Released on: January 7, 2008, 12:00 pm

Press Release Author: David Stanley

Industry: Marketing

Press Release Summary: The Vancouver Island Conference Center in downtown Nanaimo,
British Columbia, Canada, is an exciting new venue for meetings, seminars,
conferences, exhibitions, receptions, and other events. Currently nearing
completion, the New Nanaimo Centre is scheduled to open in early 2008.

Press Release Body: Nanaimo, BC -- The Vancouver Island Conference Center in
downtown Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, is an exciting new venue for meetings,
seminars, conferences, exhibitions, receptions, and other events. Currently nearing
completion, the New Nanaimo Centre is scheduled to open in early 2008 with 38,000
square feet available in a variety of modules, from the 13,697-square-foot ballroom
to numerous smaller rooms accommodating groups of under a hundred.

The ballroom forms the heart of the complex, with seating for 1,300 persons theatre
style or 720 when set up as a classroom. As many as 1,400 people can attend
receptions here, while 960 can be seated at banquets. The ballroom can be broken
down into four salons of differing size, and just across the corridor are five
smaller meeting rooms for specialized use. The 7,368-square-foot conference
pre-function area connects it all.

An elevated walkway joins the main building to the 200-seat Shaw Auditorium with
another four smaller meeting rooms, two upstairs and two downstairs. A feature of
the Auditorium building is the oceanfront terrace with splendid harbour views.
Flexibility and convenience have been built into these state-of-the-art facilities.

The new home of the Nanaimo Museum is at street level directly below the ballroom in
the main building. A row of upscale retail outlets face historic Commercial Street.
A 140-room Marriott Nanaimo Hotel will be built alongside the Centre at a later
date. Presently conference visitors can chose from the three-star Coast Bastion Inn
a block away from the Centre, the nearby Best Western Dorchester Hotel, and many
other hotels and motels. A new Ramada Hotel is nearing completion on Terminal Avenue
North, a 10-minute walk away.

Nanaimo is the main travel and service centre for central and northern Vancouver
Island. Car ferries from Vancouver arrive at Departure Bay and Duke Point near the
city every other hour. In addition there are seaplane flights from Vancouver
International Airport and downtown Vancouver to Nanaimo Harbour, a short walk from
the New Nanaimo Centre. Trains, buses, and a modern highway link Nanaimo to British
Columbia's capital, Victoria.

The Vancouver Island Conference Centre is nestled in the heart of picturesque
downtown Nanaimo with the colourful fishing harbour a stone throw away. A large
shopping mall is just around the corner, and numerous pubs, restaurants, cafes, and
shops are within sight of the building. The Vancouver Island Public Library next to
the Conference Centre provides public internet and research facilities, and the
800-seat Port Theatre next to the library is mid-island's top arts and entertainment
venue. Nanaimo's municipal and regional parks are exceptional, with splendid sea and
mountain views. Nanaimo is a vibrant, exciting city where work and play become one,
and you are invited.

About Nanaimo
Photos and travel information on Nanaimo are available at http://www.gonanaimo.com
while the Go Nanaimo Blog http://www.gonanaimo.com/blog carries news and views from
the Harbour City.


Web Site: http://www.gonanaimo.com

Contact Details: David Stanley
GoNanaimo.com
1-5765 Turner Road, Suite 285
Nanaimo, BC V9T6M4, Canada
submit@gonanaimo.com