The Power of Live Events

"Live events matter. They drive economic and social impact. We need to continue to be bold, and we need to continue driving impact and bringing even more national and international events to our city." 

- Carrie Cussons, President & CEO, Events East. 

This year, Events East concluded its first Five-Year Strategic Plan (2019-2024) while charting the course for the next five years and reinforcing the unlimited power of live events. The 2019-2024 plan was designed to achieve year-over-year increases in event bookings and guest attendance, entrance into new markets including international markets, optimizing our event mix at the Halifax Convention Centre and Scotiabank Centre, and leveraging strategic partnerships for revenue growth.

This year, the Five-Year Strategic Plan reached a successful conclusion, and Events East exceeded all targets. The future of our business and the industry has never been more optimistic.

In September 2024, we began a consultative process with over 80 business, industry, and community stakeholders to help chart the course for the next five years. This process included comprehensive stakeholder engagement, jurisdictional scans, market analysis and projections, and strategic visioning exercises. What we heard across the industry was a shared sense of optimism for growth in Nova Scotia. There was resounding affirmation that live events matter.


Events drive economic growth and social impact in Nova Scotia, and the Halifax Convention Centre plays an important role in this growth as Halifax continues to be recognized as one of the best event destinations in Canada. We have a reputation for putting on great events in Halifax and we are leveraging that reputation to bring more and more events to the province. By attracting events through all four seasons, and by encouraging our guests to experience more of Halifax and Nova Scotia, we are supporting our economy year-round.

Continued collaboration is critical to further optimize our potential and stay strongly aligned with shareholder priorities. We know that event attraction builds tourism and hospitality, business development, and community pride, and we continue to be inspired to showcase our city and province and leverage Nova Scotia’s strengths. 
 

"The Halifax Convention Centre is a driver of prosperity and a symbol of our region's potential. It showcases the best of our province and is an important component of a vibrant and thriving city." 

- Wendy Luther, President & CEO, Halifax Partnership.
 

To share insights from our consultative process, in May we convened our industry to present, The Business of Tourism, Making Halifax a Premier Events Destination. The breakfast panel at the Halifax Convention Centre featured a thoughtful discussion between our President & CEO Carrie Cussons and business leader Don Mills on our success to date, as well as the future of our industry and what it will take to elevate Halifax to the next level as a powerhouse in the tourism, hospitality, and events industries. 

In May, Executive Vice-President Suzanne Fougere presented at the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia's Annual General Meeting, offering insight into our annual performance with an overview of key priorities identified for the year ahead. "Continued collaboration with this audience is critical to ensure we are aligning our efforts with shareholder priorities," Suzanne shared. "This approach supports the exciting growth that is happening in our province." 

As we look forward to the upcoming year, Events East is optimistic about how we can continue to build on our success as a region and enhance the impact we create through the power of live events.