January 8, 2007
For Immediate Release

Courtyard Pavilions Make 2006 Record Year At The Victoria Conference Centre

VICTORIA - 2006 has proven to be the best year on record at the Victoria Conference Centre (VCC) with delegate day numbers well ahead of the record set in 2004 of 110,986.

In 2006 the VCC was able to accommodate larger groups and more flexible conference programs through the addition of 8,000 square feet through the courtyard pavilions.

"Last year over half of our citywide conferences were over 600 delegates and four days or more in length. In addition we had several events of over 1200 delegates which we had targeted through our sales efforts and our ability to provide additional space," said Jocelyn Jenkyns, Acting General Manager for the Centre.

Victoria continues to be a desirable conference destination with the VCC recording 117,621 delegate days to December 31, 2006. These numbers capture the out of town conference delegates delivering over $43 Million annually in direct spending to Victoria hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions.

The VCC hosted 61 conferences in 2006. There are currently 29 citywides on the books for 2007. Highlights include: Tourism Industry Association of Canada Leadership Summit, Western Canada Turfgrass Association Annual Conference, Operating Room Nurses Association of Canada Conference, Association of Faculties of Medicine 2007 Annual Meeting, CUPE BC AGM, National Association of Hose and Accessories Distributors Annual Meeting, TRIUMF Computing in High Energy Physics and Strategies for Public Sector Transformation.

The VCC has an aggressive sales and marketing plan for 2007 and will be preparing to promote Victoria as a destination at the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) in 2007 in Thailand. Victoria was awarded ICCA 2008 at the annual ICCA congress in Rhodes in October of 2006. 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.

For more information, contact:
Jocelyn Jenkyns
Acting General Manager
(250) 361-1035
jocelynj@victoriaconference.com