Ottawa Tourism and the Associated Country Women of the World are celebrating the successful conclusion of the 31st Triennial World Conference, held in Canada’s capital after an eight-year collaboration between the two organisations.
The relationship began in 2018, when ACWW first connected with the Ottawa Tourism team. Over the following years, the partnership grew through smaller events, regular touchpoints and close cooperation, culminating in ACWW’s global gathering at The Westin Ottawa.
Founded in 1929, ACWW brings together rural women and their organisations worldwide, supporting advocacy, policy development, grassroots projects and the empowerment of rural women. Its 2026 conference welcomed members to Ottawa for a week of governance, elections, resolutions, knowledge sharing and community connection, complemented by regional tours, cultural experiences, agricultural visits and a gala dinner at the Canadian Museum of History.
“This has been far more than a conference win for Ottawa,” said Michael Crockatt, President and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. “It has been the result of an eight-year relationship built on trust, listening and a shared ambition to create something meaningful for ACWW’s members.”
Nick Newland, Advocacy Director and Chief Privacy Officer at ACWW, said Ottawa understood the association’s purpose from the outset. “Delivering a global conference of this nature requires more than venue space and logistics. It requires a destination partner willing to work alongside the organiser over many years, to understand the audience, to help solve challenges and to keep the bigger impact in mind.”