Pickering Casino Resort

The resort is operated by Great Canadian Entertainment and includes a hotel.

About the venue

The PIK event space sits next to the gaming floor and seats up to 250 guests. The Arena holds 2,500 people in a concert layout and is used for concerts, live theatre and galas. Event bookings are handled by the resort’s sales team.

On EventPlans.ca it is listed as a hotel and theatre in Pickering, at 888 Durham Live Avenue, Pickering, ON L1W 0C1.

Event spaces

The venue lists these spaces. Capacities are the venue’s own figures and change with the layout you choose.

• The PIK: up to 250 guests, banquet dinner or conference/theatre style
• The Arena: 2,500 concert style

Capacity

The venue publishes a maximum of 250 seated. Those are top figures for an empty room. A dance floor, a stage, a buffet or a photo booth each take space, so plan on fewer guests than the maximum once your layout is drawn.

A useful rule: a seated dinner at rounds of ten needs about 1 to 1.2 square metres per guest, a standing reception about 0.7, and theatre seating about 0.6, before you add a stage or dance floor. The venue capacity calculator does the arithmetic for your room.

Events it hosts

According to its own event pages, the venue hosts corporate events, conferences and meetings, galas and fundraisers and private social events.

For timelines, budgets and checklists, start with the corporate holiday party hub, conference planning hub, gala planning hub.

Questions to ask on your site visit

Bring these to your walk-through. Get the answers in writing before you sign.

• Is there a minimum food and beverage spend for the date, and does it include the service charge and HST?
• Can you hold a guest-room block, and what is the release date and attrition clause?
• Is in-house audio-visual required, or can you bring your own production company, and is there a patch fee?
• Which loading dock and freight elevator will vendors use, and at what times?
• Is there a second room available as a weather or overflow backup?
• What are the parking rates for guests, and is valet available?

Planning entertainment here

Hotel ballrooms usually have the power and access for stage acts, but ceilings and rigging vary from room to room. Ask for the ceiling height under any chandeliers, and check whether in-house audio-visual must be used for performers.

Send every performer’s technical needs to the venue before you book: floor space, ceiling height, power, sound and changing room.

Getting there

The venue lists free on-site parking. Check the venue website for directions, parking rates and accessible entrances, and send the details to guests with the invitation.

Official website: greatcanadian.com/destinations/ontario/pickering

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