June 28, 2018 (Vancouver, Canada): Last night, at a special gathering of the city’s top academics and industry leaders at the Vancouver Convention Centre, Tourism Vancouver launched the evolution of the organization’s successful Be A Host convention ambassador program.
MIND Partnership (Meeting and Innovation Network of Distinction) is a group of thought leaders committed to sharing knowledge and influence, promoting innovation, and attracting global meetings to Vancouver.
MIND Partnership unites trailblazers from industries spanning medicine, technology and beyond, connecting them with like-minded professionals, and supporting them in bringing their colleagues to meet in Vancouver for a world-class conference experience.
Launched by Tourism Vancouver in 1996 as Be A Host, the program has worked with more than 1,500 Vancouver and Canada-based industry leaders to bring their associations’ meetings, conferences, and congresses to Vancouver, including Dr. Julio Montaner, who hosted 5,500 of his academic peers at the International Aids Society’s Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in 2015; and Dr. Robert Elner, who is spearheading the prestigious International Ornithological Congress coming to Vancouver this August.
Local hosts play an invaluable role in contributing to Vancouver’s advancing knowledge economy and boosting the city’s visitation. The annual economic impact from the meetings and conventions industry to Vancouver is $500 million, supporting over 6,000 jobs in the city.
The MIND Partnership brand is a culmination of over 8 months of research and design, including surveys and stakeholder interviews with local hosts and industry partners, as well as the development of a new creative direction in partnership with local agency Ion Brand Design.
“We are so thankful to the local hosts whose determination, leadership, and a passion for their work, over the last 22 years with Be A Host, has helped to strengthen Vancouver’s reputation as one of the world’s top meeting destinations,” said Andrea Heaney, manager of MIND Partnership for Tourism Vancouver. “With the launch of MIND Partnership, we are committed to supporting more industry leaders in showcasing Canadian research, technologies and academic advancements at a global level, and providing a platform for them to start something big in Vancouver.”