference session on Partners in Event Excellence: Exploring Opportunities for Strategic Cooperation in Optimizing the Meeting Experience, with expert panelists representing suppliers and buyers. Rod Cameron, president of Convention Centres of Canada, and Lyons will moderate the panel. Other participants will be Nina Kressler, president and CEO of Shaw Centre; John Hoyles, CEO of Canadian Bar Association; and Michelle Gravelle, director of meetings and travel management for the Canadian Medical Association.
The downtown Calgary TELUS Convention Centre offers 122,000 sq. ft. of convention space, including a 47,000-square-foot exhibition hall. The eco-friendly facility features solar panels, low-flow water fixtures, extensive recycling and reduction programs and uses green cleaning products.
The convention center is connected by indoor pedestrian bridges to Hyatt Regency Calgary, Fairmont Palliser Calgary and Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel.
