Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/135798
10 reasons to plan your meeting in Vancouver We know that delegate draw and satisfaction are paramount to the success of your event, and by choosing Vancouver to host it you greatly improve your chances to exceed expectations VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE Two-time winner of the International Association of Congress Centres' (AIPC) award for "World's Best Convention Centre," 40 per cent of the 465,000-square-foot (43,340-square-metre) facility is actually built over water, with floor-to-ceiling glass throughout treating guests to phenomenal harbour and mountain views. This is the only convention centre in the world awarded the highest LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification – Platinum – and is considered a masterpiece of design, inspiration and sustainability. Walkable Downtown Core ACCOMMODATIONS With 19 convention hotels downtown with meeting space ranging from 185 to 4,700 square metres (2,000 to 51,000 square feet), meeting planners have many possibilities to choose from. And with 13,000 hotel rooms in the city's downtown core, and 28,000 in Metro Vancouver, delegates have plenty of choice as well. ACCESS Vancouver is home to the Vancouver International Airport (YVR), the award-winning, second-largest airport on North America's west coast. Travelling downtown is as easy as taking a taxi, limo or the Canada Line rapid transit system, which takes less than 30 minutes. Once downtown, all delegates will need is their feet to get around our extremely walkable downtown core. TOP BUSINESS DESTINATION According to The Economist's annual business trip index comparing 140 cities as potential venues for business trips, conferences and training locations, Vancouver outperforms all its competition. The index takes into account both cost-related and environmental factors such as safety, stability, culture, environment and infrastructure, and Vancouver ranks number one in the world for having the best mix of ingredients for the business traveller. INCREASED DELEGATE ATTENDANCE Meetings and conventions held in Vancouver draw on average 11 per cent more delegates than the previous year's meeting. It's no surprise, 6 welcome to vancouver TVan photo: Albert Normandin