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Shaw Centre, Dandurand Wines and Pelee Island Announce Three-Year Partnership

pelee island taken from an airplane

The Shaw Centre, Dandurand Wines and Pelee Island Winery announced a three-year partnership today that will provide conference attendees with world class selection of wines from Dandurand and wines from Canada’s best known and largest family-owned estate wineries. Through this partnership Dandurand and Pelee Island become the exclusive wine suppliers of the world-class meeting facility, with a presence at over 450 annual conferences, conventions, meetings and events, in front of almost 700,000 annual attendees and facility visitors. In addition to the exclusive supply rights, both Dandurand and Pelee Island will receive other advertising and activation opportunities within the facility.

“We’re extremely excited to bring both Dandurand Wines and Pelee Island Winery to the Shaw Centre and our guests,” said Shaw Centre’s Acting Director of Marketing and Partnerships, Josh Verch. “Having both these organizations as part of the Shaw Centre family will bring an unparalleled wine experience to our attendees, showcasing trends and creating an extraordinary event experience.”

“Our origins are an integral part of our strategy. They guide us towards the pursuit of our main goal: to create value for everyone. Through the years, we’ve managed to maintain an agile business with a human touch, all while developing the skills and practices you’d find in much larger, multinational companies.” Said Philippe Dandurand, founder of Dandurand Wines. Dandurand’s representation of 35 of the most prestigious wine producers in the world will allow the Shaw Centre to continuously stay on top of international wine trends and deliver an exceptional experience for attendees.

“Being able to showcase Canada’s best known and largest family-owned wineries and its product here at the Shaw Centre, Canada’s Meeting Place, is something that Pelee Island Winery is really looking forward to,” says Walter Schmoranz, Pelee Island Winery’s Winemaker and President. “Having access to over 450 events a year will allow us to work with various groups and provide them with some award-winning wine from the birthplace of wine growing in Canada.”

Pelee Island Winery is a certified Sustainable Winemaking Ontario winery and will be showcasing their Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay Unoaked as the featured Canadian whites along with their Cabernet Franc / Sauvignon and Baco Noir as the featured Canadian reds. Complementing the Canadian offering, Dandurand will be featuring the Trapiche Reserve Pino Grigio and the Trapiche Reserve Malbec as the main international wines. In addition to these featured wines, clients will have the ability to select from a number of award-winning wines offered by both Dandurand Wine and Pelee Island Winery.

This partnership will allow clients to work closely with Pelee Island Winery and Dandurand wines to ensure they have the best possible wine to create an extraordinary experience for their attendees.

About the Shaw Centre

Shaw Centre, previously known as the Ottawa Congress Centre was founded in 1983. The Centre was redeveloped into a new, larger facility with project funding from the Province of Ontario, the City of Ottawa and the Government of Canada which opened its doors in April 2011 as the Ottawa Convention Centre (OCC). In October 2014, the OCC entered into a 10-year partnership with Shaw Communications, rebranding the facility as the Shaw Centre. The state-of-the-art convention centre is a spectacular venue that induces economic impact by hosting conventions, conferences, meetings, and events. Recently named runner-up as the 2014 world’s best convention centre by the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC). The Shaw Centre welcomes over 700,000 guests annually to its facility and has hosted over 3,500 events since re-opening directly boosting Ottawa’s economy by over $500M in direct spending. The Centre is governed by a board of directors, managed by an expert team of professionals and operationally driven by inspired colleagues and selected suppliers whose main goal is to create extraordinary events. shaw-centre.com

About Dandurand Wines

Dandurand Wines which was founded in 1968, now with over 130 employees and 50 years of experience, is the largest family-run wine importation business in Canada. Dandurand represents 35 exclusive wine producers—leaders in their category—for a total volume approximating 4 million cases. It’s this vast and varied imported wine portfolio that makes Dandurand the undisputed choice of Canadian-wine-industry decision-makers. With offices in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, Dandurand maintains relationships with Canada’s various alcohol monopolies as well as the market’s main influencers. What’s more, Dandurand provides its partners with an experienced sales team in all ten provinces. vinsdandurand.com

About Pelee Island Winery

Founded in 1979, Pelee Island Winery is established as one of Canada’s best known and largest family-owned estate wineries. Home to the birthplace of wine growing in Canada with the Vin Villa vineyards, Pelee Island’s viticultural history predates Canada itself. Pelee Island is home to 700+ acres of vitis vinifera vineyards. Here, in an internationally recognized microclimate created by its extreme southerly latitude and the moderating effect of Lake Erie, the vines of Pelee Island Winery enjoy Canada’s longest growing season and thrive in the island’s rich limestone-based soils. The combination of sun, soil, lake and latitude create ideal grape-growing conditions and provide the source of Pelee Island Winery’s Award Winning Wines. peleeisland.com

For More Information

Josh Verch
Acting Director, Marketing and Partnerships
Shaw Centre
613-294-1528
jverch@shaw-centre.com