Calgary’s BMO Centre at Stampede Park officially became Western Canada’s largest convention center on June 5, 2024, with the grand opening of its 565,000-square-foot expansion.

An architectural landmark for the city, the more than one million-square-foot Tier 1 convention facility is now welcoming business events beginning with the Global Energy Show, which will run June 11-13.

“For four years, we have been promising that the expanded BMO Centre will offer Calgarians, southern Albertans and visitors to our city a greater way to gather. Today, it is with immeasurable pride that we open the doors to the BMO Centre at Stampede Park,” said Joel Cowley, CEO of the Calgary Stampede. “The BMO Centre expansion was built for Calgary and southern Alberta, with the vision of creating a world-class facility both in terms of design and the ability to provide exceptional guest experiences through our signature western hospitality. With the interest we’ve seen from the meetings and conventions industry before the doors have even opened, we know that this facility is going to have a positive impact on Calgary’s economy by bolstering the tourism and hospitality sectors. We built this for our future, and we look forward to realizing the success of the expansion in the decades to come.”

In addition to the Global Energy Show, more than 500 conventions and events are booked into the expansion. The facility’s economic impact to Calgary is expected to equate to approximately $100 million a year and provide thousands of jobs.

The building, designed by leading design team Stantec, Populous and S2 Architecture, represents the next generation of convention facilities.

“When we began design with our partners in 2019, we asked ourselves how we could design a facility that pushes the boundaries of convention centre design and experience, and every decision we made from that point on was with that goal in mind,” said Kate Thompson, president and CEO of Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), development manager for the project. “CMLC is incredibly proud to have delivered this project on time and on budget, and to have delivered on the world-class project we and our partners set out to achieve. with the completion of this catalyst project, we have set the tone for the coming years of development in The Culture + Entertainment District, and we are looking early ahead to building on this momentum as we continue to transform this district together.”