OTTAWA, June 14, 2021 – A decade ago, the Ottawa Congress Centre (now Shaw Centre), a state-of-the-art convention centre located in the heart of Canada’s capital, opened its doors to the world. Ten years later, it still remains an architectural attraction and an iconic part of Ottawa’s landscape. Having successfully hosted thousands of events and welcomed over half a million out-of-town visitors from all around the globe, it looks towards the future to welcome thousands more.
As an agency of the Government of Ontario, the Shaw Centre remains one of the country’s most successful conventions centres, and continuously fulfills its economic mandate while providing millions of memorable moments for guests and staff alike. The over half a million out-of-town guests who have come through the centre have collectively boosted the region’s economy by almost a billion dollars in direct spending.
“For 10 years, the Shaw Centre has welcomed the world to Ottawa, hosting events that showcase how Ontario offers the world in one province,” said Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. “This landmark is one of the most recognized and successful convention centres Ontario has to offer. Our government is proud to support the Shaw Centre during this challenging time, ensuring that once it is safe to do so, it will be ready to welcome back guests to Canada’s capital.”
“Since 2011, the Shaw Centre has not only been a key landmark in the downtown core, but it has provided the City of Ottawa a significant economic impact through the thousands of events we’ve hosted.” Says Nina Kressler, President and CEO, Shaw Centre. “Although this past year has been absolutely devastating to our industry, we see a light at the end of the tunnel and are ready and excited to welcome guests through our doors when the time is right.” She adds.
A long list of notable guests have passed through the Shaw Centre’s doors over the past decade, including; Dr. Jane Goodall, Malala Yousafzai, Rick Hansen, Emma Watson, Cher, the late Alex Trebek, Khloé Kardashian, Kiefer Sutherland, Bill Nye and a number of Presidents, Prime Ministers and political dignitaries.
In order to stay at the forefront of delegate experience and to ensure the utmost health and safety of our staff, clients and attendees, the Shaw Centre has implemented a number of infrastructure projects over the past decade. These projects not only enhance the delegate experience but also add to the building’s sustainability focus and includes: LED lighting retrofit, upgraded main entrance, building automation optimization and occupancy sensors and a number of others. As health and safety is, and always will be a priority the Shaw Centre has recently added a Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization air purifying system on all air handlers. This eliminates airborne particulates, pathogens and odors while also saving 30% on energy consumption and lowering carbon footprint by reducing outdoor air intake by up to 75%.
These and future enhancements, along with ongoing support and confidence of our exceptional clients, will allow the Shaw Centre to continue to be a hub of activity and boost the region’s economy for decades to come.
About the Shaw Centre
Shaw Centre, previously known as the Ottawa Congress Centre was founded in 1983. The Centre was redeveloped into a new, larger facility with project funding from the Province of Ontario, the City of Ottawa and the Government of Canada which opened its doors in April 2011 as the Ottawa Convention Centre (OCC). In October 2014, the OCC entered into a 10-year partnership with Shaw Communications, rebranding the facility as the Shaw Centre. The state-of-the-art convention centre is a spectacular venue that induces economic impact by hosting conventions, conferences, meetings, and events. It was named runner-up as the 2014 world’s best convention centre by the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC). The Centre is governed by a board of directors, managed by an expert team of professionals and operationally driven by inspired colleagues and selected suppliers whose main goal is to create extraordinary events. shaw-centre.com
For More Information
Josh Verch
Director, Marketing and Partnerships
Shaw Centre
613-294-1528
jverch@rogers-centre.ca
