Where to hold a conference in Nanaimo
This guide covers 16 mapped venues in Nanaimo, British Columbia, what each one holds, and how attendees get to them. Port Theatre Main Auditorium is the largest room on record at 804 seats.
Port Theatre Main Auditorium states a capacity of 804. The dots show what event67 would bill at that head count, and where the price stops.
Nanaimo venue landscape
Nanaimo has a recorded population of 99,863 (2021), in British Columbia.
Across the city the dataset records 1 exhibition or convention hall, 1 dedicated conference and function space, 1 arena or stadium, 8 theatres and concert halls and 5 independent event spaces.
That is roughly 16 venues per hundred thousand residents, which is a dense field for a city this size — you will usually have a second choice at the same capacity.
By type that is 5 theatres, 5 event spaces, 3 performing-arts centres and 1 conference centre, plus a longer tail below.
Exhibition and convention halls (1)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 330 - View Gallery and Exhibition Centre | exhibition centre | not published | 2.3 km (1.4 mi) |
Conference and function space (1)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Island Conference Centre | conference centre | not published | 0.3 km (0.2 mi) |
Arenas and stadiums (1)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weyerhaeuser Arena | arena | not published | 63 km (39 mi) |
Theatres and concert halls (8)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Theatre Main Auditorium | theatre | 804 | 0.3 km (0.2 mi) |
| Malaspina Theatre | theatre | 293 | 2.2 km (1.4 mi) |
| Sid Williams Civic Theatre | theatre | not published | 96 km (60 mi) |
| Gabriola Theatre Centre | performing-arts centre | not published | 15 km (9.6 mi) |
| Capitol Theatre | theatre | not published | 63 km (39 mi) |
| The Village Theatre - E.C.H.O. Players Society | theatre | not published | 42 km (26 mi) |
| Knox United Church | performing-arts centre | not published | 34 km (21 mi) |
| Pender Harbour Music School | performing-arts centre | not published | 51 km (32 mi) |
Independent event spaces (5)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Theatre Lobby | event space | 500 | 0.3 km (0.2 mi) |
| Sid Williams Theatre Auditorium | event space | 497 | 96 km (60 mi) |
| The Knox Sanctuary | event space | 350 | 34 km (21 mi) |
| Black Brook Lodge | event space | not published | 57 km (35 mi) |
| Qualicum Beach Civic Centre | event space | not published | 42 km (26 mi) |
Every venue mapped in Nanaimo appears above. The ones with enough published detail to be worth reading have their own guide and are linked; the rest are named here, which is honest about what the record holds without giving each of them a page made of three facts.
Where an exhibition fits
One venue in Nanaimo is classified as exhibition or convention space.
- 330 - View Gallery and Exhibition Centresize not published
Capacities are the figure the venue or an encyclopaedia entry published. They are usually the seated maximum, and the same room in banquet or reception layout can differ by half. Confirm the layout you want before you plan around a number.
Getting attendees to Nanaimo
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is 55 km (34 mi) away, far enough that arrival day is genuinely a travel day and a first session before noon will lose people.
Nanaimo keeps Vancouver time (America/Vancouver), which matters most for the remote speakers you are dialling in.
Richmond, Vancouver and Delta are close enough to draw from for a day rate, and to fall back on if Nanaimo has nothing free on your dates.
- Nearest major airport
- YVR
- Vancouver International Airport, 55 km (34 mi)
- Local time
- UTC−7
- America/Vancouver, in September
- City population, 2021
- 99,863
- Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (table 98-10-0002)
Worth knowing before you sign
Arrival is a half-day
55 km (34 mi) from YVR means most attendees lose a morning to travel. Open registration the evening before and put nothing you care about in the first slot.
A worked example, sized to Nanaimo
Suppose 800 attendees claim their invite and open the app at a Nanaimo event sized to Port Theatre Main Auditorium, the largest stated capacity in the Nanaimo dataset. Here is exactly what event67 charges, with the free 50 taken off the top.
- activated attendees
- 800activated attendees
- billable, after the first 50 are free
- 750billable, after the first 50 are free
- for the whole event, at CA$7 each
- CA$5,250for the whole event, at CA$7 each
You are billed for people, not for the venue, so the room you choose in Nanaimo does not change this figure. Nothing is charged for an attendee who registers and never opens the app.
Which kind of event this suits
804 seats is the largest room on record, so Nanaimo suits a training programme, a regional chapter meeting or a single-track conference rather than an exhibition.
- trade shows and exhibitions
1 exhibition or convention hall means a booth plan is possible in Nanaimo without renting a marquee.
- multi-track conferences
The exhibition space here doubles as plenary space when the floor is cleared.
- association annual meetings
An association meeting needs one big room, several small ones and a hotel block, which is the combination Nanaimo is set up for.
- award ceremonies
8 fixed-seat houses give you a stage, lighting and sightlines without building any of it.
- training days and workshops
1 purpose-built function space is the easiest kind of room to run a workshop in — the power and the load-in already assume it.
Where this data comes from
- GeoNames, CC BY 4.0
- Statistics Canada, 2021 Census
- Wikidata, CC0
- Geographic data © GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Venue data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License.
- Contains information from Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, used under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
- Retrieved 3 September 2026. event67 has no commercial relationship with any venue listed.
Last updated
What it costs
- Free up to 50
- activated attendees, on one live event
- CA$7
- per activated attendee beyond 50
- CA$6,650
- the most one event can ever cost, whatever happens past 1,000
Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
Questions people actually ask
What does an event app cost for a 800-person event in Nanaimo?
800 activated attendees means 750 billable after the free 50, so CA$5,250 for the event. The price is CA$7 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, and the total for one event stops at CA$6,650 however many more attend. Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
What is the largest venue in Nanaimo?
Of the 16 venues mapped in Nanaimo, the largest stated capacity belongs to Port Theatre Main Auditorium at 804. Capacities in open data are the figure the venue itself published, and they are the seated number rather than a standing or exhibition figure, so confirm the layout you actually want before you plan around it.
Does Nanaimo have a convention centre?
Yes — 1 venue is classified as exhibition or convention space in Nanaimo, including 330 - View Gallery and Exhibition Centre. Exhibition halls are booked by floor area rather than by seat, so ask for the hall sheet with column spacing and load-in access rather than a capacity number.
Which airport do attendees fly into for Nanaimo?
Vancouver International Airport (YVR), about 55 km (34 mi) from the city. It is the highest-traffic airport within reach in this dataset. Local time is America/Vancouver; publish every session in that zone and let attendees' phones convert it.
Is there a free tier for a small Nanaimo event?
One live event with up to 50 activated attendees costs nothing. Beyond that it is CA$7 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, and the total for one event stops at CA$6,650 however many more attend. Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
Is event67 billed in Canadian dollars for a Nanaimo event?
Yes. Canadian events are billed at CA$7 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, capped at CA$6,650 for one event. That is a flat local price we charge in Canadian dollars, not a conversion of the US figure.
Keep reading
Nearby cities
- Holding an event in Richmond
4 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Vancouver
94 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Delta
7 venues mapped
- Holding an event in North Vancouver
3 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Burnaby
10 venues mapped
Up a level
Running something in Nanaimo?
Set the schedule, invite the room and watch who actually turns up. Free for your first 50 activated attendees, on one live event.