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The Reality of the Building Canada's Meeting Facilities See the Need to Expand
May/June, 2008
By Scott Anderson
This sums up what is happening in the meeting and conference industry this year.
A mix of new construction projects, coupled with a number of upgrades and renovations of existing facilities, has led to a flurry of activity throughout Canada.
Responding to the needs of the demanding meetings and conference industry and striving to capture an even bigger piece of the meetings and convention action many facilities have recognized the need to build and expand.
While some have decided to build or grow in order to get a foot in the door of the meetings industry, others realized the need to expand in order to attract the larger scale events. Without the additional space, many found they were turning away the bigger meetings simply because they could not accommodate the bigger events.
One such example was in the nation’s capital.
“As a G8 capital, and fourth largest metropolitan area in Canada, the size of Ottawa’s primary meeting and convention facility is inadequate,” says Patrick Kelly, president of the Ottawa Congress Centre. “Ottawa continues to turn away medium-sized meetings and conventions due to a lack of meeting space.”
So the Ottawa Congress Centre decided to do something about this and what resulted was an aggressive multi-year project that, when complete, could transform Ottawa into a world-class meeting destination.
The Ottawa Congress Centre is undergoing the most aggressive expansion plan of all the Canadian venues this year with a complete demolition of the existing facility in an aggressive 30-month project.
Expansion of the centre had been discussed for more than a decade. But in the fall of 2007, the Ottawa Congress Centre’s board of directors announced that it would demolish the existing building and redevelop a new convention facility on the same landmark location. The centre will close its operation in September 2008 and re-open in April 2011.
The new Ottawa Congress Centre will be situated on the existing site, in the heart of Canada’s capital, surrounded by national sites, cultural treasures and picturesque landscape. The new centre will have unparalleled views of Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage Site, Confederation Square and the National Arts Centre.
Delegates will step outside and be just steps away from recreational paths, the Rideau Canal and the ByWard Market shopping and restaurant district -- not to mention 6,000 downtown hotel rooms.
The facility will be directly linked to the 180-store Rideau Centre and the 480-room Westin Ottawa. It will set new standards for environmental design and sustainable practices and include advanced technology and provide a landmark setting for meetings.
The new centre will boast a modern design, a bright naturally-lit interior for meetings and mid-sized conventions. Conceived and designed with direct input from meeting planners, the centre will house approximately 200,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, including a 90,000 -square foot multi-purpose room. The new centre will accommodate multiple events concurrently and attract organizations that have been unable to book their events in Ottawa due to a shortage of meeting space.
“The tourism and hospitality industry is very supportive of the initiative, given that a redeveloped convention centre will improve Ottawa’s position as a convention destination. The Congress Centre has worked with its hotel and venue partners to ensure that its displaced business has been relocated to other venues,” says Kelly.
“The response to the redevelopment announcement has been very positive. Clients are already booking meetings and conventions for 2011 and beyond.”
“The response to the redevelopment announcement has been very positive. Clients are already booking meetings and conventions for 2011 and beyond.”
In an another key Canadian city, The International Centre, located on the outskirts of Toronto, is also undergoing an addition that includes a 42,000-square foot conference centre to meet an increasing demand for meeting, banquet and seminar space. Construction is underway and is expected to be completed by the summer.
The conference centre will feature a 17,000-square foot ballroom, multiple meeting rooms, a substantial lobby and pre-function space, business centre services, first-class catering and a modern kitchen.
With a separate lobby and private amenities, it will be able to function independently of the adjacent exhibit space or in tandem with it.
The ballroom will be 17,000 square feet, divisible into a total of four sections of approximately 4,200 square feet each, with two end sections further dividing into three smaller breakout rooms of approximately 1,400 square feet each.
There are also two separate meeting rooms adjacent to the ballroom on either side. One meeting room is 2,028 square feet and the other meeting room is 2,900 square feet. Both rooms are divisible into two smaller sections. The 10,000-square-foot lobby and pre-function space is designed for meeting breaks or cocktail receptions.
The interior treatment of the addition will include contemporary, warm materials comprised of predominantly neutral tones and carefully placed color treatments. Skylights will be used to animate the main lobby space with natural light. Generous ceiling heights and common areas, along with well-planned room dimensions, will create flexibility for all events. Service corridors have been designed for ease of access while considering acoustical separation in order to respect the privacy of the various spaces.
The exterior of the conference centre will feature a contemporary identity to the International Centre with an expansive metal and glass entrance creating a functional and welcoming approach to Halls 1, 2 and the conference centre.
There will be a signature curved entrance feature that is directly accessible to the adjacent parking area visible from the signalized access point on Airport Road. A covered entrance will create a functional and welcoming approach to the new addition flanked by landscaped features.
Also in Toronto, the privately-owned Toronto Congress Centre reopened in January after undertaking a massive expansion to double its exhibition space to more than one million square feet. While the Metro Toronto Convention Centre completed a $4-million upgrade to the pre-function space outside Constitution Hall. The Direct Energy Centre is also planning a major expansion to create a conference centre with 58,500 square feet of ballrooms and 22,500 square feet of meeting rooms.
GAMBLING ON GROWTH
Casinos, which have become relatively new players in the meetings and conventions business, are also upping the ante with expansion plans. Casinos big and small have unveiled plans to boost the size of their facilities.
When South Beach Casino first opened its doors in the Spring of 2005, it never imagined the success it would enjoy. But having welcomed its one-millionth visitor less than a year ago, the casino, located on the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation reserve, is set for a major addition.
The facility, which is just 30 minutes north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, features more than 30,000 square feet of casino space with 300 slot machines and 12 table games. But the number of tables is set double when the renovations are complete by the projected mid-August date.
The planned additions include an art-deco facility which will house 95 guestrooms in a variety of room layouts including grand suites and deluxe guestrooms with king or queen beds. A new conference centre is also expected by Fall 2008.
And as part of the expansion plan, the casino will voluntarily become smoke-free.
“An expanded facility will create new employment opportunities for First Nations and provide additional economic benefits to Aboriginal communities across the province,” Manitoba’s Attorney General David Chomiak said last year when the renovation plans were unveiled.
When completed the expanded site, which boasts a projected annual revenue of 25 percent from meetings and events, will include a 5,000-square foot grand ballroom with a retractable dividing wall. Just outside, the 2,000-square-foot pre-function area will serve as the ideal space to plan a reception or to set up a registration area.
“Our hotel and entertainment complex will not only provide the highest standard of service with enormous attention to detail, but also shall exceed our guest expectations in delivering excellence and guest satisfaction,” says Sales and Catering manager Karen Kummen Diak.
Meanwhile, Casino Windsor, which will re-open in June 2008 as Caesars Windsor after it was purchased by Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., will offer more than 100,000 square-feet of meeting space.
This includes a 5,000-seat entertainment theatre that can be converted into 39,500 square-feet of column-free convention space; a 26,000-square-foot ballroom; seven conference rooms; 758 hotel rooms; and eight restaurants and lounges.
And the Stampede Casino in Alberta is in the middle of a relocation plan that will see it move near the Round-Up Centre on the Calgary Stampede grounds. Once there it will offer 5,000 square-feet of space for meetings and events.
Also in Calgary, one of the prides of Western Canada, the Calgary Tower, is undergoing a massive construction like it has never seen before.
The tower, which is set to mark its 40th birthday on June 30, is seeing a complete makeover from top to bottom, marking its first large renovation project in more than 10 years. The project began in late March and is due to be completed at the end of June just in time for the birthday celebrations.
Although it saw some minor improvements in 2003, not much had been done to the space for nearly 10 years. Therefore, this project is a massive overhaul from floor to ceiling, including all the furniture and fixtures, with essentially only the revolving floor and 360-degree view remaining the same after the renovations are complete.
Although it has been a tourist’s must-see since 1968, the face-lift will cause some events to be missed, says Tower spokeswoman Trish Murrie. This will cut into the Tower’s total revenue as about 10 percent of the overall income is derived from meetings and other functions.
Murrie says due to the closure, there are about six months that they’ve been unable to accommodate any special event requests, including several that are held at the top of the Tower on an annual or bi-annual basis.
But she says they worked with the leaser well in advance of the renovations and have been able to accommodate most events in other nearby venues or postpone them until the fall when the Tower will be fully functional again.
But like every project of this magnitude, Murrie says they are prepared for the unexpected.
“As construction has just begun on this incredibly unique space, I am sure that our biggest surprises are yet to come,” she says.
ACCOMODATING CHANGES
When you sit atop the ‘A’ list of swank hotels in one of Canada’s busiest cities, it is important to keep your facilities in impeccable shape. This is even more important when you are the home away from home for some of the top celebrities during festivals, galas, musical tours and other paparazzi-attracting affairs.
In the heart of Yorkville, the Four Seasons Hotel defines the standard for luxurious hospitality in Toronto and is the setting for the city's most notable gatherings.
The hotel, which features almost three dozen meeting rooms and 21,800 square feet of function and meeting space from the magnificent Regency Ballroom to the library-style comfort of the Print Room, is constantly building and renovating to maintain its reputation.
“As part of our ongoing maintenance commitment, our goal is to ensure that our facilities are up-to-date and keeping with today’s modern technology,” says Melanie Greco, director of Public Relations.
And with about one-third of its room revenue derived from meetings it is very important.
Renovations to its third and fourth floor meeting space began in the Summer of 2006 and were completed in early 2007.
While its Regency Ballroom, which features 7,168 square feet of meeting space and can accommodate up to 600 people for receptions, recently underwent a soft-good refurbishment including a floor to ceiling upgrade with new carpeting and paint. This was completed at the end of April.
The renovations included upgrades to all its meeting and conference facilities. The rooms were completely remodeled and now feature contemporary wall coverings, carpeting and modern light fixtures.
Technology including 52-inch plasma screens was affixed in all meeting rooms and a dedicated on-site audio visual team was incorporated. The rooms also received a soft goods renovation (linens, upholstery and drapery) during the last year and now feature flat screen televisions in all 150 of its suites.
It is still in the process of replacing all of its beds with the exclusive Stearns and Foster Four Seasons beds by the end of year. And in mid-February, the hotel went completely wireless in all guest rooms, meeting space and public areas.
Despite the extensive renovations, Greco says that “it was a seamless experience for everyone involved.”
“We fortunately didn’t experience any negative impact from our renovation projects since we were careful to work around our client’s schedules,” Greco says. “We also select times of the year when business levels are traditionally slower.”
On a smaller scale, the Orchard View Reception and Conference Centre, located about 20 minutes south of downtown Ottawa, is also looking to expand.
Located next to a lake, with meandering walkways, connecting bridges, gazebos, and exotic wildlife, the 20,000-square foot facility accommodates business meetings, indoor and outdoor weddings, galas and large outdoor events. These range from 10 to 400 guests indoors to outdoor events in size from 50 to 2,500 guests.
With about 40 percent of its revenue earned from meetings, the facility saw the need to expand to incorporate several events at the same time as well as to host additional breakout rooms. It was also looking to expand in order to cater to additional weddings, meetings and conferences.
With that in mind it planned an aggressive $5-million renovation and expansion project, but after running into a number of issues which might have proven costly to overcome, it decided to scale back the project to less than one-fifth of the original cost.
The project, set to begin in the fall of this year, and be completed by Spring 2009 includes an additional 2,000 square feet of space plus a coverall building for trade shows with a view of the waterfall gardens and rock gardens. This is all overlooking the lake and surrounded by 35 acres of landscaped parkland. It also recently added Orchard View Villa Bed and Breakfast.
“We made a conscious decision to minimize the bookings during our construction period as well as decline bookings altogether during peak construction times,” says General Manager Gino Milito.
Filed under: Features
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