10 New Edmonton Venues for 2019 Winter Meetings and Events

The JW Marriott opened in Edmonton’s Ice District in August. Meetings and events can be held in any of the luxury hotel’s 10 venues. The largest space is the Wayne Gretzky Ballroom at 9,000 square feet (other rooms are named after hockey greats Jari Kurri and Mark Messier). The Gretzky Ballroom holds 1,000 guests and boasts audiovisual amenities including projectors, screens, a sound system, rigging points, and programmable, full-color spectrum lighting. Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality operates four restaurants and bars within the hotel: Braven, a dining destination with a focus on dry-aged steaks, quality chops, and fresh seafood; Kindred Food & Drink, an all-day eatery that offers locally sourced, seasonal fare; Alchemy, the fifth-floor bar with cocktails as spectacular as the view; and the Lobby Bar, a social hub for food and drink.

Some of the biggest shows in western Canada happen at the Edmonton Convention Centre, which was renamed in 2019 after 21 years as the Shaw Conference Centre. The downtown building, perched on the south-facing hillside affording views of the sunset and Edmonton’s River Valley, has earned a reputation as a leader in sustainability. Along with composting and recycling, the center keeps an urban beehive and grows its own herbs and vegetables. Currently, the glass panels of the building’s atrium are being replaced with photovoltaic glass units that will convert sunlight into electricity and reduce greenhouse gases. The facility offers 150,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space. The Assembly Level consists of three exhibit halls totaling 80,000 square feet of space and can accommodate 330 trade show booths. Small or mid-size shows or conventions can take place in the 23,600-square-foot Hall D, which seats 2,000 people theater style or 1,400 for banquets.

Located on a 12-acre lot in Buena Vista Park next to Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park and the Edmonton Valley Zoo, Yorath House boasts views of the North Saskatchewan River, trees, and valley. The two-story Early Modern house is a year-round facility and ideal for outdoor weddings in the summer and teambuilding events like snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter. Owned by the City of Edmonton and recently modernized, the house contains a main floor event space for 60 guests, a second-floor multipurpose space with a large terrace for 50 guests, and a second-floor meeting room with a terrace that holds 30. For buyouts, the space holds 110 people.

The new Royal Alberta Museum, which opened in Edmonton’s Arts District in October 2018, is one of Alberta’s greatest cultural attractions and contains collections of artifacts that illustrate the province’s people and its environment. The entire 419,000-square-foot museum is available for after-hours events (though wedding ceremonies or receptions are not permitted). Meetings for 10 to 20 guests can take place in the Wood Buffalo, Elk Island, or Waterton seminar rooms. Lectures, award ceremonies, film screenings, or performances can be held in the Amiskwaciy Theatre, which seats 238. The theater can be rented alone or with the adjoining lobby for pre- or post-event mingling. On its own, the lobby is a popular space for networking events or book signings. On the main level, a café, private dining room, and the Fraser Courtyard are available for private bookings with catering available from the Museum Café.

While an extensive, $165 million redevelopment project has closed Fort Edmonton Park for regular admission, 10 unique venues remain open for private events. Three historic churches and the memorial garden are popular sites for weddings, while the Clerk’s Quarters of the Hudson Bay Company’s trading fort or the reproduction Pennsylvania Dutch-style barn are ideal for receptions of as many as 100 people. Larger events can take place in the Capitol Theatre, circa 1929, which seats 5,000 guests, or the Blatchford Field Air Hangar, which holds 600 guests. The property is also home to the Selkirk Hotel, where an expansion will add a new 250-seat ballroom. The park is expected to reopen in its entirety in May 2021, with access to regular features like horse-drawn carriage rides, the midway, and pioneer villages.

With large windows, natural materials, and a floor-to-ceiling living wall in the lobby, the PriMed Mosaic Centre is Alberta’s first net-zero, LEED Platinum Certified commercial building. Three boardrooms—the Solstice, Equinox, and Aurora—each seat from eight to 16 people, while the Kitchen, an event space set in a working kitchen, holds 80 guests. Other eco-friendly amenities include electric car charging stations.

The River Cree Resort & Casino, owned by the Enoch Cree Nation, sits on Nation land that borders the city’s western limits. The property features a 249-room hotel with 11 luxury suites, a casino, a concert venue, and about 24,000 square feet of space for meetings, banquets, or weddings. A new expansion called Embers offers gaming in a smoke-free area. SC, the casino’s largest restaurant, features contemporary Canadian cuisine from chef Shane Chartrand, who creates dishes influenced by his Aboriginal heritage.

The Roundhouse is a 12,000-square-foot “social innovation co-working space” within Allard Hall that opened in June 2018. Its construction included eco-friendly building material, low- or no-VOC paint and sealants, and LED lighting and other energy-efficient solutions. Another unique feature: a “digestive table” in the kitchen with a vermicomposting system for organic waste. Its meetings and workshops rooms are available for training or teambuilding activities, while a larger event space seats 80 theater style or has bleacher seating for 40 guests.

A craft brewery inside a neighborhood market, Blind Enthusiasm serves beer along with elevated pub food in an industrially chic space close to the shops, pubs, and restaurants near Whyte Avenue. On the main floor, the brewery’s cozy Bottle Room features a full bar, polished concrete floors, and room for 30 people. The Barrel Room is a loft space suitable for networking events and larger celebrations that require space for as many as 200 guests. Large windows provide natural light, and a glass wall allows guests to witness the bustle of sister restaurant Biera below. Food for both spaces is provided by Biera’s crew led by chef Christine Sandford, who honed her culinary chops at Michelin-starred In de Wulf in Belgium.

Polar Park craft brewery is located in the historic Bee Bell Bakery in Old Strathcona. The 4,000-square-foot interior space features high ceilings and exposed beams, and there’s also a 1,000-square-foot patio. Its high-end sound system and stage make it attractive for musicians, and the venue is suited for art shows and live theater, both of which happen often in this area just south of popular Whyte Avenue. Along with its lineup of beers on tap, the brewery serves a hearty menu with dishes such as wings brined in the brewery’s own FoxTrot IPA, charred cauliflower with jalapeño yogurt, and a house burger made with Alberta beef.