Cities Across Canada Are Emerging As Top Meeting Destinations Thanks To Canada’s Commitment To Innovation

While Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver have long been some of Canada’s top destinations for international business events, cities across Canada are attracting global conferences, thanks in large part to the academics and industry innovators across a variety of sectors.

Fredericton, New Brunswick – Cybersecurity’s New “It” Destination

With 10 post-secondary partners, New Brunswick, in Canada’s Maritimes, is growing its education system to meet the demands of cybersecurity, one of the fastest-growing segments in the Information and Communications Technology sectors, and Fredericton is ground zero. The city features Canada’s first advanced cybersecurity training program, the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity. It has attracted investments from IBM, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, and most recently Siemens – who announced the opening of a new global cybersecurity centre in Fredericton last year. It’s estimated that global cybercrime cost as much as $600 billion in 2017 and that there will be a shortage of talent with as many as 3.5 million unfilled positions in the industry by 2021. Businesses will look to Fredericton to meet their talent and infrastructure needs. They’ll also look to this inventive riverside city to host conferences such as the Cybersmart Summit, which welcomes security experts from around the world to explore the issues facing online businesses and governments, including the need to create the cybersecurity workforce of the future, discussions surrounding international cyber readiness of business and governments.

Ottawa, Ontario – The Autonomous Vehicle Hub

The automotive industry is one of Canada’s largest manufacturing sectors, and as one of the world’s top 10 auto producing countries, it comes to no surprise that Canada has emerged as a leader in the auto parts sector and cutting-edge R&D. Ottawa has particularly shined in this arena, making national headlines in 2017 when the first trial run of a driverless vehicle on a public street in Canada was held here. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, recently announced an investment of $40 million in BlackBerry QNX, a business unit of BlackBerry Limited, to develop safe and secure software systems for the next generation of connected and autonomous vehicles. With this funding, BlackBerry QNX will develop new automated control systems, upgrade and secure communications in vehicles, and improve vehicle safety and security by expanding its advanced driver-assistance system. BlackBerry QNX will also develop and use concept cars as labs for technology and software development further establishing Ottawa as Canada’s AV capital, and the host location for events such as CAVCanada, Ottawa’s Autonomous Vehicle Summit where delegates learn about Canada’s expertise in AV technology.

Winnipeg, Manitoba – A Advanced Manufacturing Hotspot

Strategically located in the center of Canada, (and therefore easy to get to from everywhere) Winnipeg is often overseen as a just another Canadian city. But it is a centre of excellence for Advanced Manufacturing, thanks to the cutting-edge R&D on additive manufacturing and industry 4.0 technologies being done at the University of Manitoba, Price Research Centre North, Red River College and Canada’s National Research Centre. Host city of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporter’s conference, Winnipeg is also home to world-class venues such as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Assiniboine Park Zoo with its Journey to Churchill Exhibit, and a soon-to-be-completed downtown revitalization project, True North Square. When added together: intellectual capital, industry expertise, world-class attractions, hotels at virtually every price-point and expanded, sustainably operated convention centre, Winnipeg offers a tremendous value proposition for conference organizers in the Advanced Manufacturing space.