Ottawa Tourism is strengthening its focus on attracting meetings and business events connected to defence, security, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies. The strategy comes as Canada increases investment in national defence and looks to build stronger international partnerships across Europe and other strategic markets.
The move positions Ottawa to benefit from growing demand for conferences and business events that bring together government officials, defence companies, technology firms, researchers, academics, and international organisations. As Canada’s capital, Ottawa offers direct connections to federal institutions, diplomatic missions, research organisations, universities, and technology companies operating across these sectors.
Canada’s Defence Investment Creates New Opportunities
The growing focus on defence and security meetings comes at a significant time for Canada. The country reached the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) benchmark of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on defence during fiscal year 2025–26.
Canada and its NATO allies have also agreed to a new defence investment target of 5 percent by 2035. The increased investment is expected to support activity across defence, security, advanced technology, cybersecurity, aerospace, communications, and related industries.
For Ottawa Tourism, these developments create an opportunity to position the Canadian capital as a meeting destination for organisations working across the wider defence and security ecosystem.
Canada is also looking to diversify its international relationships amid continuing trade tensions with the United States. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has pursued closer cooperation with European partners in areas such as defence, artificial intelligence, energy, and critical minerals.
This changing international environment is creating additional opportunities for meetings and conferences that require collaboration between government, industry, academia, technology companies, and international organisations.
Ottawa Connects Government, Defence and Technology Communities
Ottawa’s appeal for defence and cybersecurity meetings extends beyond its status as Canada’s capital city. The destination brings together government institutions, diplomatic missions, universities, technology companies, researchers, and organisations involved in defence, cybersecurity, aerospace, artificial intelligence, and advanced communications.
According to Stephanie Seguin, vice president, meetings and major events at Ottawa Tourism, the city’s strength comes from the way these different sectors intersect.
She said Ottawa’s advantage is not simply being Canada’s capital, but having defence, security, cybersecurity, diplomacy, and innovation operating alongside one another. This creates opportunities for event organisers to connect delegates with expertise, infrastructure, and potential partnerships that can add value to conferences and business events.
The approach reflects a broader shift in the meetings industry, where organisers are increasingly looking for destinations that can provide access to relevant industries and knowledge communities alongside traditional event infrastructure.
Ottawa Unlimited Supports Business Event Growth
Ottawa Tourism is also promoting the city’s business and technology ecosystem through Ottawa Unlimited. The collaboration brings together Ottawa Tourism, Invest Ottawa, and the Ottawa Board of Trade.
The partnership combines destination marketing, economic development, and business leadership to promote Ottawa nationally and internationally.
For meeting planners, this network can provide connections beyond convention venues and accommodation providers. Organisers considering Ottawa for defence, security, technology, or cybersecurity events can potentially connect with local companies, researchers, investors, government-related organisations, and business leaders.
The strategy also supports Ottawa’s wider ambition to attract international conferences and business events that generate economic activity while strengthening connections between local organisations and global industries.
2026 Events Highlight Ottawa’s Security and Technology Ecosystem
Several events taking place in Ottawa during 2026 demonstrate the city’s growing focus on defence, technology, innovation, and cybersecurity.
CANSEC, a major defence, security, and emerging technology event, returned to Ottawa in May. The event brought together stakeholders from across the defence and security industries and highlighted the importance of Ottawa as a meeting place for organisations working in these sectors.
Ottawa Innovation Week followed from June 8 to 12. The programme connected researchers, investors, companies, and other participants working across areas including artificial intelligence, defence, health, and clean technology.
The events contribute to a broader calendar that showcases Ottawa’s capabilities across innovation and advanced technology. They also demonstrate how the city’s meetings infrastructure can support conferences that require connections between multiple industries and professional communities.
INCYBER Forum Canada Adds Cybersecurity Focus
Another major event on Ottawa’s 2026 calendar is INCYBER Forum Canada, scheduled to take place in December in the National Capital Region.
The conference is expected to focus on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence safety, and national digital resilience. It will bring together representatives from government, business, academia, and international organisations.
The event reflects the growing importance of cybersecurity as governments and businesses respond to increasingly complex digital risks. It also provides Ottawa with an opportunity to showcase its technology and policy ecosystem to an international audience.
For Ottawa Tourism, events such as INCYBER Forum Canada reinforce the city’s positioning as a destination where cybersecurity, technology, government, and research communities can meet.
Ottawa Offers More Than Traditional Meeting Infrastructure
Ottawa Tourism’s strategy is not based solely on the city’s conference venues, hotels, transportation links, and other traditional meetings infrastructure. The destination is also highlighting access to the wider government, research, technology, and business communities.
This is particularly relevant for conferences where delegates are looking for networking opportunities, expert speakers, institutional partnerships, research connections, or access to policymakers and industry leaders.
Ottawa also offers a compact downtown environment, a bilingual setting, and an established meetings and events infrastructure. These characteristics can support organisers looking to bring together international delegates and Canadian stakeholders within a relatively concentrated destination.
The combination of government, business, academia, and technology creates a broad ecosystem for meetings covering defence, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, aerospace, advanced communications, and other emerging fields.
Ottawa Tourism Builds Partnerships With Local Organisations
Ottawa Tourism plans to continue working with organisations including Invest Ottawa, the Ottawa Board of Trade, Rogers Centre Ottawa, and other local partners to strengthen the city’s meetings proposition.
The objective is to create stronger connections between event organisers and Ottawa’s government, business, research, and technology communities.
Such partnerships can be particularly valuable for international conference organisers looking for more than a venue. By connecting organisers with local experts and institutions, the destination can help create programmes that combine meetings with industry engagement, knowledge exchange, business development, and networking.
The approach also supports Ottawa’s broader economic development objectives by bringing international delegates and organisations into contact with local companies and institutions.
Defence and Cybersecurity Meetings Become a Strategic Opportunity
The increased attention on defence, security, and cybersecurity meetings comes as these sectors become more prominent within Canada’s economic and international policy agenda.
Higher defence investment, stronger international cooperation, and growing demand for cybersecurity and artificial intelligence expertise are creating new opportunities for conferences and business events.
Ottawa is well positioned within this environment because of the concentration of federal institutions, diplomatic organisations, technology companies, universities, researchers, and business organisations located in and around the capital.
For Ottawa Tourism, the opportunity is to turn these connections into a compelling proposition for meeting planners. Instead of positioning Ottawa only as a capital city and traditional meetings destination, the strategy highlights the city as a place where defence, cybersecurity, diplomacy, innovation, research, and business intersect.
Ottawa Strengthens Its Position as a Global Meetings Destination
Ottawa Tourism’s growing focus on defence, security, and cybersecurity meetings reflects the changing requirements of the international business events industry.
As organisations seek destinations that can provide access to specialised knowledge, government institutions, technology ecosystems, and international networks, cities with strong sector connections can offer additional value to event organisers.
Ottawa’s combination of federal institutions, research organisations, universities, technology companies, diplomatic missions, and meetings infrastructure provides a foundation for attracting conferences across these high-growth sectors.
With Canada increasing defence investment and strengthening partnerships with international allies, Ottawa Tourism is looking to build on the city’s existing capabilities and attract more events that connect government, industry, academia, and international organisations.
