Connect in Ottawa newsletter – Spring 2024

The Lord Elgin Hotel unveils latest event space 

The Trillium Room & Patio is The Lord Elgin Hotel’s newest event room — and with a total of 1,554 square feet of bright, airy space, it’s the ideal spot for receptions, weddings or meetings. Not only is it accessible from the lobby of the hotel, but it also has a combined capacity of 100 people, including the patio.

For June, the Lord Elgin Hotel is offering a free meeting room rental of the new space with a minimum food and beverage spend of $3,000 before taxes and gratuities. Please contact Aurora Roos-Paul at cateringmgr@lordelgin.ca for more information.

You can also attend the Trillium Room & Patio Open House on June 13, 2024, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Marriott brand introduces AC Hotels to Ottawa — with more to come

AC Hotels by Marriott Ottawa is opening a sophisticated hotel located at 201 Rideau Street, just steps away from the ByWard Market and the Rideau Centre. AC Marriott Ottawa will have 159 guest rooms along with apartment rentals at the top of the building.

The hotel’s thoughtful design includes a sleek lounge, self-serve market, pool, gym, sauna, and a small library fitted with workstations. Guests can enjoy a gorgeous kitchen for breakfast as well as the ability to rent out the space for group lunches and dinners. Business travellers can make use of 3,648 feet of meeting space across five meeting rooms – all featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, a unique element that sets the hotel apart.

Indoor parking with EV stations will be available and separate entrances and elevator banks available for hotel guests and apartment renters.

Located in the heart of Ottawa’s entertainment district with a walk score of 99, this contemporary hotel is close to the University of Ottawa, the Rogers Centre Ottawa, and the LRT’s Rideau Station. The hotel anticipates a fall 2024 opening and is currently accepting bookings for after April 1, 2025.

The Marriott brand is preparing to open two other exciting hotels in the city. The laidback Moxy Marriott plans to open in spring 2025 directly behind AC Marriott Ottawa at 126 York Street. Renaissance Ottawa, luxury accommodations planned for the LeBreton Flats area at 395 Slater Street, hopes to open in fall 2027. More details are to come.

Must-see summer music festivals in Ottawa

Ottawa transforms into a vibrant hub of live music events throughout the summer, making it the perfect destination for working hard and playing hard.

Highlights include Ottawa Bluesfest which draws about 300,000 fans to witness 200 acts and is ranked among the world’s top 10 outdoor music festivals. From local up-and-coming acts to iconic performers such as 50 Cent, Nickelback, Maroon 5, and Neil Young, this event hosted at LeBreton Flats is two weeks of music heaven fit for every kind of musical taste.

The week-long Ottawa Jazz Festival features every kind of jazz and beyond across outdoor stages, theatres, restaurants and clubs.

Take a trip back to the 70s, 80s and 90s at Nostalgia Music Festival which allows you to rock out to the best tribute bands in the world.

Move beyond meeting rooms and discover more music festivals here.

Ottawa Tourism renews collaboration with The Hague and Partners Convention Bureau

Ottawa Tourism and The Hague and Partners Convention Bureau in The Netherlands, have reaffirmed their enduring friendship dating back to World War II with a renewal of their friendly Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The collaborative agreement is aimed at enhancing both cities’ appeal to leisure and business travellers.

Since 2019, both teams have partnered on successful joint initiatives such as the One Young World youth forum and the AI White Paper. This renewed partnership highlights each city’s commitment to knowledge exchange, innovation and economic development through joint sales and marketing efforts. Ottawa and The Hague are uniquely positioned to continue shaping the global meetings industry together with another five-year dynamic partnership.

Team OT cleans up the city

On May 9, 2024, Ottawa Tourism participated in the City of Ottawa’s long-standing “Cleaning the Capital” program. This year marked the 31st anniversary of the sustainability initiative, which has improved the city’s cleanliness by removing an estimated one million kilograms of waste from public spaces. 

Several Ottawa Tourism team members joined forces and passionately collected litter across the city. This program aligns with Ottawa Tourism’s dedication to making our destination (and our organization) more sustainable.

Discover more about this annual event on the City of Ottawa website, or learn more about how Ottawa Tourism commits to sustainability.

Mission accomplished by Team Ottawa in London

Several community partners and members of Ottawa Tourism travelled to London, England in April for an unforgettable sales mission in partnership with Air Canada. The goal was to get our city in front of meeting planners, events rights holders, sport event planners, tour operators, media and other tourism business development professionals. Team Ottawa Tourism’s schedule was packed with targeted meetings and networking opportunities with professionals from the Business Events, Major Events and Sport, Travel Trade and Travel Media sectors from across the world, culminating with the “Here to Inspire” reception, an incredible networking event on April 22. 

The team also promoted Ottawa as a runner’s city with a designated Run Ottawa booth at the 2024 TCS London Marathon and attended SportsPro Live 2024, a pivotal event for the sport events industry.

These are the kinds of dynamic efforts Ottawa Tourism makes to attract more business to the city and grow our visitor economy.

Inaugural Ottawa Signature Venue Series took place in Toronto

Team Ottawa partnered with Venue Series to host a successful (and fun!) Ottawa Signature Event in Toronto this past April, showcasing Ottawa's potential as a vibrant destination for corporate meetings and events. The Ottawa Signature Event consisted of three B2B events and welcomed over 60 passionate corporate meeting planners. 

The series kicked off with a high-energy appointment style event, where Stephanie Seguin (Director Sales, Business & Major Events), Lizzy Low (Manager, Business Events), and key Ottawa partners connected with top-tier corporate meeting planners. Ottawa partners included Rogers Centre Ottawa, Fairmont Château Laurier, Hilton Lac-Leamy, Les Suites Hotel, Ottawa, Lord Elgin Hotel, The Metcalfe Hotel by Gray Collection, The Westin, Ottawa & Delta Hotels by Marriott Ottawa City Centre, Brookstreet Hotel and Marches Golf Club, Sheraton Ottawa Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott Ottawa Downtown, Novotel Ottawa City Center, Canadian Museum of History, Canadian Museum of Nature, and Cantrav Services, Ottawa-Gatineau. 

The following day, Team Ottawa co-hosted a VIP dinner with Venue Series to welcome Strategic Site Selection and Sandbox Events and their clients. This exclusive gathering at the new Black + Blue steakhouse saw enthusiastic collaboration between Team Ottawa partners, hotel and venue representatives, and Strategic Site Selection clients. 

In true OT fashion, we made sure to offer attendees an unforgettable experience to conclude the event series. Participants learned and laughed at an improv networking workshop at The Second City, then were treated to dinner and a show.

The Ottawa Signature events allowed the team to highlight how Ottawa provides unique solutions for corporate events of all sizes, while also sparking new connections and strengthening existing ones. We brought Ottawa’s vibrancy and passion to Toronto and left attendees buzzing through genuine conversations.

Ottawa hosted the 2024 International Indigenous Tourism Conference

From February 26 to 28, 2024, the International Indigenous Tourism Conference (IITC), hosted by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), brought 1000 international delegates to Ottawa, which is located on unceded Algonquin Anishinabeg Territory. Held at the award-winning Rogers Centre Ottawa, the unprecedented three-day event engaged participants in cultural tours, panels, workshops, ceremonies and more. IITC is the largest international Indigenous tourism conference in the world, and Ottawa Tourism was honoured to learn more about the importance of Indigenous perspectives in the tourism industry and the way that global visitor experiences can be enhanced by Indigenous experiences and knowledge-sharing.

Thank you to every local Indigenous business owner, tour operator, storyteller and visitor. 

Read more about the 2024 IITC held in Ottawa on the Business Events blog.

Presenting Team Ottawa Tourism

Discover the heart of Ottawa's expertise in organizing events: whether it's corporate meetings or international sports competitions and beyond, our Business Events and Major Events and Sport teams ensure exceptional outcomes and unforgettable moments in Canada’s capital.

Entrust your next event to our skilled professionals and experience the vibrancy that Ottawa offers every visitor. Meet Ottawa Tourism's Business Events and Major Events and Sport teams here. 

Seller Profile: Julie Clement

A leader in the Canadian Association 300+, Indigenous, SMERF, and government sectors, Julie (Manager, Business Events) attributes her success to her dedication to fostering strong relationships with clients and industry partners. She actively collaborates with meeting planners to create compelling bid proposals, ensuring a seamless experience for conferences and events in Ottawa. Julie's comprehensive approach includes venue and guest room procurement, bid proposal crafting, site inspections and a commitment to giving back to the industry and community.

• Ottawa Tourism - Washington Signature Event – June 6, 2024, in Washington DC
• FICP Educon – June 12-14, 2024, in Chicago
• ASAE Executive Leadership Forum – June 23-25, 2024, in Toronto
• PCMA Educon – June 23-26, 2024, in Detroit
• CanSEP Annual Conference – June 25-28, 2024, in Victoria
• ACCESS24 – July 23-25, 2024, in Toronto
• IEEE Convene – August 1-2, 2024, in Waikoloa Village
• ASAE Meeting and Expo – August 10-13, 2024, in Cleveland
• CMEE Canadian Meetings & Events Expo – August 13-14, 2024, in Toronto

• EDC Exchange 24 – June 3-7, 2024
• United Way Centraide Canada 2024 – June 17-18, 2024
• Canadian Psychological Association Annual Meeting 2024 – June 17-25, 2024
• Society for Psychotherapy Research 55th International Annual Meeting – June 26-29, 2024
• 2024 AISLF International Congress – July 6-11, 2024
• 2024 IEEE NSREC – July 23-28, 2024
• International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors 2024 – July 27 – August 2, 2024
• International Congress of Behavioural Optometry 2024 – August 12-18, 2024 
• 2024 AMO AGM and Annual Conference – August 14-21, 2024