Canada’s Capital of Cool
Find famous friendliness with a soupçon of sophistication to boot
By Gretchen Kelly
With Chicago’s second-city bustle and the dynamic of a “New York Minute,” Toronto seems to draw on inspiration from both cities. Over 135 million people live within a 90-minute flight and two airports serve Toronto, flying to 55 countries.
Toronto’s easy friendliness belies a cultural sophistication and world-class cuisine quartered in five-star hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants. The city is also an innovation hub for North America, generating about 20% of Canada’s GDP.
Local Expert Tip
“More than a meeting planner’s dream, Toronto is the ideal city for curious travelers. If you’re looking to attract attendees who thrive on creativity, want to challenge their own perceptions and live for moments they won’t soon forget—Toronto is where you need to be.
“Paired with a downtown core that is accessible and vibrant, we’re proud to boast over 10,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for your next event. We tap into resources across multiple disciplines to bring our city’s brand of innovation, artistry and diversity to every client. We’re ready to welcome the world back to Toronto.”
— Tara Gordon, senior vice president, global sales & services, Destination Toronto
5 Reasons Meeting Profs Love Toronto
Accessibility. Toronto is Canada’s major air hub for both national and international flights: Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) make the city a short, 90-minute or less hop for 135 million people.
Diverse and award-winning food options. From food halls to Michelin-starred fine dining, Toronto has a wealth of options for food lovers (13 Michelin-starred restaurants alone as of September 2022). The city has an open-door policy when it comes to welcoming food trends from all over the world.
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Walkability. Toronto’s downtown core has the third most skyscrapers in North America, all of them in the eminently walkable downtown district. Shopping is along Yonge Street with 600 retail shops in the area. There are also 150 restaurants and bars and seven hotels in the downtown core walking district.
Friendliness. Yes, it’s true, Canadians are legendarily friendly. That includes the folks in Toronto (pronounce it as they do: Toron-o and swallow the “t”). Although Toronto is Canada’s most urbane city it is also grounded in Canada’s core values of civility and a down-to-earth welcome that is more familiar to Americans in non-urban areas.
Great hotels. From the luxe digs at Toronto Four Seasons Hotel and The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto to the 1920 style of Fairmont Royal York to the chic boutique Hotel X Toronto by Library Hotel Collection, Toronto is chockablock with 4 and 5-star options for incentive groups and VIPs.
InterContinental Toronto Centre The only hotel directly attached to Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The 584-guest room hotel has two next generation boardrooms with state-of-the-art technology while the hotel offers amenities like a world-class spa and a saline swimming pool.
Total meeting space: 18,000 sq. ft. of meeting space across 18 rooms.
Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC)’s The 2 million sq. ft. of meeting space sits on a direct air-rail link to Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ), making it easy to access, even for a quick flight in and out of town. “Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, the MTCC is a premier facility and destination for meetings and conventions,” said Lorenz Hassenstein, president and CEO at Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
442,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space; 77 meeting rooms; 2 multi-purpose ballrooms and over 700,000 sq. ft. of exhibit and meeting space.
Globe and Mail Centre in the King East Design District a few minutes from the downtown core has panoramic views from the top floors of Canada’s leading news organization.
Three rooms that can accommodate up to 400 guests.
Enercare Centre & Beanfield Centre are part of Toronto’s Exhibition Place—a 192-acre lakefront event complex. An underground pedestrian pathway connects the buildings (great for Canadian winters). The complex also has 6,500 available parking spots for meetings participants coming in via car.
One million sq. ft. of contiguous exhibit and event space with 25,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Beanfield Centre: Toronto’s largest ballroom at 43,900 square feet with 20 meeting rooms.
The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto Located on the shores of Lake Ontario, The Westin Harbour Castle has an adjacent conference center with a 25,000-square-foot Metropolitan Ballroom as well as smaller meeting spaces throughout the property, which is renovating its South Tower corridors and rooms for a fresh look this summer.
70,000 sq. ft. of meeting space over 33 rooms.
This article appears in the digital-only July and July/August 2023 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
