Reposted from the Events/conferences thread
City devotes $11 million per year to tourism agency while earmarking $2.5 million in sponsorship for yet-unnamed event bid
edmontonjournal.com
As Explore Edmonton brainstorms how to best use dedicated year-over-year funding, city council has offered $2.5 million in sponsorship money for a yet-to-be named major event the city is bidding on.
Following an in-camera session last Mionday, councillors voted 12-0, with Coun. Karen Principe absent, in favour of a motion decreeing “that a sponsorship agreement for the event as outlined in the community services report, if Edmonton is selected as the host city, for a sponsorship amount not to exceed a total of $2.5 million over three years, be approved, and the agreement be in form and content acceptable to the city manager,” and “that the community services report remain private until selection of candidate and/or host cities for the event is publicly announced.”
Tourism is big business for the city, so much so that council went against its stated goal to hold a property tax increase at 6.4 per cent just to ensure Explore Edmonton had $11 million in dedicated funding, bumping the tax increase to 6.9 per cent. But Mayor Andrew Knack says Edmontonians can expect to see $29 back into the economy for each dollar taxpayers put in.
If nothing else, Explore Edmonton is putting the city on the map. Longtime travel guide gurus at Lonely Planet named Edmonton as a top city in its 2025 “Best in Travel” list — placing the capital city alongside places such as Osaka, Japan; Genoa, Italy; and Toulouse, France.
That’s not the only high-profile lists Edmonton made recently. Burson International named the river city as the 22nd biggest sports city in the world, beating out Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. This puts the the city on par with world-record chasing Dubai, United Arab Emirates; global soccer Meccas such as Liverpool, Great Britain; Brisbane, Australia; and Mexico City, and baseball hubs Chicago and Boston, as well as Las Vegas.
Steady funding = Better results?
Having stable year-over-year funding will allow Explore Edmonton to establish extended campaigns in lucrative markets such as Britain or the Netherlands, said Arlindo Gomes, vice-president of business development and venue management at Explore Edmonton.
“From a long-term planning perspective, it allows us to make investments that make for stronger outcomes,” he said, adding the agency is brainstorming ways to use the long-term funding effectively. “Ideas like city attraction passes we could promote to visitors, or the concept of a hop-on, hop-off transportation that can connect our various visitor experiences.
“We don’t want to go in just for one year, developing markets is a multi-year focus, so this core funding is really important to help us do that.”
Gomes said Explore Edmonton comes to its $29 out for every dollar put in by looking at the number of people drawn into the city for an event — anyone coming to the city needs accommodation, which means a hotel room — and food, which means restaurants. Gomes noted Explore Edmonton is limited in how much money it can track, so officials may be underestimating the economic windfall from Explore Edmonton’s work. He added in 2024 tourism brought in $2.5 billion, though he added Explore Edmonton could only take credit for $444 million.
Gomes noted while bigger profile items tend to get most of the spotlight, more targeted campaigns are also yielding economic fruit.
“We’re always pleased to host Volleyball Canada National Championships — that’s an event that brings over 10,000 youth to Edmonton. There’s over 42,000 overnight visitors that visit our city during that two weeks they’re usually here. Events like that have a huge impact on small business, hotels and restaurants.”
Not just a hockey town
With the largest stretch of urban parkland in North America running through its centre, Edmonton stands out among its peers. A major draw for many to the city is the Ice District and the thrill of an Oilers game. During last year’s Stanley Cup run, more than 80,000 people stayed overnight in the city, bringing in excess of $266.7 million to the economy. Explore Edmonton used the opportunity for an advertising blitz in Florida, using billboards and social media to draw more than three million eyes towards the city. The “Our Time” campaign also draw eyes locally, with more than 100 businesses displaying posters.
But Edmonton isn’t just known for its cultural showcases and athletic contests — the city is also a culinary destination, voted in 2016 by readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine as the eighth best place to get pizza in the entire world. Gomes also highlighted the city has more than 50 festivals every year and noted the city makes a fantastic base camp for excursions to the Rocky Mountains, Elk Island Park or the many lesser known jewels of the region such as the Tawatinaw Valley Ski Area or the Pembina River.
A huge factor in the city’s success in drawing tourists is its inclusive culture. Gomes noted a good chunk of those visiting Edmonton stem from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The city is also a popular destination for people interested in Indigenous cultures, hosting the International Indigenous Tourism Conference each February.
Building on Edmonton’s inclusiveness is good for business, he added, saying tourism is quite “frictionless” for the city while other jurisdictions such as the United States muse about charging foreigners to visit national parks and examining social media feeds.
“Edmonton is really well positioned to draw in visitors from the U.S.,” he said. “There’s a low barrier to come to our city — we’re a welcoming city. So I think that positions us well to seek visitors from both U.S. and European destinations.”
In addition to reaching out to potential tourists, Explore Edmonton is caretaker of the Edmonton Expo Centre and Edmonton Convention Centre. The organization is also behind major annual events such as K-Days and the Canadian Finals Rodeo.
ebowling@postmedia.com
