Best Corporate Event Venues in Montreal
Whether you’re planning a conference, networking event, awards gala, holiday party, or executive retreat, choosing the right venue is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make.
As a Montreal corporate event photographer, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph events at many of the city’s leading venues, giving me a unique perspective on what makes each space work—not just for guests, but for creating a memorable experience.
In this guide, I’ve rounded up some of the best corporate event venues in Montreal, along with some insights into their atmosphere, layout, lighting, accessibility, and the types of events they’re best suited for.
Whether you’re an event planner, marketing professional, executive assistant, business owner, this list will help you find a venue that aligns with your goals while setting the stage for a successful event.
And, if you’re a fellow corporate event photographer in Montreal with an upcoming shoot at one of these event venues, what I share here will also be of help for you as you make your preparations.
Palais des Congres de Montreal
I feel like I should start with the big one. This is the Montreal event venue for those expecting hundreds, or thousands, of attendees; trade fairs, large-scale exhibitions, symposiums, celebrity presentations, that sort of thing.
It’s a concrete beast of a building, right in the centre of Montreal, with direct access to the Metro and all the city’s central landmarks. The Old Port and Notre-Dame cathedral are a short walk away.
The main exhibition hall is huge and well-lit, and the main presentation rooms also have great lighting, especially on the stages, as they’re really set up for large-scale events with panels and VIP speakers.
The breakout areas on the main levels are topped with huge windows, so there’s excellent natural lighting during the day. Likewise, there are floor to ceiling windows on the side with the multi-coloured glass and also in Le Chalet, a plant-lined networking area which is one of the Palais’ five themed lounges.
Some of the smaller rooms need a bit of love, and the lighting in those is not great, but they serve their function.
The catering is pretty good for such a big place and there are also food and drink franchises on the ground floor. Chinatown is also just across the road, so, if you have time, some of the best food Montreal has to offer is a few minutes walk away.
Click here for an example of my event photography from this venue
Le Centre Sheraton
Another big boy, and also central – just a stone’s throw from the Mary Queen of the World Cathedral, Sainte-Catherine Street West (for the shopping), and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts – and with easy access to major transport links.
It’s a solid, functional-feeling space, suitable for large- to mid-size events hosting low hundreds of people. I’ve photographed events here that have taken over all of the event space, and smaller ones that have only used a few rooms, or one floor.
The main ballroom is well lit – as is the secondary one often used for small trade fairs – although the stage lighting can sometimes be a little dim. The main networking area (just outside the main room), with its glass roof, has excellent natural lighting so is great for getting shots of delegates mingling, and in the middle of the day, the windows cast deep, barred shadows, which is good for any who want those kind of photos (which I often do), but can provide a temporary challenge for photographers who want even light.
Their catering is solid. To be honest, I never look forward to the food there (as I do in some places), but you always know that you’ll get good quality and friendly service.
The main thing to be aware of, particularly if you’re thinking of event layout, or if you’re a business event photographer, is that the smaller conference rooms and breakout rooms tend to have low ceilings and are quite thin in both directions. So, either you have a presenter at the front of a long, narrow wedge of people, or wide, narrow wedge of people. The former is not much of an issue, especially from a photography point of view, but the latter can be a little tricky as, whether flash is allowed or not, shots from the side are hard to illuminate evenly.
Add to this that some of the small conference rooms have an uneven mix of natural and artificial light or no natural light at all, and that the stage areas tend to be lit directly from above by recessed lighting rather than a front stage wash, you have a situation that can be difficult to illuminate evenly, with or without flash.
But that’s not a problem. There’s a lot photographers can do with their camera settings and in post to event things out, it’s just something to be aware of.
If you need large group photos, there are a couple locations inside the hotel that can work if there are less than 200 people – by the stairs on the main conference level, or outside the gift shop – but larger groups might need to go outside. There’s a wide area of steps outside the office block opposite. To be honest, I haven’t shot a group photo outside yet, it’s just an idea for now.
Click here for an example of my event photography from this venue
Sheraton Laval
From one Sheraton to another. This venue in Laval is probably one of my favourite venues to shoot at.
It’s a clean, modern space, with an excellent layout. They have a lot of large rooms, so it’s suitable for larger events, and their whole set-up just feels of a high quality.
While it’s not in central Montreal, which could be an issue for some event organisers, it’s not far from the airport, so it works particularly well for events where most people will be flying in.
And it’s a great corporate event and conference venue. With its great variety of rooms (one big enough to host a private Cirque du Soleil performance), which are all well lit, with good acoustics, and a lot of flexibility for different layouts. The smaller breakout rooms are bathed in natural light, so they are a breeze to photograph in during the day.
Even though it’s a large space, its still manages to feel quite compact, with all of the main event rooms on one floor. So it’s easy, whether you’re a guest or a photographer, to move between the rooms quickly.
As befitting a hotel that played host to a conference of hotel managers, the hospitality is first rate, and the food is too.
So, it’s a little off the beaten path compared to the other venues in Montreal, but it’s a great, friendly, well-serviced option that I always look forward to visiting.
Click here for an example of my event photography from this venue
Montreal Marriott Chateau Champlain
A classy venue, another one of the big boys, also in central Montreal, and situated just a block away from Le Centre Sheraton.
They have multiple, and large conference rooms, so this venue is suitable for bigger events. It also works for smaller, networking events, as they have suites of smaller conference rooms on the upper floors. As they have a lot of options, and the roms are quite spread out, it can mean, for larger events, that guests might need to move a lot between floors, and may find some of the rooms (e.g. the office-style breakout rooms on the ground floor) a little difficult to locate.
The upper rooms have good natural light, which is great sometimes (and particularly good if you need to set up a business headshot area), but can prove tricky at certain times of the day for photography when you get high-contrast shadows. It’s also true that if the light outside is particularly direct, screen presentations can be a little difficult to see, even if the curtains are drawn.
But these rooms have character, good layouts, and in the evening, the view of city lights through the window provides a pretty backdrop.
The stage lighting is clear and consistent in the conference rooms and downstairs ballroom, so presentations and panels are clear and easy to photograph.
The beautiful, atmospheric Caf’Conc is also in the bowels of the hotel, and it’s a great place to host dinner, drinks, and evening networking. Photographers need both flash skills and/or a camera with great low-light capabilities in there – it’s pretty dark.
As for the food, well, I think it may be the best I’ve had at an event venue. The catering team never fails to deliver deliciousness!
Click here for an example of my event photography from this venue
Double Tree Hilton
This is a good corporate event venue in the Place des Arts area of Montreal. Super-central, with great public transport links, and easy access to many of Montreal’s cultural centres, such as the Maison Symphonique and the Theatre Maisonneuve.
The main conference room is well-lit and kind of funky, with its interlocking ceiling lights and patterned glass panels on the side walls, which make for some interesting shots.
In terms of event photography, I have no complaints. I’ve always found their lighting makes it very easy to get consistent photos there.
And they have a very handsome rooftop bar, which is great for getting shots of guests socialising and networking.
Click here for an example of my event photography from this venue
Hilton Garden Inn Montreal Midtown
Another Hilton, this one is in Montreal’s midtown area, but close to Metro stations and the airport.
This is a good place for medium- to smaller-sized events. The breakout rooms are quite small, but the main conference room is huge, and has floor-to ceiling mirrors on the sides, which can make for some interesting compositions. There’s also wood-panelling in the conference room, which give it a nice texture and warm feel, although photographers need to take care of their white balance, as things can look a bit yellow.
The stage wash can be a bit dim, so make sure to check in with AV team before you start shooting, to make sure your presenters and panellists have enough light on their faces for clear shots.
As for the networking areas, their well-lit and compact, so it’s easy to get good shots of delegates mingling during coffee breaks or meals, and the outdoor bar area is also great for networking shots.
The food here is excellent. So good, in fact, that it becomes a topic of conversation.
Click here for an example of my event photography from this venue
BANQ
An interesting corporate event venue inside a library at one of Montreal’s public transport hubs, Berri-UQAM.
There are networking areas and breakout rooms in the basement of the library, and they are well-lit and of a decent size for mid-sized event.
Its standout feature, though, is the 284-seater auditorium. The sound and stage-lighting are excellent, and the seating steps aren’t on too steep an angle, which means that, for a photographer, there are plenty of good angles from which to take photos.
Click here for an example of my event photography from this venue
Omni Mont-Royal
I find this quite a charming venue, warm and woody in parts of its interior, and directly on Sherbrooke Street in the Golden Mile, with easy access to great local restaurants and the Mont-Royal park itself.
It’s a good location for a mid-sized event or gala dinner, with spacious networking areas which have character and are flash-friendly (although photographers be careful not to bounce off the wood panels, unless you like red faces).
One of the conference rooms has mirrored walls and pillars too, which allows photographers to get creative.
The main conference room is kind of narrow and wide, in a similar way to some of the rooms in Le Centre Sheraton, although in a less pronounced way, so, coupled with the consistent and even lighting, doesn’t cause any problems.
Click here for an example of my event photography from this venue
Centre Mont-Royal
This is just around the corner from the Omni. It has the same owner (I believe), so this is where events that are too big for the Omni are normally held.
I wouldn’t say it’s the prettiest venue, but it’s a solid all-rounder with lots of space, a good variety of areas, great, even lighting in the main conference room and the networking areas.
The event catering is good, and the location, same as the Omni, is central, and great for guests being able to see the Montreal sights during their downtime.
Click here for an example of my event photography from this venue
Le Balcon
A quirky little venue in the heart of Montreal, Le Balcon is a cabaret lounge in the back of a church close to Place-des-Arts that hosts many different kinds of events, corporate among them.
The interior is very nice, wood, stained glass, so it makes for interesting photos. It’s easy to light with flash, too, during networking, as there are lots of surfaces to bounce off, and during presentations or panels, they have good stage lighting. I mean, they have a lot of music events here, so they know what they’re doing. This also means the sound is good.
So, if you’re looking for a venue with a difference, that can comfortably hold 120 people or so (its maximum capacity is 300, but that wouldn’t be pleasant for a business event) then this could be a great option.
Click here for an example of my event photography from this venue
Montreal Corporate Event Venue FAQs
Which Montreal venues have the best event lighting?
If you mean the stage wash, for consistent presenter and panel lighting, then the Palais des Congres and the BANQ have my vote.
For all-round lighting quality in conference rooms, networking areas, and breakout rooms, I’d go with the Sheraton Laval.
Which venues work best for networking photography?
Most Montreal venues have a space for this, but my favourites from this list would be Le Balcon, the Marriott Chateau Champlain, the Omni Mont-Royal, and the Double Tree Hilton.
Le Balcon is set up primarily for event networking, and it’s a unique, compact venue; at the Marriott I like the lighting in the networking rooms, with the variety of light, and the night backdrop if the event runs late; the Omni has a cigar-lounge kind of feel in places; and the Double Tree Hilton’s rooftop bar is great for networking shots.
Of course, if you are having an event that’s purely networking, you can really spread your net wide when it comes to choosing a location.
I’ve also shot corporate networking events in Montreal offices, pubs, bars, and theatres, to name a few.
Which venues are easiest for large group photos?
Probably Le Centre Sheraton, as it has a couple of good options inside, and the potential of an outside shot.
Theoretically (as I haven’t taken a group photo here yet), I imagine the BANQ, with its auditorium, would be great for a large group photo, either with delegates in the seats and the photographer shooting from the stage, or with everyone on the stage and the photographer shooting from the seats. Both would work well.
Which venues have outdoor spaces for portraits?
Some of these places have outdoor areas suitable for taking portraits. The Sheraton Laval has an outdoor area, Le Centre Sheraton has an outdoor patio, and the Hilton Garden Inn Montreal Midtown has an outdoor bar area.
Event if they don’t have an outdoor area, most of these places have an area with excellent natural light. Le Centre Sheraton has its networking area outside the main conference room, the lobby of the BANQ has floor-to-ceiling windows, the upper level of the Palais is also filled with natural light, and both the Omni and the Centre Mont-Royal have areas surrounded by large windows that would work for portraits.
To my mind, though, the Marriott Chateau Champlain has the best indoor space for portraits as long as you are using the upper floors. It’s easy to set up a simple headshot studio next to one of the windows. The light can be modified/diffused with the curtain, and there’s no need to use a backdrop as the walls are a smooth, light grey, which is a common colour for modern-looking business portraits.
Which venues allow flash photography?
All of them. Although a corporate event photographer will know when and when not to use flash.
Generally nowadays, flash is only used during networking, if at all, as modern mirrorless cameras have enough low-light capability not to need it.
Which venues have the most photogenic interiors?
It really depends what you are looking for, but…
…the Balcon is unique, as is the Caf’Conc in the Marriott Chateau Champlain’s basement. The Omni Mont-Royal has a woody charm. The Sheraton Laval is clean and modern.
I like the main conference room in the Double Tree Hilton, and its rooftop bar.
In terms of breakout rooms, the best interiors are in the Sheraton Laval.
Which venues are best for keynote speakers?
Most of them are pretty good, but I’d have to say that the standouts are the Palais des Congres de Montreal and the BANQ.
Which venues are easiest for same-day photo delivery?
All of the venues here have on-site Wi-fi, and all of them either have a room or a quiet corner where the photographer could send files to their client.
Which venues have the best event catering?
The Marriott Chateau Champlain, the Hilton Garden Inn Montreal Midtown, and the Sheraton Laval, in that order.
You may also like
Mitch Altman
