The Vital Elements Business Events Need to Drive Lasting Legacies

At Destination Canada, our multi-year Legacy & Impact Study is examining events held here to uncover strategies that associations can use to leave a lasting impact.  

Below, you’ll discover our Year Two findings, offering a clear roadmap for associations, decision makers and event planners.   

We introduce nine legacy drivers to help you plan with purpose, reinforce four success factors to amplify impact, share the profound potential legacies of business events and address the consequences of neglecting these elements.  

We know that business events can unleash powerful ripple effects long after they end, inspiring transformative collaborations, economic development, talent attraction and innovation.  

In turn, we understand that associations want to demonstrate value to members, shape public opinion about their industries, and align with values of sustainability and social responsibility.  

In sharing these findings with you, we hope to connect the dots so you can strategically design events that create waves of positive change that endure for years to come.  

Legacy Drivers  

Legacy drivers are specific activities that can be intentionally designed for a dual purpose—achieving immediate impact during the event and establishing the conditions for long-term benefits that align with the conference’s overarching objectives.   

Our research identified nine legacy drivers that enable business events to create meaningful changes:   

• Knowledge Transfer   
• Capacity Building   
• Sector Innovation   
• Legacy Frameworks  
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives   
• Showcasing Local Expertise   
• Sustainable Practices  
• Community Engagement   
• Advocacy Activities  

These drivers produce real-world outcomes, from influencing international policies to boosting local business growth. They demonstrate how strategic event planning can accelerate economic development, drive policy reform, spark innovation and strengthen entire industries.   

Example: Leveraging the Legacy Frameworks driver can include collaboratively developing and adopting international strategies, providing actionable frameworks for global challenges. It can also integrate local leadership and set benchmarks for future events in related sectors. The Edmonton Declaration is a good example of this. Created as part of the CitiesIPCC Cities and Climate Change Science Conference, the declaration calls on mayors to take the mantle of leadership on climate change and has been endorsed by more than 4,500 municipalities.  

Success Factors  

Year Two findings reinforce the importance of the four key success factors established in Year One. When leveraged effectively, these strategies generate meaningful intellectual, policy and social impacts, ensuring events deliver both immediate and long-term value:  

• Pre-Event Activities: Awareness campaigns, cross-sectoral advisory committees, and pre-conference workshops set the stage for powerful events that strengthen communities of practice, develop formal networks and increase policy influence.  
• DMO Involvement: Destination marketing organizations (DMOs) play a key role in connecting event organizers with local ecosystems and governments, enhancing attendees’ experience of the destination, leading to greater cultural connectivity, increased public engagement and stronger policy influence.
• Government Participation: Events with active government involvement yield higher social and policy impacts, such as sector recognition, policy influence and incorporation of diverse perspectives.
• External Collaboration: Partnerships with local organizations and stakeholders amplify the event’s reach and impact, help share new ideas and theories, increase business for local vendors, strengthen inclusion of diverse voices, and showcase local expertise and Indigenous representation.  

Example: DMO involvement can prove pivotal in achieving an event’s legacy goals. The International AIDS Conference offers a powerful example of this. Tourisme Montréal and the Palais des Congrès de Montréal supported the International AIDS Society and the local organizing committee, piloting a local social impact strategy to increase the potential for positive event outcomes. They were key in convening a local impact taskforce to support pre-event collaborations that facilitated an array of community-led awareness efforts surrounding the official event.  

Profound Outcomes  

Each of the business events analyzed is unique, but common themes emerge, offering valuable insights for decision makers aiming to maximize impact and outcomes. Social outcomes are the most frequently cited, followed by intellectual and policy outcomes.   

• Social outcomes included formal network development, strengthened community of practice, international collaborations, diverse perspectives, and awareness of social issues.  
• Intellectual outcomes included the sharing of new ideas or theories, training opportunities for local talent, and the creation of research opportunities.
• Policy outcomes included sector recognition by government, influence on political leadership, and global media exposure.  

Example: The “Women in Nuclear” session during the International Conference on Isotopes in Saskatoon is a clear example of intellectual outcomes, showcasing the contributions of women in nuclear science and technology—and helping to strengthen the profile of female scientists. 

Intentional Planning  

A key takeaway from this year’s findings is the growing recognition of legacy planning as a core strategy, rather than a post-event consideration.   

Events that incorporate legacy objectives from the outset, especially those aligned with tangible social, intellectual and political outcomes, consistently deliver greater long-term value than those focused solely on immediate logistics or economic return.   

The events studied offer compelling evidence of what intentional event design can achieve. The outcomes are both substantial and strategic. These aren’t incidental wins—they’re the product of purposeful planning, inclusive engagement and a commitment to lasting legacy.   

Key principles:  

• Strategic alignment with government priorities to drive policy reform  
• Early collaboration with diverse stakeholders to strengthen partnerships  
• Pre-event advocacy activities to amplify the event’s relevance   

Consequences of Failing to Plan  

While business events hold significant potential to create lasting positive impacts, fully capturing and maximizing these benefits requires overcoming several challenges.  

Lack of Intentional Legacy Planning  

Without proactive planning for legacy outcomes, events risk delivering only temporary activities with limited societal value. Too often, legacy is treated as a post-event consideration, rather than an embedded component of event conception and design. This reactive approach limits the depth and duration of event outcomes, weakening their potential to foster systemic change.  

Over-reliance on Traditional Economic Metrics  

Business events continue to be evaluated primarily on short-term economic indicators such as attendance figures and tourism spend. While these are important, they do not capture broader societal benefits, such as policy influence, community development, or knowledge transfer. The absence of widespread adoption of legacy-based impact metrics undermines efforts to articulate the full value of events.   

Fragmentation of Stakeholder Collaboration  

Events with limited or late-stage engagement from governments, community organizations and local institutions fail to generate broader buy-in or lasting partnerships. Successful case studies demonstrate that early and intentional cross-sectoral collaboration— particularly involving academia, industry, civil society and Indigenous communities—is essential, yet inconsistently applied across events.    

Challenges in Measuring Long-Term Impact   

Attributing long-term change, such as sustained economic growth or sectoral reform, directly to events remains complex. This is compounded by a lack of robust tracking systems post-event, making it difficult to follow up on commitments, monitor legacy progress and assess ongoing value creation.  

What’s Next?  

In 2026, we will share a final report with collated evidence and case studies, identifying the key learnings, processes, successes and opportunities arising from the research.  

Learn More  

To read the Legacy & Impact Study insights reports and case studies, visit the Destination Canada website.