Last August, Toronto hosted what is known in the meetings industry as the Super Bowl of conventions—the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership’s annual expo. More than 4,900 attendees traveled to the city to take part. Of those, Tourism Toronto expects roughly 20 percent will return to host their own events in Toronto in the coming years. These new venues offer a range of options for planners in search of meeting space.
1. The Allstream Centre, a conference and convention centre designed to meet LEED standards, opened at Exhibition Place in October. The venue has a 43,900-square-foot divisible ballroom that can seat 3,800, 20 meeting rooms with more than 30,000 square feet for groups of 50 to 750, and 40,000 square feet of prefunction space. Wireless connectivity is available throughout, and a videoconference room can hold 14. Cerise Fine Catering handles the food and beverage.
2. In a former printing plant at Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre unveiled a $3.5 million renovation of its second floor in April. The project created four new meeting rooms, a grand hall, and two boardrooms. The new meeting spaces complement the existing space on the first floor, including Kobayashi Hall, which can hold 400 for dinner or 500 for a concert in its retractable stadium seating. Additional rooms such as Shokokai Court and Heritage Court can hold 50 to 200.
3. The Toronto Board of Trade Downtown Centre offers more than 30,000 square feet of newly renovated space suitable for corporate meetings, gala dinners, and social gatherings. The main dining room can seat 320 for dinner and hold 400 for cocktail receptions. Several smaller rooms can accommodate groups of 12 to 120. Audiovisual equipment is available, and Oliver & Bonacini is the exclusive food-and-beverage partner.
4. In September 2008, the International Centre opened a new conference facility with a 17,000-square-foot ballroom, multiple meeting rooms, and a high-tech kitchen. The expansion added 48,000 square feet of event space to the centre. A stainless steel and glass entrance leads to a rotunda, and a series of skylights and chandeliers run the length of the lobby. The centre also offers full-service catering from executive chef Joe Levesque.
