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Alberta’s Assets
April 14, 2011
View of Edmonton's skyline
Meeting planners welcome the Western way
By Jennifer Bill
From the Rocky Mountains and surrounding wilderness, to its status as the only province in Canada with no provincial sales tax, Alberta is a place where opportunity abounds.
A luscious landscape plays backdrop to a diverse destination for corporate meeting planners looking to make a lasting impression for team-building events, large-scale conferences or more intimate Board of Director meetings.
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Known for its exceptional hospitality, Alberta has become a noted destination respected for its top-of-the-line infrastructure and variety of meeting venues nestled among nature at its best.
With two international airports serving the province, Alberta regularly plays host to meetings and events in several of its larger cities. Edmonton, the capital, fuses Old-World grace with cosmopolitan charisma. With colourful neighbourhoods, an exciting dining scene and a symphony orchestra to call its own, Edmonton has a variety of meeting spaces and conference capabilities, more than 12,000 hotel guestrooms and more than 2,000 restaurants. The region is known as “Canada’s Festival City,” with more than 30 festivals year round.
Cosmopolitan Calgary is familiar with hosting massive events – case in point the Calgary Stampede, which welcomes more than 1 million every year, and the 1988 Winter Olympics. The Canadian Rocky Mountains, the country’s largest mountain range, are an hour’s drive away, great for Calgary delegates seeking added adventure.
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“We have more western hospitality, better planning support and different venue options,” said Heather Lundy, director of marketing at Tourism Calgary.
Many of Calgary’s 11,000 hotel rooms are adjacent to meeting and conference spaces within its busy urban centre. The city’s underlying cowboy culture and welcoming Western attitude makes for a cool and magnetic scene, with such attractions as the Calgary Zoo, Calgary Philharmonic, Calgary Folk Music Festival and the Calgary Stampede. Meetingscalgary.com cites Calgary as the cleanest city in the world (in an environmental examination of 215 cities around the globe) and the 25th safest city in the world, including top place among North American cities.
Located between Calgary and Edmonton, Red Deer has the majestic Rockies to the west and mysterious Canadian Badlands to the southeast. Red Deer, Alberta’s third largest city, is a hub of activity, known for its beautiful parks and large variety of meeting spaces, restaurants, shopping and comfortable accommodations.
“Red Deer’s amenities are second to none. We have some of the finest convention facilities in Alberta,” said Vicky Loughlin, marketing and sponsorship coordinator. “We have all the big-city services, however, we have not lost that small-town feeling.”
Whether it is a small meeting, a large convention or a trade show, there is value in holding meetings in Red Deer, with smaller city pricing in comparison to Edmonton and Calgary.
“Red Deer’s geographical location makes it the ideal spot to hold your convention or event,” said Loughlin. “Within a 160-kilometer radius of Red Deer there are over 2 million people to draw from.”
The sun is hardly bashful in Alberta’s fourth-largest city, Lethbridge, which enjoys more than 320 days of sun per year, says Statistics Canada. This southern sun-spot started off as a frontier city known as Fort Whoop-Up, a trading post with the Plains Indians.
Kerry Lowe, director of Convention and Event Development in Lethbridge, describes the winters as “mild.”
“We have the best climate in terms of a very temperate environment,” says Lowe. “We are blessed with numerous chinooks which bring in that balmy warm weather and melt the snow that comes our way from time to time.”
Lowe says the city is easy to navigate.
“We are a very walkable destination,” she said, adding people can get anywhere in 15 minutes or less. “We are built along a canyon, which we call a coulee, a big canyon with a river running through it. There are beautiful views and sightlines all through the downtown, as well as 35 kilometres of groomed biking, hiking and walking trails.”
Lethbridge is considered the most economical city in Alberta to host a meeting, says Lowe, says the 2006 Competitive Alternatives Study of International Business, which calls it one of the top 10 most cost-competitive communities in North America.
The city has four major hotels that can accommodate groups of up to 800, along with a host of multifunctional meeting spaces. Delegates can enjoy a break at Historic Fort Whoop-up or the Galt Museum to tour the exhibits and experience some history. Lowe says there are more than 100 attractions within an hour of Lethbridge for those who want a before-or-after conference experience.
The city sits just north of the U.S. border, where four major highways intersect. A hub of eco-diversity surrounded by ranching and farming, Lethbridge is also where four major industries intersect – research and technology, manufacturing, agriculture and agri-food industries – facilitating a diverse business climate.
Lethbridge is home to at least five of Canada’s top 50 best companies, as reported by Canada’s Top Best Managed Companies 2010, including H&R Transport Ltd. and Frito-Lay, which has a few plants in Lethbridge and has its sales manager meetings there.
“(Frito-Lay) had an absolute hoot, they loved it so much they said they are coming back every three years,” she said.
Lethbridge is home to one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” – researcher Dr. Olga Kovalchuk, a leader in the establishment of the Alberta Institute for Epigenetics to study cancer, the first institute of its kind in Canada.
Lowes says Lethbridge continues to expand, with plans to open tecconnect, an Alberta centre for new commerce in the next several months. This technology commercialization centre is designed to attract, incubate and develop technology companies, with an Information & Communication Technology (ICT) focus and a specific emphasis on geospatial imaging.
“We make aircraft engines in Lethbridge – who knew? It’s a really happening place … most of the world doesn’t realize what a gem Lethbridge is.”
For outdoor enthusiasts attending an event, Banff rises to the occasion. The protected wilderness area gives new reason to combining business with pleasure. From the crevasses of the Bow River to the heights of Mount Rundle, to a sweeping championship golf course, Banff captures a charming small-town feel booming with memorable restaurants, dainty shops and fashionable boutiques.
Banff is widely considered Canada’s best incentive destination; meanwhile Lake Louise, a village in the heart of Banff National Park, is surrounded by some of the most breathtaking snow-capped mountain peaks in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The area’s picturesque and vibrant surroundings attract outdoors enthusiasts with cameras in hand eager to shoot a postcard-perfect shot. Sharp whites in winter, crystal-blue lakes and a medley of popping greens in the summer make for a beautiful backdrop surrounding hotels, mountain lodges or chateaus that caters to up to 2,000 meeting delegates arriving on direct flights from Calgary International Airport.
Incentives abound in Banff/Lake Louise. The area provides a significant return on investment, including offering corporations with more than 75 per cent non-Canadian attendees a refund of the goods and services tax paid on specific convention-related expenses. Beyond top-rated facilities including five-star resorts and state-of-the-art meeting rooms, delegates can enjoy western BBQ events, relaxing ski lodges, art gallery visits and restaurant experiences with renowned chefs. An added bonus is the Mountie Meet and Greet, where a retired Canadian Mountie will give an informal chat chronicling stories of the country’s history and Mountie traditions, as well as pose for photos.
Increased environmental sensitivities due to UNESCO World Heritage Site status has qualified Banff National Park as the No. 3 green meeting destination in North America for sustainable meeting infrastructure, as ranked by MeetGreen. Here are a few points that top the list on banfflakelouise.com:
- More than 50 per cent of hotels exceed minimum guidelines for linen reuse, recycling and energy efficiency and water practices
- High-performance green hotels with lighting, heating and cooling systems that reduce environmental footprint
- Leading waste management techniques
- Hotels use green sources of power where possible and many events have a zero-waste mandate
- World UNESCO Heritage Site – Banff National Park is a pure water source for three oceans
- The Town of Banff is Canada’s first municipality to operate hybrid buses on its public transportation route
Filed under: Canada
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