OTTAWA'S NEW CONVENTION CENTRE NOW BOOKING CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS FOR 2011 AND BEYOND

Ottawa, April 4 2008 - The new Ottawa Congress Centre, set to open in April 2011, is now booking conventions and meetings in 2011 and beyond. With approximately 200,000 square feet of rentable space, the new Centre will accommodate multiple events concurrently and will attract organizations that have had to book their events in other Canadian cities due to a lack of meeting space in Ottawa.

"With funding for redevelopment approved and a construction schedule in place, our sales department has had a very encouraging start to their selling efforts. To date, we have nine committed conventions, including the Canadian Library Association, and seventeen that are pending signatures. These are excellent results considering that we are in the early stages of our redevelopment marketing and sales plans", said Patrick Kelly, President of the Ottawa Congress Centre.

The Ottawa Congress Centre has had to turn away over 2,500 events over the last five years because of the limitations of the existing facility.

"The Canadian Library Association is pleased to commit to holding our 2012 and 2015 annual conference in the new Ottawa Congress Centre facility", said CLA Executive Director Don Butcher. "As a national association based in Ottawa, we are delighted that we will have a state-of-the-art facility in the nation's capital that will accommodate our conventions in the years to come. We look forward to bringing our delegates to Ottawa to experience the unique cultural and historical experience that no other Canadian city can offer."

The procurement process is underway with a final consortium to be selected in July 2008. Demolition of the existing building will begin in September, and construction is expected to follow shortly after in February 2009. The new building will offer flexible meeting space, outstanding views of the nation's capital and will be among one of the most environmentally and energy friendly convention centres in the country.

"The Board is pleased to see the slate of new and existing clients expressing interest and booking space for 2011 and into the future," said Jim Durrell, Chair of the Ottawa Congress Centre Board. "As it stands today, and given the very recent approvals needed to build the new facility, we are thrilled that there is such interest across many sectors to hold meetings, conventions and tradeshows in the new building."

CONTACT:

Kathryn Hendrick (416) 233-3023, or
khendrick@gbassociates.ca