Winnipeg is a host city positively brimming with unique off-site venues for your next meeting or convention. It’s easy to get people talking when they’re inches from a majestic polar bear, or aboard a re-creation of a 17th century ship. Give your event a fresh perspective with the exciting surroundings of an off-site venue, and turn your meeting into something exceptional that attendees will truly remember.
Step outside the box and head off-the-beaten path, and experience Winnipeg’s unique offerings of off-site venues. Look past the standard four walls, and discover the many impressive venues that will make your event soar to new heights, and “wow” your delegates with experiences they just can’t get anywhere else.
Anderson’s Hitch ‘N Post Ranch
Rustic charm meets cowboy cool at this prairie-situated ranch 25 minutes outside of Winnipeg. Feel the prairie wind in your hair when you ride the Prairie Dog Central Train, the vintage 1800’s steam train that takes your group to the ranch (which just may be held up by horse-riding outlaws... wink wink). The ranch’s 4,000 square foot main hall is charming featuring wood-beamed ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace that gives off that toasty aroma, and a vast assortment of pioneering artifacts and antiques adorning the walls.
Assiniboine Park
You simply won’t believe the audience who will be watching your delegates mix and mingle at Assiniboine Park and Zoo’s Journey to Churchill. Up to nine playful polar bears and several seals call the facility home, and they’ll surely swim and play overhead and around your guests, much to your party’s amazement.
Across the park, nestled amongst trees and overlooking a verdant or snow- covered landscape is the Qualico Family Centre, an ideal venue for hosting events of all sizes where the architecture is a real conversation piece – that’s if you can take your guest’s eyes away from the angular floor-to-ceiling views of the duck pond and surrounding forests and lawn.
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
This iconic architectural marvel is the ideal spot for meetings and conventions if you are looking to truly dazzle your delegation. Ten awe-inspiring, thought-provoking spaces are available, including the Bonnie and John Buhler Hall – a superb setting for a large reception or banquet where your journey into the museum begins, and the Garden of Contemplation – where guests are able to take in the incredible scope of the Canadian Museum for Human Right’s architecture while natural light pours in.
Celebrations Dinner Theatre
This theatre’s tiered seating arrangement makes it a fitting venue for a celebration, a larger presentation utilizing its built-in stage, or for a sit-down dinner with capacity for 450 people. As a companion program, you can also book groups for the actual musical-comedy performances that Celebrations is known for. This three-act, four-course meal will see everyone getting in on the show, including your waiter and perhaps even your guests.
Club Regent Event Centre
The most versatile event space in the city, Club Regent Event Centre’s floor plan can be adjusted at pretty much the push of a button. Three options of floor plans are available, including a tiered by row theatre setting ideal for a presentation or live entertainment; a banquet-style floor configuration ideal for an expansive trade show or convention, and a multi-level tiered cabaret configuration that will show off the venue’s remarkable size for a gala dinner or award show.
Fort Gibraltar
Fort Gibraltar is a stunning replica of a circa 1810 North West Company trading outpost, featuring towering wood walls, costumed interpreters and that inherent joie de vivre that permeates out of St. Boniface, Winnipeg’s French Quarter. Inside the Fort are multiple rooms that serve as unique venues, the pinnacle of which is la Maison du Bourgeois, a massive, picturesque log cabin adorned with two large porches, a handsome stone fireplace, and ample room for dinners (featuring delectable French fare), dancing and all-round good times.
Manitoba Museum
How about a private party aboard a glistening 17th century ship, without having to worry about someone rocking the boat? Or perhaps a reception underneath the aurora borealis illuminated by one of the world’s most advanced projection systems? These are just some of the spots available for events at the Manitoba Museum, which has just completed a $5.3 million expansion of Alloway Hall, a beautiful, massive space featuring floor to ceiling windows that overlook the Steinkopf Gardens.
The Metropolitan Entertainment Centre by Canad Inns
Guests will be charmed by how this national historic site harkens back to Hollywood’s Golden Age, yet incorporates modern technology inside its elegant facilities. The Grand Hall features one of the largest screens in Canada, two loges (making an ideal perch for a grand speech), and a tiered floor plan that provides for a theatrical setting and optional dance floor. The Rooftop Patio puts you above downtown Winnipeg, while the MET’s lounge is a great space to mix and mingle.
University of Manitoba
There are more than 30 distinct rooms available at the University of Manitoba for your next function. The Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre provides a space where guests can converse while seeing the inner workings of Manitoba’s fertile land – including a view into an actual working pig barn. At U of M’s jazzy University Centre building, several venues are available including the Marshall McLuhan Hall, a gorgeous space that utilizes floor to ceiling windows to make the most of Winnipeg’s natural light.
Winnipeg Art Gallery
The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) provides an artistic backdrop to your event unparalleled in Winnipeg. Its immense Eckhardt Hall is framed in gorgeous Manitoba tyndall stone and can be utilized on its own for a reception or dinner, while there’s also the option to combine it with the Skylight Gallery – a perfect location for a cocktail reception as guests peruse the various works of art on display. The WAG’s rooftop sculpture garden/outdoor patio also provides an excellent fair-weather location, being a favourite amongst locals for weddings due to its ample space and picturesque views.
For a complete list of unique off-site venues, click here.
