BREAKFAST: The Business of Tourism, Making Halifax a Premier Events Destination
As our city continues to grow with new residents, so too does our meeting, convention, and event business.
When reflecting on the last several years, Halifax’s hospitality and event industry has much to be proud of. From the exhilaration of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey championships and the largest ever multisport event in Nova Scotia with the North American Indigenous Games, to the city-wide celebration of Canadian music during the 2024 JUNO Awards and consecutive record-breaking years at the Halifax Convention Centre. Businesses big and small have played an integral part in delivering experiences that leave lasting memories, and ensure locals want to keep buying tickets and visitors make plans to return.
Whether hosting memorable moments at Scotiabank Centre, or welcoming delegates and international experts at the Halifax Convention Centre, Events East has been at the centre of this growing and thriving events ecosystem. Under the leadership of President and CEO Carrie Cussons, they have met or exceeded all business and financial targets outlined in their last five-year strategic plan. At the time it was written, the desire for Halifax and Nova Scotia to become a favoured events destination was bold and ambitious. Today, that vision has become a reality.
Since 2018, Halifax Convention Centre and Scotiabank Centre have welcomed a combined 3.2M visitors to 1,500 events, generating half a billion dollars in impact.
Before the new convention centre, approximately 4-5 national and international conferences were attracted to the city each year. Now more than 40 such events are taking place annually. This underscores the importance of investment in public infrastructure like convention centres to stimulate economic activity and be a catalyst for development, tourism, and vibrancy in the downtown core.
Join us for a conversation between Don Mills and Events East CEO Carrie Cussons. They will discuss the power of live events to create economic and social impact, reflect on recent growth and successes, and look to the future as Events East prepares to answer the question: Where might we go from here?
President and CEO, Events East Group
Under Carrie’s leadership, Events East has met or exceeded all business and financial targets. Since 2018, the Halifax Convention Centre and Scotiabank Centre have welcomed 3.2M visitors to 1,500 events, generating half a billion dollars in impact. Events East employs 500 people and supports 100+ local food and beverage suppliers. Through Cussons’ vision of diversity and inclusion, Events East is recognized as Age and 2SLGBTQIA+ Friendly, and the Convention Centre achieved Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification in 2024.
Events East was a Business of the Year Finalist at the 2025 Halifax Business Awards, and Cussons has earned multiple awards and recognitions for her career achievements and community service. In 2024, she was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful CEOs by the WXN Top 100 Awards and received the Fellow designation from Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia, the professions highest mark of distinction.
President, Crane Cove Holdings Group
Don has been active as a business leader and community activist, serving on more than two dozen boards over his career including among others as a founding board member of the Halifax International Airport Authority, as a member of the boards of Dalhousie University, the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, the Halifax Partnership, the IWK Foundation, the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies, the YMCA, the Arthritis Society, and United Way. He was a founding Board member and a past Vice-Chair of the Canadian Research Insights Council. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the YMCA, and on the boards of the New Scotland Clothing/ Brewing Companies and 100 Seeds.
He is recognized as a public opinion expert by various judicial bodies and is a Certified Research Insights Professional. He was recognized as a Fellow in the market research industry in Canada in 2008 by the national association, the only Atlantic Canadian to be so recognized. He was chosen as Business Person of the Year in 2001 and as a runner up in 2007 by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. He was inducted into the Top 100 CEOs Hall of Fame in its inaugural year in 2005 by Atlantic Business Magazine and received a Merit Award from his alma mater, Bishop’s University in 2009. He was also an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2017. In 2022, he inducted into the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame. He continues to be passionate about Atlantic Canada and an advocate for change in the region.
Date and Time
Wednesday May 21, 2025
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM ADT
Agenda
8:30 AM - Registration & Networking
9:00 AM - Welcome Remarks
9:10 AM - Breakfast Service
9:45 AM - Presentation + Q&A
10:30 AM - Event Concludes
Fees/Admission
Member $59.95 / Table $599.50
Non-Member $79.95 / Table $799.50
All prices subject to HST
Member Not-for-Profit & Student Rates Available
**Please note: your registration gives the Halifax Chamber permission to use the photographs taken during the event for any legal use.
Contact Information
Sandra Thomson, Event Manager
(902) 481-1230
Send Email
