With tourists returning to Victoria in greater numbers, the city’s marketing wing is preparing to undertake a master plan that could include a new conference centre.
Paul Nursey, chief executive of Destination Greater Victoria, said it’s very early in the process and it would be considered a 20-year project, but a much larger new centre is needed to replace the aging facility at 720 Douglas St., which was built in 1989.
Nursey said the existing centre, which has about 77,000 square feet of space and the capacity to handle 2,000 conference delegates, is running up against its limitations.
A city staff report noted the centre’s small size prevents Victoria from bidding on a number of meetings.
Destination Greater Victoria took over responsibility for sales and marketing of the facility in 2017 and soon after started selling it out — it had booked 66 major conferences for 2020 alone, all of which had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
“It was going to be a spectacular year and we were bumping up into capacity constraints,” Nursey said.
So the group started doing some “pre-feasibility” work to see how it could expand or replace the existing facility. The goal is at least 120,000 square feet of meeting space.
A full business case will be part of the master plan, which will examine what’s needed in terms of attractions, hotel rooms and transportation, as well as how to improve tourism infrastructure.
Nursey said the existing site is ideal for whatever form a new centre takes, and there are plenty of funding mechanisms to make it happen, but those kinds of details are well down the road.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps agreed the time is right to start talking about a replacement, as there is a growing desire for people to gather again for conferences and Victoria remains a desirable destination.
“We do need to have a discussion about what does a new and improved conference centre look like,” she said, adding she has been told the federal government is willing to fund that kind of infrastructure.
The idea of a new conference centre was included in a Victoria 3.0 progress report prepared for council this week.
The report indicates the city has completed 50 of 69 projects designed to rebuild the city after the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic.
“I think we’re on track,” Helps said. “The build back Victoria program was a success and we saw new businesses and existing businesses taking advantage of new opportunities provided by the city.”
That included using more outdoor vending space, new downtown programs, work on establishing an innovation and arts district, a hub for a sustainable ocean economy, and things like a new conference centre.
“The whole spirit of Victoria 3.0 is it’s not just a city plan, it’s an overall economy plan,” said Helps.
Nursey said his next step is to work on determining the market demand and where Victoria fits into it.
He said he expects there will be plans for more hotels and increased transportation infrastructure as well.
aduffy@timescolonist.com
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