Meeting Planners Rate Toronto Top Canadian City

Toronto retained its position as the top convention bureau and best overall convention city in Canada by North American meeting planners according to the industry-standard 2008 Watkins Research Group Meeting and Convention Planners Survey.

"Competition for high-value meeting business is more global than ever," said David Whitaker, President and CEO of Tourism Toronto. "Meeting planners recognize that Toronto is well-positioned as an international meeting place and the city's untold story is gaining wider profile."

In the survey of more than 600 influential U.S. meeting planners, the study also showed that meeting and convention planners rate Toronto number one in Canada for its well-suited hotels and easy accessibility around the city - both key factors when considering the city for a meeting or convention.

Toronto's meeting and convention business continued to grow in 2007 as Tourism Toronto's sales programs extended deeper into the Canadian, U.S. and international markets. Tourism Toronto's sales team booked 470,000 future room nights in convention business that will produce direct visitor spending in Toronto of more than $250 million.

Recent wins for the city include:

- APICS - Association for Operations Management (3,000 delegates in Oct. 2009)

- International Society for Stem Cell Research (5,000 delegates in June 2011)

To ensure the city's capacity keeps pace with demand, the four major convention facilities in the Toronto area have completed or embarked upon major expansions and upgrades:

- Metro Toronto Convention Centre completed a $4-million upgrade to the pre-function space outside Constitution Hall.

- Direct Energy Centre is planning a major expansion to create a Conference Centre with 58,500 square feet of ballrooms and 22,500 square feet of meeting rooms.

- Toronto Congress Centre reopened in January after undertaking a massive expansion to double its exhibition space to more than one million square feet.

- International Centre is adding an $11.5-million Conference Centre in summer 2008 to enhance its existing half-million square feet of exhibit and meeting facilities.

Tourism Toronto has sales offices with full-time sales teams in Chicago, Washington, Ottawa, Mississauga as well as London, England.

About Tourism Toronto

Tourism Toronto, Toronto's Convention and Visitors Association, is an industry association of more than 1,200 members established to strategically sell and market the Greater Toronto Region as a remarkable destination for tourists, convention delegates and business travelers around the globe. For more information on Tourism Toronto, please visit http://www.torontotourism.com.