Ottawa, ON: The dates and locations for Canada’s largest gathering of its vibrant sport tourism industry have been set for 2022 and 2023. In 2022, the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance’s (CSTA) premiere event will be held in Richmond, British Columbia, and then in 2023, it will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
“We are very pleased to have Sport Events Congress hosted in locations across the country,” said Rick Traer, CEO, CSTA. “Our delegates get to see first-hand the various facilities and options for staging events in our host cities, and it provides the opportunity for more regions to have access to the tremendous networking with event rights holders, B2B activities and professional development.”
Sport Events Congress brings together more than 400 national and provincial sport event rights holders, tourism professionals, education sector, event management firms and suppliers from the fastest growing segment of Canada’s tourism industry. The annual conference for the sport tourism sector always features an outstanding lineup of speakers, engaging content, interactive displays and networking activities. Congress hosts also ensure delegates visit a premiere city/regional location for hospitality functions as part of the schedule of events.
The 2022 event will be held March 22-24 at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel in Richmond. It will be the second time the event has been held in the city.
“The City of Richmond is a premier destination for sport event hosting in Canada, and around the world,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “Since establishing the Richmond Sport Hosting Office in 2009, the City attracts over 75 sport events annually and we are excited to welcome back Canada’s top Sport Tourism professionals and event rights holders to the 2022 Sport Events Congress.”
“Richmond is a world-class, multi-cultural city with an unparalleled inventory of accessible venues and sport facilities for events of all sizes. Having hosted the Sport Events Congress in 2012, we welcome this opportunity to once again showcase our city and province and to give Congress delegates another truly memorable west coast experience,” he added.
In 2023, Sport Events Congress will be held March 8-9-10, 2023 at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg and the Delta Winnipeg. This will be Winnipeg’s first hosting of the event.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance’s 2023 Sport Events Congress to Winnipeg. Hosting this event, in partnership with Travel Manitoba, provides us with opportunities to showcase Winnipeg’s sports infrastructure to this prestigious industry sector,” said Dayna Spiring, President and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. “Our friendly Prairie city has a successful track record for hosting national and international sporting competitions, as we offer tremendous value from first-rate venues and facilities, to seasoned event management, to experienced volunteers and community enthusiasm that can’t be beat.”
The next Sport Events Congress will take place March 24-26, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta at the Edmonton Convention Centre with the Westin Edmonton and the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown as the host hotels. In 2021, the event will be held March 8-10 at the Westin Ottawa.
Bidding details for Sport Events Congress 2024 and 2025 will be available when the sport tourism industry gathers at SEC20 in Edmonton in March.
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About the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA)
The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance is a non-governmental, member-based, capacity building organization that promotes sport tourism as a grassroots economic development initiative at the community level. The CSTA services over 500 members across Canada, including 130 municipalities, 300 national and provincial sport, multi-sport and major games organizations and a variety of other sport and tourism industry partners. Sport tourism is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry in Canada with over $6.8 billion in annual spending by domestic and international visitors.