When events are designed with clear purpose, they go beyond simple gatherings—they become powerful catalysts for change.

At Destination Canada, our multi-year Legacy & Impact Study is examining events held here to uncover strategies that decision makers and societies can use to leave a lasting impact.

Below, you’ll discover our Year Two findings, offering a clear roadmap for creating events that make a positive impact.

We introduce nine legacy drivers to help you plan with purpose, reinforce four success factors to amplify impact, share the profound potential legacies of business events and address the consequences of neglecting these elements.

We know that business events can unleash powerful ripple effects long after they end, inspiring transformative collaborations, economic development, talent attraction and innovation.

In turn, we understand that societies want to demonstrate value to members, shape public opinion about their industries, and align with values of sustainability and social responsibility.

In sharing these findings with you, we hope to connect the dots, so you can strategically design events that create waves of positive change that endure for years to come.

Legacy Drivers

Legacy drivers are specific activities that can be intentionally designed for a dual purpose: achieving immediate impact during the event and establishing the conditions for long-term benefits that align with the conference’s overarching objectives.

Our research identified nine legacy drivers that enable business events to create meaningful changes:

• Knowledge Transfer
• Capacity Building
• Sector Innovation
• Legacy Frameworks
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives
• Showcasing Local Expertise
• Sustainable Practices
• Community Engagement
• Advocacy Activities

These drivers lead to tangible outcomes—from influencing international policies to boosting local business growth. For instance, the Legacy Frameworks driver can include developing and adopting global strategies. A strong example is the Edmonton Declaration, created during the CitiesIPCC Cities and Climate Change Science Conference. It calls on mayors to take leadership on climate change and has now been endorsed by more than 4,500 municipalities worldwide—demonstrating how an event can drive global engagement and action.

Success Factors

Our Year Two research reinforces the importance of four key success factors identified in Year One. When activated effectively, these strategies significantly enhance an event’s outcomes:

• Pre-Event Activities: Awareness campaigns, cross-sectoral advisory committees and pre-conference workshops build connection and collaboration, strengthening communities of practice, developing formal networks and increasing policy influence.
• DMO Involvement: Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs)    (sometimes referred to as Convention and Visitor Bureaus or CVBs) link organizers with local government and community ecosystems, enhancing the cultural understanding, inclusion and engagement of attendees and the public alike.
• Government Participation: Events with active government involvement yield higher social and policy impacts, such as sector recognition, policy influence and incorporation of diverse perspectives.
• External Collaboration: Partnerships with local organizations amplify the event’s reach and impact, increasing business for local vendors, strengthening inclusion of diverse voices, and showcasing local expertise and Indigenous representation.

A powerful example is the International AIDS Conference in Montréal. Tourisme Montréal and the Palais des Congrès worked with the International AIDS Society and local organizers to develop a social impact strategy. They helped convene a local impact taskforce and supported community-led awareness initiatives—showing how DMO involvement in pre-event activities elevates legacy potential.

Profound Outcomes

Each business event is different, yet common outcomes emerge across different areas, most commonly in social, intellectual and policy domains:

• Social Outcomes: Formal network development, strengthened community of practice, international collaborations, diverse perspectives and awareness of social issues.
• Intellectual Outcomes: Exchange of new ideas or theories, training for local talent and creation of research opportunities.
• Policy Outcomes: Sector recognition by government, influence on political leadership and global media exposure.

One illustrative example of intellectual outcomes comes from the International Conference on Isotopes in Saskatoon. The “Women in Nuclear” session spotlighted women’s contributions to nuclear science and technology, strengthening visibility for female scientists and promoting gender equity in STEM.

Intentional Planning

A key takeaway from this year’s findings is the growing recognition of legacy planning as a core strategy, rather than a post-event consideration. Events that focus on lasting outcomes—especially ones aligned with social impact, policy influence or intellectual development—consistently achieve greater long-term value than those centred solely on immediate logistics or economic return.

Some key principles include:

• strategic alignment with government priorities to drive policy reform
• early collaboration with diverse stakeholders to strengthen partnerships
• pre-event advocacy activities to amplify the event’s relevance

Consequences of Failing to Plan

While business events hold significant potential to create lasting positive impacts, fully capturing and maximizing these benefits requires overcoming several challenges.

Lack of Intentional Legacy Planning

Without proactive legacy planning, events risk delivering only temporary activities with limited societal value. Treating legacy as an afterthought weakens potential to foster systemic change.

Over-reliance on Traditional Economic Metrics

Events are still largely measured by short-term data like attendance and tourism spend, which overlook broader benefits such as policy influence and community development— undermining efforts to articulate the full value of events.

Fragmentation of Stakeholder Collaboration

Late-stage or limited involvement from governments, communities and institutions reduces potential for lasting partnerships. Early, inclusive collaboration—for example, with academia and Indigenous partners—is vital but inconsistently applied.

Challenges in Measuring Long-Term Impact

Linking events to long-term change is difficult without proper tracking systems. A lack of follow-up hampers legacy monitoring and sustained value assessment.

What’s Next?

In 2026, we will share a final report with collated evidence and case studies, identifying the key learnings, processes, successes and opportunities arising from the research.

Learn More

To read the full Legacy & Impact Study insights reports and case studies, visit the Destination Canada website: https://businessevents.destinationcanada.com/en-ca/legacy