This book includes a plain text version that is designed for high accessibility. To use this version please follow this link.
The Calgary Convention Connection


The Calgary Convention Connection—the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (CTCC), Hyatt Regency Calgary, Marriott Calgary, and Fairmont Palliser — offers 180,000 square feet of meeting space and more than 1,100 four-star, well-appointed hotel rooms under one roof. “Convention Con- nection” means more than the fact that the three hotels are physically connected to the convention center via indoor pathways: The properties work together. Planners can book some or all of these venues and services through one con- tact. An online information request form can be accessed atwww.calgary-convention.com. The 355-room Hyatt Regency Calgary (www.hyatt


regencycalgary.com) is situated on StephenAvenueWalk. While distinctly contemporary in style, the 21-story tower also captures the historic feel of the surrounding neighborhood. The lower floors’ exposed sandstone walls reveal the origi- nal 1890s building structure on this site.Offering 22meeting rooms and Calgary’s largest and tallest hotel ballroom—at 13,500 square feet with 20-foot ceilings—the Hyatt has a total of 33,000 square feet of meeting space and serves as something of an exhibit for Western Canada’s artists: 500 original works are on vivid display throughout the property. Also on StephenAvenue is the 23-floor, 384-roomCalgary


Marriott Downtown Hotel (www.calgarymarriott.com). TheMarriott offers eightmeeting rooms,with a total of 4,140 square feet of space. Traders Grill Restaurant on the second floor can accommodate private parties of five to 100 people, and offers panoramic window views of the city. The Mar- riott is the exclusive caterer of the CTCC. The grande dame of the Convention Connection— the


405-roomFairmont Palliser (www.fairmont.com/palliser) —welcomes guests in its stately Edwardian marble lobby. A recent guest room-renovation project added high-tech and plush amenities while maintaining the accommodations’ charming character.The property has 14meeting rooms and more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space. At the center of it all is the CTCC (www.calgary-


convention.com),whose floor-to-ceilingwindows flood the 122,000-square-foot centerwith natural light.The North and South buildings straddle the cobblestone streets and pedes- trian walkway of Stephen Avenue. One multipurpose hall offers 47,047 square feet of exhibit space, and combined meeting space in theNorth and South buildings equals 29,300 square feet. There are five prefunction areas, 36 meeting rooms, and a 19,000-plus-square-foot ballroom. The center offers the latest audio, video, and high-speed


on-demand Internet solutions, a Business Centre, and the highest standards in sustainability—the CTCC has received the Building Owners andManagersAssociation Building Envi- ronmental Standards (BOMA BESt) Level 3 certification.


CITY ICON:When it opened in 1968, the Calgary Tower was the tallest structure of its type in North America. It fea- tures a revolving restaurant and a glass floor on the obser- vation deck. The Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel lies within the tower’s shadow.


To get another taste of Calgary, we took a quick ride to the


city’s trendy Kensington neighborhood to lunch at Osteria de Medici (www.osteria.ca),which offers expertly prepared Ital- ian dishes and four private function rooms. Wehada little time afterwards toexploreCalgaryonourown,


shopping in town, traveling to the top of the landmark Calgary Tower (www.calgarytower.com)—home to the highest 360- degree observation deck in theworld and offering a panoramic viewof the city and theCanadianRockies in the distance—and taking in the 20-plus galleries at The Glenbow Museum (www.glenbow.org).Located next to theCalgaryTELUSCon- ventionCentre, the impressivemuseumhouses four primary col- lections: cultural history from many corners of the world; ethnology, featuring 48,000 items made or used by the indige- nous peoples ofNorth America;military history, with a collec- tion from Europe, Asia, and North America; and mineralogy, with precious and semi-precious stones fromaround theworld. For our wrap-up dinner, we ate at Teatro’s Opera Room


(www.teatro.ca), a private dining room that can accommo- date 200 people, housed in the historicDominionBank building in Calgary’s Olympic Plaza Cultural District. After a delicious three-coursemeal featuring local products such as PrimeGrade Alberta Beef and organic asparagus, and as I was savoring the last spoonful ofmy velvety crème brulee,Meetings&Conven- tionsCalgary’s PeterGregus said our assignment had come due. While the group happily shared their impressions of Cal-


+15 96


ABOVE BOARD: The city claims the world'smost extensive skyway network— 10miles—called the +15 or Plus 15, because the 59 elevated indoor pedestrian bridges are usually 15 feet (4.6meters) above ground.


pcma convene September 2011


gary, I thought back to the sign that had started my trip. That slogan, “Heart of the NewWest,” I later learned, will soon be phased out in favor of a newone—but tomymind, itwas still apt. I decided that the “heart” part had everything to do with Calgary’shospitality, aswide openas the surrounding plains lead- ing up to the Rockies. 


Michelle Russell is editor in chief of Convene. www.pcma.org





Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108