mr.x
March 30th, 2007, 02:56 AM
Seattle, Vancouver to study co-hosting events
Bruce Constantineau
Vancouver Sun
Thursday, March 29, 2007
SEATTLE - Vancouver and Seattle tourism officials will still consider co-hosting a future Summer Olympics or World Cup of Soccer, but they'll also look at creating smaller and less expensive new international events to attract visitors to the region.
How about an annual Vancouver-to-Seattle boat race, similar to the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race in Australia? Or both cities hosting an international soccer tournament featuring the best teams from around the world. Maybe even a two-nation cycling tour.
Those were just some of the ideas discussed here Wednesday when the boards of Tourism Vancouver and Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau met to follow up their first joint meeting held in Vancouver six months ago.
At that time, they agreed to join forces to try to attract a post-2010 global mega-event like the 2018 World Cup of Soccer, a world's fair around 2020 or the 2028 Summer Olympics.
But board members seem overwhelmed after hearing a report on the costs and effort involved in attracting those events and voted to further study the costs and benefits of bidding for them or creating new events from scratch. The boards will meet again within a year.
The report -- from Sarah Kirby Yung of Tourism Vancouver and Ralph Morton from the Seattle Sports Commission -- noted Germany spent about $2 billion to host the 2006 World Cup while China will spend $23 billion to host the Summer Olympics next year.
Tourism Vancouver chairman Jim Storie said the decision to further examine the costs and strategies of future Vancouver-Seattle tourism initiatives makes sense.
"When you see a $23-billion price tag for the Olympics, you think 'Whoa!' " he said in an interview. "We see the consternation around the cost of the [2010 Winter] Olympics now. Reasonable people feel that's just too big a price tag to pay."
Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau president Don Welsh said there are many Vancouver-Seattle event opportunities beyond the high-cost mega-events.
"We need to flush some opportunities out and find out what is realistic financially and go from there," he said. "Let's still look at some big events, but not get so focused on them that we lose sight of some smaller opportunities."
Welsh noted B.C. residents are heavily focused on the costs of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler and may not have the appetite to support another huge project right now, even if it won't be held for another 20 years.
"But if we do some smaller events first, that might gain more support," he said.
Grouse Mountain Resorts Ltd. president Stuart McLaughlin told the meeting the 2010 Olympics seemed like a pipedream for Vancouver at one time but it became a reality.
"So let's keep our eye on the big [events] and decide if we have the courage to go for them," he said. "But let's also go after some smaller things that show our communities we're capable of working together."
The report from Yung and Morton noted Vancouver has hosted major international sporting events like the World Figure Skating Championships and the Molson Indy "but what are its plans to capitalize on the momentum created by the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games?"
Seattle has hosted all-star games, the NCAA Final Four basketball championships and the 1990 Goodwill Games but the report asks "what has it done lately?"
The report said mega-events like the World Cup and Olympics would clearly offer major economic benefits to the region.
"But a can-do attitude is needed to stay in the running," the report states. "This region needs to see itself as THE host of such events . . . the region needs to think big and take even bigger actions."
Morton told the meeting it takes "vision, public will and leadership" to go after big events and feels Vancouver has developed a confident attitude since winning the 2010 games.
"We see this attitude and confidence Vancouver has and Seattle is starting to pick up on that now," he said. "Hopefully we're going to learn something from you guys and be an asset in making your [Olympic] event a big success."
Washington state community, trade and economic development department representative Larry Williams said a state task force looking at issues around the 2010 Olympics will approach the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee with some ideas about marketing the games in Washington state.
He said the task force has considered the idea of building an Olympic countdown clock in Seattle to build greater awareness of the games and state officials would also like to see the Olympic torch relay pass through Washington state.
bconstantineau@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2007
Bruce Constantineau
Vancouver Sun
Thursday, March 29, 2007
SEATTLE - Vancouver and Seattle tourism officials will still consider co-hosting a future Summer Olympics or World Cup of Soccer, but they'll also look at creating smaller and less expensive new international events to attract visitors to the region.
How about an annual Vancouver-to-Seattle boat race, similar to the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race in Australia? Or both cities hosting an international soccer tournament featuring the best teams from around the world. Maybe even a two-nation cycling tour.
Those were just some of the ideas discussed here Wednesday when the boards of Tourism Vancouver and Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau met to follow up their first joint meeting held in Vancouver six months ago.
At that time, they agreed to join forces to try to attract a post-2010 global mega-event like the 2018 World Cup of Soccer, a world's fair around 2020 or the 2028 Summer Olympics.
But board members seem overwhelmed after hearing a report on the costs and effort involved in attracting those events and voted to further study the costs and benefits of bidding for them or creating new events from scratch. The boards will meet again within a year.
The report -- from Sarah Kirby Yung of Tourism Vancouver and Ralph Morton from the Seattle Sports Commission -- noted Germany spent about $2 billion to host the 2006 World Cup while China will spend $23 billion to host the Summer Olympics next year.
Tourism Vancouver chairman Jim Storie said the decision to further examine the costs and strategies of future Vancouver-Seattle tourism initiatives makes sense.
"When you see a $23-billion price tag for the Olympics, you think 'Whoa!' " he said in an interview. "We see the consternation around the cost of the [2010 Winter] Olympics now. Reasonable people feel that's just too big a price tag to pay."
Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau president Don Welsh said there are many Vancouver-Seattle event opportunities beyond the high-cost mega-events.
"We need to flush some opportunities out and find out what is realistic financially and go from there," he said. "Let's still look at some big events, but not get so focused on them that we lose sight of some smaller opportunities."
Welsh noted B.C. residents are heavily focused on the costs of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler and may not have the appetite to support another huge project right now, even if it won't be held for another 20 years.
"But if we do some smaller events first, that might gain more support," he said.
Grouse Mountain Resorts Ltd. president Stuart McLaughlin told the meeting the 2010 Olympics seemed like a pipedream for Vancouver at one time but it became a reality.
"So let's keep our eye on the big [events] and decide if we have the courage to go for them," he said. "But let's also go after some smaller things that show our communities we're capable of working together."
The report from Yung and Morton noted Vancouver has hosted major international sporting events like the World Figure Skating Championships and the Molson Indy "but what are its plans to capitalize on the momentum created by the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games?"
Seattle has hosted all-star games, the NCAA Final Four basketball championships and the 1990 Goodwill Games but the report asks "what has it done lately?"
The report said mega-events like the World Cup and Olympics would clearly offer major economic benefits to the region.
"But a can-do attitude is needed to stay in the running," the report states. "This region needs to see itself as THE host of such events . . . the region needs to think big and take even bigger actions."
Morton told the meeting it takes "vision, public will and leadership" to go after big events and feels Vancouver has developed a confident attitude since winning the 2010 games.
"We see this attitude and confidence Vancouver has and Seattle is starting to pick up on that now," he said. "Hopefully we're going to learn something from you guys and be an asset in making your [Olympic] event a big success."
Washington state community, trade and economic development department representative Larry Williams said a state task force looking at issues around the 2010 Olympics will approach the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee with some ideas about marketing the games in Washington state.
He said the task force has considered the idea of building an Olympic countdown clock in Seattle to build greater awareness of the games and state officials would also like to see the Olympic torch relay pass through Washington state.
bconstantineau@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2007