Top 20 Conference Venues in Toronto and the GTA (2026 Guide)

Last updated: November 14, 2026. Capacities read on each venue's own website in November 2026.

The largest conference venues in the Greater Toronto Area are the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, with theatre seating for up to 10,590 and 77 meeting rooms, Enercare Centre and the Automotive Building at Exhibition Place, and The International Centre and Toronto Congress Centre near Pearson Airport. For conferences that need guest rooms on site, the Sheraton Centre Toronto (1,372 rooms and 63 event rooms) and the Westin Harbour Castle (a ballroom that seats 2,550) lead downtown, and Delta Hotels Toronto Airport seats up to 1,700. Demand is rising: Toronto hosted 74 major meetings with an estimated 378,000 delegates in 2025, a 51% increase over 2024, according to Destination Toronto.

This guide compares 20 conference venues by plenary size, breakout rooms, exhibit space, hotel rooms and access. Every figure comes from the venue's own website, and where a venue's pages disagree we use the lower number. The Idea Hunter has produced events in 13 of these 20 venues since 2025, and the notes under each venue come from that work. If you would rather have a shortlist built for you, our venue sourcing team does it at no cost for corporate events of $50,000 and up.

The 20 Conference Venues at a Glance

How Do You Choose a Conference Venue in Toronto?

Choose a conference venue in this order: the plenary room in your real layout, the breakout rooms your agenda needs at its busiest hour, exhibit space if you have sponsors, then hotel rooms, access and the venue's rules on AV and catering. Headline capacities are almost always theatre style, which seats the most people; a classroom or rounds layout in the same room holds far fewer, so ask for the capacity chart by layout.

• Plenary room. Confirm the seated count in the layout you will use, plus room for the stage, screens and the production desk at the back.
• Breakout rooms. Count the sessions that run at the same time, not the total. A venue with 30 rooms spread across three floors can be slower to use than one with 12 rooms on one level.
• Exhibit space. Trade shows need exhibit halls or a ballroom sized for booths. The Fairmont Royal York's Canadian Room, for example, fits 86 booths measuring 8 by 10 feet, according to its capacity chart.
• Hotel rooms. Decide whether delegates sleep on site or nearby. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre has no rooms of its own but lists more than 11,000 hotel rooms within walking distance.
• Access. The UP Express runs from Pearson to Union Station in 25 minutes, which puts the downtown venues around Union within easy reach of out-of-town delegates.
• AV and catering rules. Most hotels and convention centres have an in-house AV partner and some have an exclusive caterer. Ask what an outside production team costs before you sign.
• Natural light and views. Most ballrooms have no windows. If daylight matters across a long agenda, ask for it; Hilton Toronto Airport, for example, lists natural light in its meeting rooms, and Hotel X has a 28th-floor rooftop venue.
• Wi-Fi, accessibility and load-in. Confirm bandwidth for hybrid sessions, accessible entrances, loading docks, truck bays and rigging limits in writing.

"For a conference, the plenary room is the easy part. The day runs on breakouts. If 600 people have to reach six rooms in ten minutes, the corridors and elevators decide whether you start on time."
Fadi Dawood, President, The Idea Hunter

Which Venues Host the Largest Conferences in Toronto?

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Enercare Centre, the Automotive Building, The International Centre and Toronto Congress Centre are the GTA's venues for conferences of several thousand delegates, trade shows and multi-day conventions. Destination Toronto counts 70 major meetings and events already secured for future years, expected to bring more than 370,000 attendees, so the largest halls book well ahead.

1. Metro Toronto Convention Centre

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) is Toronto's largest conference venue by meeting rooms and exhibit space: 77 meeting rooms, 442,000 square feet of exhibit space in seven halls and theatre seating for up to 10,590 in Halls A, B and C combined. It spans two buildings on Front Street and Bremner Boulevard and connects to Union Station by the SkyWalk.

• Largest rooms: Halls A to C (182,000 sq ft), Halls F and G (50,000 sq ft, up to 4,800 theatre) and Constitution Hall (28,000 sq ft, up to 2,700 theatre).
• Built-in theatre: the John W.H. Bassett Theatre has 1,232 fixed seats, an orchestra pit and seven dressing rooms.
• On site: in-house catering with an executive chef, in-house staging contractors for lighting and sound, and 1,700 indoor parking spaces.
• Hotel rooms: none on site; directly connected to two hotels, with more than 11,000 rooms within walking distance.

Production note: we have staged galas and conference evenings in the South Building's halls, including Halls F and G. Book the halls and the hotel room block at the same time.

2. Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place

Enercare Centre is Exhibition Place's convention and trade show building, with more than 1 million square feet of flexible space across eight connected exhibit halls. Its combined Halls A to D cover 358,433 square feet and are listed for up to 14,900 seated, and Hall A alone seats up to 4,574 theatre style.

• Built for shows: hanging points on a 30-foot grid from the roof trusses, a floor load of 350 pounds per square foot in Halls A to D and G, and column-free spans of 90 to 120 feet.
• Meeting rooms: 16 salons and meeting rooms on the capacity chart.
• Parking and transit: Exhibition Place lists 5,400 parking spaces, including 1,300 underground, and TTC and GO Transit stops on the grounds.
• Rules: an exclusive caterer and an in-house AV supplier.

3. Automotive Building, Exhibition Place

The Automotive Building is a 160,000-square-foot conference centre at Exhibition Place with a ballroom that seats up to 3,900 theatre style and 20 meeting rooms. The Beanfield Centre web address now redirects to it, and it connects to Enercare Centre and, by a skybridge, to Hotel X.

• Ballroom: about 43,900 sq ft, divisible into sections, with up to 2,280 at banquet and 2,394 in classroom.
• Building: billed by Exhibition Place as Canada's first LEED Silver conference centre, with Wi-Fi 6, built-in AV in the meeting rooms and five truck bays.
• Rules: an exclusive caterer; connected underground parking.

Production note: it is one of the venues we work in most often. We produced a summer festival on its south lawn, which shows how a conference can add an outdoor reception without moving delegates off the grounds.

4. The International Centre, Mississauga

The International Centre is the GTA's largest exhibit venue next to Pearson, with more than 500,000 square feet of exhibit space in six halls, 3 km from the airport on Airport Road. Its conference centre has 15 breakout rooms, and the Orion Ballroom (17,068 sq ft) has permanent screens, projectors and sound.

• Halls: the largest, Hall 2, covers 125,500 sq ft; the Grand Lobby beside the Orion Ballroom holds receptions of up to 1,200.
• Access: complimentary on-site parking, a MiWay bus stop at the main entrance and Malton GO Station next door by tunnel walkway.
• Load-in: ground-level loading docks and drive-in doors.
• Hotel rooms: none on site; the venue lists more than 10,000 hotel rooms nearby.

Production note: we have produced an event here. For a show with heavy freight, its drive-in doors and ground-level docks keep load-in simple.

5. Toronto Congress Centre

Toronto Congress Centre offers more than 1 million square feet of exhibit, meeting and convention space on Dixon Road, five minutes from Pearson and 20 minutes from downtown. It has more than 50 meeting rooms covering over 100,000 square feet and a 30,000-square-foot ballroom.

• Production: 2-tonne point-load rigging across most of the space and RGBW lighting throughout.
• Load-in: 30 heated, covered docks and 12 drive-in doors.
• Food service: for groups of 50 to 10,000.
• Parking and rooms: more than 6,000 parking spaces; more than 8,000 hotel rooms within walking or short driving distance.

Which Toronto Hotels Are Best for Conferences with Rooms on Site?

The Sheraton Centre Toronto, Westin Harbour Castle, Fairmont Royal York, Hilton Toronto, Chelsea Hotel, Delta Hotels Toronto and Hotel X put meeting space and guest rooms under one roof, which keeps delegates in one building for multi-day programs. The Sheraton Centre has the most event rooms of the group and the Chelsea has the most guest rooms.

6. Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

The Sheraton Centre Toronto describes itself as Canada's largest conference hotel, with 63 event rooms, 38 of them breakout rooms, and 1,372 guest rooms on Queen Street West. Its Grand Ballroom (20,212 sq ft) seats up to 2,000 theatre style and holds receptions of up to 3,500.

• Meeting space: about 130,000 sq ft in total.
• Access: PATH and subway access from the hotel.
• Outdoor option: the Waterfall Garden event space.

Production note: we have produced events here. With this many rooms on one property, plan the room-to-room walking routes before you finalize the breakout schedule.

7. The Westin Harbour Castle

The Westin Harbour Castle is the waterfront's conference hotel, with an attached conference centre, 32 event rooms and the Metropolitan Ballroom (24,990 sq ft), which seats up to 2,550 theatre style and 2,200 at banquet. It sits less than 1 km from Union Station.

• Meeting space: about 69,400 sq ft, including 21 breakout rooms.
• Production: an installed stage, in-house AV technicians and live-streaming support listed by the hotel.
• Parking: valet.

Production note: we produce galas and recognition evenings in its ballrooms. It suits a conference that ends with an awards dinner, because the same ballroom can be reset from theatre seating to rounds.

8. Fairmont Royal York

The Fairmont Royal York offers more than 70,000 square feet of meeting space directly across the street from Union Station, with its largest room, the Canadian Room (12,843 sq ft), seating up to 1,460 theatre style. Historic rooms from 1929 include the Concert Hall (up to 1,150 theatre, with a stage and balcony) and the Imperial Room (up to 500, with a permanent stage).

• Executive level: a separate 19th-floor meeting level with a private elevator.
• Access: the UP Express reaches Pearson from Union in 25 minutes; parking is valet only.
• Exhibits: the Canadian Room fits 86 booths and the Concert Hall 57, according to the hotel's chart.

Production note: it is the venue on this list where we have produced the most events since 2025. The Concert Hall's stage and balcony suit keynotes, and the Canadian Room can be set for a plenary or for up to 86 booths.

9. Hilton Toronto

Hilton Toronto in the Financial District has 25 event rooms over three levels, 600 guest rooms and a Toronto Ballroom (9,348 sq ft) that seats up to 900 theatre style. Total event space is 35,798 square feet.

• Ballroom: up to 1,000 for a reception and 800 at banquet, with rigging for extra lighting.
• Parking: valet only.

Production note: we have produced events here. With event rooms on three levels, build time into the agenda for delegates to move between sessions.

10. Chelsea Hotel, Toronto

The Chelsea Hotel has the most guest rooms of any venue on this list, 1,588 across two towers, with 31,000 square feet of event space and 26 spaces on its capacity chart. The Churchill Ballroom (5,200 sq ft) seats up to 460 theatre style.

• Access: a short walk from Dundas station; an underground garage open to guests and the public.
• Best for: conferences where most delegates travel in and the room block matters more than a very large plenary.

Production note: we have produced events here. The garage has height limits in places, so confirm the loading route for production vehicles in advance.

11. Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto

Delta Hotels Toronto in South Core is connected to the PATH and sits steps from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It has 13 event rooms, 10 of them breakout rooms, and the SOCO Ballroom (6,528 sq ft) seats up to 572 theatre style.

• Meeting space: 21,534 sq ft in total.
• Best for: mid-size conferences, and as a hotel for delegates attending a convention at MTCC.

Production note: we have produced events here. Its location makes it a practical choice for a speaker hotel or a VIP dinner during a larger MTCC conference.

12. Hotel X Toronto

Hotel X Toronto on the Exhibition Place grounds has 404 guest rooms and more than 60,000 square feet of event space across more than 17 venues, including outdoor garden spaces. The Victory Ballroom (6,346 sq ft, divisible in two) seats up to 390 theatre style.

• Unusual spaces: a two-level, 250-seat cinema with a DCP projector and a 28th-floor rooftop venue.
• Built-in AV: retractable screens and projectors in each meeting room.
• Access: a skybridge to the Automotive Building, Exhibition GO about 1 km away, Billy Bishop Airport a four-minute drive, and 411 underground parking spaces.

Production note: we have produced events here. Pair it with the Automotive Building next door when a conference needs a large plenary and hotel rooms on the same grounds.

Choosing between a convention centre and a hotel usually comes down to three numbers: the plenary in your real layout, the breakout rooms you need at the same time, and the room block. Our venue sourcing service compares those numbers across venues in writing, along with the contract terms that change the real cost, and sends a shortlist within 3 to 5 business days, at no cost for events of $50,000 and up.

Which Conference Venues Are Closest to Pearson Airport?

The closest conference venues to Pearson are Hilton Toronto Airport (1 km, with a free shuttle every 30 minutes), The International Centre (3 km), Delta Hotels Toronto Airport (with a complimentary airport shuttle) and Toronto Congress Centre (five minutes by car). Airport venues trade downtown's restaurants and transit for free or simple parking and short transfers for flying delegates.

13. Delta Hotels Toronto Airport and Conference Centre

Delta Hotels Toronto Airport and Conference Centre on Dixon Road has 60,010 square feet of event space, 31 event rooms and the Plaza Ballroom (14,850 sq ft), which seats up to 1,700 theatre style and holds receptions of up to 2,000. It runs a complimentary airport shuttle.

• Breakouts: 28 breakout rooms.
• Production: an installed stage, AV technicians and videoconferencing listed by the hotel.
• Parking: on site.

Production note: we produced a three-day conference with a ballroom tradeshow here in September 2026, with the general sessions, the tradeshow and the meals all under one roof.

14. Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel and Suites

Hilton Toronto Airport sits 1 km from Pearson on Airport Road in Mississauga, with 420 guest rooms, 15 meeting rooms and a free airport shuttle every 30 minutes. Its column-free Mississauga Ballroom (10,030 sq ft, with 5-metre ceilings) seats up to 960 theatre style.

• Meeting space: 22,559 sq ft in total, with natural light in the meeting rooms.
• Parking: on-site self-parking.

What Are the Best Conference Venues North of Toronto?

The leading conference venues north of the city are Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre and Spa, Sheraton Parkway Toronto North in Richmond Hill and Kingbridge Centre in King City. They suit companies headquartered in York Region and programs where delegates drive in.

15. Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre and Spa

Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites has a conference centre (14,040 sq ft) that seats up to 1,200 theatre style or at banquet, under 20-foot ceilings, plus 28 meeting rooms and 502 guest rooms. Total event space is 34,990 square feet.

• On site: in-house AV and catering and a seasonal outdoor garden.
• Distance: 35 km from Pearson.

Production note: we produced the Bayshore HealthCare conference and gala here, and returned for the 2026 edition.

16. Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel and Suites

Sheraton Parkway Toronto North on Highway 7 in Richmond Hill has 27 event rooms, 25 of them breakout rooms, and the Grand York Ballroom (10,030 sq ft), which seats up to 1,300 theatre style. Total event space is 30,798 square feet.

• Parking: complimentary, including three underground levels and ten EV chargers.
• Transit: the Richmond Hill Centre bus terminal, with Richmond Hill GO Station nearby.

Production note: we produced a two-day conference in its Grand York Ballroom in September 2025. Free parking matters here: for a drive-in audience it removes a cost line that downtown venues add.

17. Kingbridge Centre

Kingbridge Centre is a residential conference centre on 113 acres in King City, certified by IACC, with 124 guest rooms and an auditorium that seats up to 333. Its meeting packages include AV, and it lists itself as gratuity-free with no resort fees.

• Grounds: 5 km of trails.
• Parking: complimentary, with EV charging.
• Best for: leadership meetings and strategy sessions where the group stays together. For retreats outside the city, see our guide to corporate team retreats in Ontario.

Which Venues Suit Smaller Conferences and Executive Meetings?

For conferences of 50 to 350 and executive meetings, One King West, Vantage Venues and The Conference Centre at the University of Toronto offer downtown rooms with transit at the door and the AV built in. Smaller groups lose energy in a ballroom built for 2,000, so match the room to the headcount.

18. One King West Hotel and Residence

One King West occupies the 1914 Dominion Bank Building at King and Yonge, with direct PATH and TTC access and nine meeting venues for groups of 5 to 350. Its Grand Banking Hall (3,500 sq ft, with 35-foot ceilings and Corinthian columns) seats up to 341 theatre style.

• Unusual space: an underground Vault venue for small dinners.
• Banquet: up to 250 at rounds of ten.

19. Vantage Venues

Vantage Venues is a dedicated meeting venue on the 16th and 27th floors of 150 King Street West, directly above St. Andrew subway station, with 40,000 square feet and 37 meeting rooms. Its largest room, Garden Hall (2,880 sq ft), seats up to 225.

• AV: integrated into every space and run by its own technical team.
• Best for: training days, hybrid meetings and board sessions with several breakouts.

20. The Conference Centre at the University of Toronto

The Conference Centre at U of T, renovated in 2025, has 11 meeting spaces and a ballroom (about 8,500 sq ft, with a 19-foot ceiling) that seats up to 800 theatre style or 500 for a seated dinner. It sits near Dundas and University, a few minutes' walk from St. Patrick station.

• Production: an accessible ballroom stage, two 16K projectors, a dedicated AV control booth and multi-camera live streaming.
• Parking: 390 spaces in the underground garage.

Picked a Conference Venue? Here Is What It Does Not Include

A conference venue rents you the rooms. The staging, screens, show-calling, registration, signage, decor, entertainment and on-site staff that turn those rooms into a conference are usually separate, and they are where most of the planning time goes. Our guide to who to hire for a 100 to 500 person corporate event lists each vendor and what to negotiate.

"Ask every hotel about its in-house AV policy before you sign. Some charge a fee to bring in your own production team, and that line can move the budget more than the room rental."
Hailey Dawood, Chief Huntress, The Idea Hunter

The Idea Hunter has planned and produced corporate events across Toronto for more than 23 years, for groups of 50 to 10,000, and holds a 5.0 rating across 106 Google reviews. Tell us your dates, headcount and agenda, and our venue sourcing team will send a shortlist within 3 to 5 business days, at no cost for events of $50,000 and up. To plan the whole conference, see our corporate event planner page; for budgets, read our Toronto corporate event planning cost guide; and for venues built for galas, parties and receptions, see our Top 20 corporate event venues in Toronto.