B.C. event planners, tourism industry looking forward to lifted capacity limits

Indoor capacity limits will be lifting in B.C. Monday, which is big news for an industry that has had to go virtual over the past 19 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Large corporate retreats would often be held in Vancouver before the pandemic, drawing in thousands from around the world. Matt Coyne, president of CanTrav, which helps companies plan their corporate destination events says the industry has been overlooked at times during the pandemic.

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“Unfortunately through this, I would almost argue that we’ve been a fairly invisible industry. I don’t want to suggest that we’re forgotten, but … we really haven’t been top of mind through this,” he said.

Starting Monday, event spaces and arenas will go back to full capacity for much of the province. However, places under more stringent COVID restrictions, such as Northern Health, Interior Health, and Fraser East, will still have to stay at half capacity.

Coyne says with indoor capacity limits lifting, the long planning process for corporate events can take place with more certainty.

“We can now say indeed, we do have this opportunity. Let’s get contracts in place, let’s confirm these events, and let’s welcome these international and U.S. corporate-based and association types pieces of business, because that’s what’s going to really help drive our economy,” he said.

David Gazley with Destination Vancouver says these large events held by companies, often in hotels, take a long time to plan and the pandemic has made that process difficult.

“It is very difficult to get a consistent message in front of a customer as to why they should bring their business our way, if they’re getting consistent messages from other destinations, they’re all about certainty,” he said. “And with messaging from the government, when we’re able to put out certain messages like this, it’s really, really helpful.”