National Society of Black Engineers Selects Toronto to Host First International Conference in 2010 - more than 10,000 visitors expected

TORONTO, Oct. 19 /CNW/ - Tourism Toronto (the Toronto Convention and Visitors Association) in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism, announced today that the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) has selected Toronto as the host city for its March, 2010 annual conference -- the first time NSBE will convene outside of the U.S. The 10,000-delegate event is expected to generate more than $15.9 million in economic benefits to the
Toronto Region.

NSBE, headquartered in Virginia, is the premiere technical organization for African American engineering students and professionals, with chapters in Jamaica, Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, England the Virgin Islands and Canada.

Despite fierce competition in the meetings and convention business in North America, Toronto bested Boston and New York as NSBE's city of choice. Business and political leaders, including Toronto Councillor Michael Thompson, were on hand to congratulate NSBE officials for choosing Toronto.

"This is more good news for Toronto's tourism sector, and follows our recent win to host the Shriners' convention in the summer of 2010," said Bruce MacMillan, President and CEO, Tourism Toronto. "Toronto's story is being heard by important organizations like NSBE, and we are rightly recognized as a place that celebrates diversity and unlimited opportunity."

"The Ontario government welcomes the decision of the National Society of Black Engineers to meet in Toronto. I am certain they will have a great time here -- all 10,000 of them. Conventions are an important sector of the tourism industry that brings prosperity and builds strong communities," said MPP Tim Peterson, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism.

With over 15,000 members, NSBE is the largest student-run organization in the world. For over 30 years, its mission has been to increase the number of black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. This means reaching out on a global level encouraging young people to nurture their interest in the "STEM" fields - Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

"Toronto embodies many of the values of our organization: its embrace of diversity, and the economic opportunities that Toronto offers African Americans -- particularly engineering professionals and others in the science and technology fields -- is what allowed NSBE to select Toronto and solidify our commitment to becoming a global organization," said Chancee Lundy, National Chairperson, National Society of Black Engineers.

Montreal native Sharon Jean-Baptiste, International Chairperson for the National Society of Black Engineers, added "We look forward to welcoming
international delegates to Toronto to join with us for this 'academic' spring break. The annual conference provides an opportunity to learn from and explore with peers from all corners of our global network, including future engineering students and professionals living here in Toronto.

"The competition to host major international conventions like the NSBE is intense. With the introduction of new self-contained venues and additions to
convention centres throughout North America, it takes considerable resources to successfully bring conventions to Toronto. Thanks to the sustainable funding generated by the 3% Destination Marketing Fee, Tourism Toronto is able to directly market Toronto to meeting and convention planners internationally, as well as to offer financial and services incentives to secure major convention wins.

About Tourism Toronto
Tourism Toronto, Toronto's Convention and Visitors Association, is an industry association of almost 1,000 members established to strategically
market the Greater Toronto Region as a remarkable destination for tourists, convention delegates and business travelers around the globe. Tourism Toronto generates the vast majority of its funding from the 3% Destination Marketing Fee collected from hotels within the Greater Toronto Region.
www.torontotourism.com

About the National Society of Black Engineers
The National Society of Black Engineers is the premier organization serving African Americans in engineering and technology. With 15,000 members
and over 300 chapters, NSBE supports and promotes the aspirations of university and pre-college students and technical professionals. www.nsbe.org

For further information: Media Contacts: Lisa Naccarato, Hill & Knowlton
Canada, (416) 413-4614, lisa.naccarato@hillandknowlton.ca; Andrew Weir,
Tourism Toronto, (416) 203-2600 ext. 117, aweir@torcvb.com