On April 3, 2019, the Vancouver Convention Centre’s West building marked its tenth anniversary of opening its doors to millions of people from around the world. Launched in 2009 – in time for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics – to serve the city’s growing popularity for tourism and conferences, the facility has swiftly become a Vancouver icon.
In honour of its tenth anniversary, here are 10 awesome things you should know about the Vancouver Convention Centre, and its celebrated West building.
1. In 2010, the Vancouver Convention Centre was awarded LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification for the West building – the first convention centre in the world to earn the highest LEED® rating. Seven years later, the West building was awarded its second LEED Platinum certification, making the Vancouver Convention Centre the first double LEED Platinum convention centre in the world.
2. Since the West building’s opening in 2009, the Vancouver Convention Centre has hosted 5,561 events. Among those are iconic high-profile gatherings like SIGGRAPH and TED, and speaking engagements from former U.S. President Barack Obama and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.
3. Over nine million guests have participated in events held at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
4. Their award-winning food program has powerful local and ethical roots. Everything is scratch-made on-site in the facilities’ kitchens, including all the breads and pastries. Chefs work closely with clients to design food programs for events suited to diverse global tastes and dietary preferences, including vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. Ingredients are sourced locally as much as possible, and the kitchen uses only local organic eggs and Canadian flour.
5. In the last 10 years, the Vancouver Convention Centre has served 429,951 bottles of B.C. wine; three million dinner rolls; six million cups of locally-roasted coffee; and 600,000 scones scratch-baked onsite.
6. The Vancouver Convention Centre has been used in 66 film and TV shoots. Many of the shoots make use of the behind-the-scenes spaces the public rarely sees, like its long corridors, so you may not have even recognized the facility on the screen.
7. The West building is beloved for its sloping green roof that is home to over 150 species. They mow the grass annually. More green stuff: So far they’ve recycled 157 million litres of blackwater (enough to fill 63 Olympic-sized swimming pools), and diverted over 6 million kgs of waste out of landfills.
8. In 2025, the Vancouver Convention Centre will host the single largest meeting ever held in the city, as an estimated crowd of 48,000 will be on site to take part in the International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Convention Centre, along with BC Place Stadium, were selected for the event back in 2013.
9. The Convention Centre served as the Main Media Centre for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, welcoming over 10,000 broadcasters and journalists from around the world.
10. The Vancouver Convention Centre has won 46 awards to date.
