Each year, Sport Tourism Canada hosts Sport Events Congress (SEC), the largest sports tourism gathering in the country. This year, more than 300 people—representing national and provincial sports organizations, event rights holders and planners, event management firms, destination tourism professionals, and elected officials—travelled to Calgary, AB, to attend the event.
Fostering Relationships
During the three-day event, which I attended alongside the City of Kelowna's Community Development Coordinator, Brad Duquette, we connected with decision-makers of sporting organizations and event planners from across the country.
As part of the congress, we attended the Sport Events Exchange, meeting face-to-face with 14 national sports organizations and event organizers, including Ringette Canada, Special Olympics Canada, Canada Snowboard, Gymnastics Canada, and TransRockies Race Series to discuss specific hosting opportunities. These face-to-face meetings are an important first step in identifying those sporting events that could be hosted in Kelowna. They also help build and maintain strong relationships with the decision-makers at the national level.
What We Learned
SEC is also a conduit for organizations to share their knowledge, best practices, and innovative ideas. Across Canada, different sporting organizations and cities are facing similar challenges and this is a great opportunity for us to come together to discuss ideas and solutions on how to address some of the hurdles.
The opening plenary was centered on bulding the case for sport tourism investment and the impact that events can have on a community. Sporting events deliver not only on economic impact, but also social, cultural, and legacy impacts, which help build vibrant communities while inspiring healthy lifestyles. The panel was moderated by Carson Ackroyd from Tourism Calgary, and the panelists included Michelle Collens, Director of Sport Hosting Vancouver, Joseph Schow, Minister of Tourism and Sport for the Government of Alberta, and Mayor Bob Young from the City of Leduc.
The breakout sessions tackled some interesting and timely topics, such as bringing together sport, music, culture, and community (under the umbrella term, festivalization) to grow tourism impact. Curling Canada and Curling Alberta co-hosted the session, Rock Solid Partnership: Shaping the Future of Curling Together, which examined the critical relationship between national sport organizations (NSOs), provincial sport organizations, and destinaton organizations required to delivering successful events for all the stakeholders involved.
Why is SEC Important?
Sport tourism is a $7.4 billion industry and the fastest-growing segment of the tourism sector. SEC is organized by Sport Tourism Canada, the country's leading organization in sport tourism, which aims to increase Canada's capacity to attract and host sport tourism major events.
Attending SEC is vital to continue growing Kelowna as a premier sport-hosting destination. Face-to-face meetings with attending NSOs and event rights holders, many of which are headquartered in Eastern Canada, strengthen their relationships with Tourism Kelowna and put Kelowna in a position of strength when bidding on major events.
Major Event Strategy
Securing and supporting major events was formally strategized by Tourism Kelowna in 2016 when its Major Event Strategy was developed as an attraction framework to tap into the growing sport and event tourism industry, further the destination's national exposure, and be a significant driver of overnight visitation and economic activity. In partnership with the City of Kelowna, successes of the strategy include the 2025 Montana's Brier and 2019 Skate Canada International.
For more information on sport tourism, please contact me at (250) 861-1515 ext. 218 or sara@tourismkelowna.com.
