Latest news with #AlishaReynolds
CTV News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘A real Canadian experience' says Tourism Calgary as Shania Twain leads parade, PM Carney attends
Watch Tourism Calgary's Alisha Reynolds on the high-energy kickoff to the Stampede and expected crowds over 10 days.
Calgary Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Financial Post Economic impact from Calgary Stampede at heart of growing tourism targets
Tourism Calgary has its eyes on the prize of growing the city to $6 billion in annual visitor revenue by 2035, more than double last year's $2.9 billion. Article content Massive economic impact from the Calgary Stampede has become the cornerstone of that target. With more international eyes on Calgary than it has seen in decades during the recent G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis, the city hopes to stick the Stampede landing and translate the worldwide attention into long-term economic growth. Article content Article content Article content Calgary has already been a hot spot for travel so far this summer. According to Tourism Calgary CEO Alisha Reynolds, the city is coming off a 'record-setting hotel revenue month in May, where occupancy citywide hit a 13-year record at 73.2 per cent.' Article content Article content 'Stampede visitations and hotel stays specifically are looking very strong, and are pacing where they were last year in the record-setting year, and in some cases ahead,' Reynolds said. Article content Deborah Yedlin, CEO and president of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, says the yearly Stampede canvas auction has always been an indicator of Calgary's economic outlook. The event allows corporate sponsors to bid on the chance to advertise on chuckwagon tarps over the course of the Rangeland Derby. This year, it broke records for the highest average bid and combined to the second highest all-time pot at $3.84 million, just below the Stampede's centennial anniversary in 2012. Article content Article content More premium seating planned at grandstand Article content Article content Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley says tickets for the rodeo and evening show are outpacing last year's record, with premium grandstand seating already on an extensive waiting list. They're tearing down a structure on the north end of the GMC Stadium to build more, as soon as this year's Stampede ends. Article content 'We'll add seven new suites and a party deck on top to help meet that demand,' Cowley said. 'That's going to be ready for 2026.' Article content The building currently houses broadcast production, judges and EMTs in the space, although Cowley says the new construction will house all three in addition to the new suites. He says that no regular seating is being sacrificed for the sake of premium spaces, and that the only thing being relocated is a room that the Calgary Stampede chuckwagon and relay committee uses to host during the rodeo and evening shows.
Calgary Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
National youth volleyball tournaments 'set' to bring 45,000 visitors to Calgary next spring
Calgary is 'set' to host the Volleyball Canada Youth National Championships next spring — a series of tournaments that will attract roughly 45,000 visitors, according to the city's top tourism official. Article content Alisha Reynolds, president and CEO of Tourism Calgary, said the 2026 national youth volleyball championships will take place over three weekends from May 15 to 31. The tournaments, hosted at the BMO Centre, will feature around 1,450 boys' and girls' club volleyball teams from across the country for the 15U to 18U age divisions. Article content Article content Article content Article content The BMO Centre will be adapted to house temporary volleyball courts in the trade show area, Reynolds said, adding the tournaments will bring 18,000 players and approximately 27,000 spectators to Calgary, spread out across 17 days. Article content An official from Volleyball Canada said the event is expected to support 1,150 businesses and generate an estimated $22 million in direct economic impact. Article content 'Calgary has long been an important partner for Volleyball Canada, and we're incredibly excited to bring our flagship national championship back to the city,' said Sandra de Graaff, Volleyball Canada's director of domestic competitions. Article content Article content 'When we host these events, we tend to take over the city and leave an impact.' Article content De Graaff added Volleyball Canada hosted a tournament in the BMO Centre back in 2015 and is excited to see what the convention centre looks like now, after its $500-million expansion. Article content 'For us, the expansion has given us space for even more courts to bring a bigger tournament,' she said. Article content Hosting events of such magnitude will help Tourism Calgary achieve its goal of doubling the value of the city's visitor economy from $3 billion to $6 billion by 2035, Reynolds said. Article content With recent large-scale tourist draws in the rear-view mirror, including the Global Energy Show, G7 Leaders Summit and Rotary International convention in June, and with the Stampede set to welcome north of one million people this year, Reynolds said Calgary is on track to welcome a record 8.7 million tourists in 2025. Article content In May and June, Tourism Calgary brought in 48 meetings or conventions, she said.
Calgary Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
First Flip Stampede Breakfast takes over Stephen Ave
Calgarians lined up along Stephen Avenue for the most important meal of the day, right before the city's biggest event, with the First Flip Breakfast to kick off the 2025 Stampede season on Thursday. Article content CEO of Tourism Calgary, Alisha Reynolds, said the event is one that they are very proud of, which has grown significantly over the last 14 years from their little parking garage, to taking over a whole city street. Article content Article content Article content Although she's flipped around 100 pancakes, Reynolds estimates that they served up more than 10,000 pancakes over the morning. Article content The event also hosted several prominent figures from the province and city including Premier Danielle Smith, Mayor Jyoti Gondek, the new Minister of Emergency Management and community Resilience Elanor Olszewski, and members of Calgary city council. Article content 1/2: The First Flip is in the books for 2025! Hosted by YYC tourism and downtown organizations, the first pancake breakfast of the Stampede season was this morning on Stephen Avenue walk. #calgarycentre #yyc #cdnpoli #calgarystampede2025 — Greg McLean (@GregMcLeanYYC) July 3, 2025 Article content Article content Reynolds said their presence at the event, even flipping a few of their own flapjacks in front of a packed crowd, speaks to the way Stampede acts as a bridge that connects all orders of the government to regular people. Article content Article content 'Events like this bring people out to have a good time and to find the commonality in things, which is community, spirit, having fun, and really living with gratitude together in this place that we all love,' she said. Article content As a treat that brings people together, Reynolds said that Calgary Tourism loves being a champion in the community that showcases the first line of excitement and hospitality right before Stampede. Article content 'It's buzzing and we all feel so grateful,' she said. 'It's a beautiful 'Blue Sky' day. The epitome of what life in Calgary is like.' Article content With a record-breaking 1.47 million attendees at last year's event, Reynolds said there are strong indicators that this year's festivities will see a new record. She adds that there are projections showing a positive uptick from all around the world.
Calgary Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Calgary's X-Factor for global event bids: A passionate and dedicated volunteer force
Article content In an important time for international relations, it wasn't the G7, United Nations or NATO summits emulating peaceful fellowship among an overwhelming contingent of global representatives (140 countries to be exact). At least, not in the way the Rotary International Convention did last week in Calgary. Article content Rotary is a global network of more than 1.2 million neighbours, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe and in our communities. Article content Article content Article content The first Rotary Club of Calgary was chartered in 1914. Article content Article content This has evolved into an organization bringing together people with a multitude of social interest-led projects. From raising funds to support humanitarian programs, joining forces for economic development or providing global health and disaster relief, hundreds of thousands worldwide continue looking outward for ways to make this world a little brighter. Article content Like Rotary's primary mission to eradicate polio and with an ambitious mission for peaceful multinational engagement — facilitated by a small but mighty bid committee — in 2017 a then newly formed Calgary host committee generated the bid for the 2025 convention, even before we knew there would be an expanded BMO Centre. Our goal back then was to put Calgary on the map to create a legacy for Rotary, Calgary, and Rotary in Calgary. Article content Article content This global network descended on our city last week with 16,000 delegates. In thanks to Rotary International, and Calgary and southern Alberta's Rotary Clubs, all involved view the convention — objectively and with the passion Rotarians are known for — as an extraordinary success. Article content From the moment delegates landed at Calgary's International Airport, met by world-famous white cowboy-hatted volunteers, and made their way to way to the Stampede grounds, you knew something special was happening. There was no mistaking that Rotary was in town. And even less doubt the city was engaged alongside us. Article content All involved shined, not only in the past week but over years of planning. Article content This list starts with our friends from Tourism Calgary. Led by CEO Alisha Reynolds, a standard for how destination-marketing organizations interact with third-party conventions was set. Shelley Zucht-Shorter and Cassandra Graves set a clear tone, simultaneously ensuring every detail was attended to, every opportunity to raise our city's profile was capitalized on and every investment dollar leveraged the economic power of our convention.
