During the IMEX Frankfurt 2025 trade show, Virginie De Visscher, executive director, business events, for Destination Canada, sat down with Northstar Meetings Group editor
Lisa Grimaldi to share insight into her organization's goals for tracking the impact that meetings, conventions and incentives have on destinations. During their conversation, she discussed new findings of Destination Canada's Legacy & Impact Study, which was launched in 2022.
Destination Canada is tracking more than the room nights and revenue these events bring: Their study uncovered nine legacy drivers, including DEI, community engagement and local expertise, that contribute to the long-term value of business events, and they're applying a framework developed by Meet4Impact to measure that value. "The goal is that we are measuring events that are taking place in Canada, but what we hope is to uncover is a framework, a blueprint, for events anywhere in the world…and [they can] use it to start quantifying what their own legacies and impacts on destinations are."
Watch the video above for key takeaways from de Visscher, including:
- Canada prioritizes legacy over volume: Business events must align with the long-term goals of the destination. [1:10]
- Sustainability is non-negotiable: Canada is committed to regenerative travel and net-zero practices. [2:45]
- Note the nine legacy drivers: Among them are knowledge transfer, an existing legacy framework for the event, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and more — enumerated here. [3:00]
- Cross-border events continue north of the border: Business is holding steady for U.S. events in Canada. [7:09]
