Welcome to CanadianSpecialEvents.com, your number one connection to the Canadian special events and meeting industry. Here you will find information on Canadian event tradeshows, up to the minute industry news, the hottest ideas, themes and products for special events, up to the minute industry news, links to hundreds of leading suppliers and resources, back issues of our monthly online magazine and more. This site is fully interactive. You can search for ideas, look for a job, post your resume, read the current issue of Canadian Event Perspective Magazine, (Canada's premier national event magazine), request a quote for your next event, read about whose doing what and find out about our popular event education conferences and seminar series taking place across Canada. Coming soon, industry chat room and talk forums. April 4, 2008 CEIA Winners Announced The winners of the 2008 Canadian Event Industry Awards were announced last night at a spectacular gala event. The `Star`Awards`Gala, Canada`s event industry event of the year, was held at CiRCA, one of Toronto`s hottest night spots. The theatre style awards presentation was hosted by the hilarious Elvira Kurt and featured performances by Yakudo, the Dance Company, Derek Selinger and Jenn Beaupre. It was followed by an amazing gala dinner prepared by one of Toronto`s premier caterers - Amazing Food Service. Dinner performances included DÀnise, Les Coquettes Nouveau Burlesque and radio Freaks. The event was presented by Canadian Event Perspective Magazine, and was pulled together by a host of unbelievable event partners, including title sponsors Eclectic Events International, Amazing Food Service, Decor & More and Pandor Productions. For a complete list of the 2008 winners, click here.

March 20, 2008
Regal Tent Launches Hot Product

Event Planners and Designers can now print any pattern, logo, or any design at all with the look of high-end fabric at a fraction of the cost.

Regal Tent Productions Inc., Canada’s largest and most awarded tent rental specialists will be launching the highly acclaimed Printed Velon® into the Canadian marketplace on April 2, 2008 at the CSEME tradeshow. In January, Velon Designs, Inc., a San Francisco based company founded by Event Planner, Robert Fountain, launched Printed Velon® in the event design market at the Special Event Show in Atlanta. 

Velon, also commonly known as convention taffeta, has previously only been available in a limited number of solid colors.  With the introduction of Velon Design's Printed Velon®, single and multi-color printing can now reliably be done directly onto velon allowing designers to incorporate their designs to velon wherever velon is used. Imagine a tent lined in red..... Now visualize the same tent in a ruby red brocade stenciled with glimpses of contrasting silver. Imagine a corporate planner trying to maximize the use of their client's logo or match a unique linen pattern, Printed Velon® will allow the designer to repeat a logo or custom pattern throughout the space. Continue Reading...

January 21, 2008
Canadian Planners Take Top Honors in Atlanta

Friday January 18th in Atlanta, Georgia at the International Special Event Awards, 2 Canadian companies grabbed top honors their outstanding work. First on the stage was experiential events, with offices in Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria, who was presented with a GALA Award by Special Events Magazine for Best Wedding in the World under $1000 per guest in front of a black tie gala at the Georgia World Congress Center. For the first time in history the Best Wedding Category was awarded to a same-sex wedding. Kenneth Kristoffersen CSEP, President and Creative Director of experiential events, and Hanan Chebib, Senior Calgary Event Architect accepted the award on behalf of the company. "This is the most prestigious award in the special event industry and to be recognized in this way is an honour for our entire team," he said.

Another HUGE win for Canada went to another Calgary firm. e=mc² Event Management took home 2 awards, the first for Best Event Staged In Multiple Locations for a 6 week long road show which was celebrating an acquisition and company transition. e=mc² Event Management also won for Best Fundraising Event for and event called - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, which was a birthday party extraordinaire for 13 of Calgary's most prominent business leaders who just happen to be celebrating their 50th at the same time. The event raised over 3 million dollars for prostate cancer with no sponsorships. This event beat MGM Grand in Vega for the Awards (50s style theme) - in addition to wins e=mc² was also the also nominated 4 other categories. Continue Reading...

January 5, 2008
Tourism Richmond Launches MeetingsEasy™

Tourism Richmond is pleased to announce the installation of MeetingsEasy™ software in late January 2008. Due to increasing interest from the meetings industry, Tourism Richmond has chosen MeetingsEasy™ to streamline the conference-planning process for both organizers and venues alike. By enabling faster online service and more comprehensive quotes for potential meeting and event organizers, Tourism Richmond hopes that the MeetingsEasy™ software will positively increase Richmond’s event market. Continue Reading...

January 4, 2008
Metro Toronto Convention Centre Re-Opens Constitution Hall

Prestigious Constitution Hall, one of Canada’s most in-demand ballroom venues, has re-opened with a dramatic and fresh new look. The MTCC conducted a comprehensive set of renovations and upgrades to the Hall, its premier ballroom space. The improvements represented a $4.2-million makeover for the venue that hosts a majority of Toronto’s many large fund raising events, balls, galas, conventions, corporate holiday events and parties at the MTCC each year. Continue Reading...

January 4, 2008
New Conference Centre Development Approved

A dramatic redevelopment of an automotive building incorporates environmental design. On December 11, 2007 Toronto City Council approved the Conference Centre redevelopment at Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place. The 160,000 square foot Automotive Building, part of the Direct Energy Centre complex, will undergo a $46.88 million renovation to create a new Conference Centre and is committed to achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver rating design standard. Construction is scheduled to commence in March 2008 with an anticipated opening in April 2009.

January 3, 2008
Festivals & Events Ontario Hires New Executive Director

Larry Blundell, President of Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO), is pleased to announce the hiring of Mr. Gary Masters as Executive Director of the association, effective December 17, 2007. As the senior staff person responsible for the operation of the association, Gary will oversee the development, delivery and evaluation of the annual association action plan; the growth of the FEO membership and special partner affiliations; the stewardship of the financial affairs of the association; and the management of association staff.

[ Click here for our Canadian Event News archives ]