Palais des congrès de Montréal Awarded International Gold Certification!

MONTRÉAL, April 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

The Palais des congrès de Montréal has earned the highest level of quality certification attributable to convention centres. The AIPC Gold Quality Standards international certification confirms the Palais' leadership in business tourism now that it is a member of an elite of group of only 26 convention centres worldwide having been certified. "We are extremely proud of this certification which speaks to the quality of our service and infrastructures, our continuous improvement programs, sound management, and which of course also sets us apart from the competition," declared Raymond Larivée, President and CEO of the Société du Palais des congrès de Montréal. "A finalist for the World's Best Congress Centre award in 2014, the Palais reaffirms itself once again as an industry leader by performing outstandingly across the board," added Larivée.

Internationally recognized quality standards
Awarded after a rigorous independent audit process, AIPC Quality Standards certification measures a convention centre's quality and management performance in 10 specific areas: Customer Service, Quality of Facilities and Operations, Employee Relations, Health, Safety, Security and Emergency Response, Financial Integrity, Community Relations, Environmental Responsibility, Industry Relations and Supplier Relations. "In addition to consolidating our continuous improvement process, AIPC Gold Quality Standards certification also acknowledges the exemplary work of our employees, guided as always by our values of excellence, integrity and teamwork," added Palais des congrès de Montréal Event Management Director Élaine Legault, who led the certification project.

A popular destination
The Palais des congrès is enjoying a record-setting period. For the 2014-2015 year, the Palais des congrès de Montréal will have hosted 127,000 convention-goers, more than ever before. For 2015-2016, 210,300 room nights have already been booked for business tourism purposes, up 39% compared to the average for the last five years. The events for these two years alone will have generate nearly half a billion dollars for the economy. Montréal has been consistently rated the top host city in the Americas for international events since 2011, thus reflecting the concerted efforts of the Palais des congrès and Tourisme Montréal to position the city as an essential business destination.

Numerous international recognitions 
The AIPC certification joins the list of awards and recognitions the Palais des congrès de Montréal has earned of late. Tourisme Montréal recently awarded a Ulysse prize to the Palais, in the convention services category, for the inventiveness of its IT modernization project. And the event technologies that resulted from the project have already been garnering awards of their own, including the Digital Signage Expo APEX top prize in the Event Venues category in recognition of the quality and flexibility of the Palais' digital signage.

About the Palais des congrès de Montréal
The mission of the Palais des congrès de Montréal is to attract and host conventions, exhibitions, conferences, meetings and other events. A public institution with a commercial vocation, the Palais generates major economic benefits for Québec and has contributed proudly for over 30 years to sharing knowledge and enhancing Montréal's international reputation as a first-rate destination. To learn more:congresmtl.com.

About the AIPC
The International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC) represents convention and exhibition centre professionals and managers worldwide. In addition to recognizing convention centre management excellence, the AIPC also provides resources and programs that foster striving for the highest industry standards through research, networking and education.

Source: Chrystine Loriaux, Adm.A., B.A.A., Director, Marketing and Communications, Société du Palais des congrès de Montréal; For information: Amélie Asselin, Advisor, Communications and Public Affairs, Société du Palais des congrès de Montréal, amelie.asselin@congresmtl.com , Phone: +1-514-871-5897, Marianne de Raay, AIPC Secretariat Office, marianne.de.raay@aipc.org , Phone: +32(2)534-59-53