Submitted by BC Gov Communications
Following on the success of the 2015 Canada Winter Games, the Government of British Columbia has introduced two new measures to further promote British Columbia as a world-class event hosting destination.
Coralee Oakes, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, and Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour, announced that the Province is undertaking the development of a five-year hosting strategy to support communities and organizations in making B.C. the destination of choice for sport and cultural events.
In support of the five-year strategy, Oakes also announced a $250,000 one-time funding opportunity – EventHostBC – which encourages small events that strengthen volunteer capacity for event hosting throughout the province.
Eligible non-profits are invited to apply for up to $5,000, awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, distributed to B.C.’s six tourism regions. The funding will provide a stimulus for new events or assist existing events that are currently ineligible for other provincial government funding.
The new five-year hosting strategy will capitalize further on the international exposure the province received during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the success of the recent Canada Winter Games held in Prince George – both of these events resulted in positive economic benefits.
To maximize event hosting opportunities, a provincial Hosting Toolkit is being developed that will help communities and organizations attract, manage and leverage events to boost tourism revenue and support economic diversification. This toolkit will include:
• A provincewide rec facility inventory;
• an economic impact assessment tool;
• bid package templates;
• volunteer training and management tools;
• sponsorship package templates and sponsor recruitment resources; and
• a way to document and share lessons learned.
The Government of British Columbia provides more than $3.2 million annually toward sport event hosting, and to support arts and culture event hosting through the BC Arts Council and gaming grants.
EventHostBC grant applications and eligibility guidelines can be found online at:
http://www.cscd.gov.bc.ca/arts_culture/EventHostBC.htm
