Sport Events Congress 2003: Building Business through Sport wrapped up this past weekend at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa…
Sport Events Congress 2003: Building Business through Sport wrapped up this past weekend at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa. The conference, a collaborative initiative between the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance and the Canadian Tourism Commission, attracted 204 participants, a 63% increase over 2002. Congress delegates included representatives of national, multi-sport and major Games organizations, destination marketing organizations, economic development agencies, federal/provincial ministries of sport and tourism and suppliers of goods and services to the industry.
Notable Conference speakers included:
- Paul DeVillers, Secretary of State (Amateur Sport);
- Steve Podborski, Executive Director of International Relations, Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation;
- Michael Beckerman, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing, BMO Financial Group;
- Tracy Hanson, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, MasterCard Canada;
- Michael Merrall, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, IMG Canada.
Highlights of this year’s Congress included an expanded Sport Events Marketplace, Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model (STEAM) Training Workshops, Canada’s first Public Sector Forum on Sport Tourism and a host of other educational and networking sessions.
The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance elected its new Board of Directors at its Annual General Meeting held in conjunction with the Congress. Elected to the Board were Todd Brandt (Saskatoon), Doug Kryzanowski (Lethbridge), Ursula Thiboutot (Ottawa), Lynda Généreux (Sherbrooke) and Andrée Steel (Ottawa). Kevin Carson (Saint John), Gary Curgin (London), Greg Edgelow (Vancouver), Bob Graham (London) and Pat Shewchuk (Brantford) have one year remaining on their terms.
The Board of Directors unanimously re-elected Andrée Steel, Vice President, Sales and Marketing with the Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority, to a two-year term as President. We’re delighted with the phenomenal success of this past weekend and with the overwhelming response to our leading edge industry tools. We look forward to building on our sport and tourism partnerships as we continue to grow the sport tourism industry in communities across Canada.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
