A long-delayed strategy to increase the amount of major events in St. Albert has taken another step forward.
Council on Monday approved a new vision and guiding principles that will guide city administration as it drafts a new hosting strategy. The strategy takes aim at bringing in major events that positively affect the community, and raise St. Albert’s profile, provided there are sufficient human and financial resources in place and events provide some fiscal return on investment.
The preliminary scope of the plan would see the city follow the plan for the next 20 years.
“This is intended to identify major events under this plan and support those events,” said recreation director Monique St. Louis. “I would suggest that the city wouldn’t rush to an event that couldn’t be supported by city resources.”
When questioned by council as to what counted as a major event, St. Louis said that will be defined in the next stage of the plan which will be ready in early October. It will include a business plan, terms of reference and potential budget requests.
Mayor Nolan Crouse recommended changing the name of the branding strategy committee to fall in line with the city’s new ‘Cultivate Life’ brand.
The first stage of the major events hosting strategy received unfavourable reviews from council when it was presented last August. Councillors panned it for being too narrowly focused on sporting events with little consideration for potential arts and culture plans.
When changes were reviewed in September they included council input on potential host events. Those ideas ranged from game shows, high craft symposiums and even bringing in a robot elephant to visit the city.
St. Louis said the project has received a positive response from the community, which sees it as a chance to raise the profile of St. Albert. The St. Albert Chamber of Commerce, arts and culture groups, sporting clubs and other groups have all been approached about the project.
“There was complete support for the version that is currently written,” said St. Louis.
