VANCOUVER is North America’s highest-rated destination for a business meeting, according to STR’s DestinationMAP (Meeting Assessment Program), a comprehensive study of meeting professionals and the meetings market in North America.
This year, out of 40 North American cities the data and analytics company surveyed, Vancouver was the highest-rated business meeting site (8.9 out of 10), exceeding all other markets in a tie with San Diego. Vancouver also nets the highest percentage of combined 9-10 ratings overall in this category.
The 2017 DestinationMAP report provides a detailed description of meeting professionals’ preferences and their perceptions of 40 North American cities. DestinationMAP is in its 17th publication, which allows trend analysis of the issues most important to meeting professionals in site selection.
Key highlights from the 2017 report include:
- Vancouver is the #1 rated destination for a business meeting, tied with San Diego.
- Vancouver is ranked #1 in the categories of “safe environment” and “different / unique”. (“Safe environment” was ranked the most important characteristic planners consider for a meeting location).
- Vancouver is ranked #2 for “upscale food options” and “variety of things to do.”
- The Vancouver Convention Centre ranked #1 in many venue attributes, including: state of the art technology, quality of on-site food, walkability near venue, fast internet, easy to work with staff, and attractive conference hotels nearby.
“We are thrilled to receive this recognition from STR’s DestinationMAP,” said Dave Gazley, Vice President, Meeting and Convention Sales, Tourism Vancouver. “And it’s all thanks to the dedication, professionalism and unity of the city’s tourism and hospitality community. As Vancouver heads into one of its biggest convention years yet in 2018, more and more meeting professionals are turning their attention to Vancouver as a meeting destination, and we are confident we will carry this momentum in the years to come.”
“We are truly honoured and proud that the Vancouver Convention Centre was ranked first in its category in STR’s DestinationMAP,” said Claire Smith, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Vancouver Convention Centre. “The impressive results about the facility speak to the commitment of our team to deliver exceptional experiences for all of our guests, our state of the art facility, our stunning waterfront location and close proximity to hotels and other amenities in the downtown area.”
Alongside the recognition from DestinationMAP, Vancouver has earned a slew of other accolades recently, including Skytrax’s award for number-one airport in North America (the eighth consecutive year Vancouver International Airport has received the award); Top Convention City in Canada from the Watkins Research Group’s biennial Meeting and Convention Planners Survey; Best Foreign City for Meetings according to Latinoamérica Convenciones, Mexico’s leading meetings industry publication; and a top 10 spot in Conde Nast Traveler’s Best Cities in the World, edging out major cities like Rome, London and Hong Kong.
