10 New Calgary Venues for 2019 Winter Meetings and Events

Built in 1888, the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel is known as Canada’s castle in the Rockies. A neo-Gothic, 757-room stone and wood beamed beauty, it presides over the Bow Valley, two golf courses, and a European-style spa. Newly added Signature Suites offer residential-style luxury including butler-inspired service and an exclusive menu, in addition to the hotel’s 12 restaurants and four lounges. Overall, the resort offers 76,000 square feet of meeting space. The largest space, the Van Horne Ballroom, seats 1,500 theater style or holds 1,200 for receptions.

Perched on the side of Sleeping Buffalo Mountain, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity inspires guests to think outside the box. An unconventional convention venue, it has more than 60 meeting spaces and breathtaking views from the new LEED-certified Kinnear Centre. Engage all the senses at the new Jenny Belzberg Theatre, which seats 700, the Rolston Recital Hall in the Music and Sound Building, which holds 200, or the Walter Phillips Gallery with its international art exhibitions. The Professional Development Centre, surrounded by 350-year-old Douglas fir trees, has three meeting rooms and four lounges with rustic fireplaces; the complex also has a 387-room hotel.

Who knows what lurks beneath the Calgary Tower? After 43 years of producing mystery-theme theater productions the folks at Vertigo Theatre might have a clue. Venture into the Studio, a black box 130-seat theater that can be configured in multiple ways including in the round. Consider inviting some scurrilous characters from local murder mystery company Smoking Gun Entertainment to liven up the proceedings. Ponder the clues over a craft cocktail at the newly renovated mezzanine level Catalyst Lounge, which seats as many as 60 guests.

The dazzling curved Calgary Central Library, which opened in November 2018, hovers over its East Village site like a flag made of translucent glass. A soaring four-story wood-clad atrium centers this masterpiece, which was designed by Snøhetta, an American-Norwegian firm, and Dialog from Canada. The state-of-the-art library offers two meeting spaces and the latest in audiovisual technology. The Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall has 336 fixed seats but can hold as many as 400 people during day or evening hours, with a 480-square-foot flat stage, wireless presentation devices, a dedicated green room, dressing room, and backstage area. The Shaikh Family Welcome Gallery can accommodate groups of 300 guests under the starry atrium skylight after library hours.

Both the Telus Convention Centre and the iconic Calgary Tower across the street can be reached via the Plus 15 system from the Calgary Marriott Downtown. The 388-room hotel has 11,000 square feet of meeting space and eight meeting spaces—the largest seats 330 theater style—plus a seasonal rooftop patio that overlooks Stephen Avenue and holds about 450 guests for receptions. Its new One18 Empire Café & Lounge is developing a rare whiskey selection to complement its locally sourced menu.

Calgary’s original grande dame of hotels, the Fairmont Palliser, has hosted V.I.P.s since 1914. A recent reconfiguring of the main lobby by Frank Architecture & Interiors has brought her into the 21st century, with a huge marble bar, glass and brass accents, and space in the Hawthorn Lounge for a DJ on weekends. The 407 rooms and suites maintain their classic luxe appeal. The Crystal Ballroom, the largest of 14 meeting spaces, seats 450 under twinkling chandeliers, high arched windows, and intricate moldings.

The 395-room Delta Hotels Calgary Downtown recently finished a 16-month, $40 million renovation by CHIL Interior Design of Vancouver. Drawing inspiration from the explorations of fur trader and mapmaker David Thompson, the reimagined Shoe & Canoe Public House, a lounge and dining room, is a standout space. The new dedicated fitness floor, the largest in Calgary, overlooks the Bow River through floor-to-ceiling windows. There are 10 event rooms; the Glacier Ballroom has the largest capacity at 235 guests in a theater setup or for receptions.

Over a dozen unique venues take guests back in time at Heritage Park. From the world’s only log cabin opera house, to an authentic dairy barn, a priceless collection of vintage vehicles, and a historic hotel, the living history museum is one of Calgary’s major tourist attractions. The 1900s Canmore Opera House seats 120 theater style while Gasoline Alley has theater seating for 420. The S.S. Moyie paddlewheel boat—available as an add-on with other venue rentals—returned to Glenmore Reservoir in 2019 and can take 200 passengers on a sail. A project to restore the Natural Resource Area is under way and includes the new 4,500-square-foot Natural Resource Centre, slated to open in fall of 2021.

The 355-room Hyatt Regency Calgary leads directly to the Calgary Telus Convention Centre through the city's Plus 15 skywalk network. The hotel boasts the largest meeting space in Calgary, the Imperial Ballroom, which seats 1,450, theater style. Located on a block of historical sandstone buildings, the hotel decorated its three-story atrium and 13,500 square feet of meeting space with more than 500 original works of art with western and indigenous themes. Spacious Regency Suite Parlours, new for 2018, feature Murphy beds that flip up to allow for casual meeting spaces and can be connected to adjoining rooms for additional space.

Nothing says music like a five-story mural of an accordion player with her dreadlocks flying in the wind. It’s a sure sign that you’ve arrived at Hotel Arts. A home away from home for many celebrities and performers, especially musicians during the annual Calgary Folk Festival, expect more of a quiet refuge than a rave. This 12-story, 185-room boutique property boasts a banquet kitchen run by executive chef Quinn Staple. The menu can be tailored for groups of 10 in the boardrooms, to 760 in the Ballroom, to receptions for 1,000. In warmer months, guests gather at the chic outdoor pool. A dedicated bar, Poolside by Hotel Arts, has a strong cocktail game and the newly installed heated deck and fire pits extend the season.