Event Space Rental for Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) - FCAC National Conference on Financial Consumer Protection May 21 – 23, 2024.

Scope of the request for conference space
FCAC requires the services of a venue in Toronto, Ontario located in the Financial or Harbourfront District and within walking distance of Union Station to accommodate FCAC’s National Conference on Financial Consumer Protection under the oversight of the project lead.

In May 2024, FCAC plans to host a three-day conference in Toronto with in-person attendance capped at 350 participants. The plenary sessions of the event will also be live streamed to virtual participants.

FCAC is seeking a venue in the Financial or Harbourfront District and within walking distance of Union Station that can accommodate its three (3) days of activities as described below. The dates required for this event are Tuesday, May 21, 2024, to Thursday, May 23, 2024, from 8:00 am – 6:30 pm.
The base package and prices for the services must be clearly listed.
Requirements
Block of hotel guest rooms
Dates: May 20 - 23, 2024
- The guest rooms rental is the responsibility of each individual conference participant and shall be paid by the participant. FCAC will not be held responsible for any guest rooms.

Date Number of rooms blocked
Monday, May 20, 2024 100
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 100
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 20

Conference Day 1 - May 21, 2024

Venue requirements:

- Event office (located close to main event space) with locking door
- Easels for directional signage
- Registration area in the foyer adjacent to the main event space
- Plenary room with space to accommodate 350 people, stage, round tables (of 6-8 people), audio-visual (interpreter booth)
- 1 additional breakout room to accommodate 175 people, stage, round tables, audio-visual (interpreter booth)
- Room for tradeshow booths (10-12 booths), one table and two chairs per booth Possible need for pipe and drape to separate booths (listed below in Optional add-on services)
- Area for buffet. The buffet can be in the foyer adjacent to the main plenary room. Meals can be eaten in the main plenary room.
- Green room for speaker (located close to main event space)
- Executive boardroom for ad-hoc meetings of FCAC staff and senior officials (located close to main event space) with locking door
- Area for reception (4:15 – 6:30 pm on Day 1) to accommodate 300 people with bistro tables or cocktail tables, chairs, podium with microphone, other audio-visual equipment (listed below in Optional add-on services)

Audio-visual requirements (per meeting room):

- Audio-visual requirements will be solicited at a later date.

Hospitality requirements:

Day Description Suggestions (can vary)
Day 1
(350 participants) • Breakfast• Continental breakfast
• Muffins/croissants/breads
• Fruit
• Juices
• Coffee/tea
• AM & PM breaks AM
• Light snack (muffins/breads)
• Juices/water
• Coffee/tea
PM
• Light snack (cookies/bars)
• Pop/water
• Coffee/tea
• Lunch • Hot or cold buffet
• Variety of sandwiches or hot meal options
• Soup and/or salad
• Small dessert
• Water/Pop
• Coffee/Tea
• Reception (300 participants) • Hot and cold appetizers
• Water
• Non-alcoholic beverage (punch)
Cash bar

Additional requirements:
- Power bars for exhibitor booths, if required
- Access to Wi-Fi as indicated below

Conference Day 2 - May 22, 2024

Venue requirements:

- Event office (located close to main event space) with locking door
- Easels for directional signage
- Registration/Information area in the foyer adjacent to the main event space
- Plenary room with space to accommodate 350 people, stage, round tables (of 6-8 people), audio-visual (interpreter booth)
- 1 additional breakout room to accommodate 175 people, stage, round tables, audio-visual (interpreter booth)
- Room for tradeshow booths (10-12 booths)
- Area for buffet. The buffet can be in the foyer adjacent to the main plenary room . Meals can be eaten in the main plenary room.
- Green room for speakers (located close to main event space)
- Executive boardroom for ad-hoc meetings of FCAC staff and senior officials (located close to main event space) with locking door

Audio-visual requirements (per meeting room):

- Audio-visual requirements will be solicited at a later date.

Hospitality requirements:
Day Description Suggestions (can vary)
Day 2
(350 participants) Breakfast
• Continental breakfast
• Muffins/croissants/breads
• Fruit
• Juices
• Coffee/tea
AM break AM
• Light snack (muffins/breads)
• Juices/water
• Coffee/tea
Lunch • Hot or cold buffet
• Variety of sandwiches or hot meal options
• Soup and/or salad
• Small dessert
• Water/Pop
• Coffee/Tea

Additional requirements:
- Power bars for exhibitor booths, if required
- Access to Wi-Fi as indicated below

Post-Conference Meetings – May 23, 2024

Venue requirements:

- 2 meeting rooms to accommodate 20-30 people, u-shape layout, available for meetings from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.
- Event office (located close to main event space) with locking door
- Executive boardroom for ad-hoc meetings of FCAC staff and senior officials (located close to main event space) with locking door

Audio-visual requirements:

- Audio-visual requirements will be solicited at a later date.

Hospitality requirements:

- Currently none but may be an add-on (listed below in Optional add-on services)

Additional requirements:

- Access to all meeting rooms in the evening prior to the start of the conference for set-up (installation of audio-visual, set-up according to floor plans)
- Access to Wi-Fi as indicated below

Additional information

- All facilities and meeting rooms must be accessible and barrier free for those participants with disabilities.
- Stages, podiums, speaker set-up (requirements may depend on session, such as classroom tables, club chairs, stools) for plenary and breakout room
- Hospitality required (details provided below)
- Audio-visual requirements will be solicited at a later date.

Wi-Fi Internet Access
For the full duration of the event, FCAC will require the following internet access in the conference area:
- Unified wireless system throughout the conference area with 802.11n on 3 bandwidth at the same time for each app, which will provide the speed around 500 Mb transfer rate on each AP;
- In-house high-speed Internet (1GB);
- In-house PBX;
- FCAC will require a wired connection in the main plenary room, breakout room, foyer - registration area, executive boardroom and event office.

Hospitality
Hospitality will have to respect the Government of Canada Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures. All pricing must fall within the standard government rates for meals and must include all taxes and services fees. This directive can be found on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s website found under section Appendix B at: Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures- Canada.ca and is based on the allowances set out in the National Joint Council Travel Directive found under section Appendix C - Allowances - Modules 1, 2 and 3 (njc-cnm.gc.ca).

The venue must also offer meal alternatives to accommodate personal preferences (vegetarian, vegan, Halal, etc.) and allergies.

Hospitality requirements by day:

Day Description Suggestions (can vary)
Day 1
(350 participants) • Breakfast• Continental breakfast
• Muffins/croissants/breads
• Fruit
• Juices
• Coffee/tea
• AM & PM breaks AM
• Light snack (muffins/breads)
• Juices/water
• Coffee/tea
PM
• Light snack (cookies/bars)
• Pop/water
• Coffee/tea
• Lunch • Hot or cold buffet
• Variety of sandwiches or hot meal options
• Soup and/or salad
• Small dessert
• Water/Pop
• Coffee/Tea
• Reception (300 participants) • Hot and cold appetizers
• Water
• Non-alcoholic beverage (punch)
• Cash bar
Day 2
(350 participants) Breakfast
• Continental breakfast
• Muffins/croissants/breads
• Fruit
• Juices
• Coffee/tea
AM break AM
• Light snack (muffins/breads)
• Juices/water
• Coffee/tea
Lunch • Hot or cold buffet
• Variety of sandwiches or hot meal options
• Soup and/or salad
• Small dessert
• Water/Pop
• Coffee/Tea
Optional add-on services
The base package and its price for the services must be clearly listed. Optional add-on services, such as audio-visual, should be listed and priced separately and will require pre-approval from FCAC before optioning.
Audio Visual
- Audio-visual requirements will be solicited at a later date.
Hospitality
- Hospitality for post-conference meetings based on Government of Canada allowances (may be required to bill separately)
Security
- Services for conference security (i.e. security guards)
Room décor
- Décor for plenary and breakout room
- Pipe and drape to limit booths, as a backdrop for staging or other
- Décor for reception