Local tech leaders will soon have the opportunity to leave a mark on their industry and play a role in the capital’s economic recovery thanks to a new partnership between Ottawa Tourism and the Kanata North Business Association.
Starting in the fall, the local destination marketing organization will have a presence in the KNBA’s new Hub350 space – a centre intended for industry, academic, finance and community partners to co-exist and collaborate.
The partnership puts Ottawa Tourism’s destination expertise in the hands of local leaders who are interested in bringing world-class business conferences to the capital.
“This is a great opportunity to showcase Ottawa and Kanata North on a global scale by getting our members involved in bringing events to the community,” says Julia Frame, director of partnerships at the KNBA. “By having Ottawa Tourism embedded in our ecosystem it will be that much easier to foster collaboration.”
As Canada’s largest technology park, Kanata North is a significant driver of economic development in the city – employing nearly 28,000 tech employees, according to the KNBA – and is home to more than 540 companies.
Ottawa Tourism’s presence in the park will be a resource for those local leaders who are interested in being an ambassador for the city and showcasing the innovation happening within their sector.
Tech park members will have access to business event resources and conference planning expertise, making it easier for them to picture an event or conference taking place in their city, says Stephanie Seguin, assistant director of sales, business events at Ottawa Tourism.
“We want to educate tech leaders on the role they can play in bringing their city and their sector to the world’s stage,” says Seguin. “And now, Ottawa Tourism will be on hand to help them achieve that.”
The road to recovery
Business events and conferences have always been a significant source of revenue for the city, and will be a key factor in helping Ottawa recover from the pandemic.
However, as one of the hardest-hit sectors it will take time to rebuild, which is why relationships and conversations need to happen today if we want to see events return in the near future, says Seguin.
“The Ottawa business community can play a big role in that recovery by helping establish the city as a meetings and events hub,” she says. “Businesses can rely on us to guide them through the process to help them achieve their conference goals.”
Through programs such as ThinkOttawa – a partnership between Ottawa Tourism, Invest Ottawa and the Shaw Centre – business leaders have access to valuable resources to help them win conference bids.
The trio assists local business leaders in planning meetings and events in the capital by helping organize bids and supplying marketing and promotional material as well as locating venues, hotels and after-hour excursions – free of charge.
Partnerships such as ThinkOttawa and Hub350 are part of a long-term strategy for Ottawa Tourism to further develop the capital’s presence in the events space.
And by tapping into thriving sectors such as Ottawa’s technology community, the team will be able to make the connections needed to drive that vision forward.
“Our aim is to draw people to Canada’s capital to experience those business and networking events,” says Frame. “We are really excited to be a part of this journey with Ottawa Tourism and to share our enthusiasm about the community with the world.”
