Immersive water-inspired experience showcases Canada’s approach to business events, connecting fresh thinking with positive action
(Vancouver, BC) – Destination Canada brought a refreshing perspective to IMEX America 2026, held October 13-15 in Las Vegas, inviting meeting and event professionals to discover how Canada’s openness, innovation, and collaborative spirit can inspire new ideas and create lasting community impact through business events.
Through its immersive Refresh Your Perspective in Canada activation, Destination Canada invited delegates to pause and recharge with a sensory journey inspired by Canada’s water and landscapes. In partnership with Canadian-founded Fill it Forward, Destination Canada also encouraged delegates to make a positive impact with a simple action: refilling their reusable water bottles. Each tracked refill contributed to DigDeep’s Navajo Water Project, which helps bring clean running water to families across New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.
Over the three-day event, delegates recorded 3,835 bottle refills – and counting – helping generate charitable contributions to the project while delivering measurable environmental benefits, including diverting 115 pounds of waste from landfills, saving 2,171 kWh of electricity, avoiding 3,720 pounds of CO₂ emissions and preventing 23 pounds of ocean pollution.
The experience brought Destination Canada’s Business Events brand promise, “Canada’s openness inspires fresh perspectives,” to life, highlighting how a destination can shape conversations, inspire new ideas and foster meaningful connections. Beyond offering delegates a moment to recharge, the activation also demonstrated how business events can drive positive change.
“Business events have the potential to create meaningful impact that extends well beyond the event itself,” said Virginie De Visscher, Executive Director, Business Events, Destination Canada. “We encourage event organizers and exhibitors to think about how their presence can leave a positive legacy in the communities they visit. Through our partnership with Fill it Forward, we wanted to demonstrate how even a simple activation can give back, turning individual actions into collective impact for local communities that lasts long beyond the show.”
The activation also resonated with attendees. “It not only engages people, but it provides you value,” said Wendy Medley of Expo 2031 Minnesota USA. “Totally a fresh perspective. And it’s the gift that keeps giving because you can keep filling it forward.”
The experience also reflected Destination Canada’s commitment to creating lasting value through business events. Its Business Events Legacy & Impact Study, examining 15 international events across Canada, highlights how strategic planning and collaboration can generate long-term economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits beyond tourism.
About Destination Canada
Destination Canada is Canada’s national tourism organization, promoting the country globally to drive sustainable growth across the visitor economy and strengthen Canada’s competitiveness as a travel destination.
We work with partners nationwide to attract leisure travelers and major international events by targeting high-growth global markets and priority sectors, while providing leading research and market intelligence to guide decisions and shape destination development across the country. In addition, our Business Events team leverages in-depth global market analysis to target international clusters aligned with Canada’s priority economic sectors.
In 2025, tourism generated $133 billion in visitor spending, supporting over 280,000 businesses in 5,000 communities. With revenues projected to grow to $177B by 2030, tourism is a key economic driver and one of Canada’s top service exports, accounting for 13% of total service exports and potentially contributing up to 10% to Canada’s $300B trade diversification goal.
Destination Canada’s activities convert public dollars into fast returns, creating jobs, GDP, and tax revenues almost immediately.
Destination Canada is a Crown corporation wholly owned by the Government of Canada.
