Toronto Venue News for Event Planners includes updates on Planned Projects, Renovations, Newest Spaces and Development at Exhibit Halls, Conference Centers, Galleries and Lofts in Toronto by BizBash

Toronto Venue News lists the latest scoop on new projects, renovations and development at Hotels, Lofts, Houses, Museums, Terraces, Bars, Clubs and Lounges

Toronto event planning resource directory

OTHER MARKETS

GOOGLE TRANSLATE

OUR TRADE SHOWS & EVENTS

JOBS

RESTAURANTS WITH PRIVATE DINING

NEW EVENT SPACES

Venue News Archive

10.09.09 4:15 PM

HK Hotels to Build at Exhibition Place

An agreement reached Thursday between the board of governors of Exhibition Place and HK Hotels—which operates four boutique properties in New York City—calls for a 320-room, 26-storey glass tower to be built on land adjacent to the new Allstream Centre, which is slated to open October 22. "The hotel is deemed necessary to attract business," said deputy mayor and Exhibition Place chairman Joe Pantalone.

The proposed project, which will go to city council for approval in December, will have a ballroom, library, meeting rooms, and a spa. The venue will include underground parking for 400 vehicles, and will be built according to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver rating design standard. The hotel is slated for completion in 2013. —Susan O'Neill

09.18.09 11:50 AM

Harbour Sixty Marks 10th Anniversary With Parking Lot Party for 1,000

The party tent
Photo: George Pimentel

Not only did Harbour Sixty owner Ted Nikolaou call on Dee Dee Hannah to renovate the the interior of the historic Harbour Commission Building in honour of the restaurant's 10th anniversary, he also hosted a party for 1,000 guests to commemorate the occasion on Sept. 9. The Nikolaou family called on Samantha Brickman of MAS Communications to plan the event in conjunction with the Mint Agency. To accommodate the number of guests, the event team erected a large black tent in the parking lot behind the multilevel restaurant. MORE >>

09.01.09 8:00 AM

Fall Preview: 4 New Toronto Event Venues

Koerner Hall
Rendering: Courtesy of the Telus Center for Performance and Learning

A host of new venues are slated to open in neighbourhoods across this city in the coming months. Here's a look at four soon-to-open event spaces suitable for concerts, meetings, galas, and conventions.

1. The Royal Conservatory of Music will open the Telus Centre for Performance and Learning, a new extension to its Bloor Street headquarters on September 25. Designed by Canadian architects Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg, the centre includes music studios, wired classrooms, and a library. The centre's Conservatory Theatre rehearsal hall holds 160 for dinner and 200 for cocktails, and the 1,140-seat Koerner Hall is suitable for music and spoken-word performances, lectures, and conferences. Mazzoleni Hall has permanent theater seating for 237. Meeting rooms and workshop spaces can hold groups of 12 to 69 people. MORE >>

07.09.09 12:03 PM

Pedestrian Plazas Now Available for Events, Provide New Revenue for City

The crowded car-free zone next to Macy's
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash

FROM NEW YORK After debuting in May, the car-free areas on Broadway are still in the development stages—lingering traffic cones cordon off some sections, and the lawn chairs in Times Square will soon be replaced with sturdier ones—but the city has already started renting them out for events and promotions. The move is a positive one for New York—the usage brings in an additional revenue stream—as well as for planners and producers, who value the added visibility. And according to The New York Times, 20 events have made use of the spaces since May, including Monday afternoon's public promotion from VH1. MORE >>

07.03.09 9:00 AM

Cheese Boutique, Art Gallery Open in Joint Space at the Distillery District

Rare cheeses from Quebec are available for sale and can be used for tastings in the space.
Photo: Courtesy of A Taste of Quebec

A Taste of Quebec has moved from its original space just inside the gates of the Distillery District into a new venue on Distillery Lane, attached to the Thompson Landry Gallery's new location. The 4,300-square-foot space in the Cooperage Building includes 3,300 square feet of gallery space and a separate cheese boutique.

"We are excited to have a second gallery with A Taste of Quebec attached. It's a nice step up for us," said Joanne Thompson, who co-owns the boutique and gallery with Sylvain Landry. "This is so much better for receptions right here on site." (The original Thompson Landry Gallery, which showcases Quebec artists, remains open in the Stone Building.) MORE >>

05.12.09 12:48 PM

INK, Rubino Brothers Partner to Rebrand Rain

INK C.E.O. Charles Khabouth is collaborating with Guy and Michael Rubino to rebrand the Mercer Street restaurant formerly known as Rain, opened by the Rubino brothers in the late '90s. The 5,000-square-foot space, which is being redesigned by the award-winning firm Munge Leung, will open in June as Ame (pronounced Ah-may), a contemporary Japanese restaurant.

The new space will feature heritage woods throughout, a private dining room for 24, an expanded dining area that will hold about 100, and a Japanese lounge and sake bar that will hold an additional 50. “The Rubino Brothers share my passion for creative cuisine and design,” Khabouth said. “They have a dynamic, detailed, and worldy approach to food preparation and presentation along with an established history in the culinary arts. Ame is the perfect venture for us to partner on.” MORE >>

03.02.09 1:52 PM

Hanif Harji Expands Nyood, Plans Multilevel Restaurant for Historic Prison Chapel

Restaurateur Hanif Harji (Nyood, Kultura) is preparing to open two new event spaces—the Bar at Nyood, and Chapelfor. Construction is currently under way on the Nyood bar, which is set to open above Nyood in early April. The space, being designed by Commute Home, will hold 150 people. Harji plans to operate the venue as a private event space during the week, and will open the lounge to the public on weekends. "Everything is going to be custom designed, from the lounge seating to the light fixtures," he said in an interview. "We're going to keep it upscale."

Harji is also planning to turn the 180-year-old former women's prison chapel in Liberty Village into a multilevel restaurant and event space called Chapelfor. "We are going to do some great landscaping outside, and the main floor will have a beautiful patio with trees and cobblestones. It will be a casual space, no reservations," Harji said, noting the second level will be a "hip" reservation-only dining room, and the third floor will house 2,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor event space. "We're just in the process of working with the heritage board," said Harji, who expects to open Chapelfor in the spring of 2010. —Susan O'Neill

Hanif Harji

02.19.09 12:20 PM

New Oyster House Coming to Financial District

John Belknap, a longtime server at Rodney's Oyster House on King Street West, is preparing to open Rodney's by Bay in the heart of the financial district. The new oyster house, on Temperance Street, is being designed by Brad Denton (Le Petit Castor, Coca, and Czehoski). A description on the restaurant's Web site says patrons will "feel as though you’ve stumbled upon the best speakeasy in town and you’re getting away with flouting all the rules while everyone else behaves."

The menu will focus on oysters and daily seafood specials. Rodney's by Bay is expected to open in mid-March. —Susan O'Neill

02.18.09 10:00 AM

Verity Adds Boutique Hotel to Women's Club

The Ivy at Verity
Photo: Courtesy of Verity

The private women's club Verity—which houses George restaurant and Sweetgrass Spa—has added a tiny new boutique hotel called the Ivy at Verity to the Queen Street East property. The hotel's four guest rooms, designed and decorated by Trianon Design Ltd., are available to Verity members and the public.

Guests of the hotel, which opened Friday, can access the club's fitness centre, complete with an ozonated pool and hot tub. Also available are the Sweetgrass Spa and flower shop, and George restaurant—which offers three private dining rooms (known as the Georgian Rooms) that can accommodate groups of as many as 120 people for cocktails. MORE >>

02.13.09 2:08 PM

Ultra Unveils Redesign, New Menu

Ultra's new communal table
Photo: George Pimentel

Following a six-week redesign, Ultra unveiled its new look Thursday at an invite-only party for members of the media and V.I.P. guests. “After five years, we felt it was time to push boundaries to explore the next evolution of the Ultra brand while at the peak of our success,” said Charles Khabouth of Ink, who owns and manages the Queen Street West restaurant with caterer Brenda Lowes.

The venue, which closed for renovations on New Year's Day, resembled a construction site Thursday morning. With less than seven hours to go before the media arrived for the event, the venue was full of workmen putting the finishing touches on the new look, created by the award-winning design firm Munge Leung. MORE >>

Munge Leung, Device222, Castor

MORE NEWS