2008 World Hockey Scores Economic Legacies

While the gold medal ultimately eluded Team Canada on the May 14 final of the 2008 IIHF World Championship, Halifax and Nova Scotia are celebrating the major economic wins of co-hosting the largest annual winter sporting event in the world.

“From the Latvian spirit for sport in cheering until the very end, to hosting high-profile sports legends and Canadian leaders, Halifax was infused with an energy, spirit and optimism that only major events can generate,” says Trade Centre Limited CEO Fred MacGillivray, who chaired the event.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was among the avid hockey fans who took in the high-calibre action during the Team Canada versus Finland game on May 12 at the Halifax Metro Centre. “Halifax did an outstanding job of hosting the IIHF World Championship and is certainly a model for future hosts,” Mr. Harper wrote in a letter thanking Events Halifax and the TCL team.

International visitors and players from all of the participating teams enjoyed our famous Maritime hospitality. “I don’t think there could have been a better city than Halifax to host this (2008 IIHF World Championship),” Team Canada forward Rick Nash told the Chronicle-Herald.

Indeed, the lasting memories for both visitors and residents alike feel just as significant as the wide-reaching economic impacts:

• 203,925 people attended the Halifax portion of the 2008 IIHF World Hockey Championship.
• Approximately 12,000 hotel room nights were booked directly for this event.
• Visitor, capital and operational spending generated an estimated $22.3 million in economic activity in the province.
• More than 120 jobs were created which will generate an expected $6.2 million in wages and salaries for Nova Scotia.
• 602 volunteers each signed up for 50-plus hours of service for this event.
• Taxes supported by the event are estimated to total $3.39 million.
• The 2008 IIHF World Hockey Championship was televised live in 25 countries to an estimated worldwide viewership of over 560 million.
• Learn More: IIHF Quick Facts »

The event’s success is thanks in part to Trade Centre Limited’s unique events hosting model, in which all complementary business units play a role. Events Halifax compiled the hosting bid and had a direct role in the planning and daily operations of the event, while Ticket Atlantic sold the seating packages, Halifax Metro Centre provided the arena, the World Trade and Convention Centre hosted support staff, media and Fan Fest events along with the 1976 Canada Cup Alumni gala, and the World Trade Centre Atlantic Canada engaged trade partners from participating countries in business development initiatives.

May marked the very first time that the World Championship was hosted in Canada in the IIHF’s 100-year history. Partnership funding with the City of Halifax, Province of Nova Scotia and the federal government through ACOA, as well as private sector sponsorship, made this event possible.

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Halifax bids on World Junior Championship

In mid-June, the Events Halifax team presented its bid to co-host the 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship with partners in Moncton, New Brunswick. MacGillivray thinks the odds of winning the bid are stacked in Halifax’s favour. “We are an event-ready city with engaged partners and seasoned volunteers that are the backbone of these events,” he says.

In 2003, Halifax broke all previous records for attendance and revenue for the World Juniors when 242,173 spectators turned out for the games, creating a $20-million economic impact for the city and province.

This time, Halifax/Moncton is up against Winnipeg/Brandon and Saskatoon/Regina. The decision is expected before the end of July.

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CHEF’S CORNER

Nova Scotia wines are ready for their close-upTrade Centre Limited’s executive chef, Christophe Luzeux, will be among the local culinary talent showcased on the internationally televised food and wine show, Hollywood and Vines. Luzeux spoke with celebrity hosts Jason Priestley and Terry David Mulligan about Nova Scotia’s culinary landscape, and prepared the gourmet picnic baskets the duo enjoyed while touring the province’s wine country.

“We interview celebrities and locals and give viewers a whole different perspective on food, wine and travel,” said Priestley, while making on-air visits to Halifax’s morning radio shows with TCL communications manager Barb Stegemann. “We know the coverage will intrigue people around the world with Nova Scotia.”

Trade Centre Limited was among eight partners — including Nova Scotia Come to Life, the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Destination Halifax and Delta Hotels — who cooperated to host the film crew. The Nova Scotia episode will air in January 2009 on Super Channel.

Mentoring the labour force

In late May, the WTCC catering team enjoyed a visit from a group of culinary apprentices who are training in the art of baking. They all had one thing in common: that spark, that eager look that says, “We’ll take on any challenge and make it work.”

The challenges in this career — and the opportunities — are many and varied. Often these bakers-in-training will be hard at work by 4:00 am, setting the breads, proofing danish and croissants, baking muffins, slicing sweet loaves and arranging display trays. All this required before 7:00 am, with focus, organization and a smile. Sound like fun? These skills and mindset are what’s needed to perform at a high level in our industry.

These apprentices already have the desire to create. With practice and solid mentorship, they’ll perfect their ability to achieve their goals.
 
A shrinking pool of skilled labour is a critical issue for Chefs and their kitchens. By providing a nurturing, creative and opportunistic environment that offers stability and work-life balance, WTCC can help these recruits to flourish and contribute to this growing industry, whatever the market demands. The seeds have been planted, now let’s watch the garden grow!

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SportAccord 2008

Sport tourism is a $2.5-billion industry in Canada, and Events Halifaxis working to ensure Nova Scotia gets a piece of that action by promoting the province as a premier host for high-profile sporting events.

The EH! team, in partnership with Destination Halifax and other Canadian sport tourism organizations, recently participated in the 2008 SportAccord Conference in Athens, Greece as part of a Team Canada mission.

This annual international convention brings together representatives from 100 international sports federations and the International Olympic Committee executive board, with sponsors, bidding and host cities, architects, sports lawyers, broadcasters, games organizing committees, rights holders and other specialists to discuss the key issues facing the sports industry.

Participating in SportAccord offered Events Halifax a powerful networking environment in which to build relationships, exchange knowledge and develop ideas. By attracting and connecting with the right people and businesses, the organization is helping to develop the major event sector in Nova Scotia and make sporting events success stories.

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Hospitality Ahoy for Clipper Crews


Crews participating in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race savoured a taste of Nova Scotia’s world-renowned hospitality during their visit June 8-16.

“After being showered with kindness and warmth, rivers of beer and an abundance of food, we were ready to set off again… [but] sad to leave Halifax,” wrote Jay Martin, a sailor on the Westernaustralia2011.com yacht, on the team’s Crew Blog. Martin is among 180 crew members from 27 countries who enjoyed a full slate of activities during a port visit he called one of his favourites.

In fact, Nova Scotia won the unofficial award for best stopover “by a country mile,” according to crew member JC, aboard the Nova Scotia. (View photos from the crews' stopover in Halifax.)

The yachts are crewed by non-professional sailors from all walks of life, led by professional skippers and sponsored by territories around the world. Ten international teams include nine Canadians aboard the Nova Scotia-sponsored vessel.

Organized by TCL’s Events Halifax division, the Nova Scotia stopover was the twelfth of 14 port visits on the race’s 65,000-kilometre circumnavigational route, which began in Liverpool, UK, last September and will finish there on July 5.

“For the past nine months, we’ve had a yacht… branded with novascotia.com racing around the world and promoting Nova Scotia,” says the province’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Bill Dooks. This kind of exposure — a global audience of more than 200 million people and a projected $8 million media value — is invaluable to driving tourism and business development opportunities to the province.

Minister Dooks sailed onboard the Nova Scotia from Halifax to Sydney for the special Democracy 250 Cup, before the yachts departed Canada for Cork, Ireland on June 16 in the event’s penultimate leg.

The week-long visit offers a lasting impact over and above the $4 million it will inject into the province’s economy. (View Clipper Fast Facts ») Four Nova Scotians have already signed up to crew for the 2009-10 Clipper Race with another 20 expressing serious interest. And the Events Halifax team is negotiating the possibility of hosting a stopover during that race, as well as the 2010 Atlantic Ocean Sprint, with partnerships from major national and multi-national corporations.

Check out full event details and race standings online at www.clipperroundtheworld.com, and be sure to tune in this fall to Outdoor Life Network to see Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies on board the Nova Scotia from Cork to Liverpool in segments of his show, “Ed’s Up.”

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Youth Export Mentoring Program

Are you a young entrepreneur who’s interested in achieving more success earlier in your career? If you want to export your product or increase your current export sales, and if you have an interest in travel and learning about other business cultures, then the Youth Export Mentoring Program can help.

The World Trade Centre Atlantic Canada(WTCAC) is coordinating an intensive new program that’s tailored to business owners and senior decision-makers who are 35 years old or younger. By participating in the 14-month program you will:

• grow your business by building new relationships and making sales in a new market
• develop concrete business skills through 60 hours of mentoring and training with an experienced consultant
• understand and experience all the steps to succeed as an exporter

 
For more information on the program, please contact Bill Aasvangen at baasvangen@tradecentrelimited.com or 421-1302 Ext. 277.

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Play with the Stars

Under a brilliant blue sky on June 9, more than 150 golfers rubbed shoulders with 30 local celebrities on the links at Granite Springs, when the Halifax Metro Centre hosted its annual Play with the Stars golf tournament in support of the Learning Disabilities Association of Nova Scotia (LDANS).

“Play with the Stars is near and dear to the hearts of all Metro Centre staff,” says Scott Ferguson, TCL’s executive vice-president. HMC has helped to raise close to $330,000 through the golf tournament’s ten years. “All monies raised go directly to supporting LDANS’ programs and services, most notably the LINKS Children’s Literacy Program, which continues to be a valuable resource in our community,” explains Ferguson.

In the past year, the LINKS program has grown beyond Metro to include locations in Wolfville, Sydney, St. John’s, Fredericton and Winnipeg. The Learning Disabilities Association of Nova Scotia is a charitable not-for-profit association providing education, programs, research and advocacy to advance the full participation of children, youth and adults with learning disabilities in Nova Scotia.

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The Green Link

TCL is taking strides to minimize our impact on the environment. Among the many green solutions we have recently implemented — new water-conserving fixtures, energy-efficient lighting, composting and organics programs — we are also happy to announce that future issues of TCL’s LINK will be produced exclusively in electronic format. Feedback from our community stakeholders is so important to us, and we appreciate your partnership in helping us conserve paper.

To ensure you continue to receive all the latest event news from Trade Centre Limited via e-mail, please sign up for the LINK e-newsletter on the homepage of our website at www.tradecentrelimited.com.

You can also view and download a list of our environmental initiatives from the WTCC Halifax website. Learn more...

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