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The Calgary TELUS Convention Centre is connected to more than 1,100 hotel rooms and a pedestrian street lined with dining, nightlife, and more.
It’s a big year at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (CTCC). The first-ever purpose-built convention center in Canada turns 50 years old in 2024. As the venue looks ahead to its next chapter of building connections, the facility also is honoring the five decades of successful events with five key lessons from a history of hosting excellence.
1. Leaders Really Love Calgary.
What do Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tony Blair, and Colin Powell all have in common? They chose the CTCC as their first stop in their post-politics speaking tours. Some of the most recognizable faces in the world have strolled through the venue’s doors, including Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama.
2. The Definition of Attendee Can Include More Than Humans.
In 1975, the building welcomed an event that helped facilitate the sale of more than 100 head of Charolais (a French breed of taurine beef cattle). How does a building move cattle that weigh anywhere from 1,250 to 2,500 pounds? Slowly. The cattle were transported to Macleod Hall via elevator in groups of two or three.
3. Convention Centers Can Host the Olympics, Too.
When Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics, the experience wasn’t entirely outdoors. In addition to competition events held at Canada Olympic Park and nearby Nakiska ski resort, the CTCC played an essential role, hosting the Olympic Writers’ Festival and Book Fair as well as the IOC Chairman’s Dinner, which included representatives of 17 royal families.
Fun fact — when construction of Calgary’s convention complex began in 1972, it was Calgary’s first modern urban renewal project.
4. Game-Changing Green Space.
More and more convention centers are offering space for outdoor activations, but the events industry can thank Calgary for helping kickstart the movement: the CTCC’s Garden Terrace was a fixture for more than 20 years, featuring more than 50 varieties of trees and shrubs from Japan, South America, India, the South Pacific, and Africa.
5. A Convention Center Can Be a City’s Engine.
The CTCC has made a major difference in the lives of the people who live and work in Calgary. From hosting Canada’s first-ever Million Dollar Fundraiser for the Calgary Foundation in 1979 to serving as a mass vaccination site for more than 400,000 people during the Covid pandemic, the venue has always been a center of the community.
Looking Ahead to the Next 50 Years of Connections
While there is much for the CTCC to celebrate from the past 50 years of convention innovation, there is plenty to look forward to in the future, including development of nearby downtown attractions and a dedicated vision to continue serving clients and the Calgary community.
