Toronto is a place where creativity and innovative ideas thrive, so it should come as no surprise that it's ahead of the curve when it comes to business events, too. Here are a few examples of how Toronto has fostered ground-breaking events and how you can, too.
Toronto venues are 100% leading the way on more inclusive catering.
Organizers of the 2024 edition of Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in-person conference, who hosted 2,000 attendees at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC), had an ambitious catering goal: serving all vegan and vegetarian meals throughout the multiday conference. MTCC helped them reach their sustainable catering goals, and it's just one way Toronto's venues are leading the way by incorporating more dietary options into events as the culinary world evolves.
Toronto venues are 100% focused on helping events break attendance records.
When AdvaMed, a trade association for the medical technology industry, decided to host its first international MedTech conference outside of the U.S., it chose Toronto. But instead of simply matching previous successes, the Toronto edition delivered unprecedented growth in attendance and revenue. More than 4,300 attendees from 40+ countries—25% larger than any previous conference—demonstrated Toronto's international appeal. Sponsorship and exhibit sales grew, requiring an additional hall at the MTCC, and in addition to breaking previous attendance records, attendee satisfaction and revenue grew, too.
Toronto venues are 100% committed to net zero.
At Exhibition Place, Canada's largest entertainment and business events venue, environmentally friendly features can be found everywhere, from solar roofs to buildings powered by geothermal energy to green roofs that collect rainwater for reuse. Exhibition Place is a signee of the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge, a global initiative to address climate change, and it's well on its way to meeting targets laid out in the Paris Climate Accord. Also, nearly one-quarter of hotels in Toronto are certified sustainable, including 1 Hotel. Along with being a LEED gold-certified building, 1 Hotel's design is guided by biophilia—the principle of connecting nature with the indoors—with 3,000 plants on the property.
Toronto venues are 100% dedicated to making everyone feel welcome.
Toronto venues have set a high bar for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), from accessibility standards to catering for a wide range of food restrictions to inclusive language. Diversity is Toronto's strength (it's also the city's motto), so local venues are well-equipped to host diverse groups of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities from all over the world.
Toronto venues are 100% on board with giving back.
When the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine hosted its first conference in Toronto last year, it used the opportunity to give back to the local community. During its Day of Caring, held at the MTCC, the nonprofit gave away specially adapted bicycles and helmets to Toronto-area children with sickle cell disease. Toronto helps event planners team up with multiple charities doing good work across the city, from Yonge Street Mission to the Daily Bread Food Bank.
