Meetings are big business.
So many industries hold conferences and seminars that they are now recognized as their own industry, and it is one of the sectors Prince George is best at.
Today is the national awareness day for the meetings and convention sector. Tourism Prince George (TPG) considers it an occasion to celebrate.
TPG has been working for many months on a strategy around the meeting and convention form of tourism. This region doesn't have Disneyland, it doesn't have a tropical beach, it doesn't have an Eiffel Tower. Tourism has to be attracted here another way. What Prince George does have is the luxury of geographic and cultural centrality, cost-effectiveness, plenty of amenities without bustle, and plenty of urban sophistication in a wilderness setting. On one hand, Prince George is no Vancouver or Calgary; on the other, it's no Vancouver or Calgary.
"The tourist that comes for a meeting tends to spend four times more money in a local economy than the tourist passing through on a pleasure trip," said Jen Tkachuk, TPG's meeting and convention sales manager. "They usually have extra dollars at their disposal because the convention takes care of a lot of the planning and expenses of the trip."
If the recent Canada Winter Games wasn't proof to the local population that this city is desirable and interesting, it certainly was to the rest of Canada. The statistics for the Prince George Civic Centre show the trend in outside interest. The number of conventions held at the Civic Centre in 2014 was three; the number scheduled for 2015 is 12. The number of other special events held at the PGCC in 2014 was 12; in 2015 it's 19.
Furthermore, there are already nine conventions and 12 special events booked to be at the Civic Centre in 2016, which is a number bound to grow as well.
TPG's chief executive officer Erica Hummel said the fact Prince George has this sort of facility is already a win for the local economy. According to her research, Prince George is one of only 19 municipally owned convention centres in Canada, and it's the second busiest in B.C.
"Having the Civic Centre is a unique bonus," said Hummel. "They allow us to put bids together more efficiently because the city is a partner in so many things we do, and has the same mandate to boost the local economy, so we work well together."
TPG being the source of incoming sports, industry, government, church, culture and education events is going to be a bigger part of their mandate, said Hummel. But on top of that, Tkachuk is also there to help other companies, agencies, schools, associations and organizational groups bring in their conferences, conventions, seminars, trade shows, festivals, tournaments, AGMs and any event they might be thinking of.
"We will sit with you and help you create your bid package, we can help with pre- and post-event itineraries, we can help you make arrangements, even get together details for you like gift bags for delegates or the gifts for your keynote speakers and VIPs," Hummel said. "We want to help your events succeed, so all those incoming delegates feel like they got red-carpet treatment and leave feeling special and impressed with Prince George. If they do, they may recommend Prince George to others, or want to come back later on their own. We might get more conventions booking a return engagement in Prince George. All of that helps our hotels, our restaurants, our service industry, and the benefits to the region radiate from there - people moving here, people investing here, looking at getting a job here, people supporting others to move here..."
Tkachuk said the city is an easy sell on paper - the symphony orchestra, professional theatre, junior, a diverse array of top-notch restaurants - but the reputation for helpful and welcoming people has now gone national and that has to be experienced to be truly appreciated.
To see more details about the comprehensive plan TPG has developed, the 2015 Tourism Symposium and AGM is at the Civic Centre on April 23. It runs from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and registration is free.
