Shaw Centre

What Shaw Centre does

The Shaw Centre, operating under the trade names Rogers Centre Ottawa and Ottawa Convention Centre, is a government-owned full-service convention centre located at 55 Colonel By Drive in downtown Ottawa, Canada. An Agency of the Government of Ontario, the venue sits on the Old Congress Centre site adjacent to the CF Rideau Centre and the Westin Ottawa, overlooking the historic Rideau Canal. The facility is a LEED Gold-certified building with a curving geometric glass and steel facade, offering 192,000 sq. ft. (17,837 sq. m.) of flexible event space capable of accommodating events ranging from a 5-person meeting to a 3,000-attendee gala.

The core product is event hosting, supplemented by modular add-on services including Show Services (logistics, set-up and tear-down, exhibitor loading dock support), in-house food and beverage catering, weddings, and venue floor plans. The technology base is primarily physical infrastructure (flexible room configurations, professional event logistics, loading docks) rather than a software platform. A 360-degree virtual tour of the venue is offered as a digital sales tool, and the website supports bilingual EN/FR navigation.

The business model is a consultative enterprise sales motion: prospective clients submit a Request for Proposal through the website, and an in-house expert team follows up to plan and contract events. Revenue is generated from three streams — (1) one-time convention and event space rental, (2) professional food and beverage catering services, and (3) professional event services and logistics — with pricing quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are event planners and organizations (primary), exhibitors (primary use case), and event attendees (secondary). The venue serves association, corporate, government, and wedding clients across the National Capital Region and draws national and international event planners.

Name

Shaw Centre

Legal name

Ottawa Convention Centre

Website

https://shaw-centre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Shaw Centre (Rogers Centre Ottawa) is a government-owned convention centre in downtown Ottawa offering 192,000 sq. ft. of flexible event space for conventions, trade shows, meetings, and weddings, with in-house catering and event logistics. It serves event planners, associations, exhibitors, and organizations through an RFP-based enterprise sales model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Convention and Event Venue Services

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hotel & Resort Convention Venues (Convention Hotels) (THAHAAAC), Multipurpose Event Center Operations (Civic Centers, Community Event Complexes) (MPAGALAE)

Keywords

• Convention centre services
• Event venue rental
• Convention hosting
• Event catering services
• Trade show facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Convention and Event Space Rental: Revenue generated from renting event spaces for conventions, meetings, trade shows, and weddings. Spaces accommodate events of all sizes from intimate gatherings to large galas for up to 3,000 attendees.
2. Food and Beverage Services: On-site catering and food & beverage services provided for events, including menus tailored for events, weddings, and galas.
3. Event Services and Logistics: Professional logistics, set-up and tear-down, hosting assistance, and additional services to elevate events. Includes loading dock access and staff assistance for exhibitors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Shaw Centre (operating as Rogers Centre Ottawa) provides convention and event venue rental within a 192,000 sq. ft. LEED Gold-certified facility in downtown Ottawa, complemented by in-house food and beverage catering, professional show services (logistics, set-up/tear-down, loading dock access), and dedicated event planning support. The venue hosts conventions, trade shows, meetings, galas, and weddings for groups ranging from 5 to 3,000 attendees.

Product overview

The Shaw Centre (operating as Rogers Centre Ottawa) is a single-venue convention centre offering a unified event hosting service. The core offering is the 192,000 sq. ft. (17,837 sq. m.) convention facility with capacity for 5 to 3,000 attendees, supplemented by modular add-on services including Show Services (logistics and setup), Weddings, Food & Beverage (catering), and Floor Plans for event planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rogers Centre Ottawa Event Hosting (Convention and Event Venue Rental) Full-service venue rental offering 192,000 sq. ft. (17,837 sq. m.) of event space for conventions, trade shows, corporate meetings, galas, and weddings, accommodating events from 5 to 3,000 attendees in downtown Ottawa.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tripled venue capacity following 2011 redevelopment

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Vancouver Convention Centre: West coast publicly-owned convention venue; competes with Shaw Centre for cross-Canada association rotations and large international events.
• Metro Toronto Convention Centre: Canada's largest convention centre, also publicly owned, hosting conventions, trade shows, and galas across a comparable downtown footprint; directly competes with Shaw Centre for national and international association rotations in Ontario/Canada.
• Palais des congrès de Montréal: Major publicly-owned Montreal convention venue similarly targeting association and trade show business; competes head-to-head with Shaw Centre for Quebec and national association events.

Regional players

• Calgary TELUS Convention Centre: Alberta-based publicly-owned convention venue with comparable event-size capacity; competes regionally for western Canadian association and energy-sector events.
• Edmonton Convention Centre (Edmonton Economic Development Corporation): Publicly-owned Edmonton venue with comparable convention and trade show offering; serves as an alternative destination for western Canadian events.

Broad incumbents

• Jacob K. Javits Convention Center: New York City's publicly-operated convention centre; provides a comparable government-operated benchmark for venue operations, sustainability certification, and large-scale event hosting.
• McCormick Place: Largest convention facility in North America operated by a metropolitan authority; sets competitive benchmarks on scale, technology, and trade show logistics against which mid-size venues like Shaw Centre are evaluated.

Others

• Freeman (exhibit and event services): Leading global provider of event and exhibitor services to convention centres and trade shows; relevant ecosystem comparator given Shaw Centre's in-house exhibit services and loading dock operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RogersCentreOtt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSzC2Dj0KNNMEJhVEajKedw
• Facebookfacebook.com/rogerscentreottawa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ottawa-convention-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/rogerscentreottawa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shaw Centre