Palais des congrès de Montréal: 16 aerospace events that have brought in $34.4 M in tourism revenues for Montréal and Québec

The Montréal aerospace industry contributes to the city’s reputation as a premier business destination through major events held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. In the last five years, the Palais has hosted 16 regional, national and international aerospace events, which have attracted 18,500 delegates to the city. These gatherings translated into 38,500 room nights in Montréal hotels, and generated an estimated $34,000,000 in tourism income for the city and Québec. “We have every intention of continuing to encourage the holding of major international meetings related to key sectors of our city’s economy, such as aerospace,” stated Raymond Larivée, President and CEO of the Palais des congrès de Montréal. “By working closely, hand-in-hand to confirm these conventions, the Palais des congrès and the decision-makers who lead this important economic sector enable Montréal to continue to be one of the major aerospace capitals of the world,” he added.

Aerospace – Major Events Committee

To help the city maintain its status as a leading host of aerospace events, in 2011, the Palais des congrès assembled a group of experts from the industry’s key players in Montréal. The Aerospace Committee was entrusted with promoting Montréal’s immense potential worldwide, and to also provide all the necessary support required to organize international aerospace events. The taskforce’s achievements include organizing and hosting large-scale conferences like the ASME Turbo Expo, which chose Montréal and the Palais as their venue not just once, but twice. “Holding the ASME Turbo Expo at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in 2007 and more recently in 2015 was a wonderful experience. Montréal and its convention centre are a premier and natural venue for such events, and even more so for those related to the aerospace industry,” mentioned Piero Colonna, a Professor at Delft University in the Netherlands and Board Chairman of the ASME International Gas Turbine Institute.

The Palais also recently earmarked a $45,000 fund to help Aerospace Committee members and members of the local aerospace community create business ties with international convention decision-makers. “It is imperative that we consolidate our strategic backing by winning the support of influencers so we may position Montréal as ‘the’ host city for prestigious international events. The economic and intellectual benefits are huge, and we need to nurture this very active sector of our city,” said Professor Hany Moustapha, Director of the AÉROÉTS school of aerospace engineering, Emeritus Ambassador and Co-Chair of the Aerospace Committee.

The taskforce is co-chaired by Suzanne M. Benoit, CEO of Aéro Montréal (Québec’s aerospace cluster), who will be joined on March 21, by Professor Wagdi Habashi, Director of the McGill Department of Mechanical Engineering’s CFD Lab. Also represented on the taskforce: aerospace leaders Bell Helicopter, Pratt & Whitney Canada, MDA Corporation, the National Research CouncilCanada,Bombardier, Siemens Canada, the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec, Thales Canada, ÉTS, McGill University, Concordia University and young professionals from the industry who proudly contribute to organizing targeted events.

Montréal, aerospace city

Montréal is among the world’s Top 3 aerospace centres and also one of the few places in the world where virtually every aircraft component can be obtained within a 30 km radius. Greater Montréal handles 70% of the aerospace R&D conducted in Canada. The Québec aerospace industry employs over 40,000 people and generates annual sales of $15.5 billion².

Some of the aerospace events that have chosen Montréal and the Palais des congrès:

• ASME Turbo Expo 2015, 2600 delegates
• Innovation Aerospace Forum and CRIAQ Research Forum 2016, 1900 delegates
• Airports Council International World and North America Conference & Exhibition 2016, 2000 delegates
• Aeromart Montréal 2017, 1000 delegates

Montréal, convention city

Since 2011, Montréal has been hosting more international events than any other city in the Americas, according to the rankings released by the Union of International Associations. Recipient of the highest quality standards certification in the industry and shortlisted for the World’s Best Congress Centre award (AIPC), the Palais des congrès de Montréal enjoys the collaboration of aerospace industry leaders, who in turn can count on the Palais’ experience and support, in order to foster the international reputation of an industry that is continually evolving.

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