Priority sectors. The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) unveiled its refreshed agenda for the meetings, conventions and incentive travel (MC&IT) sector in Europe at IMEX, the annual international trade show in Germany. There’s a new name—Business Events Canada (BEC)—and a new focus on seven priority sectors where Canada holds a competitive advantage. CTC’s BEC team will be leading its sales approach on aerospace, agriculture and food, clean technology, infrastructure/engineering, information/communication technology, life sciences and natural resources. These priorities are in line with the areas in which Canada is internationally recognized as a centre of excellence.
The new BEC brand reflects the growing significance of the meetings industry to Canada’s economy. Meetings, conventions and incentive travel attracts close to two million visitors each year to Canada with total spending of $1.7 billion—almost a quarter of all money spent by inbound overnight travellers. Canada is the No. 1 location for outbound meetings business from the US, which brings in about $1.4 billion annually.
The new BEC unit already has its first success under its belt: working as part of a local tourism consortium, BEC helped bring the annual TED Conference to Vancouver, BC, starting in 2014. That business coup garnered worldwide attention for the city and Canada as a whole, highlighting it as a centre for innovation.
“Although we have refined our strategic focus on specific industries, we remain firmly committed to working with our partners and clients to bring events of all kinds to Canada,” says Greg Klassen, CTC senior vice-president Marketing Strategy and Communications. “Conventions and meetings held in Canada can be the first spark that ignites interest in doing business that leads to investment in our country as well as exploration of the unique experiences that Canada offers international travellers.”The next major event for the BEC team will be AIBTM June 11-13 in Chicago, IL.
