OTTAWA – January 24, 2022 – Five organizations have announced a joint initiative that will see hundreds of association executives, meeting, tourism, hotel and hospitality professionals meet face-to-face, safely, in Ottawa in early April 2022.

The Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) has confirmed a new date for its Ottawa-Gatineau network’s annual Tête -à-Tête tradeshow, now in its thirty-second year. The popular event welcomes hundreds of Canadian meeting and event planners, association and not-for-profit leaders, and government procurers for an exploration of a wide-range of products, services and suppliers who can help their organizations thrive. The event will be held on April 6th, 2022 at the EY Centre.

On the heels of CSAE’s announcement, four other industry organizations, including Meeting Professionals International (Ottawa Chapter), the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA Canada East Chapter), Destination Direct Canada and REVEAL Social have changed their event dates to coincide with the CSAE Tête -à-Tête tradeshow to form what is widely known in the Canadian business events industry as “Ottawa Meet Week”.

“Ottawa Meet Week is traditionally scheduled during the last week of January but was postponed in anticipation that we would be through the worst of the pandemic by early April. With safety and creativity in mind, we are excited to plan a special week with our colleagues across the country. We are really looking forward to getting the business events economic engine back up and running”, said Angela Jefferies, Chair, Tête-à- Tête Planning Committee.

According to Destination Canada: “The economic impact of COVID-19 has been enormous on the tourism sector. In 2020, almost 900,000 jobs were lost at the height of the crisis, representing 43% of all tourism employment. In 2021, tourism employment over the first 10 months of the year remained 21% below pre-pandemic 2019 levels – a loss of 360,000 jobs, while overall employment in the Canadian economy had recovered to pre-pandemic levels”. ¹

Pre-pandemic, the economic impact of the business events in Canada contributed $19.3 billion CAD directly to the GDP, sustained 229,000 direct jobs and generated $33 billion CAD in direct spending.²

“The Ottawa Tourism Business Events team and our partners are thrilled to see the return of Ottawa Meet Week,” said Stephanie Seguin, Director of Business Events at Ottawa Tourism. “There is no better Canadian business opportunity to connect destinations with key decision makers and Ottawa is very proud to be a part of it. The power of meetings to produce lasting benefits for a community, beyond immediate impacts on hotels and meeting venues, is impressive and events like Ottawa Meet Week provide the building blocks for those events.”

Ottawa Meet Week is tentatively scheduled to include:

April 4-5, 2022:             DDC – Hosted Buyer Program
April 5, 2022:                 REVEAL Social
April 6, 2022:                 CSAE Tête -à-Tête tradeshow
April 7, 2022:                 PCMA Canada East Chapter – Annual Lunch and Learn
April 7, 2022:                 MPI Ottawa Chapter – Global Meetings Industry Day
April 7, 2022:                 MPI Ottawa Charity Auction and Gala Dinner

Registration for all events will go live on February 1, 2022 at www.ottawameetweek.ca

About Destination Direct Canada

Destination Direct Canada is the only Hosted Buyer program in Canada meant to exclusively connect Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), association executives and conference planners in an intimate, one-on-one setting.

About REVEAL Social

Bringing together the event industry’s movers and shakers for a night of networking and entertainment.

About CSAE 

Incorporated in 1962, the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) is Canada’s only member-based not-for-profit organization committed to delivering the knowledge, resources and environment to advance association excellence. CSAE, also known as an “association of associations,” offers robust networking and learning opportunities, including an education program leading to the Certified Association Executive (CAE®) designation. With a current membership of approximately 3,000, CSAE has central operations in Toronto and eight regional networks in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the GTA/Golden Horseshoe, Ottawa-Gatineau, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Visit www.csae.com and follow CSAE on Twitter @csaeconnect.

About PCMA Canada East Chapter

PCMA is the global leader in business events with 17 chapters, 8,400 professional and student members and a global audience of over 100,000 business event stakeholders, across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.  The Canada East chapter focuses on delivering cutting-edge programs, community service projects, professional recognition, and many other opportunities for their members located in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

About MPI Ottawa

Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the meeting and event industry’s most vibrant global community, helps its members thrive by providing human connections to knowledge and ideas, relationships, and marketplaces. MPI membership is comprised of more than 24,000 members belonging to 71 chapters and clubs worldwide.

 

For media inquiries please contact:
Chantel Beaupre
Destination Direct Canada
chantel@saysomething.ca

 

 

 

¹ Destination Canada (2021) “Tourism’s Big Shift: Key Trends Shaping the Future of Canada’s Tourism Industry”
 The Big Shift: Macro Trends Tourism’s Big Shift: Key Trends Shaping the Future of Canada’s Tourism Industry

 

 

2 Events Industry Council (2018) “Global Economic Significance of Business Events”
Events Industry Council – Global Economic Significance of Business Events