For the last 40 years, Niagara Falls, Ontario, has talked about building its own convention center. For most of the last three years, Kerry Painter has tirelessly led the effort to finally make it happen, and on April 8, Painter, her team and the entire city and region will celebrate the debut of the new Scotiabank Convention Centre Niagara (SCCN) (905.357.6222).
"More than a convention center, we offer a venue with a real difference," says Painter, SCCN’s president and general manager. "Planners will find the spirit of our ‘unconventional experiences’ brand message in everything we do, from our commitment to sustainability to our exuberant approach to meetings."
It’s a brand dynamic wholeheartedly embraced by the entire center organization.
"We believe that meeting the ‘unconventional’ challenge we have set for ourselves will only elevate our level of service and the overall experience for planners and delegates," Painter says.
Located some 500 yards from Horseshoe Falls, the stylish, glass-clad, LEED Silver-designed venue, at 288,000 square feet, is the region’s largest convention facility.
With features including an 82,000-square-foot, free-span exhibition hall, a 17,000-square-foot ballroom, 26,000 square feet of flexible meeting and breakout space and a 1,000-seat theater for live entertainment and stage productions, the center is within minutes of 5,000 hotel rooms.
With its proximity to the fertile Niagara Peninsula, SCCN offers customizable field-to-table menus incorporating local ingredients, and its endorsing celebrity chef, Food Network Canada TV personality and author Anna Olson, can be booked for menu tailoring, culinary team-builders and other events.
With Niagara, Ontario Mayor Jim Diodati hailing the completion of SCCN and other local projects as "a testament to the city’s forward-thinking over the years," Painter has nothing but praise for the meeting planner community.
"We took bookings in the blueprint stage, which shows a level of confidence we are grateful for," she says.
With the first show set to be staged just two days after the grand opening, SCCN’s blueprint for the future looks promising indeed.