The 2015 Canada Winter Games will be tapping into the marketing expertise from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics to promote the local games.
The 2015 Canada Winter Games Host Society announced Thursday it has hired the Twentyten Group to act as the games' sponsorship agency. The Twentyten Group was founded by Andrea Shaw, former vice-president of sponsorship, sales and marketing for the 2010 Winter Olympics organizing committee.
"Forty per cent of our operating budget needs to come from private sources. Depending on the level of games we deliver ... we need to raise $12-15 million in private funding, that is sponsorships, ticket sales and merchandise," 2015 games CEO Stuart Ballantyne said.
Approximately $9 million to $12 million of that is expected to come from corporate sponsorship, Ballantyne said.
The Twentyten Group will help the 2015 Canada Winter Games open the doors and pocketbooks of corporate Canada, Ballantyne said.
"They have a tremendous amount of expertise. With the 2010 Winter Olympics they have had the most successful sponsorship campaign in Canada," he said. "The actual selling will be done by games staff. [But] they'll be building the briefcase for us to do the meetings."
Ballantyne would not disclose the value of the games' contract with Twentyten Group, but did say the contract works on a fee-for-service, rather than commission, basis.
"It's very affordable. It's way cheaper than hiring an additional employee," he added.
As of Thursday, no private sponsors have formally sponsored the games, Ballantyne said. However, initial discussions have been had with several potential sponsors.
Twentyten Group partner Bart Given said corporations are looking to make strategic sponsorship investments in their core markets and build employee affinity with their brand.
"The sponsorship environment is quite robust right now," Given said. "The strength of the 2015 Canada Winter Games, and the Canada Games in general, is you're looking for a corporation with like-minded values ... youth, sport, community values. That's why it's about doing the research and knowing where the sweet spots are."
Given said the firm will be working with the Winter Games organizers, using their database of corporate contacts, to make the right approach to the right corporations.
Prince George will host the Canada Winter Games from Feb. 13 to March 1, 2015. The games are projected to draw 2,100 young athletes competing in 20 sports.
The games are expected to generate $70 million to $90 million in local economic activity.
