Why Outaouais

Choosing the Outaouais to host your event means enjoying a front-row seat thanks to its accessibility and diversity. As a gateway to the province of Quebec and just a few kilometres from Ottawa International Airport, the Outaouais is ideal for event planners.

Strategic Positioning

The Outaouais region is easily accessible by various means of transportation. From Montréal, it takes about two hours by car, and Toronto is about five hours away. Ottawa, the neighboring capital, is only a few minutes away. Those who prefer other modes of transportation can come by bus from several major cities or by plane via Ottawa Airport, which serves many domestic and international destinations. Once there, there are a variety of transportation options for easily exploring the region.

How to Get to the Outaouais

Key sectors

A region of expertise, innovation and sustainability:

Natural resources and sustainable forestry
The Outaouais region stands out for its expertise in temperate forestry and the sustainable management of natural resources. The sector relies in particular on ISFORT – the Institute of Temperate Forest Sciences, affiliated with the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO). Established in 2012, ISFORT plays a key role in forestry research and innovation, with an approach focused on development that is environmentally responsible, socially acceptable and economically viable.

Cybersecurity and cutting-edge technologies
The Ottawa–Gatineau corridor is establishing itself as a true cybersecurity hub in Canada. Supported by strategic partners such as Invest Ottawa, CyberQuébec and IN-SEC-M, the ecosystem showcases world-class companies and technological solutions. Renowned for its dynamism, the region ranked first in North America for growth in technology talent (CBRE, 2018), driven by the ICT, telecommunications, audiovisual and defence sectors.

Infrastructure

Major Conference Spaces

Palais des congrès de Gatineau: 55,000 sq. ft.
Hilton Lac-Leamy: 51,000 sq. ft.
Fairmont Le Château Montebello: 17,000 sq. ft.

Hotel Capacity

Hilton Lac-Leamy: 349 rooms
Hub around the Hilton Lac-Leamy: 595 rooms
Downtown Gatineau: 465 rooms
Fairmont Le Château Montebello: 210 rooms
Total for the region: 2,900 rooms

Sustainability

Tourisme Outaouais is actively committed to a sustainable development approach through its partnership with the organisation La Tablée des Chefs. This partnership aims to make a tangible contribution to the fight against food insecurity whilst supporting culinary education for young people. In 2025, the organisation also reached a significant milestone by obtaining G4G certification, demonstrating its commitment to integrating responsible practices at the heart of its activities and its business tourism offering.

Founded in 2002 by chef Jean-François Archambault, La Tablée des Chefs is a nationally recognised non-profit organisation. Since its inception, it has facilitated the distribution of over 21 million meals and contributed to the culinary education of 78,000 young people, promoting their food self-sufficiency. In 2024 alone, the involvement of 344 donors across eight provinces enabled the production of 2.8 million portions, redistributed to nearly 300 community organisations across the country.

Today, three members from the Outaouais region are actively participating in this solidarity initiative, laying the foundations for a collaboration that will bring positive benefits to the community and support the region’s responsible positioning in business tourism. This approach is part of a broader vision aimed at delivering events with a positive impact. To find out more about Tourisme Outaouais’ commitments to sustainable development, visit the dedicated section. Organise a positive-impact event today by filling in our application form.