How Toronto Events Support DEI, Sustainability Goals and Leaving a Lasting Legacy

We spoke to Laura Purdy, CEM, CMM at Exhibition Place , Lorenz Hassenstein at Metro Toronto Convention Centre , and our own Heather Neale on how the city helps organizations execute on their driving #dei , #sustainability and #legacy goals — and why #meetingsmatter when you #MeetinToronto .

As an industry-leading event destination with an advanced planning infrastructure, Toronto is all set for a record-breaking year of conferences, meetings and events. Though the pandemic shifted the booking patterns of many corporate planners and the event industry is still finding its feet in many ways, the year is looking good — thanks in large part to post-pandemic re-bookings.?

“2023 is set to be one of the busiest years in the history of our destination,” says Heather Neale, Managing Director of Sales for Destination Toronto . “We are at the forefront of everything essential as a meeting place. Our convention centres and hotels are rocking —?and we are driving our sales pipeline for new business events opportunities for 2024 and into the 2030s.”

Here, experts from two of Toronto’s top venues —?the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) and Exhibition Place — share how Toronto can help organizations execute their most successful conference to date, while supporting their driving goals.?

?? Meetings in Toronto can reinforce a DEI-conscious culture ??

These are not just buzzwords in Toronto — diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are part of the very fabric of who we are. An astonishing 53% of the people in the city were born outside of Canada. And with 200+ languages and dialects spoken here, chances are good that if you’re coming from another country, you will hear your language on Toronto streets.

“From working around the world, I can tell you that the best thing about Toronto is how multicultural it is,” says Lorenz Hassenstein, President and CEO of MTCC. “If you're wanting to find staff to work here at the Centre, you have a very diverse cultural makeup to choose from. Recently, we had an international event where we had 30 meeting planners in the building and the person from Singapore was speaking Cantonese to our chefs, who were creating menus for an Asian fair we were setting up.”

?“The essence of Toronto is that we celebrate our multiculturalism, we celebrate the strength of diversity,” says Laura Purdy, General Manager at Exhibition Place. “I think we're internationally recognized for our DEI conscious culture. And it is a natural progression that the meeting planning community reflects that culture in embracing DEI as part of their standard operating procedures for meetings and events.”

Laura says that DEI is being embedded in the corporate social responsibility of many corporations that plan conventions, and that DEI thread weaves its way into the meetings they produce. “We try to build a culture that leads by example,” she says. “We have training and discussions, and small-group workshops that talk about diversity, and we share those experiences with our clients.”

?? Toronto venues are set up to support event sustainability goals ??

The city is continually making it easier to work sustainability measures into your event . This way, you can demonstrate to your sponsors everything you’re doing and all of the resources you’re using to ensure your meeting is truly sustainable.

Lorenz says the MTCC is constantly donating product and material that comes off the trade show floor that would otherwise get thrown away. “We're always looking for avenues and resources where people can reuse those goods. The same goes for food. We donate hundreds of thousands of meals annually to local charities, people in need.”

Exhibition Place has approached sustainability as a main pillar of the organization since 2004 — “so we often say we were green before green was cool,” Laura says. They take a pragmatic approach to sustainability, embracing both waste aversion and energy creation.

“We have signed the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge to reduce our carbon down to net zero by 2050,” Laura says. “We’ve also signed the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge, which will improve our sustainability performance between now and 2030. We’re very focused on achieving these goals, and I think we're well-positioned to actually achieve them ahead of the deadlines.”

? Toronto offers creative ways to leave a lasting legacy in the city ?

Organizations that want to make a positive impact on Toronto when they’re here can easily add an enduring legacy component to their plan-making, something that says: We were here—and visiting was a good idea.

“We’ve sponsored education endowments, and research grants — big things and small,” Heather says. The legacy can be as small as connecting clients with a local Toronto charity or building out an annual scholarship program. “It’s part of our role as the destination marketing organization to help clients do things like this.”

As a location for the G20 Summit held in Toronto in 2010, Exhibition Place was presented with a living wall, installed in Enercare Centre, a lifelong testament to the event itself. And when the Pan Am Games were in Toronto in 2015, 14 events were held at Exhibition Place. A splash pad for children was that event’s legacy element, which incorporated public art that symbolized the sports involved. “Toronto is going to be the host city for FIFA World Cup 2026,” Laura says, “and we are currently working with the City of Toronto and FIFA on what that legacy will be.” (The FIFA World Cup will be held on the Exhibition Place grounds.)?

“I think the legacies most trade shows try to leave when they come are connected to their industry — whether that be education or technology,” Lorenz adds. “The notion of leaving a lasting impression is attuned to the next generation — what are we going to leave for the next generation in this particular industry?”

?? Yes, virtual is important, but in-person #MeetingsMatter in Toronto ??

While virtual meetings tided us over until we could go back to work — when we had no choice but to do what humans do best and adapt — meeting in person is simply more satisfying, more efficient and more stimulating. Especially in the new remote working environment, there’s definitely a time and place for live contact.

“In-person events are critical not only for the meeting and events industry but also for society — people need human interaction,” Laura says. “If the pandemic showed us anything it was the critical nature of face-to-face interaction. While we were at home and on Zoom, we saw engagement decrease and corporate culture decrease. It became very obvious that people need each other to conduct business in an effective way.”

Hybrid live-online event models can certainly extend reach and longevity of the content captured at an event. The hybrid route doesn’t dilute the live event for those attending in person — who want the robust education and trade-show experience — it allows some flexibility, so those who aren’t able to travel have access to the programming.?

“We think there is an ability to incorporate virtual into the face-to-face experience, so that it enhances the event as opposed to replacing it,” Laura says. “Obviously, we need that digital connectivity. It gives you the opportunity to add an additional platform to your in-person event and has the ability to broaden the audience.”

“Live, in-person events have always been paramount to our service delivery model,” Lorenz adds. “The events business still remains very strong and the majority of our customers are continuing to move forward with their in-person events. It’s all about human nature and how we interact.”?

Get in touch with the Global Sales and Services team today to find out more about Toronto’s meeting and event capabilities.

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?? Article written by Doug Wallace .