A half-billion-dollar investment in Calgary’s business + tourism future
Transforming Calgary’s premier convention venue into an international leader.
Overview
Another big boost to Calgary’s stature on the world stage
CMLC lead the delivery of the the BMO Centre’s $500-million expansion—a major capital project increasing the convention centre’s total floor space to more than one million sq ft. The expansion more than doubles the facility’s rentable area, making it the largest such facility in Western Canada, and bringing Calgary top-tier destination status in the competitive international meetings and conventions market.
Location
Key Takeaways
1
Western Canada’s largest convention centre
The expansion is more than doubling the beloved BMO Centre’s rentable space to over one million square feet, making it a top-tier venue
2
Opening Stampede 2024
With more than 600 crew on the construction site daily, the BMO Centre expansion is advancing right on schedule
3
A $500-million city-building investment
The expansion is funded through equal contributions from the Government of Canada, Government of Alberta and The City of Calgary
4
An undertaking of magnificent proportions
Western Canada’s largest convention venue, whose structure comprises 9,000 tonnes of steel, boasts the country’s largest indoor fireplace
5
Gerry Judah’s Spirit of Water as landmark public art
A 70-foot-tall, 112,000-pound steel sculpture will act as a gathering place and a beacon for the expanded BMO Centre.
Timeline
Next steps along the path to project delivery. The BMO Centre expansion reached substantial completion in March 2024 and was handed over to the Calgary Stampede, on time and on budget to prepare for its final stages of operational readiness ahead of its Grand Opening in June 2024.
Showcasing compelling aspects of the BMO Centre expansion's architecture, design and construction—and the fantastic teams working together to deliver Western Canada’s largest, newest convention venue.
Showcasing some never before seen design elements including the Brand Room's leather-wrapped doors, the reimagined Neon Cowboy and Canada's largest indoor fireplace.
As several major city-building projects near completion in The Culture + Entertainment District, CMLC advances new 6 St S.E. Underpass project and prepares for construction on Arts Commons Transformation project.
Critical infrastructure, major vertical builds, development progress, innovative placemaking and collaborative partnerships underpin CMLC’s major accomplishments from 2023. These achievements not only solidify CMLC's role in shaping the city's future but also lay the groundwork for continued urban development and transformative growth for Calgary’s east end in the year ahead.
Excitement builds as CMLC and the Calgary Stampede prepare for final year of construction on western Canada’s largest convention centre in Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment District. Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) and the Calgary Stampede, as partners in the delivery of the BMO Centre expansion, are pleased to share that the project is on budget and on schedule to open for Stampede 2024.
Traffic and pedestrian detours will be installed this week to facilitate construction on more than $600M in major city-building projects in Calgary’s emerging Culture + Entertainment District, as well as The City of Calgary’s Green Line LRT project.
CMLC and the Calgary Stampede are pleased to announce a joint partnership with Matthews Southwest Hospitality (MSWH) for the development of a new convention centre hotel that will complement the dramatic expansion of Calgary’s BMO Centre.
Nov 3, 2022 BMO Centre expansion marks massive steel structure completion. 9,000 metric tonnes of steel installed since December 2021; project on track to welcome the world in 2024
The BMO Centre’s world-class expansion has begun to take its dramatic shape, with one third of the project’s 9,000 metric tonnes of steel already rising high above the Midway.
With important construction underway throughout The Culture + Entertainment District, CMLC and its project partners have developed a new interactive map to help Calgarians navigate the impacts of construction as they travel to and through the area.
The hundreds of LED lights that illuminate Reconciliation Bridge were due to be upgraded this year and CMLC took the opportunity to re-evaluate its community lighting program and develop a new program that would prioritize Indigenous stories in the annual lighting calendar.
CMLC and the Calgary Stampede are committed to the long-term success of the district and remain optimistic that ongoing discussions being led by the City of Calgary ultimately result in a positive outcome for Calgarians and the Rivers District.
The Calgary Stampede, together with Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), the city’s community-building specialists, is marking a significant milestone for the BMO Centre expansion.
We’ve been enthusiastically transforming downtown Calgary’s east end into one of the city’s most inviting destinations since 2007. Throughout 2021, with an unwavering focus on serving our community, CMLC will be kicking off the Arts Commons Transformation project; advancing three long-term city-bui
What a year it’s been! Hit by a global pandemic while the provincial economy was still reeling from low oil prices meant 2020 didn’t quite play out as anyone had imagined. But, despite the challenges of COVID-19, CMLC made significant progress on all the work we had lined up for the year. We saw ma
Committed to creating a world-class, year-round gathering place for the community, the Calgary Stampede and development partner Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) are excited to move forward with a new phase of construction in the BMO Convention Centre expansion. Exhibition Hall F, the newly
The Calgary Stampede and CMLC have unveiled the much-anticipated design for the expanded BMO Convention Centre. The visually stunning expansion, to be completed by 2024, will significantly grow and modernize the facility and enable Calgary to host major meetings and conventions on a global scale.
As everyone who lives here knows, Calgary and its citizens are remarkable and resilient. Over the course of a decade in East Village, the CMLC team has learned that Calgarians are also adaptable and curious, that you’re open to new ideas about where and how you live, and you’re enthusiastic and engaged builders of community.
CMLC and our project team began a major renovation of Calgary’s venerable BMO Convention Centre. As one of the first steps in this multiphase undertaking, the project team has been working for the past few months on critical enabling works.
CMLC’s on a roll with city-building infrastructure and construction in downtown Calgary’s east end, transforming the area into one of the city’s most exciting and inviting destinations.
CMLC has been enthusiastically shepherding exciting city-building and placemaking projects in east Calgary for more than a dozen years now. Our achievements to date in East Village, east Victoria Park and beyond have emboldened and inspired us to sustain that momentum through 2020 and onward.
Just eight months after receiving the City’s stamp of approval on the Rivers District Master Plan, CMLC's vision for east Victoria Park is rapidly—and dramatically—taking shape. A major expansion of BMO centre, a new event centre, and the much-anticipated extension of 17th Avenue SE into Stampede Park are just the beginning…
Alongside the Calgary Stampede, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation is pleased to announce the project team that will transform BMO Centre into a modern and international-ready venue.
This report provides an overview of the engagement efforts led by CMLC specific to the Master Plan process starting in 2017. It details findings of a joint public engagement program in collaboration with the City of Calgary.