Fifteen years after its initial opening, Rogers Centre Ottawa has hit its stride, according to its president and CEO, capping off a successful summer with a record-setting conference.
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Fifteen years after its initial opening, Rogers Centre Ottawa has hit its stride, according to its president and CEO, capping off a successful summer with a record-setting conference.
Earlier this week, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) wrapped up the 2026 edition of its annual conference, hosted at the convention centre.
According to Ottawa Tourism, this year’s conference generated an estimated $7 million in economic impact and brought 3,000 delegates to the capital.
“AMO is one of those just phenomenal pieces of August business for us,” Lesley Pincombe, president and CEO of Rogers Centre Ottawa, told OBJ on Friday. “For us to be able to see business events in the summer, that just stacks on top of high leisure tourism numbers as well. It really helps to make the city come alive.”
Though the conference has been held in various cities over the years, Pincombe said Ottawa — and by extension the Rogers Centre — has become a preferred destination for the organization and participants.
“This is exactly Ottawa’s DNA, to perfection, really,” she said. “I think that’s why we see this event come year after year … They’ve always really come back to Ottawa with great numbers and strength. Just being in the capital and the proximity to Parliament Hill — it’s always done very well here. We’ve heard from delegates when it hasn’t been here that they wish it was.”
And the event will be sticking around for the foreseeable future. In an email to OBJ, Jérôme Miousse, director of public affairs for Ottawa Tourism, confirmed that the event will continue to take place in the city.
“We are also happy that AMO has confirmed they will be coming back to Ottawa from 2027 to 2031,” he wrote. “This is major for Ottawa and a great show of confidence from the event organizer, as well as a reflection of years of relationship-building, collaboration and delivery.”
According to AMO, this year’s event was sold out, with delegates from 444 municipalities across Ontario gathering just weeks before the province’s municipal elections.
For organizers, it’s a massive effort, and one that Pincombe said takes over the centre for four days.
“It’s really just a full buyout of the building,” she said. “They need every room in our building because there are a lot of bilateral meetings between ministers and municipalities behind closed doors. It really engulfs the entire centre and, for us, that’s why we built it.”
The AMO conference caps off a successful summer that included a number of other major events, including the Assembly of First Nations 2026 annual general assembly, the international Plant Biology 2026 event, and the 50th edition of the Association for Bahá’í Studies’ annual conference. Currently underway is the Scleroderma Canada National Conference, with the 2026 Unifor Canadian Council Meeting scheduled for the end of the month.
Pincombe said the venue is heading into the busy fall season with little availability until the third week of December.
She added that the current packed schedule and the variety of major international events on the books in years to come are a point of pride as Rogers Centre Ottawa celebrates its 15th anniversary.
“Why we built it has very much come to fruition,” she said. “We've seen a record number of international conferences come to Ottawa and that would not have been possible in the previous building. We are a household name now and we are a very well‑respected meetings and conventions destination. That doesn't happen overnight and it takes time. It takes strategy and dedication and collaboration between multiple organizations.”
Impact of AMO conference grows
AMO’s annual conference has had a significant economic impact in Ottawa in recent years.
In 2024, Ottawa Tourism reported the event pumped $4 million into the local economy, drawing 2,500 participants, compared to $7 million and 3,000 participants this year.
“Conferences, congresses and major events like AMO play a crucial role in supporting our local tourism industry. Delegates not only stay in our hotels and dine in our restaurants, but many also extend their visits to explore Ottawa’s iconic landmarks and attractions,” Miousse told OBJ in 2024. “These gatherings drive significant economic activity and help showcase Ottawa as a premier destination for business and leisure travel.”
This year’s event included more than 750 delegation meetings, a trade show and 60 speakers, sessions and workshops covering issues currently facing municipalities.
Following the event, the provincial government announced a number of measures to come out of the conference. They included the opening of applications for the province’s $500-million Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund (CSRIF) to build and upgrade sports facilities across the province, and a $1-billion investment by the province and federal government to help municipalities that don’t impose development charges build more homes.
The province will also initiate formal consultations on the Municipal Accountability Act, which would include proposed code-of-conduct regulations for local leaders.
"The AMO conference is an important opportunity for municipalities and the Ontario government to come together, have direct conversations and find practical ways to work together on the challenges facing communities,” AMO president Riley Brockington, who is also the Ottawa councillor for River Ward, said in a news release.
“We welcome these investments and the recognition of the important role municipalities play in building strong, healthy communities."
