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Vancouver, British Columbia City Guide

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Vancouver Meeting Planning

Vancouver has been chosen as the host city for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games - with good reason. The demand for meeting and convention space in Vancouver has consistently risen in the past decade, due to the city's unique attractions, beautiful landscape, magnificent cityscape and its spectacular convention centre.

Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre

The award-winning Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre features more than 150,000 square feet of exhibition, ballroom and meeting space, as well as 13,000 hotel rooms within walking distance. Its current expansion efforts will triple the size of the existing facility to more than 500,000 square feet of flexible function space by spring 2009. The centre received the Apex Award for "World's Best Convention Centre" in 2002 and was named a finalist in 2004. It has hosted such high-profile events as the World Buddhist Convention, World Culinary Arts Festival, 1993 Clinton-Yeltsin Summit and the XI International Conference on AIDS.

In preparation for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, multiple meeting-friendly developments are underway in Vancouver. Nearly 1,500 additional hotel rooms will be completed by 2009, increasing the total number of downtown Vancouver hotel rooms to nearly 15,000. Vancouver International Airport, Canada's 2nd busiest airport, is undergoing a $1 billion expansion and upgrade program, which will expand its International Terminal and Link Building between the Domestic Terminal and International Terminal.

Amidst the upcoming renovations, Vancouver has much to offer its visitors. Downtown Vancouver provides a spectacular view of the North Shore Mountains, the Pacific Ocean and Vancouver Harbour, and is not only safe and exciting, but also easily accessible. The city's excellent public transit system offers bus, rail and ferry services that extend to the greater Vancouver area. Thrill-seekers find an adventure on the Capilano Suspension BridgeCapilano Suspension Bridge
Capilano Suspension Bridge, a walkable 450-foot-long bridge that sits 230 feet above the Capilano River, while nature enthusiasts will no doubt want to make a stop at Stanley ParkStanley Park
Stanley Park, one of the world's largest public parks at 1,000 acres. The University of British Columbia's Museum of AnthropologyUniversity of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology
Museum of Anthropology is home to 535,000 ethnographic and archeological objects, and the family-friendly Science World features the world's largest domed movie screen.

Vancouver serves as the regional headquarters for several major corporations, including the Business Council of British Columbia, lumber powerhouses Canfor and West Fraser Timber, Cytvia Software, Inc., and HSBC Bank Canada. It is also home to Simon Fraser University, Dorset College and the University of British Columbia

Drivers' licenses from the United States and other countries are valid in British Columbia for up to six months. To enter Canada, citizens or permanent residents of the United States must bring a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport or green card. Proof of residence, such as a driver's license, should also be carried, but is not acceptable as a proof of citizenship. All international visitors must bring a valid national passport and in some cases a visa.

Key Statistics

About Vancouver / Additional Info

Vancouver Skyline

Vancouver is located on the mainland of North America in the southwest corner of British Columbia. Covering 44 square miles, the city lies amongst scenic mountain ranges and beautiful waters. The downtown area is located on a peninsula surrounded by the Burrard Inlet, Strait of Georgia and Fraser River, and the cityscape is dominated by the North Shore Mountains. Located just 24 miles north of the Canadian-U.S. border, downtown Vancouver is Canada's 3rd largest city with a population of nearly 600,000 residents. Its location on the Pacific Rim and western end of Canada's transcontinental highway and rail route also makes Vancouver one of Canada's largest industrial centers.

The city of Vancouver was founded in 1886 with the arrival of Canada's first transcontinental train Canadian Pacific Railway. A total of 1,000 people lived in Vancouver in 1886, but by 1911, the population had skyrocketed to more than 100,000 people. At the arrival of so many residents, the culture of Vancouver flourished with the openings of private business clubs, opera houses and theaters, as well as the opening of the University of British Columbia in 1915. Vancouver's diverse geography and favorable exchange rate have made it a favorite filming destination since the 1930s. Modern-day Vancouver is known as "Hollywood North," as it has become the 3rd largest film production center in North America, following Los Angeles and New York City. Its film industry contributes almost $1 billion annually to the economy of British Columbia.

Vancouver is known for its sophisticated and metropolitan atmosphere, as well as its ethnic diversity built upon the hundreds of thousands of immigrants that arrived in Vancouver in the second half of the 19th century. Many immigrants came to Vancouver after the 1858 Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and to work on the railroad. As Canada's 2nd most ethnic city after Toronto, Vancouver is a true city of neighborhoods and home to such cultural areas as the Punjabi Market, Little Italy, Greektown, Japantown, Chinatown and Koreatown. In fact, more than half of Vancouver's school-age children have been raised speaking a language other than English. This diversity is reflected in the city's numerous restaurants offering delicious cuisine, from Southeast Asian at Azia to Middle Eastern, South Asian and Mediterranean at Sanafir.

The city's rich background can be seen in the various unique attractions such as historic Gastown and Chinatown, the 2nd largest Chinatown in North America. The Vancouver Maritime Museum, Vancouver Museum of Art and BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum also provide guests with a look into Vancouver's rich past and present. Its picturesque location and agreeable climate make recreational activities such as the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden and Centre and whale watching tours popular choices for visitors, adding to an endless list of exciting activities in Vancouver.