Best of 2011: Toronto's 10 Most Notable New Event Venues

The $300 million Ritz-Carlton opened in February with the largest luxury ballroom in the city, at 7,400 square feet. The hotel offers 20,000 square feet of total event space in a five-storey podium at the base of the 53-storey tower. The five-star hotel was a TIFF hotspot, hosting TIFF’s opening reception, the Hello! Canada gala, and numerous press conferences.

The Scotiabank Convention Centre opened in April and is the largest convention centre in Niagara Falls. The LEED-certified building is just 500 yards from the falls and offers an 82,000-square-foot exhibition hall, a 17,000-square-foot ballroom, and an additional 26,500 square feet of multipurpose meeting space.

Jesse Girard and Richard Lambert, the men behind Toronto Parts and Labour, teamed up again to open the Hoxton in August. The white walls of the 8,000-square-foot club were made to be branded and customized for corporate events, with projectors, TV walls, and wide-screen TVs available on site. The venue has quickly become popular, hosting concerts and events like the Diet Coke Stay Extraordinary Gala.

One King West emerged from $2 million in renovations this past spring with revamped event spaces and improved energy efficiency. The hotel and residence was home to the Dominion Bank in 1879, and the space held on to its history. In addition to the original bank vault, One King West offers 13 other historic event spaces.

Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre opened in April after $20 million in renovations. In line with the hotel chain’s rebranding effort, the building was gutted to make way for modern design and decor. The 23-floor hotel offers 9,000 square feet of meeting and event space and 513 guest rooms, making it the largest Holiday Inn in Canada.

Charles Khabouth and Hanif Harji opened the Storys Building in October. The historic building offers three of its four floors for events. The ground floor will become a restaurant next summer, and the second floor will be available as a cocktail bar in February. The top two floors will remain open exclusively for events.

The Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital opened in May after four years of construction. The research and education facility offers modern meeting rooms, five classrooms that each seat 50, a 15-seat boardroom, and an auditorium for 200. All meeting spaces come equipped with audiovisual and projection capabilities, smart boards, and wireless Internet.

Neubacher Shor Contemporary, a 3,000-square-foot art gallery and event space, opened in April with exposed brick walls, reclaimed wood ceilings, and polished concrete floors. The space can accommodate as many as 250 for receptions and comes with a built-in sound system, mezzanine, and full kitchen.

Aria Ristorante opened in April on the main floor of the Telus House. A popular event venue, the space features a custom walnut ceiling installation, hanging spherical lights, and an artful glass wall behind the bar. The space can accommodate 140 seated or 250 for receptions, and during the summer, an additional 80 guests can fit on the patio.

After work hours, Waddington's auction house offers its office as an event venue. The 4,000-square-foot space opened for event bookings in October and has polished concrete floors, exposed duct work, and two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows. Upon request, art from the auction house vault hangs on the walls.