What’s new in business and sports events Montréal
Industry News
Montréal is an island unto itself, both literally and figuratively. Situated in the middle of the fast-flowing St. Lawrence River, the city is — geographically, culturally and commercially — a distinct and easily accessible destination unlike any other, and a place where heartfelt hospitality underpins major world-class business, sports and other events. Read on to catch up with what’s new and exciting in the city.
Economic impact and noteworthy recent rankings
Business tourism trended heavily positive in 2025, and contributed to international recognition of the city’s efforts in a number of different categories.
By the numbers
- The 477 events held in Montréal in 2025 drew upwards of one million business visitors, generating an estimated $438 million in economic spinoffs for Montréal and Québec.
- Tourisme Montréal reported a total of 11.8 million visitors overall, up 7.3% from 2024, highlighting the strength of the Canadian market in an unpredictable global environment.
- For the tenth consecutive year, Montréal was once again ranked as the #1 city in North America for international association meetings by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). This is largely because our teams are committed to delivering exceptional and welcoming events that exceed expectations.
- For the ninth year in a row, Montréal topped the Union of International Associations (UIA) annual list of top cities in the Americas for hosting international association meetings.
Getting here: Montréal is uniquely well-positioned for business
The journey to success is a short one, in large part due to Montréal’s proximity to major American and Canadian urban centres (it’s only a 45-minute drive from the US border). The city’s YUL Montréal-Trudeau International Airport is a mere 20 kilometres (just over 12 miles) from the downtown core and is one of Canada’s most important aviation hubs, offering 160 direct flights to worldwide destinations.
Convention centre: important news
The Palais des congrès de Montréal has recently announced their intention to move forward with a project to densify and modernize the Palais des congrès de Montréal. The Société du Palais des congrès de Montréal’s project focuses on optimizing, densifying and modernizing existing spaces to increase the infrastructural capacity to host and to sharpen its competitive edge. The project will make it possible to add more than 13,000 square metres of surface area for conferences, host about 50 events a year, and increase annual foot traffic by 40% to attain some 1.1 million visitors.
Travelling is about to get even smoother
Two new, major, complementary transportation systems serving both YUL and the city’s downtown are currently in progress:
- Montréal’s new light rail system, the REM, will offer rapid service between YUL Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (approximately 20 minutes). The REM network will be fully operational by 2027.
- The modern MET – Montréal Metropolitan Airport is a new gateway to destinations across Canada. Located just 15 kilometres (9 miles) from downtown, the MET provides a key piece of infrastructure that strengthens Greater Montréal’s regional and national connectivity.
New and reimagined hotels dominate the landscape
From award-winning contemporary design to majestic old-world architecture, Montréal’s world-class hotels combine comfort, commerce and convening. The city is currently celebrating exciting news throughout its hotel industry, including the arrival of a number of innovative new hotels as well as the ambitious reinvention of iconic others.
Headline-stealing venues
There is always something new at your disposal, from well-appointed hotels to offsite venues at, for example, old-world event spaces and architectural gems, stunning converted churches, unique outdoor venues, creative circus spaces, LEED-certified venues, relaxing river cruises and incredible 1976 Summer Olympics venues that ensure Montréal’s Olympic legacy lives on.
Venues in the news
Montréal isn’t a place where you have to work to make business — it’s a place where making business works. This is in large part due to an almost endless selection of one-of-a-kind venues for every event and occasion. The following are some of the most recent attention getters.
Olympic Park: The Olympic Park, which includes the iconic Olympic Stadium, has a wide range of indoor and outdoor spaces that can be arranged to suit your needs. The Stadium is currently undergoing a massive $870-million renovation, but outdoor areas, such as the Esplanade, are open for business.
- Capacity: 55,000 people
- Completion date: Stadium indoor spaces reopening in 2027
Montréal Tower: The Montréal Tower in the Olympic Park is the world’s tallest inclined tower. It’s undergoing an extensive renovation project that will feature rooftop access, a new glass funicular and completely redesigned visitor floors that will offer breathtaking views of the city.
- Capacity: 240
- Completion date: Spring of 2027
Caf’Conc’: Nestled within the Montréal Marriott Château Champlain, Caf’ Conc’ (short for Café Concert) is an intimate hidden gem inspired by the decadence of the Roaring ’20s but possessing the most modern technologies and amenities.
- Maximum capacity: 300 people
- Completion date: April 2026
Tour de Lévis: The Tour de Lévis was built in 1937 and houses an abandoned water reservoir. The stone tower recently underwent extensive renovations and features an observation deck with a 360-degree panoramic view of the St. Lawrence River and Montréal’s scenic skyline.
- Maximum capacity: 60
- Completion date: January 2026
Chalet de la plaine des Jeux: The Chalet de la plaine des Jeux — in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène, just minutes from downtown — is a recently renovated, versatile, elegantly designed, brightly lit contemporary meeting space in a historic building that features panoramic views of the city.
- Maximum capacity: 125 people
- Completion date: September 2025
La Nesra: Situated in the heart of the vibrant Griffintown neighbourhood, the industrial-vibe La Nesra boasts 20,000 square feet of space and 40-foot ceilings.
- Maximum capacity: 1,200 people
- Open since: March 2025
Le 9e: Glamourous new event space Le 9e, on top of the downtown Eaton Centre, is one of the crown jewels of Montréal’s art deco architectural legacy. It’s state-of-the-art La Grande Salle ballroom can be configured to host everything from live performances to corporate event, meetings and more.
- Maximum capacity: 600 people
- Open since: May 2024
MEM - Centre des mémoires montréalaises: The MEM invites visitors to experience the city through personal stories and unique perspectives. Located in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles, the MEM also offers a range of dynamic rental spaces for performances, launches, workshops and more.
- Maximum capacity: 110 people
- Open since: September 2023
Port of Montréal Tower: This stunning waterfront observation tower in the city’s Old Port stands 65 metres high, offering breathtaking views of Montréal. A must-visit new attraction, the Port of Montréal Tower also features several rental spaces, including a multifunctional lobby and an observatory.
- Maximum capacity: 200 people
- Open since: May 2023
OASIS immersion: The singular OASIS immersion space/experience is a spectacular, immersive, multimedia gem within the Palais des congrès convention centre with rentable, customizable settings perfect for events looking for something completely out of the ordinary.
- Maximum capacity: 1,032 people
- Open since: February 2021
Retreating to Montréal is a winning strategy
There are few better ways to rejuvenate teammates and reward high performers than a group incentive retreat. Montréal is privileged to be in possession of all the key precursors — location, a bounty of activities, world-class entertainment, elite sporting events and much more — for a shared restorative experience during every season of the year. The planning experts at Team Montréal are on hand and on call to help create a tailored Montréal group experience that exceeds expectations.
MICHELIN stars sparkle in Montréal
The MICHELIN Guide Québec 2026 spotlights Montréal’s distinctive flair, creative chefs, bold flavours, and unmistakable culinary identity. This marks the second edition of the guide, following Québec’s 2025 debut when the province became the third Canadian destination to assume a starring role on the world’s most prestigious gastronomic stage. Five restaurants — Sushi Nushinokaze, Hoogan et Beaufort, Mastard, Restaurant Europea and Sabayon — recently received the city’s first MICHELIN stars, and numerous Bib Gourmand selections and fine-dining recommendations were awarded to others.
What's cooking on the culinary scene
Tapping into Montréal’s reputation for world-class cuisine, appetizing activities — such as tours, tastings, cooking classes and more — can unite a team through sheer, unadulterated deliciousness. You could also raise a glass to your team’s latest achievements with a specialized offsite wine tasting, mixology class or non-alcoholic drink-making workshop.
- Local catering excellence: Service providers like Maestro Culinaire (exclusive to the Palais des congrès convention centre) and Robert Alexis traiteur focus on seasonal Québec ingredients.
- Restaurants for groups: The range of rentable private rooms and entire restaurants will wow any gourmand, as will the creativity of our local chefs.
- Supper Clubs: Venues like Yoko Luna, Bord’elle and Santos allow groups to transition from a high-end dinner to a vibrant networking lounge atmosphere without changing locations.
- Food halls to rent: Time Out Market, Le Cathcart and Le Central offer special spaces for group offsites and events. With their mix of cuisines, stellar wine lists and special entertainment, they’re sure to make your foodie attendees happy.
Ristorante Beatrice offers a variety of savoury Italian dishes. During the warmer months, patrons can enjoy an exceptional dining experience in the restaurant’s European-style garden. Catering service is also available, and two spacious floors are reserved for group events. *Temporarily closed for renovations.
- Renovations completion date: Fall 2026
The highly esteemed Renoir French restaurant at the Sofitel Montréal Golden Square Mile hotel reopened its doors in April 2025 following a spectacular transformation. Its complete metamorphosis invites guests to experience new spaces, including a cocktail lounge, solarium and an intimate chef’s table.
- Open since: March 2025
![Summer fam tour 2025 - Society for Arts and Technology [SAT]](https://api-meet.mtl.org/files/as/styles/square_330_330/public/2026-06/61081__2016889C-3A4D-4ACE-97D954C1F7AC5032.jpg.webp?itok=8RIc2MGu)
Innovation is event-full in Montréal
Innovation is deep in the DNA of the city — the expression of this can be found in the city’s many pioneering tech projects — and Montréal’s event ecosystem is a critical growth component of its key, innovation-driven economic sectors.
Event impact measurement
Montréal provides fertile ground for innovation and has long been the kind of place where surprising things grow. Case in point: We’re currently participating in the development of ImpactAIQ, an AI-powered platform co-led by #MEET4IMPACT and Gevme, created to measure and deepen understanding of the impact of events across a broad spectrum of categories. With the ambition of inspiring global transformation across the events industry, it reinforces Montréal’s role as a catalyst for innovation, insight and lasting change.
MTLdistrict: Where people and possibilities meet
MTLdistrict is a new way to experience conferences and events in Montréal. It’s designed to make planning easier and hosting smoother. MTLdistrict connects and blends meeting spaces, hotels, restaurants, culture and character, all in close proximity so that everything your event requires is within easy reach.