Toronto has won a bid to host a massive technology industry conference that organizers say will bring an estimated 90,000 visitors to the city over a three-year period, generating an economic impact of $147 million in the process.
Tourism Toronto has announced that the city has been awarded the rights to host the ‘Collision’ tech conference in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
According to a press release, the bid for the conference was a joint effort between Tourism Toronto, Exhibition Place and all three levels of government.
The 2019 event will take place at the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place in May, 2019.
News of its arrival in the city comes just a few months after Amazon included Toronto on its short list of potential sites for its multibillion-dollar second headquarters.
“Collision is one of the most coveted conferences a destination can host,” President and CEO of Tourism Toronto Johanne Bélanger said in the release. “Hosting a conference of this magnitude demonstrates how meetings and events can be a powerful catalyst for economic development for sectors like technology and innovation, showcasing and elevating the booming tech industry, people and companies that have made the Toronto region a tech powerhouse.”
Toronto region tech sector employs 401,000 people
The tech sector in the Toronto region employs about 401,000 people across 18,000 different companies, according to data provided by Tourism Toronto.
In a statement, Mayor John Tory said that news that one of North America’s biggest tech conferences is coming to the city just “confirms Toronto's status as an important innovation hub.” He said that it is also a reminder that the city is “building an inclusive type of innovation that brings people together to solve the world's biggest challenges.”
“We are looking forward to welcoming Collision and invite the rest of the world to join them,” he said.
The conference, now in its fifth year, has never been held outside of the United States.
