Captivating locations. Inspired experiences. Easy to get to from here.

When New York area meeting planners are seeking a safe, affordable and chic destinations to host their next corporate meeting or incentive program, they look to our northern neighbor, and the world of possibilities found in Canada.

Urban, Resort, Luxury or Legendary Destinations 

Canada is a mighty big country and for planners seeking both familiar and exotic locations to convene – well, the options are almost boundless.

Ideas and world views are traded daily in Canada – in dynamic cities that huddle close to the US border. Ottawa, the country’s G7 Capital is a mere 90-minutes from New York City, but feels like a world away. Nearby, Montréal, undeniably stylish, has become Canada’s cultural capital. Hot off the heels of its 375th birthday in 2017, this island city has been voted top North American meetings destination year after year. When combined with nearby Tremblant Resort, or Québec City, it’s a favorite dual-destination incentive reward — an exotic slice of Europe without the jetlag!

The best and the brightest convene in Toronto, known far and wide as Canada’s Downtown. The second largest financial center in North America, and the second largest tech center outside of Silicon Valley, Toronto’s multicultural mosaic, global food scene, and major league sports teams help round out conference agendas and shatter attendance records year over year. Speaking of records — 2018 is teed up to set records for conferences meeting in Vancouver. A sophisticated city plunked in the heart of a rainforest, Vancouver has earned its moment in the spotlight, having been voted the highest rated business meeting site in North America, the Top Convention City in Canada, the Best Foreign City for Meetings, and a top 10 spot in Conde Nast Traveler’s Best Cities in the World. Alone, it’s a dynamic location for conferences, but when incentive planners really seek to ramp up the wow factor, they combine their reward programs with experiences in nearby Victoria and/or Whistler Resort.

Luxurious and Legendary Resorts and Retreats 

Canada’s luxury resorts and legendary destinations offer plenty of space for strategic thinking, and even more rewards. Mountainside, oceanside, in the heart of wine country, or bounding a secluded lake, each destination provides an opportunity to clear corporate cobwebs, strategize for the future, or celebrate big wins.

High-adrenalin wildlife adventures help fuel new ways of thinking. In Canada, corporate groups can get up-close-and personal with Humpback and Orca whales and Grizzly bears at Sonora Resort, fish for Pacific Salmon and go Heli-hiking at Clayoquot Wilderness Retreat, kayak with Belugas and sleep over with Polar bears in legendary Churchill in between strategy sessions. More refined, but no less remarkable are the luxury lodges tucked away in some of Canada’s most picturesque outposts: the remarkable and luxurious Fogo Island Inn in outport Newfoundland, and, on the western edge of Vancouver Island, the Wickanannish Inn create deeply immersive retreat experiences for those willing to make the journey.

If golf and spa are on the agenda, well, you won’t find much better than Canada’s acclaimed retreats and resorts. From Nova Scotia’s Fox Harb’r Resort where presidents and PGA champions have teed off, to mountain golf at the Fairmont Banff Springs and Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge golf courses, to BC’s Predator Ridge and Sparkling Hill desert oasis to Victoria’s acclaimed Bear Mountain Resort — each offers views so dramatic it will be hard to keep one’s eye on the ball. Pair these golf experience with the luxurious accommodations, indulgent spas, hyper-local culinary scene and the best of regional entertainment, and you’ve got a corporate retreat everyone will remember.

Meet, Engage, Explore in Canada 

From global conventions, to corporate conferences and ultra-immersive incentive experiences, the experts at Business Events Canada help planners take the guesswork out of meeting in Canada. For assistance in planning your next event, connect with: 

Michael Shannon, CMP
Director, Business Development, Northeast
michael.shannon@businesseventscanada.ca
908-429-3992