January 24, 2006
For Immediate Release

2005 second record year for the Victoria Conference Centre (VCC)

VICTORIA - 2005 proved to be another strong year for the Victoria Conference Centre with numbers just shy of the delegate day record set in 2004 of 110,986.

Victoria continues to be a desirable conference destination with the VCC recording 110,900 delegate days to December 31, 2005. These numbers capture the out of town conference delegates delivering over $42 Million annually in direct spending to Victoria hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions.

The VCC's sales strategy focuses on larger international and US conferences while retaining the Canadian association business base. The market positioning capitalizing on Victoria's image as a secure, cost effective and highly desirable venue for conferences resonates with potential clients.

The VCC hosted 61 conferences in 2005 of which 31 were over 450 delegates. There are currently 30 citywides on the books for 2006 and the trend is for larger and longer conferences this year.

"In 2006 over half of our citywide conferences are over 600 delegates and four days or more in length. These events are here as a result of our targeted sales efforts and our ability to accommodate slightly larger events with the temporary courtyard cover," said Jocelyn Jenkyns, Director of Marketing and Event Sales for the Centre.

The VCC will continue its sales and marketing activities in 2006. These include site visits, familiarization tours, sales calls and trade shows. The VCC is also the top bidder for the prestigious International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) annual conference for 2008. ICCA is one of the most prominent organisations in the world of international meetings. With over 700 members in almost 80 countries worldwide, ICCA is the most global organisation within the meetings industry. The VCC will present Victoria's bid at the ICCA annual congress in October 2006.

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For more information, contact:
Jocelyn Jenkyns
Director of Marketing and Event Sales
(250) 361.1035
jocelynj@victoriaconference.com