There is a reason NEXT Foodservice + Hospitality Expo chose Calgary, you look at the numbers, the growth, and what is actually happening on the ground across Alberta and Western Canada, the answer is obvious.

Growth!

This province is not waiting for permission to lead. It is leading.

Alberta crossed the five million population mark in early 2025. According to Statistics Canada, the province was the only one in the country to register significant population growth through the second half of the year while most other provinces posted outright declines. For fourteen consecutive quarters, Alberta recorded the largest net gain from interprovincial migration in the country. People are not just visiting. They are moving here. They are eating here. They are opening businesses here.

Between July 2022 and July 2024, Alberta added close to 378,000 new residents. That is more than twice the entire population of Prince Edward Island in just two years. And those people need to eat. They need restaurants, catering, delivery, prepared meals, and everything that goes with feeding a fast-growing population.

Statistics Canada projects Alberta will surpass British Columbia in total population under almost every growth scenario. ATB Financial chief economist Mark Parsons put it plainly: Alberta has a demographic dividend. It has a younger population by virtue of attracting so many migrants who tend to be young, and if they stay and raise families here, that keeps Alberta’s population younger than everyone else’s.

Young people eat out. Young families drive demand. That is the operator’s opportunity. That is the vendor’s market.

Commercial real estate firm JLL reported that Calgary has the highest restaurant-spending growth across major Canadian markets. Over the past five years, dining-out spending in the city has grown 7.5 per cent annually, faster than Toronto, faster than Vancouver, faster than anywhere else in the country. Calgarians spend 44 per cent of their food budget on dining out. That number should make every vendor pay attention.

40th floor of Stephen Avenue Place. Panoramic city and mountain views. Modern cocktail-forward dining. This is Calgary punching above its weight in fine dining and proving the city supports premium concepts. Source: foodinSpace.net

The restaurant pipeline is stacked. In 2025 alone, more than two dozen significant openings hit the city, from international chains to independent concepts that are pushing boundaries. Wingstop confirmed three Calgary locations for 2026. Shake Shack is coming. Hello Nori is opening in Bridgeland. Toronto-based ramen spots and Japanese BBQ concepts are expanding west. The national food brands are not coming to Alberta because they are bored. They are coming because the math works.

One of Calgary’s hottest Italian openings. Handmade pasta, whipped ricotta, intimate vibe. Named to Canada’s 100 Best. The kind of independent operator success story that defines this market right now. Source: canadas100best.com

Quick-service, casual dining, and ethnic cuisines are leading the charge. Independent operators and small chains are outpacing large chains in traffic growth. That is the story across Canada right now, according to Circana, but it is especially true in Calgary where a diverse, growing, young population is hungry for something different.

Japanese charcoal-grill izakaya in the Beltline. Nationally recognized. Seasonal menus, craft cocktails. A perfect example of Calgary chefs doing world-class work with fire, technique, and creativity. Source: avenuecalgary.com

Calgary’s signature restaurant and patio strip. Dozens of independents, bars, and cafes packed into one walkable stretch. The street that shows the density and diversity of this city’s dining culture.

Calgary is home to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. The Stampede is known worldwide. But now it is also home to the largest convention centre in Western Canada.

The BMO Centre completed a $500 million expansion in June 2024. Over one million square feet of total event space. Capacity for 33,000 guests. 350,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. This is a Tier 1 international convention venue that puts Calgary in the same conversation as the biggest event cities on the continent. More than 500 conventions and events booked in before the doors even opened. The economic impact on Calgary is projected at $100 million annually.

Argentinian-inspired open-fire cooking in the Simmons Building, East Village. Steps from Stampede Park and the BMO Centre. The venue that put East Village on the food map and sits in the same neighbourhood as NEXT. Source: amainsider.com

This is where NEXT lives. September 13 and 14, 2026. A purpose-built facility with the infrastructure, the hospitality, and the energy to deliver. If you have never exhibited or attended a show at the BMO Centre, this September will change how you think about Western Canada.

Over 1 million square feet. $500 million expansion completed 2024. Western Canada’s largest convention centre. 350,000 sq ft of contiguous exhibit space. Home of NEXT Foodservice + Hospitality Expo. Source: Calgary Stampede / CMLC / City of Calgary

Canada’s foodservice industry is a $124 billion sector employing 1.2 million people. It is the number one source of first-time jobs in the country. Commercial foodservice revenue was up 6.9 per cent in the first seven months of 2025. Traffic grew 3.2 per cent across the sector in the first half of the year, with spending up 5.7 per cent. Those numbers came from Circana and Restaurants Canada. This is not guesswork.

But here is the other side. Insurance costs are up 14 per cent over two years. Food costs up 13 per cent. Labour costs up 11 per cent. Operators are spending an average of 37 per cent more on food due to tariff impacts. Nearly 80 per cent of operators report that tariffs and trade restrictions have added to their inventory challenges. Seven thousand Canadian restaurants closed in 2025.

Housed in the 1911 Dominion Bank building. Contemporary Italian. 10,000-bottle wine cellar. Over 25 years in operation. The kind of legacy venue that proves Calgary has deep roots, not just new openings. Source: Avenue Calgary / OpenTable

TouchBistro’s 2026 Canadian State of Restaurants Report surveyed 600 operators across the country with a specific focus on Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver. The finding that matters: 82 per cent of operators remain optimistic about their future. They are not giving up. They are adapting. They are investing in technology. They are cross-training staff. They are looking for better products, better suppliers, and better partners.

That is exactly what NEXT is built for. This is a buying show. Not a look-around. Deals close on the floor. Operators come to find solutions for rising costs, labour gaps, and menu innovation. Vendors come to meet the people writing the cheques.

The Alberta Food Processors Association represents a $28 billion food and beverage processing industry in this province. Growers, processors, retailers, foodservice buyers, and suppliers. The federal government just invested $1.5 million through the Regional Tariff Response Initiative to help Alberta food businesses adapt and compete. This province is being backed at every level because the opportunity is undeniable.

And yet, Western Canada has never had a foodservice and hospitality show that matches the scale of what is happening here. Until now. NEXT is now the second largest foodservice expo in Canada and the only one dedicated to serving the operators, chefs, owners, and procurement teams across Western Canada.

Fine dining in a restored 1891 heritage house in Inglewood. Canadian cuisine built on local and foraged ingredients. One of Calgary’s most decorated restaurants. Proof this city supports high-end, chef-driven concepts. Source: TripAdvisor

For food, tech, equipment, beverage, liquor vendors, this is about access to a market that is growing when other markets are shrinking. For operators, it is about walking the floor and finding the products, the technology, and the partnerships that will make their next twelve months better than their last.

NEXT is not just a trade show floor. It is a full-scale education and programming event designed around one goal: helping every operator, chef, and owner who walks through the doors run a stronger business when they leave. We are bringing in industry experts from across the country. People who have built brands, scaled operations, survived downturns, and come out ahead. They are not here to talk theory. They are here to show you what works.

The programming lineup includes keynote talks, expert-led panels, hands-on workshops, and focused presentations covering everything from food cost management and labour strategy to menu innovation, technology adoption, and marketing that actually drives traffic. This is real, tactical content built for the people doing the work every day.

That is what separates NEXT from a standard expo. Being the second largest foodservice show in Canada is one thing. Being the second largest foodservice education event in the country is another. We are both. The floor is where you find the products and partners. The programming is where you find the edge. Put them together and you walk out of two days in Calgary with a plan, not just a bag of brochures.

Modern Alberta steakhouse with views of the Rockies and Stampede Park. Dry-aged beef, tableside service. Western Canadian hospitality at its absolute best. Source: Avenue Calgary

Alberta is the fastest-growing province in the country. Calgary has the highest restaurant-spending growth of any major Canadian market. The BMO Centre is the largest convention facility in Western Canada. And NEXT is the show that brings operators and vendors together to do real business in the heart of it all.

See you at NEXT.