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Business Overview
Vancouver’s location on the Pacific Rim and the western terminus of Canada's transcontinental highway and rail routes makes is one of the nation's largest industrial centers. Traditionally, the primary sector has remained dominant in the city drawing on the vast wealth of resources of British Columbia. Even today, the industries that represent the largest proportion in Vancouver are in the forestry and mining sectors followed by construction, food distribution and retail.

Agriculture, export and transshipment industries are also the other important sectors taking advantage of the city's rail, road and sea connections. However, Vancouver's port can be recognized as the lifeblood of city’s commerce and trade. One of busiest port of North America and ranking in the top 20 in the world, the Port carries around 70 million tonnes of cargo adding hundreds of millions to the economy. The Port further supports the other important maritime industries of the city like Cruise and shipbuilding. In the recent years though Vancouver has also become an important center for software development, biotechnology and a vibrant film industry.

Nevertheless, service sector acts as a core of Vancouver’s economy employing around 80% of city’s population. From hotels, restaurants, transportation companies to customer sales, service and destination-marketing support, Vancouver's Service Edge commitment ensures the very best. With tourism and financial services leading the sector, the city’s convention industry is too a big business. Consistently rated as one of the top 10 meeting and convention destinations year after year, Vancouver today is the proud host of the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games.

This multicultural city is further an excellent host of reputed expos, shows and festivals, an evidence of this being the success of Expo’86 which not only received far more than 20 lakhs visitors but also led to city’s development to a great extend..

Major Business Centers
Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Center (VCEC):
Located on the waterfront in downtown Vancouver (Canada Place) surrounded by mountains, the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Center is British Columbia’s flagship convention facility.

VCEC has more than 150,000 sq. ft of exhibition, ballroom and meeting space with high quality banqueting, service and technical excellence.

Owned by the British Columbia Pavilion Corporation, the center was awarded the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC) "Apex Award" for the "World's Best Congress Center" in 2002.

BC Place Stadium:

The Stadium is the largest multi-purpose sports, exhibition & entertainment facility in Canada with 75,000 to 247,000 sq. ft of space. Not just the world's largest air supported domed stadium, BC Place is also home to the province's largest trade and consumer shows from cars to boats and industry to gardens.

The venue is home to some of the biggest moments in BC’s sports history and the future host of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies. This versatile place can be converted from a football stadium packed with 60,000 screaming BC Lions fans to a concert, party or exhibition hall.

Major Commercial Areas
Commercial Drive:
Commercial Drive is a mixed residential-commercial area with a high proportion of local ethnic stores, community groups, Edwardian-style heritage buildings and European-style cafes, bars, restaurants, entertainment venues, businesses and public housing. Better known as "The Drive", the place is highly dominated by the commercial and cultural facilities. The district is also one of Vancouver's Business Improvement Areas (BIA). The drive is always rustling with active street festival culture, as it is home to notable annual events like the Vancouver Dyke March in August, Parade of the Lost Souls in October and many more.

The region is a local transit hub that is well connected by many different bus routes as well as the Skytrain.

Edgemont Village:
Edgemont is rather a smaller commercial area in the District of North Vancouver. "The Village", as it is known locally, has become the community hub for the residential neighbourhoods.

Efficiently linked with the rest of the city, the area is home to several businesses, along with variety of shops, restaurants and professional offices. The "heart" of the Village however lies in its community services like library, community police office and the regular community events on Village streets.

Throughout the summers, Edgemont hosts frequent public concerts, community days, and celebrations like "Wild Lights Lantern Festival".

Major Manufacturing Zones
The False Creek Flats Industrial Area:
Located just to the east of the heart of the city, the False Creek Flats Industrial area is spread over 235 acres of area. Besides possessing its own 50 acres of rail yards, the area is also home to a variety of light industrial and service industries such as wholesaling, manufacturing and automotive shops.

The Flats is going through an extended period of readjustment. Around 147 acres (63% of the total) of its land is zoned I-2 for light industry and the remainder is assigned for parks or future City works yards, rail yards, and other lands that are likely to be rezoned for other uses in the near future.

A large percentage of industrial activity in the Flats is city serving, businesses providing goods and services for other businesses and individuals in the city.

Location: Near BC Parkway

Major Activities: Wholesaling, Automotive Repairs & Printing

Port Vancouver:
Port Vancouver is Canada's busiest and largest Port and is also the most diversified port on the continent. The Port generates more than 30,000 direct jobs through its activities like maritime cargo, cruise industry, capital investment in Port facilities, shipbuilding & repair and non-maritime enterprises.

It has 28 terminals and many other waterfront facilities with city's industrial areas accommodating Port rail yards.

The Port of Vancouver trades goods worth billions with more than 90 countries annually.

Major Activities: Maritime Cargo, Cruise Industry & Shipbuilding