Toronto, ON: After almost being exclusively held in Europe, the International Mass Spectrometry Conference (IMSC) is making its North American debut in Toronto. From Aug. 20 to 26, more than 1,200 worldwide delegates will meet at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) to engage in learning and discourse in mass spectrometry, the determination and characterization of ionized molecules, including those that are of importance to the environment, industry, health, and medicine. The 21^st biennial conference, expected to infuse the local economy with approximately over $3.5 million in visitor spending, will bring the most recent findings in mass spectrometry science and practice to Canada, as well as showcase the work of Canadian scientists on a global stage.
 
“Canadian scientists have made significant contributions to mass spectrometry, and many of these advancements were made by Toronto-based scientists specifically,” said Professor Michael Siu, Vice President of Research and Innovation at the University of Windsor, who led the charge in bringing IMSC to Toronto as an Ambassador of the Leaders Circle. As a network of professionals across a variety of industries that works to bring international meetings to Toronto, the Leaders Circle partnered with Siu in 2012, who at the time held the title of President of the Canadian Society for Mass Spectrometry (CSMS). Through a highly competitive bid process, Siu successfully proved Toronto was the ideal world class city to host IMSC in 2016.
 
“Toronto has one of the highest concentrations of mass spectrometers in Canada, with the Greater Toronto Area being home to two mass spectrometry manufacturers, SCIEX (now part of Danaher) and IONICS (now part of PerkinElmer),” added Siu. What’s more, Toronto proved to be an enviable premier city to host IMSC with its standing as the financial capital of the country, as well as one of Canada’s largest cities with direct flight access from other major cities around the world.
 
The conference will present a dynamic week of daily scientific sessions, exhibitions, workshops, courses, and seminars, and those individuals who have made significant contributions in the field will be recognized formally with awards.
 
“It’s an honour to have been selected as the North American venue of choice for IMSC, a conference of vital importance to not only mass spectrometry science, but also its vast number of applications,” said Barry Smith, President and CEO of MTCC. “On behalf of Toronto I’d like to wish international delegates in attendance a highly productive and memorable time in our city.”
 

About the Metro Toronto Convention Centre
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is Canada's number one convention and trade show facility. Over the past 30 years, the Centre has hosted over 18,000 events, entertained more than 55 million guests and has added $5.1 billion in direct spending to the community. For further information, please visit mtccc.com.
 
Media Contact:
Christine Tse                                                                     
Marketing Manager                                                       
Metro Toronto Convention Centre                                                                                         
(416) 585-8106                                                  
ctse@mtccc.com