Grand arches, high ceilings, marble tiles, natural light, an amazing view of the city's core - someone's dream home? No, it's the entrance to BMO Centre at Stampede Park, one of Western Canada's premier venues for trade and consumer shows, concerts, business meetings and themed events.

The newly expanded and renamed BMO Centre expansion was opened to the public last week, showing off a new 50,000 square-foot pillar-free hall, new meeting rooms, new entrances, a new plus 15 connector to the Stampede Casino and new back-of-house facilities.

"BMO Centre serves local, regional, national and international markets," said Orest Iwanylo, Calgary Stampede's facilities marketing manager. "We work closely with our tourism industry partners, looking to bring high-profile events such as the WorldSkills competition to Calgary. The entire city benefits when these kinds of events come to Stampede Park." WorldSkills Calgary 2009 in September, for example, is expected to bring an estimated $82.5 million in economic impact for the city.

The award-winning BMO Centre is one of the busiest facilities of its kind in North America hosting over 700,000 international attendees each year. The venue is also one of Calgary's largest and most versatile with 250,000 square feet of exhibition and meeting space and over 16,000 square meeting of meeting rooms. Add in other facilities across Stampede Park such as the Stampede Corral, agricultural facilities, amphitheatre, auditorium and the Grandstand, and event planners are thoroughly impressed.

"We are unique in our combination of large outdoor and indoor spaces, all within minutes of downtown Calgary," said Iwanylo. "We provide 'one-stop-shopping', award-winning food and beverage staff and experienced event coordinators. Our in-house offerings of everything from AV and electrical, to concession stands and security, make us unique in this marketplace."