Tourism Winnipeg

Economic Development Winnipeg | Tourism Winnipeg | YES! Winnipeg 11 Meeting and Convention Trends The delegate experience is becoming more vital in attracting conventions as meeting planners want to ensure a destination will increase convention attendance and provide positive visitor experiences. A 2017 report from Benchmark Hospitality International and 2018 Skift report indicate that the following trends are rising in prominence and popularity: » Technology – Apps, live streaming, dedicated Wi-Fi and Apple TV are all revolutionizing meetings » Locavore Teambuilding – Culinary activities continue to be popular » Fabulous Food – Customized dining experiences and creative refreshment breaks » Hidden Gems – Delegates want to explore the unique and quirky aspects of a destination » Privacy – Privacy within meetings, while keeping meetings apart from all other groups at the same venue are becoming more important » Communications – Planners prefer to stay in touch by email rather than in-person visits » Value is in Vogue – More value-packed meeting packages covering all basic needs are in higher demand » Group Size is Static – Meetings are not increasing in numbers, while their lengths are tightening up » Making it Personal – Customized experiences are the way of the future » Local Alignment – Building networks with local leaders in industry and academic sectors is becoming the new norm to attracting business events » Rise of midsize cities – Incremental costs of hosting meetings in large metropolitan areas are creating new opportunities for tier 2 cities Source: Benchmark Hospitality International; The Rise of Midsize Cities in the Meetings Industry - Skift 2018 Jan. 31 Meeting Professional International Ottawa Charity Auction & Gala Feb. 14–15 CSAE Trillium Chapter Winter Summit, Burlington, ON TBD Business Events Canada (BEC), Minneapolis Event Apr. 4–6 The Event – Meeting Professional International, Montreal, QC May Ottawa Sales Blitz + 1 day in Montreal, QC June 11–14 MPI WEC, Toronto, ON TBD Business Events Canada Sales Event (BEC), D.C./Chicago July CSAE Trillium Chapter Summer Summit, ON Aug. 10–13 American Society of Association Executives Annual Conference, Columbus, OH Aug. 13–14 Canadian Meetings and Events Expo, Toronto, ON Fall Toronto Sales Blitz, ON Fall Eastern Consortium, Ottawa, ON Sep. 10–12 IMEX North America, Las Vegas, NV Oct. 23–25 Canadian Society of Association Executives National Conference, Vancouver, B.C. Oct. 27 –30 International Congress and Convention Association, Houston, TX Nov. 17–19 Canadian Innovation Conference, Professional Conference Management Association's Canada East, Quebec City, QC Dec. CSAE Trillium Chapter Holiday Event, Toronto, ON *Team Winnipeg initiative Bring It Home Program The Bring It Home (BIH) program is a targeted initiative within EDW, designed to work with local influential leaders, board members and those in specialized areas of research to attract business events to Winnipeg. The Winnipeg BIH program is known across Canada as a gold-standard local influencer program, as it recognizes and leverages business events as economic drivers for both tourism and investment attraction. In addition to increasing visitation to Winnipeg, the program also works to generate business and economic growth in target industry sectors and areas of focus. Since the program's inception in 2012 to June 30, 2018, BIH influencers have brought 126 business events to Winnipeg, resulting in direct spending of over $89 million, more than 88,000 delegates, and 107,000 room nights to Winnipeg. William Au

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