Canadian Meetings + Events Expo 2027

How it compares

IMEX America in Las Vegas is the bigger international meeting point for the same trade, with global hotel groups, destinations from around the world and a hosted buyer program built around pre-booked appointments. A planner who books long-haul incentive trips or large North American conventions will find more choice there, and a supplier chasing US buyers belongs there.

CMEE works best for planners based in Canada, especially Ontario and Quebec, who book domestic hotels, resorts, convention centers and destination offices, and for the suppliers who sell to them. Most of the audience runs corporate meetings, and a large share are executive and administrative assistants who plan events alongside other duties, a group that travels to Toronto for two days far more easily than to Las Vegas for a week.

IBTM Americas takes place the same month in Mexico City and serves Mexican and Latin American buyers. Its exhibitor list overlaps with CMEE only among Caribbean and Mexican resorts and the large hotel brands, so a Canadian supplier picks between them according to which buyers it wants to meet.

Within Canada, the planner associations such as MPI Toronto, PCMA Canada East, SITE Canada and CanSPEP all partner with CMEE, which keeps the domestic market concentrated on this one floor.

The trip for Canadian corporate and association planners who want to meet the country's hotels, venues, destinations and event suppliers in two days, and for the suppliers who want those planners in one hall.

Who exhibits

Hotel groups and destinations take most of the floor. In 2026 that meant Marriott International, Hilton, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Accor next to Destination Vancouver, Tourism Calgary, Ottawa Tourism and Business Events Australia, with destination offices from Yukon to St. John's. Ontario resorts and attractions cluster in the Locally Yours zone. The rest is event production: Encore Canada and bb Blanc for audio-visual, EventMobi and PheedLoop for event software, plus speaker bureaus, caterers, décor and branded merchandise firms.

This year's list is on its way. A HallBrief brief picks the exhibitors worth meeting for your goals and the people to talk to at each. Get a brief

Canadian Meetings + Events Expo 2027

The 2027 show returns to the North Building after the 35th anniversary show in 2026, which added a luggage concierge on the 200 level and drew more qualified planners than the year before. Exhibitor contracts for 2027 open at the end of October 2026, with early-bird terms held for renewing exhibitors, and planner registration follows later. The Hall of Fame, started in 2009 by Meetings + Incentive Travel magazine, remains part of the program, as does the appointments program that pairs planners with exhibitors.

• Planner registration is free only for a limited period before the show. After that a fee applies, unless an exhibiting supplier you work with sends you a promo code, so ask them early.
• Badges are printed on site from the QR code in your confirmation email, at the North Building lobby on Level 200. Wi-Fi works only in the public lobbies, so load the CMEE app and your appointment list before you walk onto the floor.
• The education sessions are pre-approved by the Events Industry Council for CMP clock hours. Consent to data sharing when you register and the hours appear in your EIC account without any paperwork.

Exhibiting

Booth space is sold first come, first served once a signed contract arrives, with early-bird terms for renewing exhibitors and a separate Locally Yours zone for Ontario attractions and venues. Every booth includes a basic listing in the printed show guide, the app and the online directory. Sponsorships run from lobby screens and aisle branding up to the VIP Lounge and the mainstage. A stand pays off for suppliers whose customers are Canadian corporate and association planners.