About Alberta Canada

Alberta is a province in Western Canada. Its landscape encompasses mountains, prairies, desert badlands and vast coniferous forests. It has more than 600 lakes, and rich mineral deposits. In the west, the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks have glaciers in the Columbia Icefields. The Waterton Glacier International Peace Park is a biosphere reserve that straddles the southern border with the USA.

Cities Represented – ALBERTA, Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, Banff/Lake Louise, Jasper, Canmore/Kananaskis

TAXES

  • How much is the total cumulative hotel tax?
    • 5% Goods and Services Tax
    • 4% Provincial Government Tourism Levy
    • 3% Destination Marketing Fee
  • How much is the F&B tax?
    • 5% Goods and Services Tax

  • How much is the average F&B gratuity?
    • Average of 15% – 20 % of the total bill

AIRPORT

How many miles from the airport to downtown?

  • Calgary 12 miles
  • Edmonton 18 miles
  • Banff 80 miles
  • Lake Louise 113 miles

Is there public transportation, such as a bus or subway available?

  • Public transit express bus from airport to downtown every 30 minutes.
  • Edmonton – LRT (light rail transit) starting in 2017
  • Banff – Banff Airporter Shuttle, 10 shuttles daily
  • Lake Louise – Banff Airporter Shuttle

How much does the public transportation cost?

  • Calgary – $3.15 CAD (adult, single use for 90 min from time of purchase)
    $9.50 CAD (adult, day pass)
  • Edmonton – $3.30 CAD (exact fare required)

What is the shuttle bus fare from the airport to downtown?

  • $9.50 CAD one-way from Airport to Downtown Calgary
  • $18.00 CAD one-way Airport to Downtown Edmonton

What is the taxi fare from airport to downtown?

  • Calgary – 20-minute drive (approximately $40-50 CAD)
  • Edmonton – A flat rate of $48 CAD is charged by all taxis for travel to downtown

How many daily flights into the airport?

  • Calgary – More than 1,800 weekly arrivals/departures
  • Edmonton – Provides 60 non-stops to Canada, US and International
  • How many daily flights out of airport? More than 1,800 weekly arrivals/departures
  • Is the airport a hub for any carrier? WestJet HQ in Calgary
  • What are the major carriers serving airport?
    Air Canada/Jazz, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta/Northwest, KLM, Sunwing Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways and WestJet.

Hotels

How many committable hotel rooms downtown on peak night?

  • Calgary – 4,000 hotel rooms located in the Downtown Core
  • Edmonton – 4050 hotels rooms located in the Downtown Core
  • Banff – 600
  • Lake Louise – 400
  • Jasper – 350
  • Canmore/Kananaskis – 350

How many committable hotel rooms downtown on peak within walking distance to convention center?

  • Calgary – 4,000 hotel rooms located in the Downtown Core. All properties are within a 15-minute walk of the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre.
  • Edmonton – 2,247 hotel rooms located in the Downtown Core. All properties within a 10 – 15-minute walk to the SHAW Conference Center

How many headquarter hotel properties?

  • Calgary — Delta Bow Valley, Fairmont Palliser, The Hotel Arts, Hyatt Regency Calgary, Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire, The Westin Calgary
  • Edmonton — Five (Delta Edmonton South, DoubleTree by Hilton West Edmonton, Edmonton Marriott River Cree, Radisson Hotel Edmonton South, Westin Edmonton

How many rooms available on peak night at the largest headquarter property? N/A

Convention Center

  • How many total gross square feet of exhibit space at Convention Center?
    Calgary – 47,000 sq.ft. Edmonton- 69,840 sq. ft.
  • How much of this exhibit space is contiguous?
    All in one space
  • How many total gross square feet of meeting space is available at the Convention center?
    Calgary – 122,000 sq. ft. Edmonton – 200,000 sq. ft.
  • How many meeting rooms does the convention center have?
    Calgary 36, Edmonton 32
  • How big is the largest meeting room?
    Calgary 20,000 sq.ft., Edmonton 69,840 sq.ft.
  • How many ballrooms does the convention center have?
    Calgary One, Edmonton 3 ballrooms
  • How big is the largest ballroom?
    20,000 sq. ft.

When was the last renovation or expansion?
Calgary – The last major expansion was in 2000. The last renovation was September, 2015 (Macleod Hall washrooms).

Edmonton – Last renovation was 2013

When is a future renovation/expansion scheduled?

  • Calgary — Renovations are ongoing as needed.
  • Edmonton — June 2015, they began a $12.3 million escalator modernization project where all 32 escalators will be replaced with more modern, energy efficient escalators. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2016

Is there free Wi-Fi at the convention center?

  • Calgary & Edmonton Free in public areas. Charges apply in meeting spaces.

Is there an exclusive in-house Electrical provider?

  • Calgary — No
  • Edmonton — Showtech Power & Lighting

Is there an exclusive in-house AV provider?

  • Calgary – Evolution AV
  • Edmonton – Freeman Audio Visual

Is there an exclusive in-house decorator? No.

Is there an exclusive in house caterer?

  • Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel is the exclusive caterer.
  • Edmonton – Exclusive team led by Executive Chef Simon Smotkowicz

Is the convention center a union property? No

If union property, can you provide estimated pricing list? N/A

Here is a list of labor unions with whom planners will be required to work at the convention center: N/A

Off Site Venues

a. How many off site venues within walking distance can host up to 2,000 people?

  • Calgary — One – BMO Centre at Stampede Park
  • Edmonton — None

How many off site venues within a ten-minute bus transfer can host up to 2,000 people?

  • Calgary — No
  • Edmonton — The Enjoy Centre and The Winspear Centre

How many restaurants are within walking distance of the convention center?

  • Calgary — Over 200 restaurants
  • Edmonton — At least 50 great restaurants ranging from casual to fine dining

Can you list 3-5 local attractions and their whereabouts?

  • Calgary Downtown National Music Centre (Opening April 2016), Fort Calgary

Outside the Downtown Calgary Core

  • Calgary Zoo (2 LRT Train stops from downtown)
  • Spruce Meadows (30-minute drive from downtown)
  • WinSport (10-minute drive from downtown)
  • Heritage Park (18-minute drive from downtown)

Edmonton

  • Art Gallery of Edmonton (downtown core)
  • West Edmonton Mall is the shopping mecca of the city with over 800 shops and services, and there is no better place to find every type of store under one roof. From brand name chains to one-of-a-kind boutiques spanning the equivalent of 48 city blocks, you best come prepared wearing a comfortable pair of shoes accompanied with a shop ‘til you drop state of mind. (20-minute drive from downtown)
  • Fort Edmonton Park. Travel back in time aboard a steam train, buggy or streetcar and then step into the authentically re-created settings of 1846, 1885, 1905 and 1920, for a full sensory experience of what life was like long before digital technologies. Try your hand at bartering with a merchant to get the best return for your furs. Ride an antique midway attraction, sample freshly baked bannock, and chat with costumed interpreters about life in the past. (20-minute drive from downtown)’
  • Edmonton Festivals (all over)
    Known as the “Festival City” – over 150 festivals happening throughout the year!

Banff/Lake Louise

  • Banff Gondola Mountaintop
  • Brewster’s Lake Louise Dance Barn
  • Brewster’s MountView BBQ, Banff
  • Lake Louise – Iconic lake
  • Banff National Park – Canada’s first national park
  • Jasper National Park – Canada’s largest park
  • Exceptional golfing Jasper Park Lodge – Rated by ScoreGolf Magazine as Best Golf Resort in Canada
  • Glacier Skywalk – glass-floored platform 918 feet over glacier-formed valleys
  • The Columbia Icefields – The largest frozen mass south of the Arctic Circle feeds six major outlet glacier including Athabasca Icefield Glacier