Ontario Gives Away Money to Lure Conventions
By Gary Tufel -- Tradeshow Week, 1/29/2007
The province of Ontario has created a CAN $2 million (U.S. $1.7 million) Convention Development Fund to help cities attract new national and international tradeshows, conventions and conferences.
London, Windsor, Hamilton and Ottawa will each receive up to CAN $250,000 (U.S. $213,400) from the CDF to support their business development efforts. Toronto will get up to $1 million (U.S. $853,400).
The Toronto grant is a renewal of previous funding, and is bolstered by another CAN $3 million (U.S. $2.5 million) contributed locally by Tourism Toronto, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and some hotels, said Andrew Weir, vice president of communications for Tourism Toronto.
Toronto uses its money to entice events and offset their costs. For instance, Tourism Toronto might offer to pay for a celebrity keynote speaker to sweeten a bid package. The groups offer assistance on an event-by-event basis, considering criteria like size, Weir said. A downtown Toronto event would have to fill at least 1,500 hotel rooms on peak night and involve three different hotels to get the financial help.
The province recognizes the economic importance of meetings and conventions. It found that business convention visitors to Ontario spent CAN $779 million in 2004 (U.S. $665.3 million), and that the average convention attendee spent CAN $598 (U.S. $510) per visit, 312 percent more than the average visitor to Ontario, said Gary Wheeler, spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of Tourism.
Wheeler said destinations can only use the CDF to bid on new national and international conventions. It is not for local, provincial or already-secured conventions, nor to solicit groups that use Ontario cities on a permanent basis for their annual meetings.
Eligible CDF expenses include facility rental fees, shuttle service, public transportation, meals and accommodations for site selection committees, sponsorship of convention-industry events and sales and marketing efforts. The fund can't be used for general operating expenses like personnel and administrative costs, capital purchases or long-term leases.
Toronto received the most money because of the size and scale of the conventions it attracts, Wheeler said. London, Windsor, Hamilton and Ottawa received funds because they attract national and international conventions and don't compete against each other.
To qualify for funding a city must meet strict eligibility requirements and submit a 2007 business plan, including its marketing strategy for attracting conventions. The province doesn't require numbers, Wheeler said, because the conventions vary based on size and length, but the government evaluates each city's overall plan.
Current funds will be available to approved groups by the end of March.
