September | October 2019 | Ignitemag.ca | 63 Innovative Spaces With 122,000 sq. ft. of fl exible convention space, 47,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space and a 20,000-sq.-ft. ballroom, conferences big and small are effortlessly executed at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre in the downtown core. Thirty-six meeting rooms suitable for breakouts and smaller groups are available, including two state-of- the-art boardrooms, four bright and contemporary spaces in the Ideation Centre and The CoLab with its cool, unique furniture that can be reconfi gured for strategy sessions. calgary-convention.com MONSTROUS FUN Thrill your adrenalin junkies with a 1,640- ft. long zip line from the top of the ski jump tower at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park. With a heart-stopping 328-ft. drop, reaching speeds of 120 km/hr, the Monster Zipline Tour is the fastest in North America. Need more excitement? Free fall from an eight-storey platform while safely secured in a bungee-type harness. When the temps drop, the snow hill caters to all levels of skier and snowboarder. Indoors, WinSport has a variety of world-class meeting and event facilities, hosting up to 600 in light- fi lled, multi-purpose rooms and up to 4,000 in the International Arena. winsport.ca Bigger and Better Calgary’s largest venue, BMO Centre at Stampede Park, is doubling in size, thanks to a $500 million expansion that will increase its total meeting space to almost one mil- lion square feet, making it the second-largest confer- ence facility in Canada. Scheduled for a 2024 completion, the expan- sion will elevate the city to fi rst-tier destination status for international conventions. calgarystampede.com Enjoy a Round As the largest beer festival in Canada, and billed as one of the best in the world, the Calgary International Beerfest showcases more than 700 beers from 200-plus breweries, as well as craft spirits, ciders and meads. Some of Calgary’s fi nest restos are also on hand for tasty food samplings, and guests can enjoy Brew Master and Cooking with Beer Seminars. Judging for the Canadian International Beer Awards is also held during the annual event. Another option for your craft-beer lovers: explore some of Calgary’s 40-plus micro-breweries with Alberta Brewery Tours. albertabrewerytours.com, albertabeerfestivals.com SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES For your foodies and those who want to sample local fl avours, Alberta Food Tours’ Inglewood Edibles: Made by Mavericks is a fave for Calgarians and visitors alike. Designated a Canadian Signature Experience, the tour has guests tasting signature Albertan dishes in the historic Inglewood neighbourhood while learning about Calgary’s Mavericks—the Indigenous people and pioneer settlers who shaped the city. albertafoodtours.ca < Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park Take your team on an historic journey to the culture and traditions of the Blackfoot people of the Siksika Nation, a designated National Historic Site where Treaty No. 7 was signed. Experience stunning interactive exhibitions and dazzling performances in the museum and park, and explore Tipi Village for demonstrations of survival and craft skills, meat smoking and hide tanning. The on-site conference centre can seat 200 classroom style, with full catering service—the new “taste-of-place” Indigenous menu features smoked bison poutine and a frybreads, foraged berry jam and smoked venison charcuterie board. Enrich your meeting or conference with a cultural dance and drum performance. blackfootcrossing.ca < CREDIT: ROTH AND RAMBERG, TOURISM CALGARY C R ED IT : J O H N T E R N A N, T O U RI S M CA L G A RY CREDIT: TOURISM CALGARY CREDIT: ROTH AND RAMBERG, TOURISM CALGARY
