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2019 Canada Winter Games: The dollars and sense of the 2019 Games

In 2019, we welcome up to 3,600 athletes, coaches and managers, 400 media, 20,000 visitors and over 100,000 spectors for the largest multi-sport and cultural event our community has ever hosted. With the eyes of the nation focused on our community, and with so many individuals investing their time, energy and money, the 2019 Canada Winter Games Host Society is dedicated to the delivery of a life shaping Games experience.
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A project the scope and scale of the 2019 Canada Winter Games depends on the generous support of Funding Parties and corporate sponsors. Eight sponsors were welcomed to the 2019 Games sponsor roster on Feb. 15. (Photo contributed by 2019 CANADA WINTER GAMES HOST SOCIETY)

In 2019, we welcome up to 3,600 athletes, coaches and managers, 400 media, 20,000 visitors and over 100,000 spectors for the largest multi-sport and cultural event our community has ever hosted. With the eyes of the nation focused on our community, and with so many individuals investing their time, energy and money, the 2019 Canada Winter Games Host Society is dedicated to the delivery of a life shaping Games experience.

While our primary responsibility is to deliver that life-shaping Games experience, we are also responsible for meeting the Canada Games Council standards, satisfying our Funding Parties’ requirements and managing a strict budget. All these responsibilities shape the expense side of the budget and define our revenue challenge.

Two-thirds of the 2019 Games budget is funded by three levels of the government, each contributing to our operational budget and to the capital legacies like the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, River Bend Golf & Recreation Area and Great Chief Park. The final third of our budget needs to be raised by the Host Society, close to $14 million for operating and $2 million in capital. As you do with any budget, we are constantly balancing planning choices for delivering the Games based on our revenue forecasts.

The society has chosen a diversified revenue plan with five distinct revenue streams. Each revenue stream serves a different goal and audience, which helps us engage as many different parties as possible.

Corporate Sponsorship ( >$50,000)

This is an opportunity to engage corporations in exchange for significant regional and national marketing reach, exclusive profile with Canada Games participants, activation opportunities, VIP interactions and the ability to contribute to build a stronger community in central Alberta.

Friends of the Games Sponsorship ($10,000-$49,999)

This category is for our sponsor that wants to support the 2019 Games without the large capital outlay required of corporate sponsorship. A storefront look package, Games time tickets and being a good community partner is the primary goal of this program.

Fundraising

Events like the Fire & Ice Gala and the Sheraton Celebrity Dance Off fall into this category along with casinos and other endeavors. This category gives individuals an opportunity to participate in the legacy building projects through attending the events, purchasing raffle tickets, supporting a celebrity dancer or volunteering at a casino night.

Donors

The Canada Games Celebration Plaza is an unique capital build that will be a lasting legacy of the 2019 Games and create a hub of activity in downtown Red Deer for generations. This provides individual donors, at a certain contribution level, with the opportunity to contribute to this project and have their name memorialized on the donor wall, a feature in the Canada Games Celebration Plaza.

Ticketing & Merchandising

By purchasing tickets and merchandise, the net proceeds help the bottom line of the Games.

Early engagement by the community, organizations and individuals in the revenue process allows for better choices to be made by the Host Society, as well allows for the sponsor or donor to engage with all the pre-Games fun and acknowledgment.

Another consideration worth noting is how the 2019 Games’ revenue process helps our community in the long run. These type of events attract corporations that might not otherwise engage in a community of Red Deer’s size. Once they have a connection to a community like ours, corporate partners often stay engaged for years to come through other non-profit organizations or events.

Our goal is ambitious, though our plan to meet the revenue targets is a strong one. We work hard to meet our revenue targets while at the same time working with our fellow non-profits. When 2019 closes, we will have all worked together to host a great event and create an even brighter future for central Alberta.

If you are interested in learning more about partnering with the 2019 Canada Winter Games, I encourage you to reach out through our website at www.canadagames.ca/2019.

Lyn Radford,

Board Chair, 2019 Canada Winter Games