The International Centre

The International Centre is a privately owned trade show and conference facility a few minutes from Toronto Pearson Airport.

About the venue

It has about 500,000 sq ft of single-level exhibition halls plus a separate conference centre with breakout rooms and two ballrooms. The venue states it handles events from about 100 people up to 10,000 attendees. Exhibition halls have private loading docks and drive-in doors. Parking on site is complimentary. The facility has been operating for more than 50 years.

On EventPlans.ca it is listed as a conference centre in Mississauga, at 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga, ON L4V 1E8.

Event spaces

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

• Hall 1: 103,000 sq ft; ceilings 15–33 ft
• Hall 2: 125,500 sq ft
• Hall 3: 30,000 sq ft; ceilings 20–42 ft
• Orion Ballroom: 17,068 sq ft
• Aviation Ballroom: 15,000 sq ft
• Conference Centre (full): 42,873 sq ft

Capacity

The venue does not publish a single maximum for every room, so ask for the capacity of the specific space in the layout you want: seated dinner, standing reception, theatre or classroom.

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 conferences and meetings, corporate events, galas and fundraisers and private social events.

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

• Which hall or rooms are held for you, and when do move-in and move-out start?
• Is in-house audio-visual and internet required, and what does it include?
• Are there exclusive caterers or food and beverage minimums?
• What are the rules for exhibit booths, rigging and power drops?
• What parking and transit options are there for your attendee count?
• Is there a show manager on site during your event?

Planning entertainment here

Conference halls handle large stage shows, keynotes with entertainment and trade-show booth activations. Ask about rigging points, power drops and the move-in schedule.

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’s information points to public transit nearby. 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: internationalcentre.com/planning