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The Royal Treatment
September 2010
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Five things you didn’t know about Regina
1. The only training centre for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is located in Regina. The RCMP Academy “Depot” Division is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.
2. Wascana Centre is one of North America’s largest urban parks. The man-made, centrally located park covers 2,300 acres and features pathways, picnic facilities, a lake and promenade deck.
3. The Regina Symphony Orchestra is Canada’s oldest continuously operating symphony. It performs a 39-week season that ranges from Baroque to pop.
4. Regina is, truly, a sports hotbed. The city is home to the Regina Pats, the world’s longest-running junior hockey team. It’s also home to the beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders, who have brought watermelon helmets back into fashion.
5. Regina has one of the highest per capita supply of open space of any municipality of Canada.
Five must-sees in Regina
1. Casino Regina
Situated in the historic CPR Station, Casino Regina Regina is the top tourist destination in Saskatchewan. It also features a 700-seat show lounge that can be booked for meetings.
2. Downtown Regina
The city centre features a variety of art galleries and museums, restaurants, shops, the Regina Farmer’s Market and Victoria Park. Visitors can also take in a live performance at the acclaimed Globe Theatre or discover the spectacular “Glass Wheatfield” at the Regina Plains Museum.
3. Cathedral Village Neighbourhood
A “hidden” gem thanks to its dedication to arts and culture and heritage preservation, as well as its string of unique, high quality boutiques and shops, outstanding coffee houses and restaurants and an atmosphere you won’t find anywhere else in Regina.
4. Old Warehouse District
Revitalized district is now a local hot spot for more than 600 independent stores, businesses, high quality restaurants, and excellent nightlife opportunities. Many of the buildings in this area have also been declared historical landmarks.
5. Beer Brothers Bakery and Cuisine
Located in downtown Regina, the shop features beer cuisine — the idea that beer is the new wine. All menu choices have some type of beer used as an ingredient.
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Regina makes a statement on the meetings and events scene
By Jamie Zachary
Best known for its agricultural roots, Regina is now planting seeds of a different sort. Versatile venues, world-class entertainment and a incredible warmth among its people are helping reshape people`s preconceived notions of life on the prairies – and in doing so are quickly elevating the city to become a major player in Western Canada’s meetings and events industry.
“Yes, we do believe Regina’s stock is rising in the meetings and events industry,” says Lisa Mitchell, convention, meetings and trade show manager for the Regina Regional Opportunities Commission. “We are, in essence, currently being discovered, and those who come here, joyfully share in our celebrations and are inspired to return again and again.”
Directly accessible from virtually anywhere in North America, Regina is home to the kind of options that would make most urban centres blush. The Saskatchewan capital boasts more than 3,000 hotel rooms, as well as more than 500,000 square feet of meeting space – including more than 300,000 square feet of continuous meeting space.
It’s also home to a number of world-class venues, including the Conexus Arts Centre, Evraz Place and Queensbury Centre. Between them, these facilities have hosted groups ranging from Bon Jovi to Cirque du Soleil, and Elton John to the 2011 national men`s curling championship.
“The Conexus Arts Centre touches a myriad of lives every year through on stage performances, concerts, celebrations, family and community events, seminars, trade shows, conferences, meetings and more,” says Stacey Domoslai, the centre’s marketing and public relations co-ordinator.
In addition to being located in the heart of downtown Regina, yet five minutes away from pathways and the tranquil Wascana Lake, many of these facilities also offer planners versatile, and valuable, meeting space.
The aforementioned Conexus Arts Centre, for example, offers meeting space that varies in size from 486 to 13,020 square feet, including a 2,000-plus seat theatre.
Evraz Place, meanwhile – which includes the Brandt Centre, Queensbury Convention Centre, Credit Union EventPlex and the new Co-operators Centre – can host groups of 50 to 1,400 people on one floor, and 1,400 to 3,000 delegates over two floors. In fact, it’s the facility’s versatility that has planners and delegates raving, says Bim Pandya, director of facility sales for Evraz Place.
“We’ve received very positive feedback from visitors, planners and delegates,” says Pandya, noting that in 2009 alone, more than 180,000 people attended more than 1,000 events at Evraz Place. “Event planners enjoy the proximity to the trade show floor when planning large conferences, as this allows all breaks and meals to take place on the exhibit levels. And exhibitors find the venue very versatile as the design of the venue creates an opportunity for delegates to spend more time on the exhibit floor.”
Visitors looking for something out the ordinary also have access to a virtual cornucopia of options, including a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many at Beaver Creek Horse Ranch.
Situated on 200 acres of rolling hills in the Qu'Appelle Valley just northwest of Regina, this working cattle and horse ranch offers country-style dinners, ranch-style entertainment, as well as leadership and life skills development programs for youth and adults.
“The setting is rustic by design, to provide a unique country atmosphere,” says Brenda Clemens, who runs the ranch with her family, adding that they can accommodate groups ranching in size from 25 to 400. “Event planners find us easy and accommodating to work with, and are impressed by the quality of food and customer service. They like the casual, down-home feel, but recognize the strong organization and high level of professionalism behind the scenes.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by many who visit the city, says Mitchell.
“People are drawn here by our welcoming spirit and then invigorated by the discovery of our charming secrets and celebrations,” she says. “Delegates and visitors alike can truly enjoy life’s most vibrant moments here.”
Filed under: Canada
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