Destination Canada's International Convention Attraction Fund Helps Secure Five Major Business Events for Montréal

The global conferences will have a collective anticipated direct economic impact of over $22 million

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 30, 2024 /CNW/ - Destination Canada's multimillion-dollar International Convention Attraction Fund (ICAF), launched in March 2024, has confirmed funding commitments for five successful bids by Tourisme Montréal and Palais des congrès de Montréal to host high-value citywide international business events.

Created and administered by Destination Canada, and funded by the Government of Canada, the ICAF is a vital component of Destination Canada's strategy to establish Canada as a leading destination for hosting business events. The three-year program offers financial commitments of up to $1 million per event bid by eligible Canadian destinations, and is part of an overall investment of $50 million from budget 2023 for the attraction of major international conferences to Canada.

Since its launch earlier this year, the ICAF has received applications for events across the country, and now stands at 21 confirmed conference wins. These won events are expected to attract over 51,000 overnight delegates to Canada, leading to an anticipated direct economic impact of over $122 million. There are currently 30 additional event bids awaiting decisions by event owners.

ICAF-supported bid wins in Montréal are:

• 2026 American Comparative Literature Association Annual Conference with anticipated direct economic impact of $4.9 million and 2,500 of overnight delegates;
• 2026 Human-Computer Interaction International Conference with anticipated direct economic impact of $4.8 million and 1,700 of overnight delegates;
• 2027 A premier Life Sciences conference - details on the event are expected to be announced later;
• 2027 International Liver Transplant Society Congress with anticipated direct economic impact of $2.9 million and 1,200 of overnight delegates;
• 2028 World Conference on Earthquake Engineering with anticipated direct economic impact of $6.6 million and 3,000 of overnight delegates.

ICAF supports bids for events that fall within Canada's key economic sectors, including advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, life sciences, natural resources, digital industries, and finance and insurance. In addition to ICAF, Destination Canada's comprehensive business events strategy encompasses robust marketing campaigns and a significant Canadian presence at major industry events, where the Canadian Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) ecosystem can generate valuable leads. 

The Knowledge Collective: A Single Point of Contact for Attracting Major Conferences to Montréal

The close collaboration between Tourisme Montréal and the Palais des congrès de Montréal is a critical lever for positioning the city as the top destination for hosting international events in the Americas. This strategic alliance led to the creation of The Knowledge Collective, a single point of contact for attracting and organizing international conferences by offering personalized support to researchers, professors and specialists from Montréal's key economic sectors. The synergy between Tourisme Montréal, the Palais and these world-calibre experts, through the combination of their expertise and networks, powerfully enhances Montréal's profile on the international scene.

Quotes:

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec:

"Competition for international events is fierce - and Montréal is winning! Thanks to our historic investments through the International Convention Attraction Fund, we've already landed five major conferences. These events showcase the best of our city to some 10,000 overnight delegates from around the world - who spend twice as much as leisure travellers - while creating opportunities for our businesses. We look forward to welcoming the world to Montréal!"

Virginie De Visscher, Executive Director, Business Events, Destination Canada:

"Global business events are critical drivers of economic impact, knowledge transfers and other catalytic effects. While competition is fierce to host high-value events, ICAF is helping Canadian destinations put their best foot forward with critical financial support to make bids more competitive and compelling. In just seven months, ICAF has helped to secure five major international business events for Montréal, which we anticipate will generate a direct economic impact of over $22.9 million. We are excited to see ICAF's influence over the next few months and years in Montréal and other cities, as we continue to secure international business and elevate Canada on the global stage as a leading business events destination."

Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal:

"Montreal continues to assert itself as the number one destination for international association events in North America, and we are pleased to see the International Convention Attraction Fund (ICAF) strengthening our position. Business tourism represents a vital part of our sector, and these large-scale events not only generate significant economic benefits but also enrich our cultural fabric and promote knowledge sharing. With this support, we can attract more leading conferences and continue to offer memorable experiences, further solidifying Montreal's reputation on the global stage."

Emmanuelle Legault, President and CEO, Palais des congrès de Montréal:

"ICAF has undoubtedly contributed to making the candidacy of Montréal and the Palais des congrès stand out internationally for each conference won. By complementing our existing resources, this financial support from Destination Canada has empowered us to develop programs that deliver significant social and intellectual impact for these events, while also generating substantial economic spinoffs for Québec and Canada. This joint effort leaves a lasting legacy that fosters innovation, knowledge sharing and community growth.

About Destination Canada

At Destination Canada, we believe that tourism enhances the wealth and wellbeing of Canadians and enriches the lives of visitors. Our mission is to influence supply and build demand for the benet of locals, communities and visitors through leading research, alignment with public and private sectors, and marketing Canada nationally and abroad. 

Knowing that diversity is our greatest asset, we promote Canada as a premier four-season leisure and business tourism destination around the country and world in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, United Kingdom and the United States. In addition, our Business Events team leverages in-depth global market analysis to target international clusters aligned with Canada's priority economic sectors. Destination Canada is a Crown corporation wholly owned by the Government of Canada. www.destinationcanada.com 

About the ICAF

The Fund is a vital component of Destination Canada's comprehensive strategy to establish our country as a leading destination for business events. This holistic approach also includes robust marketing campaigns and ensuring a significant Canadian presence at major industry tradeshows and events, where the Canadian Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) ecosystem can generate valuable leads. Since the launch of the ICAF in March, 2024, the program received eligible applications for 56 events from 13 DMOs across Canada, with 9 DMOs (representing 6 provinces) succeeding in winning ICAF-supported events. Of the 56 ICAF-supported events, decisions have been made on a total of 26 events, with 21 confirmed wins for Canada.

About Tourisme Montréal 

Tourisme Montréal is a 100-year-old private, non-profit organization that works to position Montréal as an international-caliber leisure and business travel destination. To this end, the organization is piloting innovative hospitality strategies with a two-fold objective: ensuring that visitors enjoy a memorable experience and maximizing tourism economic spin-offs in a sustainable way with long-term impacts for the city. Uniting nearly 1,000 businesses and organizations working directly or indirectly in tourism, Tourisme Montréal plays a leading role in the management and development of Montréal's tourism business, and makes recommendations on issues surrounding the city's economic, urban and cultural development. For more information, go to www.mtl.org.

About the Palais des congrès de Montréal

A creative solutions centre and a showcase for the city's spirit and expertise, the Palais des congrès de Montréal has been promoting and hosting large-scale events since 1983. Generating significant economic, social and intellectual benefits, it encourages innovation and acts as a force for progress for both Montréal and Québec. The Palais is firmly committed to sustainability and takes numerous innovative, concrete steps to make it a central component of its business development. With one of the highest customer satisfaction rates in the world, the Palais actively contributes to the international reputation of Montréal, the top host city for international events in America for eight years in a row. congresmtl.com.

SOURCE Tourisme Montréal

For interviews, or more information, please contact: Destination Canada: [email protected] and [email protected]; Tourism Montréal: Aurélie de Blois, Corporate communications, public and media relations, 514 918-5290, [email protected]; Palais des congrès de Montréal: [email protected]