Attracting knowledge, investment, and talent to a destination as the 3 pillars of a Knowledge & Creative Economy requires an ability to attract -and convene – business and professional communities from all over the world.
The City of Calgary, famed for its Stampede, has emerged as a round-the-clock meeting space for all manner of sectoral conventions, congresses, trade fairs, and corporate meetings – beyond its oilers & cowboys – not least because of its early recognition of the true role of exhibition & convention centres on the journey to change. So much so that the city, home to international carrier WestJet, is now home to two significant venues – the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre located in the heart of the CBD, and the recently expanded BMO Centre located at the Stampede Ground (and hosted by The Iceberg Ambassador, Greg Newton).
The President & CEO of the TELUS Convention Centre, Kurby Court, explains the role of these meeting spaces – big and small – as catalysts of socio-economic impact and then how the city continues to reinvest the resource dividend in order to retain the eventful legacies across emerging sectors such as Tech.
Court: I don’t mind if they’re in my building or not – so long as the City wins!
This is a long-overdue report. For many years the idea that convention centres in, and of, themselves are immediate profit centres is not true. In fact, many are not. But without them, a city is incapable of hosting international communities that deliver the 100:1 ROI in investment and talent required for the diversification of an economy.
Learn more here: https://aipc.org/
