Choose Halifax for any number of reasons; incredible oceanfront views and a walkable downtown core, or its world-class convention centre and thriving cross-sector innovation. No matter the reason, the outcome is always the same: inspired meetings, engaged delegates, and lasting impressions.
Discover Halifax’s extraordinary selection of historic and modern venues and accommodations—all offering versatile settings to host inspiring meetings, unforgettable receptions against the backdrop of our beautiful sea-side city.
Unlock a world of curated supplier partnerships, sustainable planning tools, and exclusive delegate-saving privileges designed to elevate your event and not your budget.
Find the support you need to simplify logistics, maximize ROI, and create a bespoke event that is tailored to your group in a way that only Halifax can. As a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) we’re here to help every step of the way, free of charge.
Halifax isn’t just on the water — we are the water. For centuries, this harbour city has made its living from the Atlantic. Today, we’re not just prospering from the sea, we’re reshaping its future. From ocean tech startups and marine renewable energy to sustainable seafood and world-leading research, Halifax is the place where global ocean challenges meet local solutions.
Halifax isn’t just a backdrop for ocean conferences — we’re the living lab, the research partner, and the global stage. That means the content is baked in. Halifax offers:
A 120,000 sq. ft. Convention Centre in the heart of downtown
6,500+ hotel rooms, all walkable to venues, restaurants, and the waterfront
A city where every delegate feels the pull of the ocean — from harbourside patios to research tours at COVE or BIO
Recent hosts include:
OCEANS 2024 (IEEE/MTS)
International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species 2024
Marine Renewables Canada & Offshore Wind R&D Forum
For planners, Halifax offers more than logistics. It offers a story. A city that has always lived by the sea, and now leads the world in reimagining it. From startups to seafood, from naval defense to climate science — Halifax is Canada’s Ocean Capital.
Industry STrengths
Ocean Technology
Halifax is home to Canada’s largest ocean tech cluster — over 500 companies, from bold startups to global players. This ecosystem specializes in:
Underwater acoustics, sensors & instrumentation
Marine robotics and autonomous vehicles
AI, informatics & data analytics for the ocean
Naval architecture, communications & navigation
Halifax is ranked #1 in Canada for ocean tech startups. Anchoring it all is the Centre for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE) — a 50,000 sq. ft. waterfront campus where entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry test, build, and commercialize new tech. Alongside COVE sits Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, headquartered in Halifax, driving multi-million-dollar projects that make ocean innovation exportable on a global stage.
Sustainable Seafood & Aquaculture
Halifax is the economic engine of Canada’s #1 seafood-exporting province and the hub of Canada’s largest and most sustainable seafood industry. Nova Scotia’s fisheries and aquaculture sector ships $2.5 billion annually to 70+ countries, supplying more than 50 premium species: lobster, snow crab, scallops, halibut, oysters, and more.
90%+ of Nova Scotia fisheries are sustainability certified
210 seafood processing companies across the province
Only Halifax can claim the world’s highest tides — in the Bay of Fundy. It’s here that Canada launched its first integrated tidal research centre, the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE). Add in offshore wind integration programs led by Net Zero Atlantic, and you see why Halifax is fast becoming the testbed for marine renewables.
Canada’s first offshore wind R&D forum was hosted in Halifax in 2024
Halifax startups are advancing eco-ship coatings, ropeless fishing gear, and decarbonization solutions
Tidal, offshore wind, and marine renewables are attracting global investors through Halifax
Marine Defense & Surveillance
Halifax isn’t only about sustainability — it’s about security. Halifax combines Navy headquarters, global primes, and local startups into a uniquely powerful marine defense hub. With the largest Canadian Naval Base and industry leaders like Irving Shipbuilding, Ultra Maritime, MetOcean Telematics, and Kongsberg in our backyard, Halifax is a global centre for naval innovation.
From sonar and surveillance systems to autonomous defense tech, Halifax companies export ocean defense solutions worldwide.
Ocean Research & Climate Science
Halifax has one of the highest concentrations of ocean researchers in the world. Anchors include:
MEOPAR: National HQ in Halifax for marine risk and climate resilience research
From carbon observatories to invasive species research, Halifax’s scientists are shaping global ocean policy. Conference planners gain access to keynote-ready experts and research facilities few cities can match.
Industry Partners
There are other cities, even Canadian cities, that would still be ocean focused, but in a narrow subset of oceans. One of the virtues of Halifax is that it is so cosmopolitan in the diversity of applications. We touch on virtually every possible end use of the ocean – from resource extraction, to fisheries, or ecological protection, or security and surveillance, or pure research.
– Jim Hanlon, Founding CEO, Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE)
Watch & Learn More
Sit back and listen to the Discover Halifax Podcast and watch a sector overview video:
