Recognizing the important role we play in supporting our community, we're always looking for unique ways to leverage our space and expertise to ensure important initiatives and conversations continue. Here's how we made it happen:
Vaccine Clinic & Rapid Testing Site
The Halifax Convention Centre opened our doors to our community for vaccine clinics and a series of rapid testing clinics. Between March and January over 72,500 rapid tests were distributed through our site, and over 14,500 Covid-19 vaccines were administered.
A Walk Through Africville
Africville was one of Canada’s oldest Black communities until it was demolished by the city of Halifax in the 1960s. Established in the 1800s, the community had stores, a post office, and a beloved church.
When we heard that the exhibit needed a temporary home with enough space to accommodate Public Health guidelines, our team knew we could help. The exhibit moved in and set up at the Halifax Convention Centre starting in August, taking Nova Scotians back in time, giving them the opportunity to take “A Walk Through Africville” through painted building facades that replicate historic locations along a street in Africville. An estimated 25,000 guests took the opportunity to explore this moving exhibit.
A first for our team - hosting an exhibit in our venue was new to us - but with a lot of hard work and a newfound partner in the Africville Museum we were able to provide an opportunity for Nova Scotians to learn more about this important part of our history.
“Thank you to the amazing crew and staff of the Halifax Convention for the amazing support of A Walk Through Africville in support of the Africville Museum. It’s been an amazing run and a fabulous partnership.”
- Juanita Peters, Executive Director, Africville Museum
Patio Lanterns
A collaborative initiative with our partners, the Patio Lanterns Festival’s purpose was to encourage Nova Scotians to get out and begin attending live events once again, helping to infuse support for local businesses and provide opportunities for musicians and artists to get back on stage.
We created a pop-up stage on the Halifax Convention Centre front doorstep, hosting events each weekend through July and August with performances by Atlantic Cirque, Zamani, Razzmatazz, DJ Okay Tk, Serpentine Studios, Keonte, and Moira & Claire.
Not only did this impact our venue, but countless downtown businesses saw the impact of the Patio Lanterns festival. Plus, attendees could pop into our centre and get a rapid test or visit the Africiville Exhibit!
“No matter what day of the week, we hope that visitors and locals alike will be able to find live music, a fun food or drink special, or an interactive activity whenever they choose to venture out throughout Nova Scotia. The Patio Lanterns Festival is a great example of the type of energy people can expect throughout the Halifax region and the province,”
- Ross Jefferson, President and CEO of Discover Halifax.
United Way
Our team has been proud to support the United Way of Halifax for many years, and this past year we saw an even greater need to support those in need in our community. We worked with the United Way on two staff-led initiatives - Employee Donation Program and Zhuzh It Up Day - which brought in more than $16,000 in donations!
Neighbourhood Activation
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of supporting one another when times get tough. Our business community has been deeply impacted by COVID-19 and our team wanted to get out and share the good news that events are back! We hit the streets in March to deliver freshly baked cookies to our neighbours and let them know about all the upcoming events we would be hosting, encouraging them to join us in welcoming guests and giving them the peace of mind that activity was coming back to our downtown.
