Ottawa's largest convention facility will be renamed the Cohere Centre on Friday following a naming rights deal with a fast-growing Toronto-based artificial intelligence company. The 200,000-square-foot convention centre on Uplands Drive, adjacent to the Ottawa International Airport, opened in 2012 and has hosted a wide variety of corporate and government events, including conferences, consumer shows, and major public exhibitions.
Cohere's Background
Founded in 2019, Cohere specializes in large language models and products designed to solve business challenges in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. The company has offices in New York, London, Paris, and Seoul, reflecting its global reach and ambitions.
Key Events at the Centre
The venue has become well-known as the home of CANSEC (Canada's Global Defence and Security Trade Show) and ComicCon conventions, among other large events. These shows attract thousands of attendees annually and contribute significantly to the local economy.
Neill Bales, general manager of the Cohere Centre, expressed pride in the new partnership. 'We are proud to align our centre with a company that represents the best of Canadian technology, and we look forward to welcoming clients under this exciting new name,' Bales said in a news release on Wednesday.
Dave Ferris, vice-president of global public sector at Cohere, emphasized the shared values behind the deal. 'This partnership reflects our shared commitment to Canadian innovation, collaboration, and creating spaces where important ideas and meaningful connections can thrive,' Ferris stated.
The financial terms of the naming rights agreement were not disclosed in the release.
