Planning a conference or convention takes serious research, and we know you’re comparing venues carefully. We’ve pulled together the questions we hear most often from event and association planners and answered them straight. No runaround, just the information you need to make a confident decision.
Q: What is your F&B minimum spend?
A: Food and beverage is one of the biggest line items for any convention. Rather than locking you into a set minimum, we work with you on a per-event basis and build around your group’s budget. That means, with a licensee fee and scope of economic impact, we can waive the food and beverage minimum. Whether your attendees have a per diem or your association needs maximum flexibility, our in-house food and beverage team offers fully customizable menu options for events of all sizes.
Q: How important is wellness, sustainability, and local experience during conventions in Penticton?
A: Wellness is always top of mind, especially for association planners with sustainability mandates or member wellness goals. We take our environmental footprint seriously and work to minimize it across every event.
Penticton also makes it easy for your delegates to unplug and recharge. The city is walkable, and once they arrive, they can park the car and leave it. The Convention Centre, restaurants, wineries, breweries, and coffee shops are all within easy reach on foot from nearby hotels. For those who want to venture a bit further, winery tours, lake activities, and the Kettle Valley Rail Trail are right at their doorstep.
It’s the kind of destination that gives delegates a reason to stay a little longer.
Q: What does exclusivity look like at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, especially in regards to AV?
No patch fees, ever. We have a preferred AV provider, but you’re welcome to bring in your own.
Q: Isn’t Penticton harder to get to than Kelowna?
A: This is one of the most common misconceptions we hear from out-of-province planners. Penticton is four hours from Vancouver by car or a 50-minute flight. Penticton has an airport with daily flights to/from Vancouver (WestJet and Pacific Coastal) and Calgary (WestJet). And the best part, once you arrive, we’re only a 10-minute drive from the Penticton Regional Airport. Plus, parking at the Convention Centre is free and we have a dedicated exhibitor lot.
Getting here is straightforward, and once your group arrives, we make it even easier:
- Shuttle service available from Kelowna
- Lower food and beverage costs compared to larger city venues
- Hotel savings that stretch your event budget further
Q: What makes you different than the hundreds of venues planners have to choose from?
A: Event planners have no shortage of options, but here’s what sets us apart: flexibility, transparency, and real value.
Our 60,000 square feet of event space sits entirely on one level, making load-in, logistics, and attendee flow simpler than other venues. We hear again and again how exhibitors love our facility because of the low attrition, face time due to facility design, and free parking. Our menus are fully customizable, our space adapts to everything from trade shows to plenary sessions to breakouts, and our team is stable, experienced, and easy to work with. Contracts are straightforward, and there are no surprises at the end.
We also include what many venues charge extra for: stage, podium, tables, chairs, linens, a dance floor, parking, and wi-fi. It adds up to more value without the sticker shock.
Q: How do you pronounce Penticton?
A: Funny you should ask. Penticton, from the Interior Salish word snpintktn, is commonly translated as “a place to stay forever,” or more accurately, “a place where people live year-round.”
Penticton, from nsyilxcən snpintktn, is one of just two cities in the world situated between two lakes. Pronounced Pen-tic-ton.