The East Building of the Vancouver Convention Centre takes conventions, congresses, trade shows, banquets and large company meetings, from a breakout group in one of its 20 meeting rooms to a reception for 11,297 guests across its three exhibition halls. It is one of the two connected buildings of the convention centre on the downtown waterfront of Vancouver, British Columbia, at Canada Place.
Seminars and company events
The centre hosts more than 500 events a year, including more than 50 trade and consumer shows. In the East Building, a common plan puts the show floor or the plenary in an exhibition hall, the general session or the banquet in a ballroom, and breakouts in the meeting rooms. The three halls together seat 10,478 theater style or 5,040 at banquet tables. For a smaller conference, East Ballrooms A and B combined seat 1,350 theater style or 700 for dinner. Event Services and Exhibitor Services work as separate teams, which helps when a show brings in outside exhibitors.
Rooms and capacities
East Exhibition Hall A covers 22,684 sq ft (2,107 m²) under a 24 ft 11 in ceiling: 2,250 theater style, 1,200 banquet, 2,809 reception and 118 booths of 10 by 10 ft. East Hall B, the tallest, covers 38,684 sq ft (3,594 m²) with a ceiling rising from 31 ft 2 in to 47 ft 6 in: 4,500 theater style, 2,160 banquet, 4,792 reception and 210 booths. East Hall C covers 29,837 sq ft (2,772 m²): 2,460 theater style, 1,200 banquet, 3,696 reception and 143 booths. Together the halls give 91,205 sq ft (8,473 m²) and 467 booths. Reception figures can be lower when alcohol is served.
The three East Ballrooms share a 17 ft 2 in ceiling. Ballrooms A and B each seat 672 theater style or 350 for dinner, and Ballroom C seats 576 or 280. Combined into one room of 16,604 sq ft (1,542 m²), they seat 1,980 theater style or 980 for dinner and take 2,043 for a reception. The 20 meeting rooms of the East Building are part of 72 across the centre, whose two buildings offer more than 466,500 sq ft (43,340 m²) of function space.
Accommodation
The convention centre has no bedrooms of its own. It states that thousands of hotel rooms are steps away, and many downtown hotels are within walking distance.
Catering
Food and drink come from the centre's own culinary team, which runs a scratch kitchen and uses fresh local and seasonal ingredients whenever possible.
History and setting
The East Building faces the harbor at Canada Place, with Burrard Inlet and the North Shore mountains in view. It connects to the newer West Building, and the centre presents itself as the first convention centre in the world with a double LEED Platinum certification. Jack Poole Plaza, on the waterfront beside the centre, hosts outdoor events such as the Vancouver Christmas Market.
Getting there
The centre's address is 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 0C3. Vancouver International Airport is less than 30 minutes away by taxi or on the Canada Line rapid transit. SkyTrain, buses and the SeaBus serve downtown, and Waterfront Station is a short walk from Canada Place. The centre also sits on the city's network of bike routes.
