Shaw Centre (Ottawa Convention Centre) | 30.45m | 4-5 fl | Completed

[kevinbottawa]

Convention Centre hires Toronto firm to sell naming rights

Published on July 16, 2013
OBJ Staff

The Ottawa Convention Centre says it has hired a marketing firm as part of its search to find a corporate sponsor to purchase the naming rights sponsor for the downtown facility.

Wakeham & Associates Marketing Inc. will represent the facility as it seeks a sponsor.

In a statement, the Toronto-based firm said the successful applicant would receive benefits such as advertising, signage, hospitality opportunities and unspecified “intellectual property and promotional rights.”

Additionally, the proponent may be identified as the “official supplier” of “relevant products and services,” the announcement stated, subject to competitive procurement and pricing.

Plans to auction off the naming rights were first announced this spring. At the time, officials said they hoped a sponsor would pay $500,000.

The convention centre opened in 2011. Last year, it hosted more than 600,000 people across dozens of events, with representatives coming both locally and from outside of the city. Major recent events include the Ottawa Wine and Food Festival and the NHL All-Star Fan Fair.

If successful, the Ottawa Convention Centre would be the latest local facility with a new moniker.

In 2012, the CE Centre awarded naming rights to Ernst & Young and renamed the 220,000-square-foot airport-area convention centre after the accounting firm. The cost of the naming rights, and duration of the deal, was not disclosed.

Last month, the Ottawa Senators renamed its hockey arena The Canadian Tire Centre. Financial terms were not disclosed, but officials said the deal runs for eight years with an option to renew it for another decade.

http://www.obj.ca/Local/2013-07-16/a...aming-rights/1

[J.OT13]

Why do they have to hire someone to find a company willing to pay for the naming rights? I would like to know how much they will be paying these people. Is it worth it for just half a million?

[Harley613]

I love how detailed the corner of the 4th floor ballroom is

[J.OT13]

Weird, I never liked that detail. It looks like when you have too much cloth and you bunch it up and tie it down. Would have preferred a cleaner "end" to the curved wall.

[Dundas]

Is this digital art wall going to become a reality once the find a company for the naming rights?

[EdFromOttawa]

Originally Posted by Dundas

Is this digital art wall going to become a reality once the find a company for the naming rights?

God I hope so. Ottawa desperately needs some more flash and pizzazz in the downtown. Large size digital signage/art walls/video screens a la Times Square, Piccadilly Circus, or Maple Leaf Square would do wonders in Ottawa.

[Dundas]

Once light rail is running who will see this art wall anyway? Wont people be boarding the train from elsewhere than the bridge. If no one is waiting for the bus who will look at it?

[Kitchissippi]

That photo exposes the lack of finesse and low level of fit and finish of this building. The trim pieces were not sized properly and those gawd-awful tabs holding the window panes are just brutal. The least they could have done was invest in dark coloured fasteners instead of the cheap silver screws. There's a difference between an elegantly bound book and one that's stapled together.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

That photo exposes the lack of finesse and low level of fit and finish of this building. The trim pieces were not sized properly and those gawd-awful tabs holding the window panes are just brutal. The least they could have done was invest in dark coloured fasteners instead of the cheap silver screws. There's a difference between an elegantly bound book and one that's stapled together.

Wow, that's extraordinarily nit-picky. I'm still a big fan of this building.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Dundas

Once light rail is running who will see this art wall anyway? Wont people be boarding the train from elsewhere than the bridge. If no one is waiting for the bus who will look at it?

The bridge will still be served by west and south bound urban bus lines, and in the case of the south bound buses, we will probably see many more than we do today thanks to Lansdowne.

Other than that, people driving north on Colonel By and thousands of people on the canal in summer and winter will also see it.

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by Dundas

Is this digital art wall going to become a reality once the find a company for the naming rights?

They were supposed to have found someone to purchase the naming rights by now. I think the Winnipeg convention centre launched their naming rights competition after the Ottawa Convention Centre and they've already sold theirs.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

That photo exposes the lack of finesse and low level of fit and finish of this building. The trim pieces were not sized properly and those gawd-awful tabs holding the window panes are just brutal. The least they could have done was invest in dark coloured fasteners instead of the cheap silver screws. There's a difference between an elegantly bound book and one that's stapled together.

Strange...I find that this photo highlights the high level of fit and finish of this building. The trim pieces are creatively well cut to accommodate an interesting shape and the tabs holding the window panes look solid and secure, giving the impression the windows are snugly fastened. The only thing I agree on is the colour of the fasteners.

[Kitchissippi]

Fine architectural detailing is something that has really slipped in this town in the last half century. Modern architecture shouldn't be an excuse to just build things cheaper. Simple forms need a higher calibre of execution because the lack of decoration highlights the slightest misalignments or engineering compromises.

Sure that curved glass wall makes a strong statement for Ottawa, but compared to buildings elsewhere, the execution is mediocre.

Compare it to how the Louvre pyramid was done over 20 years ago:


Or this building, where you won't see any ugly tabs and cheap fasteners:

[Harley613]

Neither of those buildings have underhanging glass. All the panes sit vertical or overhanging, thus not requiring large external tabs to hold them in place for safety. At the convention centre I assume they used the tabs on the whole project simply for uniformity since the entire underhanging section requires them.

[Harley613]

I love this building. It looked great this evening with the silhouettes on the top floor.



Detail of the glass wall

[Boxster]

Very nice pictures Harley613. Love the building.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Ottawa Convention Centre second best in world


By Amy Yee , Metro Ottawa

The Ottawa Convention Centre (OCC) has tied for 2nd place with Montreal’s Palais des congrès for the title of World’s Best Convention Centre.

The award was announced on July 1 by the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC) in Berlin.

The Adelaide Convention Centre of Australia won top prize while a total of twenty seven centres from Kyoto to Switzerland were nominated for the award.



“To be nominated is one thing, but to be runner-up amongst so many elite centres is another,” said Paul Keogh, OCC senior vice-president of sales and client service.

The APIC Apex Award is based on client feedback and experience, taking in consideration the centre’s overall performance, services and amenities. The evaluation started in the fall of 2013 and was conducted by Ipsos.

Staff, said Keogh, were key to the centre’s placing.

“I am proud of this centre, but mostly of the people that work inside here,” said Keogh. “Everyone, regardless of positon, is the recipient of the award because it’s without them that we wouldn’t be in the position that we are.”

The consistency and future of the centre relies on that aspect, said Keogh.

“I think our quality of service will be really dedicated upon our hospitality and dedication to our craft,” he said.

The centre opened in April 2011 and replaced the Ottawa Congress Centre. In 2012 about 1,289 employees were staffed at the centre, hosting 527 events and serving 315,300 attendees.

At least they did not use the overdone phrase--world class

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

At least they did not use the overdone phrase--world class

Give it (a very short amount of) time.

[Boxster]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Give it (a very short amount of) time.

This is surely WORLD CLASS...if not, what is?

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Boxster

This is surely WORLD CLASS...if not, what is?

The award was for client rating, which is a nice achievement (like a restaurant getting a good rating on tripadvisor) but hardly seems an indication of "world class"

Also weird that the article identified Adelaide as the winner when the actual winner was Cairns - the two cities are thousands of kilometers apart.