The opening ceremony of the 2019 Canada Winter Games took place in front of a packed Westerner Park Centrium on Feb. 15, 2019. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

shooting for first place

Red Deer aiming to be top major event destination by 2030

Apr 26, 2021 | 5:49 PM

The City of Red Deer and Tourism Red Deer are collaborating on a strategy to see central Alberta’s hub become the top destination in Canada, among mid-sized centres, for major sports and arts/cultural events by 2030.

On Monday, city council adopted the Red Deer Major Event Strategy and Destination Development Framework – crafted by Expedition Management Consulting — which will serve as the backdrop for a future plan’s implementation, sometime in Q1 2022.

Red Deer has hosted several major events in recent years including the Memorial Cup, Canada Winter Games and Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Hosting major events such as these has become part of Red Deer’s identity, a council report states.

The Winter Games, which had initial expenditures of $68.3 million, brought in over $110 million in economic activity. Nearly 350 local jobs were supported by the event and more than 26,000 visitors came from out of town.

The 2018 AUMA Convention and Trade Show and Canadian Finals Rodeo are also noted.

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The strategy says Red Deer should capitalize on the momentum created by these events, meantime recognizing the strong demand for arts and cultural events across the province.

A graphic from the Red Deer Major Event Strategy and Destination Development Framework, adopted April 26. (City of Red Deer)

AN ORGANIZATION TO LEAD

The problem, which a new plan would rectify, is The City lacks a lead organization dedicated to attracting major events like these.

The framework recommends The City develop what’s called a Destination Development Corporation (DDC). The City would work with Tourism Red Deer to see it become the DDC, though it’s noted Tourism Red Deer, in its current form, can’t fully deliver on the DDC’s mandate.

“Now work begins to develop an implementation plan and we will work with them on a transition committee to determine details, resources and who will do what,” says Tara Lodewyk, Director of Planning.

The DDC would include several stakeholders, including from the City, Westerner Park, RDC, Chamber of Commerce, the tourism and hospitality sector, arts and culture, sport, the Downtown Business Association and members of the public.

City council identified positioning Red Deer as a premier destination for tourism and major events as a key strategic priority in its 2019-2022 Strategic Plan.

A statement by council when that took place said, “Red Deer is a chosen destination. We are a four-season destination where visitors and residents enjoy our parks, trails and distinctive amenities, all within our ‘city in a park.’ Centrally located in the province, we attract events that generate investment and enhance our community identity.”

Tourism Red Deer and The City also worked together in 2019 on the Tourism Joint Venture, establishing goals for enhancing visitor experience within the Red Deer region. That plan was adopted in summer 2019.

The framework reviewed six comparator destinations, including Kelowna, Moncton, Calgary, Edmonton, Niagara Parks Commission and St. Lawrence Parks Commission.

The first two were selected for their similar size to Red Deer, the two big Alberta cities for their proximity, and the latter to assess the potential of unique organizational models.

Meantime, concerns include where funding for the DDC will come from and displacement of local and regional events.

“We know that events come in many sizes, from mega to major, regional and community, and we need all of them,” Lodewyk adds. “We want to move forward and find out many major events we can handle, what the best time of year is to have them while supporting and growing community and regional events. It’s a balance.”

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The framework notes Red Deer’s strengths include a large volunteer base, high quality venues, a strong track record, a large supply of accommodations, central location and proximity to major airports, strong transportation links, and strong interest from local stakeholders.

Among the city’s weaknesses: a lack of organization, venues struggling with financial sustainability, a gap in higher-end accommodations, no air passenger service into the city, no large-scale convention centre and negative perceptions around crime and safety.

Getting to the finish line could be a battle, Lodewyk admits. Red Deer currently sits 5^th among cities with 50-150K people on Sport Tourism Canada’s Sport Hosting Index for 2020 behind Kelowna (#1), Kamloops, Langley and Victoria.

Red Deer sits 18^th overall, ahead of places like Vancouver, Fredericton and London.

“The strategy identifies a great focus on destination development. That’s where there’s a gap; how are we taking our great infrastructure and marketing it as a package? Hosting is one thing, but hosts want to know their event attendees and participants have other things to do while here,” says Lodewyk.

“This is something we know we’re going to have to be competitive about with other communities.”

The full strategy starts on page 33 of this week’s council agenda.