Montréal confirmed as Number One host city in North America for international
events

MONTREAL, May 18 /CNW Telbec/ - In what is a huge triumph for the city, Montréal has been named the top host city in North America for international associative events, according to the 2009 ICCA International Congress and Convention Association official rankings. This comes only a few days after the Palais des congrès de Montréal announced its selection as one of the finalists for the 2010 APEX Award recognizing the World's Best Congress Centre, to be presented in July by the AIPC International Association of Congress Centres. Montréal's leading venue for major international meetings, the Palais welcomes thousands of convention delegates each year and generates significant intellectual and economic spinoffs for the city and the province of Québec as whole.

"This is a huge victory for the city's convention centre, which has hosted over 1,000 major events since it opened in 1983, but also a worthy recognition of the hard work performed daily by the teams of Tourisme Montréal and the Palais," declared Marc Tremblay, President and CEO of the Palais. "We succeeded in standing out among other convention centres thanks to our many enviable assets, including our flexible facilities, our location in the heart of the city, the expertise and passion of our staff, and of course our venue's unique design," added Tremblay. Since 2007, the Palais has appeared in Mark Irving's 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die.

"Tourisme Montréal is extremely proud of this distinction, which attests to the excellence of our tourist industry with regards to international meetings and conferences," says the Honourable Charles Lapointe, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal, "The well-known adage that there is 'strength in numbers' applies here, as this result represents the culmination of a concerted effort of the entire Montréal team, who works tirelessly to make our city a destination of choice for business professionals the world over. Tourisme Montréal would particularly like to extend its appreciation to the staff at the Palais des congrès who, by their exceptional commitment and incomparable quality of their services, have helped to establish Montréal not only as the foremost destination for international meetings in North America, but also fourth in the Americas as a whole," concludes Charles Lapointe.

This triumph elevates Montréal to the top spot among all North American destinations, ahead of major U.S. and Canadian cities such as New York, Boston and Washington, as well as Vancouver and Toronto.

    
    Final 2009 North American Rankings:
    -----------------------------------
    (Number of international association events)

    1 - Montréal (57)
    2 - Vancouver (46)
    3 - Toronto (36)
    4 - Boston (35)
    5 - Mexico City (33)
    6 - Washington (31)
    7 - NYC (28)
    

This ranking speaks volumes about the city's dynamism and its power to draw major international associations, despite the increasingly wider options offered in recent years.

About the ICCA

The International Congress and Convention Association represents the main specialists in organizing, transporting and accommodating international meetings and events. It comprises more than 900 member companies and organizations in 85 countries worldwide - www.iccaworld.com.

About the Palais des congrès de Montréal

The mission of the Palais des congrès de Montréal is to attract and host conventions, exhibitions, conferences, meetings and other events. A public institution with a commercial vocation, the Palais generates major economic spinoffs for Québec and has contributed proudly for more than 25 years to sharing knowledge and enhancing Montréal's international reputation as a first-rate destination. For more information on the Palais des congrès de Montréal, visit our website at www.congresmtl.com.

About Tourisme Montréal

Tourisme Montréal is responsible for promoting Montréal's hospitality industry by positioning the city as a premier business and leisure travel destination. A private non-profit organization founded in 1919, it has over 750 members from Montreal's tourism community. Tourisme Montréal is Québec's oldest tourism organization and among North America's earliest.

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For further information: Marion Desjobert, Advisor, Communications and Public Affairs, Société du Palais des congrès de Montréal, [phone], [email protected]; Pierre Bellerose, Vice-President, Public Relations, Product Research & Development, Tourisme Montréal, [phone], [email protected]; Source: Chrystine Loriaux, Adm.A., B.A.A., Director, Marketing and Communications, Société du Palais des congrès de Montréal, [phone]