As you leave the Fairmount Empress Hotel, you can walk right into the Victoria Conference Centre, a premier 77,000-square-foot meeting facility. The center was connected to the hotel via the conservatory in 1989. The hotel provides catering for the conference center. It has 21 multipurpose spaces, a large exhibit hall and 400-seat lecture theatre, the VCC can host 2,000 delegates or small, intimate gatherings. We enjoyed seeing the tall totem pole in the lobby. read more

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I found the conference center to be very clean and welcoming. The sculptures inside of the atrium were pleasant to see as well as the water display on the lower level. read more

Victoria Conference Centre - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I was here for a conference. There are two different buildings of VCC across from each other. The exhibit halls are spacious with a lot of natural light coming through the skylights! They have two different levels which helps with crowd distribution. They have all the exhibits and food on the lower floor and the tables and chairs are on level 2. The parking garage is under the main building and can hold about 300 cars. If it is raining, you will need an umbrella to go across the street. Also, the way it is located, you will be Jay walking between the two conference halls. Their security is impeccable! They have people checking IDs/lanyards to make sure that no one is crashing the conference. I would definitely recommend it if you are holding a large event! read more

Victoria Conference Centre - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

We attended a conference dinner and celebration here and were very impressed with the property. The entry seemed grand with dual stairs that came together to reveal multiple levels of dining and entertainment. We were seated on the lower level, which was recalled to have been a pool bottom in a previous incarnation. There was an homage to this in a diver statue (dummy?) high above the diners. On the upper levels, the view was quite nice and the ceiling was glassy, as possibly the feature that caused the name(?). There was a bit of a nostaligic feel for us as we have family who recalled the previous iteration as a pool and we were able to identify some changes. The food at the event was tastey, fresh and well thought out with stations at multiple locations. There were salad options, fresh fish, chicken, steamed veg, a stuffed pasta option and an array of deserts including fresh fruit and a variety of cakes and pastries. In short, a lot for a lot of different dietary options; all delicious. read more

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There was no conference to attend, it was just a drop in, and look about the Centre's rather lovely inside lobby. The daughter had attended a couple of conferences at the Centre a few years ago, and had remarked how beautiful the place was, so when visiting Victoria earlier this year, stopping in for a look and walkabout was in order. I'm so glad we did, the lobby was gorgeous, and at the early-morning time we were there, so quiet and peaceful -- conferences were in-session, we pretty much had the whole 'inside' courtyard (lobby) to experience and explore by ourselves. With its decorations of plants, and some lovely pieces of First Nations art (totem poles, masks, et al), it was like stepping into a part of an art museum. The Conference Centre may not be on the city's list of tourist attractions, but from what I saw, I think it should. read more

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I've come to this conference center four separate times. 3 times for a conference I attended and one time (the first time, actually) for a conference that I was a part of. The staff was extremely helpful and they pulled out all of the stops in assisting me with setting up my station. Unexpectedly, I needed a stepladder. They had it! Then tape. They had that too! I was their worst nightmare and they were my saviors. Everything from the walls to the floors to the bathrooms is spotless as well. Very tidy, well organized, and conveniently located. They're part of the Empress Hotel and they literally connect and back onto the backside of the hotel. Better yet, they also face a main street that has not one but two rental car companies across from it. It was so convenient to fly in, rent a car, run errands, stay at the hotel and work the conference. When attending conferences I have similar experiences. Everyone is nice, the setup looks seamless and everyone seems to have a good time. read more

This conference centre is beautiful and held the 800 person conference quite well. I'm not sure if the tech guys were from the centre or an outside company, but there were no glitches for the entire two days. The temperature in the building was well regulated and the chairs were actually fairly comfortable. The location is extremely convent, however I did walk and am not sure how parking would work. It's nice that the Fairmont is attached and catered lunch because of the proximity. Of course I was a participant and not the event organizer so I'm not sure how direct communication with the venue would go, but from my end it looked great! read more

I attended a conference here along with nearly 400 others. The conference centre is connected to the Empress Hotel so that's cool but unfortunately they haven't invested as much as the hotel in the conference centre. From the architecture to the flooring to the carpeting to the colours, it's definitely got a 1980s suburban mall feel to it. And I only say that because I grew up going to that mall. The chairs in the conference room are also uncomfortable. They're folding chairs and because they fold they don't give proper back support. Try sitting in one while listening to lectures for 8 hours. Now all of this is cosmetics, that's true. But the worst part was the food. Now I don't know if it was the conference organizers who got the cheap food package but for breakfast there was an assortment of fruits and pastries such as croissants, muffins and danishes. That's all. Because I wouldn't have an opportunity to eat until noon I had to load up on these unhealthy pastries. As a result I think I gained 5 lbs over a few days! It would have been nice to have some protein options such as some eggs or even something simple like toast with jam. Lunch was probably even worse. The one that sticks out in my head was because it was an iceberg lettuce cut in half and a chicken breast and that was considered a salad. If I had to say something nice, they have nice plants. Overall totally meh. read more

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