One thing that really surprises first-time visitors to Vancouver is just how cosmopolitan a city it is. Vancouver is a veritable bazaar of global sights and flavors, from the array of ethnic eateries along Denman Street in the West End to the herbalist outlets of Chinatown to the sari shops of Little India in south Vancouver.
“We have so much cultural diversity here that there’s literally something for everyone,” says Carrie Leung, convention services coordinator for Tourism Vancouver. “There are so many distinct areas with great restaurants and shopping–Yaletown, the West End, Granville Island, downtown. Then, to top it off, you can drive for a half hour and be in a rainforest.”
A short walk from downtown hotels and the Canada Convention and Exhibition Centre, historic Gastown, with its cobbled streets and famous steam-powered clock, is Vancouver’s original district, starting out as a lumber mill and adjacent saloon back in 1867. Its founder was “Gassy Jack” Deighton, who earned his nickname because of his penchant for spinning tall tales and generally talking without end.
According to Leung, Gastown has come a long way from its origins, and just gets better with age.
“Gastown has become much more interesting lately, with an atmosphere more like New York’s Greenwich Village,” she says. “A lot of the touristy shops have been replaced with sophisticated boutiques, and there are a lot of great little cafes and bars.”
Another Vancouver hot spot, Granville Island, accessible by car and brightly painted boats called Aquabusses, is the location of the Pacific Culinary Arts Institute, which turns out many of the city’s top chefs and also provides culinary events for groups.
“A chef will take a group for a shopping tour of the Granville Public Market to pick up ingredients and then they’ll go back to the Institute for a cooking demonstration,” Leung says.
As the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver is busy sprucing up local facilities such as BC Place, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held. Not surprisingly, Olympic-themed events, including some held at the actual competition sites, are expected to be a popular part of meetings programs during the next few years.
“After the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008, Vancouver will be officially allowed to promote our games,” Leung says. “In 2008 and 2009 you’re going to see a lot of team-building events and even gala receptions with an Olympics theme.”
In the meantime, event planners can create a lot of excitement at venues such as the Rocky Mountaineer Train Station near downtown. With high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows, the station is a blank canvas for dinners and receptions for up to 1,250 people.
