Courtesy of ExCeL London

The world is back and open for business, which means there is no shortage of destinations to meet a variety of needs for meeting and event planners. From smaller venues that can accommodate more intimate gatherings comfortably, to sprawling convention centers that regularly host trade shows and global meetings and events, there is truly something available for any type of gathering anywhere in the world. Venues in these cities have welcomed guests around the globe and have garnered kudos from meeting and event planners.

Toronto

Toronto is large enough to offer meeting and event attendees a broad range of experiences, yet small enough to not overwhelm out-of-town visitors. The Globe and Mail Centre stands out from other venues in Toronto due to its size, location and unbeatable views of the city. The event space occupies the top floor of the building housing the Globe and Mail, a leading Canadian business newspaper.

“It was purpose-built, and always meant to be a space only used by the Globe and Mail for internal events,” says Dominique Fleming, the Centre’s managing director. “The venue is quite beautiful but very functional when it comes to putting an event on.” She points out the venue has a full-size freight elevator which makes load-in and -out considerably easier.

Kelli Shine, associate director, events at Media Monks, worked with a Canadian-based client on an event at the Globe and Mail Centre and called the experience “fantastic,” adding, “I felt their facilities were very sophisticated and modern, and my planning partner Natasha was really professional and wonderful.”

Shine, who handles research and scouting for her clients, said the facility was ultimately chosen because of its aesthetic. “There’s lots of natural light, and it was big enough for our numbers. It’s also a new space so we didn’t have to polish it up too much.” The venue met the needs for the client’s event, which Shine describes as “a corporate conference with about 100 people, with demo activations and a few other elements like a ping pong set up and Pop-a-Shot, followed by a reception Happy Hour.”

Shine also had high praise for the venue’s AV system. “The whole reason people are at these shows is the content, so the AV system has to be top notch, and they were. The screens in the Globe and Mail were great, so we were able to have tons of digital screens and signage.”

The space’s aesthetic is intentionally neutral, Fleming says. “It can be transformed into whatever the client wants. It’s very high-end, with high quality wood floors and gorgeous perforated panels, which were commissioned by the Globe and Mail. There are different elements of the space that make it cool and unique. It has floor-to-ceiling windows, and we have an incredible panoramic view. There’s no other place in the city with these incredible views.” Although the space is large, it has an intimate feel. “The people putting on events and spending the money to put on whatever the event is will find there’s a very ‘exclusive’ feel here,” Fleming says. “The space becomes the client’s — we don’t contract out to multiple clients on a given date.”

Room configurations can be changed to suit the client’s needs. “With theater-style seating, we can fit 300 to 325 people very comfortably. Rounds, probably close to 300. If there’s no stage, probably 325,” Fleming says. “Planners love to work with us because of the design of the space. We have preferred vendors for everything from catering to furniture rentals, to AV, floral, décor design to entertainment. These vendors know our space, so that makes it easy for the planners.”

Shine called the venue’s team “great to work with. I’ve worked with so many venues, and sometimes, you don’t know what you’re going to get. They were flexible, they said ‘yes’ to everything I wanted to do and bring in. I always felt supported.” Clients are responsible for bringing in their own catering as this is not available on-site, although there is a large catering kitchen on the premises.

Beyond the immediate space of the Globe and Mail, there is plenty to see and do in Toronto when the event wraps up for the day. The venue is not right in the middle of the downtown hustle and bustle, but in a quieter section of the city. “We’re near the distillery district, so there is lots around us,” Fleming says.

A lifelong resident of Toronto, Fleming has had opportunities to move away from the city she loves so much, but chose to stay. “It’s the most diverse city in the world, which is so amazing. It has so much to offer. The restaurant scene is incredible — there’s literally every type of cuisine you can think of. There’s also a lot to do from a tourist perspective. There are museums, galleries, our Opera House, live theater. Niagara Falls is only an hour away.” As a bonus, the city’s public transportation system is easy to navigate. “There’s a lot to do in the city and fabulous spots right outside the city. Toronto is really happening,” Fleming says.

Edinburgh

Scotland’s capital city’s rich history, friendly people and iconic landmarks make it an attractive choice for meetings and events of all kinds.

Laurie Miller, senior account executive with Creative Group, Inc., accompanied a group to Edinburgh for a recent incentive trip for a client. Half the group and their guests stayed at The George, Intercontinental Edinburgh, and the other half stayed at Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel with their guests.

Events at destinations like the National Museum of Scotland, Assembly Rooms, another Edinburgh venue space, and Royal Yacht Britannia rounded out the itinerary. The incentive trip had been run for many years, but groups had never been split between two hotels before.

“We were wary of how this would work, but what made this so successful was the convenience of it all. The hotels are sister properties but act as one — one point of contact for both hotels, one payment, working with one convention and services manager. This made things so much easier and it worked out so well. It was a seamless experience and the staff were important pluses,” Miller says.

Miller called the National Museum a “natural choice for our Gala Evening. We had a cocktail reception on the lower level and had a fabulous Scottish drumming group lead us upstairs to dinner. Guests were in awe of the rock ‘n roll bagpipers!”

The Assembly Rooms venue was chosen for the Welcome Reception because it was a close walk to both hotels. The reception was held in a room that had been brought back to its original splendor “with beautiful chandeliers, lots of gold leaf, and magnificent mirrors lining the room. It was gorgeous.”

The Royal Yacht Brittania was the setting for the Final Night Reception. Working with a well-connected DMC who brought in experienced partners made a big difference in choosing venues and setting the agenda, Miller says.

“They knew what would work and what wouldn’t, which made our experience much easier. We could feel much more confident in our plans,” Miller says. An abundance of things to see and do in a safe city made Edinburgh an attractive destination. “We also offered activities that allowed people to go to the Highlands, well-known golf courses, castles and much more. Our event was short — only a 4-night stay — but our guests were able to see and do so much in a short time to get a good feel of Scotland.”

According to the post-trip surveys sent to the winners, the trip was a success. “Edinburgh scored higher than the sun and fun destination we’d been to the previous year. I think people loved being out on their own and exploring such a historic and beautiful city.”

On the opposite end of the venue spectrum but in the same city, the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) has the capacity to hold a large-scale event for thousands of attendees without losing the city’s friendly, personable environment. After a thorough selection process, the EICC was chosen as the location for the annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT), an international organization whose membership consists primarily of research scientists and MDs.

The event was executed by The Rees Group (TRG), based in Madison, WI. Brooke Miller, director of meetings for TRG, praised the EICC and its staff for meeting the client’s needs so perfectly.

“We definitely needed a large footprint,” Milller says. “Attendance was over 1,100, which was super exciting. Last time this event was international was before COVID. The venue was fantastic to work with for us.” The meeting had an ambitious agenda — eight pre-con workshops, five keynote speakers, 10 breakout sessions and five scientific poster sessions.

“We knew we needed a lot of space. Our goal is to always be under one roof, and the EICC offered our client a lot of flexible meeting space. We were allowed to spread out and have exclusivity as we needed to. It’s stacked, which is what’s unique about it. In the end, it really offered ease for attendees to get around. This was the perfect space for our group. It offered a lot of welcoming points.”

As a nod to the host city, a female bagpiper was hired to play traditional Scottish music and stroll throughout the show floor.

Miller praised the city of Edinburgh, which she says is easy to navigate. “The facility is in an excellent, excellent location. It was around so many attractions — you could get to everything in 15 minutes.”

Miller and the TRG team worked closely with the Edingburgh Internaitonal Conference Center to compile information for the attendees about places to see and things to do in and around Edinburgh. Attendees were encouraged to get out and explore the city.

“We had a jam-packed four-day program. We really urged attendees to come in earlier or stay later to take advantage of the conference city or nearby cities because it’s so accessible,” she says.

Miller urges other planners with association clients that meet internationally to hold events in tourist destinations if they have the budget.

“Edinburgh is a tourist magnet,” she says. “From our AMC point of view, we now have firsthand experience that the city pulls attendees in. We’re excited the EICC is a venue where we can host memorable conferences. The city benefited us, the venue benefited us — we can co-exist.”

EICC’s staff was top-notch and easy to work with. “I had the privilege to work with true professionals who know their craft. They were always visible on the show floor, working hard. The facility is large, but with the number of staff we saw on-site, it didn’t feel that way,” Miller says. “We noticed they cared about us and understood the goals we had for our client meeting. We felt like they were part of our team and we were part of their team. It was an excellent experience.”

London

An international exhibition and convention center located in the heart of London, ExCeL London has been hosting events for over 25 years and now averages 400 events a year.

“This experience, combined with our dedicated in-house teams, means that we understand events; what event organizers need, having a flexible and agile approach, and overcoming any unforeseen challenges,” says Andrew Swanston, head of sales, conferences and events, ExCeL London.

“We also boast one of the world’s most connected venues, with three train stations on our doorstep including London’s high-speed Elizabeth line which can transport delegates direct from Heathrow Airport — Europe’s largest — to ExCeL in just 45-minutes.

“ExCeL is also an incredibly versatile venue with organizers enjoying working with our ‘blank canvas’ to create bespoke events for their clients,” adds Swanston, who urges planners to lean on their support teams, whether they utilize ExCeL’s various in-house teams at the planners’ discretion, or their own curated staff.

“It’s important to leverage the support you have available, be it from the venue’s own team or from regional or professional bodies. Here at ExCeL, we have in-house teams from media and marketing to catering and sustainability, who can all help organizers maximize their ROI and ensure the best possible networking experience. Indeed, sustainability and CSR is a key area for us and an increasing trend for organizers so we can help plan and implement legacy programs within the local community.”

ExCeL London checked all the necessary boxes for a large-scale conference staged by a U.S.-based technology organization. According to Gema Rodriguez, managing director at TFI-Lodestar, the event firm who executed and oversaw the event, the organization made liberal use of ExCeL London’s various halls to accommodate the jam-packed agenda. The event welcomed over 6,000 attendees from around the world for five days of intense learning and networking.

London was selected as the host city because of its standing as a center of excellence in the robotics world; ultimately, ExCeL London was selected because, as Rodriguez says, “It’s one of the big venues. It’s very modern, but a large space to host a program as complex as this one for an international audience. It was the best venue equipped for this.” She praised ExCeL’s in-house team, saying “There needs to be an understanding of international conferences, and that’s something they do very well.”

Besides the massive scope of the program that included numerous presenters, vendors and breakout sessions, the conference contained two unique elements.

The first was a robotics competition open to local students. “This was something the association wanted to do — how to best get the next generation of students talking about robotics. ExCeL London and the head of competitions there was fantastic. The legacy programs are one thing that can set you apart.” The students were also able to participate in the plenary sessions.

The second was bringing some of the sights, sounds and flavors of London’s most iconic neighborhoods into the venue. “We decided to use three halls in ExCeL and brought the ‘London Experience’ where we created different areas of London — Carnaby Street, Piccadilly Circus, and even brought in a performance from London’s West End, complete with signature British foods like fish and chips,” Rodriguez says.

In a city with so much to offer, it was difficult for many of the attendees to see as many sights as they would’ve liked when they weren’t in sessions, so bringing a bit of the city to them helped add some “local flavor” to the schedule. Rodriguez also had high praise for ExCeL’s accessibility and sustainability initiatives. “With 6,000 people coming from 66 countries, some of them needed accessibility aids. ExCeL had wheelchairs available, and the venue was made accessible. That’s something that’s very important nowadays. They think of all the audiences coming to the venue.”

Undeniably, there’s incredible value to what business meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conferences and conventions bring to people, businesses and communities. With the meetings industry responding to accommodate new international travel “norms” that are not fleeting trends but instead long-term shifts, the industry is ever-changing, and innovative solutions have come to the forefront — from expanded booking capabilities to enhanced and well-defined strategic meetings programs. There is simply no substitute for the power of in-person, face-to-face meetings and event travel — which generated nearly $120 billion in spending last year. | AC&F |