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The International Association for Earthquake Engineering (IAEE) has chosen Montréal to host the 19th edition of the World Conference on Earthquake Engineering 2028 (WCEE 2028). From October 1 to 6, 2028, some 3,200 specialists from around the world will meet at the Palais des congrès de Montréal for this major event that will generate significant intellectual benefits and close to $7 million in economic spinoffs for Montréal and Québec.
This success is the fruit of a close collaboration between the Palais des congrès de Montréal and Tourisme Montréal, offering Montréal and Québec a unique opportunity to carve out a position in this critical field of engineering and seismic resilience. This will be the second time only that the conference will have been held in Canada—after its 2004 edition in Vancouver.
The Montréal event will be the first to benefit from two new government funds set up over the last year to attract major international conferences to Canada and Québec: the International Convention Attraction Fund (ICAF), administered by Destination Canada, and the Fonds pour stimuler le tourisme d’affaires international (FSTAI), a fund to stimulate international business tourism, initiated by Québec’s ministry of tourism. In addition to government funding, the other decisive factors for Montréal were its accessibility, the Palais des congrès’ engagement and the city’s academic and industrial vitality. These assets tipped the balance in favour of Montréal over other cities like Guadalajara, Mexico; Taipei, Taiwan; Los Angeles, United States; Auckland, New Zealand; and New Delhi, India.
Montréal’s bid, submitted and retained in July 2024 in Milan at the last WCEE conference, distinguished itself with a proposal that included a carefully structured, high social impact budget. Significant funds were presented to support the participation of delegates from less wealthy countries as well as a World Bank Group program designed to bolster the seismic resilience of schools in at-risk zones.
In Milan, Elissa Golberg, Canadian Ambassador to Italy, and Laurence Fouquette-L’Anglais, Québec’s Delegate in Rome, confirmed the support of the Canadian and Québec governments for Montréal’s bid, reflecting a joint effort between Québec and British Columbia, the academic world and the industrial sector. Composed of eight female experts and eight male experts, thereby ensuring the representation of women in earthquake engineering, the Canadian committee was co-chaired by Professors Carlos Ventura (University of British Columbia) and Marie-José Nollet (École de technologie supérieure), and led and coordinated by Professor Sanda Koboevic (Polytechnique Montréal). This parity committee played a vital role in securing the WCEE 2028.
Organized by the Canadian Association of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (CAEES), this world conference will bring together specialists, researchers, engineers and businesses working on earthquake engineering under the theme “COLLABORATE, LEARN, INNOVATE and IMPLEMENT: Building a Safer and More Resilient World TOGETHER.”
Hosting the WCEE in 2028 is an exceptional opportunity to showcase local expertise in earthquake engineering and to advance knowledge on prevention and seismic resilience. Canada, which records approximately 1,500 earth tremors per year—including over 1,000 in the country’s western region where the cities of Vancouver and Victoria are particularly vulnerable—will benefit from this international platform to strengthen the security and resilience of earthquake-vulnerable communities.
It’s an honour for me to have co-chaired this promotional committee composed of experts from various Canadian universities, with remarkable gender parity. Eight women among the committee’s sixteen members helped to develop this bid, a first for an organizing committee in the field of earthquake engineering. Diversity, explored from multiple angles, is one of the conference’s key themes and we managed to do it justice by reflecting diversity in the composition of our committee.
Marie-José Nollet, Eng., PhD, Dean of Studies and Professor at École de technologie supérieure (ETS)
Working with the Palais des congrès team on its bid has truly been a privilege and a very enriching experience. This journey has been an opportunity to engage in inspiring exchanges and to meet top-notch professionals in the field. Coming out the winner in this process alongside such impressive players is a huge source of pride, but what’s really thrilling is knowing that this conference will have a positive and lasting impact on our students, professors and researchers, while helping to bring Québec into the spotlight. It’s an amazing opportunity to welcome this conference to Montréal, a region that is exposed to seismic activities and that will come away well-informed and knowledgeable.
Nathalie Roy, Eng., PhD, Professor at Université de Sherbrooke
Winning the WCEE 2028 is an incredible opportunity to make new contacts, learn, network and enhance the visibility of Montréal and Québec. This international conference will have significant intellectual and economic benefits and will leave a lasting legacy in the community. In line with our mission to promote Québec’s economic growth and social progress, the WCEE 2028 will foster knowledge exchange from a sustainable development perspective. We’re honoured to be hosting the 19th edition and we’re sincerely grateful to all the experts and partners who have contributed to this success.
Emmanuelle Legault, President and CEO of the Palais des congrès de Montréal
Our Business Events Montreal team has done incredible work in collaboration with the Palais des congrès de Montréal to attract the WCEE to our city. Montréal’s engineering achievements have carved out a place of pride for us on the world stage, making our city the obvious choice for this important conference. Hosting this event in 2028 will boost our reputation as a city of academic research and knowledge as well as a destination of choice for international gatherings.
Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal