2024 Business Events Program Overview
2024 was a record year for the Business Events team. Key highlights include:
- 298 bids submitted
- 145 events secured for future years
- Halifax hosted 131 events and welcomed 44,000 delegates to our city in 2024—a 30% increase from 2023
- Major clients and events included: Oceans 2024, Diabetes Canada, the National Payroll Institute, Canadian Women in Medicine, and the International Association for Cryptologic Research
- Generated $65,000,000 in economic impact
Economic impact - Events booked for future years
When we break those numbers down further, we see that our Canadian market remains our strongest source of business with 112, or 72% of the 145 events booked for future years coming from Canadian clients.
At an international level, our team secured 33 events for future years from international clients for an estimated $18 million in economic impact. Our program output doubled in 2024 from 2023.
Our team also hosted two International Familiarization Tours—one for the life sciences industry and one for the oceans sector—to showcase Halifax’s event capabilities, local expertise, and unique regional experiences.
This past year’s success is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our sales team and partners. We attended events like Ottawa Meet Week, the Canadian Meeting Expo, and Hotel Management International helped us make important connections, but it was the day-to-day efforts that truly made a difference. From responding to leads and preparing proposals, to hosting client site visits and familiarization tours, the team worked consistently to share what makes Halifax a great place for business events. Their commitment, collaboration, and focus helped build strong relationships and showed the value of choosing Halifax.
Funding Opportunities
In 2024, we submitted 12 applications to Destination Canada’s International Conference Attraction Fund. The Fund provides support for Canadian Destination Marketing Organizations like Discover Halifax to create competitive bids to host international events. Through the fund, we received $1.2 million in funding in 2024. An early success from the fund was winning the World Hydrogen Technology Conference for 2027. Funding is available through 2026 and will play an important role in our ongoing pursuit of large-scale international events.
Community Support and Impact
It truly takes a village to host major events. That’s why recognizing and celebrating our community members is so important to us. Our signature Take the Lead program is designed to celebrate the local champions who aren’t professional event planners but play a crucial role in bringing major events to the HRM. In 2024, we celebrated 10 Champions and hosted events to inspire others to bring global conferences home.
Bottom row: Lena Cameron, Laura Gibson, Allen Finley, Holly LaPierre, Denis Huck.
Additionally, the collaboration and commitment of our local partners is what makes everything we do possible. We truly could not do our jobs without their support. It’s said a rising tide floats all boats—and when our business events sector thrives, so too does our city. We can’t wait to see how 2025 will be another record-breaking year.