Tourism Winnipeg

14 2019 Destination Marketing Plan and Partnership Opportunities Tactics Tourism Winnipeg has developed strategic sales activities in collaboration with stakeholders to increase the number of sports and special events held in Winnipeg. A focused sales approach, with compelling messaging as well as enhanced promotional materials and an engaging website, assist in meeting Tourism Winnipeg's goals and objectives. Industry Collaboration Tourism Winnipeg continues to collaborate with Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage (specifically the Manitoba Sport Secretariat), the City of Winnipeg, and sports stakeholders in a coordinated approach to acquire major sports and special events. Tourism Winnipeg will leverage hosting opportunities for sports and special events. Sales Activities Tourism Winnipeg's sales activities include prospecting, in- person sales meetings, follow-up calls, distribution of sales kits, relationship building, presentations, proposals and bids, customized site inspections, economic impact studies, advertising programs and event servicing. A concerted effort has been made to increase prospecting calls to attract new business. Tourism Winnipeg will also focus sales activities in the sports and cultural arts communities. Trade Shows, Marketplaces and Client Events Tourism Winnipeg will attend the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance's annual congress to promote Winnipeg as a desirable destination for amateur and major sports events. In addition to attending the conference, Tourism Winnipeg invites national sport organizations located in Ottawa to Team Winnipeg's client events, which increases Winnipeg's profile as a sports destination. 2019 Sports Sales Initiatives (subject to change) March 19-21 Sport Events Congress, Ottawa, ON May Sales Blitz, Ottawa, ON Fall Eastern Consortium, Ottawa, ON Winnipeg Sport Tourism Advisory Committee Tourism Winnipeg will continue to collaborate with local leaders to target high-profile sports and special events. The committee takes a cohesive approach to event attraction to further position Winnipeg as a world-class host city that offers robust coaching and professional sport expertise, superior sport infrastructure, and a broad volunteer base. Sport Manitoba Tourism Winnipeg will continue to meet with Sport Manitoba's individual sport executive directors on a regular basis to strengthen relationships and foster ongoing communications. Tourism Winnipeg will also host a sport forum workshop for the executive directors of provincial sports organizations, to share industry updates and tools that can be used to attract major sports events to Winnipeg. Tourism Winnipeg will attend local sports events and annual general meetings to encourage organizations to bring their regional and national competitions to Winnipeg. Response to Request for Proposals (RFPs) and Bid Presentations Tourism Winnipeg will continue to advance the quality and effectiveness of RFPs and bids through Simpleview, Tourism Winnipeg's customer relations management system. This will ensure the city is showcased as the ideal sports and special events destination that will result in a higher conversion rate for greater success. As of June 30 2018, Tourism Winnipeg and stakeholders responded to 12 bid requests, which have resulted in the award of four events to date and pending decisions on an additional four events. This compares to last year's Jan. to June 2017 results of nine bids, that resulted in three events and awaiting decisions on an additional six events. Sports and Special Events Marketing Tourism Winnipeg will continue to produce dynamic Winnipeg content featuring the latest developments and value propositions that promote Winnipeg as a major sports and special events destination. Tourism Winnipeg will use its attendance-building materials and video testimonials, as well as access to information and reports through Simpleview, to position Winnipeg as a viable destination. Other promotional materials, such as signage, digital content, and an online sport venue directory will be created to support the sales and sponsorship activities. Tourism Winnipeg will also continue to enhance the sport tourism section of its website. Tyler Walsh

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