TORONTO, June 28, 2018 /CNW/ - The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) is pleased to announce that it will host seven citywide medical conventions in 2018. June 2018 stands as the busiest month in MTCC history for international medical conventions, three have taken place in this month alone on topics that include atherosclerosis and blood transfusion.

Together, this year's major medical conventions will bring thousands of leading medical professionals to Toronto, generate an estimated $55 million in economic impact for the community, and help solidify the city's position as a world-class hub for medical expertise. The transfer of knowledge from medical experts attending major conventions in many instances lead to lifesaving changes in medical care around the world and leave a legacy of ideas, research and innovation for Toronto.

Toronto is home to a thriving life sciences sector that employs more than 36,000 people in fields that include medical research, biotechnology and medical technology. The city is Canada's largest centre of life sciences activity, with more than 1,400 clinical trials and $1 billion in research and development.

Citywide medical conventions rotate the destination of their meeting around the world and for some the highly-competitive bidding process begins 5+ years in advance. In many cases, a winning bid requires support from a local expert or organization and is contingent on the combined efforts of the MTCC, Tourism Toronto and the Leaders Circle. In fact, four citywide medical meetings taking place at the MTCC this year were brought to Toronto as a direct result of this partnership and with the support of local experts, also recognized as Leaders Circle Ambassadors.

"Toronto is home to a strong network of medical experts who are dedicated to innovation and research," said Barry Smith, President and CEO at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. "We are certainly proud to help bring major medical meetings to the city that shine a spotlight on Toronto's successful life sciences sector."

"Toronto has the largest life sciences sector across Canada, employing 36,000 people from biotechnology to pharmaceuticals," said Tara Gordon, VP, Sales & Service, Business Events Toronto. "Our life sciences sector is thriving, and that's why so many in the industry around the world are choosing Canada's Downtown to host their conferences, meetings and events – further cementing Toronto's place as a global leader in health care and innovation."

• Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting - May 2018 May 4-8, 2018
• 35^th Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) - June 2-6, 2018
• 18^th International Symposium on Atherosclerosis - June 8-12, 2018
• Global Hepatitis Summit 2018 - June 13-17, 2018
• 19^th World Conference on Lung Cancer - September 23-26, 2018
• Canadian Cardiovascular Congress Annual Meeting - October 18-23, 2018
• Family Medicine Forum - November 14-17, 2018

About the Metro Toronto Convention Centre

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is Canada's number one convention and trade show facility. Over the past 33 years, the Centre has hosted over 20,000 events and has added $6.3 billion in direct spending economic impact to the community. For further information, please visit www.mtccc.com.