Best of 2011: 10 Toronto Event Industry Highlights

Toronto’s five-star hotel boom officially started in February with the grand opening of the Ritz-Carlton. Within the next year, three more luxury hotels will open: the Trump International Hotel and Tower on January 31 and the Shangri-La Hotel and the new Four Seasons Hotel in the summer. The influx of 989 luxurious guest rooms should help attract business and leisure travelers and elevate Toronto's status as an international destination.

The countdown for the Pan American Games began on October 30 in Guadalajara, Mexico, when Toronto mayor Rob Ford accepted the Pan Am flag during the closing ceremony. Organizing group TO2015 has since started construction on facilities like the Pan Am village in the West Don Lands, landed CIBC and Chevrolet as sponsors, and started hammering out a transportation plan. The Pan Am Games will take place July 10 to 26, 2015, and the Parapan Am Games will follow, from August 7 to 14, 2015.

The International Indian Film Academy Awards made its North American debut in Toronto last June. Tickets to the 12th “Bollywood Oscars” sold out in a matter of minutes, and the five-hour ceremony had 22,000 fans flock to the Rogers Centre, with an additional 700 million international television viewers tuning in. Supporting events and after-parties surrounded the glitzy awards ceremony.

A leg of the TD Jazz Festival at the Distillery District was the first event to take advantage of the Open Ontario Plan, put into effect on June 1. The new legislation relaxes important aspects of Ontario’s liquor laws at events, including outdoor festivals, which can now have larger defined areas for open alcohol. Special Occasion Permits are now available to more types of venues, like art galleries and spas, and allow events to serve alcohol until 2 a.m. More businesses can apply for ongoing liquor licenses rather than temporary permits, allowing a number of alternative venues to compete in the market.

The world’s largest conference dedicated to green building, the Greenbuild Conference and Expo, made its Canadian debut in October. The three-day conference took over the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and attracted a number of green industry events, like the Fisker Karma launch and SciEnergy party, to the city.

Power Ball 13 delivered on its promise of “hidden surprises, altered realities,” greeting guests at the entrance with an 800-pound bull roasting over an open fire. Chef Marc Thuet headed the catering for the fund-raiser for the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery and brought in the bull from Alberta. The front patio remained a popular spot during the party, and crowds gathered to watch, eat, and tweet.

The Bell Celebrity Gala relaunched this year with a new concept and a new name: the Bell Event. Scrapping the celebrity angle, the gala was brand-focused and followed a narrative with the contemporary theme of “One Night Under a Blue Sky.” The Bell Event raised $1.2 million for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

A number of venues opened in Toronto this year with built-in entertainment. The new spots include the Ballroom, an upscale bowling alley; Spin, a ping-pong social club; Screen Lounge, with flat-screen TVs and TV walls; and the Rinx Event Centre (pictured), which offers six 10-pin bowling alleys, two customs games, a bar, a lounge, and a banquette room.

Solutions With Impact produced the inaugural Strike Out Cancer event in June, a baseball tournament fund-raiser for Mount Sinai Hospital. Each team had to raise a minimum of $25,000, and the top 30 fund-raising teams got to draft a celebrity and compete in the tournament. The inaugural event was a success and raised $1.4 million for Mount Sinai.

For its fifth year, annual arts and creativity festival Luminato moved its hub from Yonge-Dundas Square to the grassy and central David Pecaut Square. For the first time, the 10-day festival offered this single location for all free outdoor concerts.