Smart Meetings

The remaining three encompass icy peaks from other mountains, pristine blue lakes, prairies, wilderness areas and wildlife galore.

To understand meeting in Alberta, you need to know that it also has Canada’s fastest-growing economy, with vibrant (yet distinctly different) cities and smaller hubs, state-of-the-art convention venues and retreat-like hideaways. They’re joined by two international airports, a once-again favorable exchange rate and no provincial sales tax. Yet, you’re never far from the spectacular scenery, as a backdrop or as a lure to enjoy its fabulous outdoor recreational pursuits, from the adrenaline-pumping ski slopes and hiking trails to the leisurely dip of a canoe paddle on an alpine lake.

Whether you want to green your meeting (it comes naturally here) or green your bottom line, you’ll find an ideal meeting site in this intriguing neighbor to the north. Read on, and be sure to also check out Travel Alberta’s website; it has a wealth of ideas to also help you jump-start your research.

CALGARY

Alberta’s two major cities—Calgary and Edmonton—couldn’t be more different from one another. Calgary is more the upstart: big, bold and growing. Its downtown profile keeps changing as construction adds more vertical space for hotels, offices and condominiums (case in point, Le Germain, a new mixed-use project with an eco-friendly boutique hotel opening in December and sold-out condos opening next March).

You’ll find the entrepreneurial spirit here, as the city ranks first in technology start-up companies and Internet connections. It also has the youngest, best-educated workforce in the country, with 60 percent having post-secondary education. And, similar to some U.S. cities we could name, you’ll find many of them relaxing at cafes, dining out, and sampling the jam-packed nightlife scene year-round, thanks to the +15 Skyway, the pedestrian system that connects office buildings, hotels and entertainment venues and serves as a winter lifeline.

The vibe is a mix of cosmopolitan and cowboy—not surprising, given the city’s history as a stomping grounds for the Old West and its proximity, even today, to open pastures and cattle ranching. Look no further than the Pengrowth Saddledome, home of the Calgary Flames hockey team, for a visual reminder. And then there’s the annual Calgary Stampede, a raucous, fun-filled rodeo and music festival that draws more than a million visitors each July for the 10-day bronco-bustin’ event.

Major Meetings Venues

Right in the middle of downtown is the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, with 122,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space, 47,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space and 34 meeting rooms. (The center was certified BOMA Go Green back in 2005, by the way.)

The center is linked indoors to several major meeting properties (the Hyatt Regency Calgary, the Marriott Calgary and The Fairmont Palliser), providing more than 1,000 guest rooms plus function space at the individual properties.    

According to Sarah Ostrow, of Ernst & Young in Vancouver, their annual event celebrating entrepreneurs from all over the Prairie Region, draws 1,000 attendees. They have chosen the Calgary Marriott Hotel for their blue-tie gala because of “the exceptional service and attention to our group that we have received.”

Planners may also want to take a look at the MacEwan Conference & Event Centre, located in the student center on the University of Calgary campus, with 40,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, and the Metropolitan Conference Centre, with 23,000 sq. ft. of meeting space in a variety configurations.

UNIQUE VENUES AND ACTIVITIES

If you want a taste of the Old West, and need plenty of space, head for Calgary’s Stampede Park. While it’s home to the world-renowned event, the park is also open for business the remaining 355 days of the year. This massive, green-certified facility boasts a total of 200,000 sq. ft. of contiguous space; the 17,000-square-foot Corral Centre, an arena where you can hold your own private rodeo; and a renovated 500-seat theater. It’s just wrapping up a new, 50,000-square-foot addition to the BMO (formerly the Roundup) Centre that brings the park’s total to more than 450,000 sq. ft.

The ski lifts of Banff aren’t that far from downtown Calgary, but even closer is the Canada Olympic Park, actually within city limits. This outdoor recreation venue was home to the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, and your group can find their inner Olympian while downhill or cross-country skiing or snowboarding in winter. In summer, it morphs into a mountain-biking and festival magnet.   

BANFF AND LAKE LOUISE

Created in 1885, Banff National Park was Canada’s first national park. Situated in the Rockies, it encompasses picturesque mountain peaks, glaciers, icefields, alpine meadows and natural hot springs. Tucked into this gorgeous geologic mix is the town of Banff and the self-contained enclave of Lake Louise.

An hour or so from Calgary, Banff is a bustling ski resort area, and the town’s main street reflects the lifestyle, with dozens of restaurants, shops, bars, recreation outfitters and hotels. Although Banff a little quieter in summer, it’s still a popular destination (the gear just changes). Lake Louise, with only a small shopping center to anchor it, is more low-key—and that’s how everyone likes it.

“Banff National Park offers the ‘A-ha’ moment that we all need and are searching for in our daily lives,” says Kurt Schroeder, director of sales, Banff Lake Louise Tourism. “These days our time is stretched to the limits, and there is continual stress and fear about the economy, our safety and future. Banff National Park not only offers the meeting space and modern necessities required for companies to strategize a recovery, but most importantly, it provides an inspirational setting that motivates, revives and energizes.”

MEETING VENUES

There’s a choice of exceptional properties for meetings, whether they’re incentives, educational seminars or retreats. Located on the lower slopes of Tunnel Mountain is the IACC-certified Banff Centre, a conference facility that draws groups to more than 60 facilities, lecture theaters and auditoriums. It provides 72,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and 400 guest rooms (the Kinnear Centre for Creativity, still under construction, will add another 21,000 sq. ft.).

Molly Gahagan, senior meetings coordinator for The Geological Society of America based in Boulder, Colo., is holding her 62-attendee Penrose Conference (requested by members interested in the geology of an area) at the Banff Centre this month because of its apropos location and the success of an earlier event held there. “My only regret is that I do not get to travel to this conference,” she says. “But I know that the group is in good hands with the Centre.”

Banff’s grande dame, The Fairmont Banff Springs is another option. This castle-like resort features 768 rooms and a 13-room dedicated conference center with more than 76,000 sq ft. of function space. It’s complemented by the Fairmont brand’s green meetings initiatives, as is its sister property, the equally luxurious Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, on the banks of one of the most picturesque lakes in Alberta. It features 550 guest rooms and 36,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including the new Mount Temple Wing.

Also in Banff is the newer Rimrock Resort, whose premium guest rooms were refurbished last year. The property, which sits on a bluff 750 feet above town, offers 18,000 sq. ft. of meeting space along with spectacular views.

FUN ACTIVITIES

Your guests will want to take advantage of the outdoor recreation opportunities here, so encourage them to add a pre- or post-stay. Ski season runs from November through May, and three resorts (Banff Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village and the Lake Louise Mountain Resort) will delight your moguls. Or, if you can squeeze in a fun meeting break, head for the Banff Gondola, which takes you to the summit of Sulphur Mountain and offers sensational 360-degree views.

EDMONTON

Alberta’s capital city contrasts with Calgary (the largest) in style and ambience. Lively and sophisticated, Edmonton is the cultural hub of the province, offering an arts district, symphony, opera, live theater, art galleries and more than 70 museums of various sizes. Further proof is the more than 35 festivals held here yearly, from the internationally renowned International Fringe Theatre Festival to the Labatt Blues Festival, which prompt the city’s reputation as “Festival City”.

The North Saskatchewan River, which bisects the city, provides what’s been called “the longest stretch of connected urban parkland in North America”—or, to Edmontonians, their outdoor playground (22 times larger than New York’s Central park, as a point of reference). As for indoor playgrounds, the city is home to the West Edmonton Mall, which until a few years ago was the largest indoor mall in the world.

MEETING VENUES

Edmonton’s walkable downtown offers convenience to your meeting-goers, as the Shaw Conference Centre and the major hotels are not far from one another. The Shaw, which is BOMA Go Green-certified, showcases a striking architectural design, with spectacular views and plenty of natural light. It provides a total of 110,000 sq. ft. of function space, including a new 26,900-square-foot hall.

Planners have numerous hotel options, from boutiques to major properties with dedicated conference space. Edmonton Downtown Hotels is a partnership of 17 properties within close proximity of dining, shopping and entertainment.

Connected to the convention center, The Westin Edmonton has 20,000 sq. ft. of event space and 413 guest rooms. Nearby is the landmark Fairmont Hotel MacDonald. As historic and luxurious as you’d expect, it features 199 guest rooms and 11,378 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space, plus tiers of gardens and outdoor terraces for alfresco events.
Just outside of the city is Northlands, a huge event, sports and entertainment complex (think 2,500 events a year) that debuts a major expansion this December. The $145.7-million project now brings the facility’s total event and function space to 500,000 sq. ft.

UNIQUE VENUES AND ACTIVITIES

With a schedule of festivals year-round, the city offers meeting groups built-in entertainment. If you’d like to create something around the idea, the Edmonton Festival in a Box can customize an interactive “festival scene” for your event that could include music, dance, theatrics or even trapeze artists.

The West Edmonton Mall, which dubs itself “The Greatest Indoor Show On Earth” (as opposed to the Calgary Stampede’s “Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth”), offers unique opportunities. In addition to more than 800 stores, it encompasses the world’s largest indoor amusement park, the world’s largest indoor wave pool and the world’s largest triple-loop roller coaster in its 6 million sq. ft.

Golf fanatics have 70 courses to swing their clubs, some within city limits. And the best part for planners is that, given the 17 hours of daylight in summer, you can arrange tee times or a tournament after the meeting is adjourned.

JASPER

Jasper National Park is located within the Rockies, adjacent to Banff National Park. Its glacial origins are still visible today, as are its myriad wildlife species—from bears and bighorn sheep to moose and elk, which unexpectedly appear by the side of the road, or crossing it.

Edmonton is a gateway to the park and to the town of Jasper, tucked into one of its mountain-fringed folds. The rustic town features shops, restaurants, saloons and hotels on streets that branch off from the train station (VIA Rail runs here—book the dome car from Edmonton for your incentives, and you’ll knock their socks off when the train enters the Rockies).

Sequestered from downtown Jasper, on the shores of Lac Beauvert, is The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge—the only lodge-type property in the Fairmont portfolio—with a variety of chalets, lodges and cabins. Its 18 meeting rooms offer configurations to suit your needs, and its 18-hole championship golf course will challenge your best.

If your Calgary group has the time, shuttle them to Jasper along the 142-mile Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise, which follows the Continental Divide and is one of the most scenic mountain roads in all of Canada. Make a stop at the Columbia Icefield Glacier Experience and board their massive Brewster Ice Explorers for a tour on the Athabasca Glacier. Mid-point, you can step out onto the glacier and stand on this ancient ice—seriously awesome, and serious bragging rights.

LETHBRIDGE

South of Calgary in Southern Alberta is the city of Lethbridge, which got its start as a drift mining and agricultural center and today is a commercial, financial and industrial hub. “It’s a small city of 85,000 with big surprises,” says Kerry Lowe, director of convention and event development for Economic Development Lethbridge. Two hours from Calgary, it’s an affordable alternative, with what’s been called the “second best climate in Canada, second only to Vancouver.”

The city’s guest rooms total 1,348, in a variety of facilities. New on the scene is the Lethbridge Coast Hotel & Conference Center, which recently underwent a stem-to-stern makeover. It features 105 guest rooms and 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Lethbridge Lodge Hotel & Conference Centre is another option, with 190 guest rooms and 11,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

Two unique spaces are Fort Whoop Up National Historic Site, part of the historic fort network that anchors the history of the Canadian West, and the Galt Museum & Archives. The Galt Museum is particularly of note, as meetings, receptions and dinners come complete with a panoramic view of the river valley and the historic High Level Bridge, the longest and highest viaduct-type train bridge in the world. Back to Top

Getting There

• Don’t forget that U.S. law now requires all travelers to present a valid passport when entering or re-entering the U.S.
• Alberta’s two international airports are in Calgary and Edmonton. Calgary International Airport is only 20 minutes from the city center. The city’s Light Rail Transit operates from the airport to downtown. Edmonton International Airport has a shuttle service to downtown and surrounding areas.
• Banff and Lake Louise are 80 and 115 miles west of Calgary, respectively. Scheduled and chartered airport shuttles are available.
• Jasper can be reached by Calgary and Edmonton airports, where rental cars are available. Jasper is also connected to Edmonton on VIA Rail.
• Lethbridge is 145 miles southeast of Calgary, with airport shuttle and charter service available. Lethbridge County Airport is served by Air Canada and Integra Air.

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Not To Be Missed

• The Calgary Stampede, “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”
• Skiing at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary
• Driving the Columbia Icefields Parkway, one of the most spectacular mountain drives in the world
• Stepping off the tour bus on the icy slopes of the Athabasca Glacier, off the Parkway
• The Banff Gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park
• The view from the lobby of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
• Canoeing on Lake Louise
• The roller coaster at the West Edmonton Mall
• Any one of 35 festivals in Edmonton
• Golfing at 10 p.m. (still daylight in summer) at one of Edmonton’s 70 courses
• The 100-year-old Lethbridge High Level Bridge, the highest and longest viaduct-type train bridge in the world

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