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Edmonton is the Host City of Country Music Week and the 2010 CCMA Awards
Country Music Week 2010 in Edmonton will take place September 10-13 with the CCMA Awards to be held on September 13. The CCMA’s were last held in Edmonton in 2004. "The City of Edmonton is honored once again to host Country Music Week on behalf of the CCMA. Edmonton has a reputation for volunteerism and hosting successful major events because of our commitment to excellence and our pride. With our strong country history, culture and heritage we are a logical site to host this event and we look forward to hosting Country Music Week with great enthusiasm and anticipation," says Dr. Bob Steadward, Co-Chair of the Edmonton Host Committee.  www.ccma.org 

Grey Cup Coming to Edmonton in 2010
The Grey Cup is returning to the scene of some of its greatest triumphs. Canadian Football League Commissioner Mark Cohon announced February 24 that the 2010 game and festival will be held here in Edmonton, site of three of the most successful Grey Cups ever. "Edmonton is a natural home for our national championship, and the tremendous national gathering that comes along with it, so we're excited it will host the 98th Grey Cup," Cohon said following the Edmonton Eskimos' annual general meeting. "Nothing brings Canadians together like the Grey Cup, and no one has a better track record as Grey Cup hosts than Edmontonians."  The 2010 Grey Cup will be played on Sunday, November 28.

Edmonton's three Grey Cups rank fifth, sixth and seventh on the all-time list of Grey Cups with the highest attendance: 60,081 in 1984, 60,431 in 1997, and 62,531 in 2002. www.esks.com, www.cfl.ca

New Art Gallery of Alberta now open
Open January 31, 2010, the new Art Gallery of Alberta is an 85,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility and a premiere presentation venue for international, Canadian and First Nations art, education and scholarship. 

Designed by Randall Stout Architects, Inc. of Los Angeles, the building itself is a work of art. Located in the heart of Edmonton's Downtown Arts District on Sir Winston Churchill Square, the gallery secures Edmonton's reputation as a world class city and centre for visual art. For more information, visit www.youraga.ca.   

Expansion and Renovations to Close John Janzen Nature Centre
Expansion and renovation of the John Janzen Nature Centre is set to begin resulting in a 10-month closure that will start on Tuesday, May 25, 2010.

During construction, guided classes and field trips that have already been booked for May and June will continue to operate; however, drop-in programs will be unavailable.

The closure will also impact some access to nature trails surrounding the Centre. One access point to the Birch Tree Trail will be closed, but remaining trail access points will remain open.

The closure will not impact the Backyard Compost Centre, which will continue to offer regular drop-in and pre-registered programs outside.

The John Janzen Nature Centre is expected to re-open in the spring of 2011.

Expansion of the Centre will consist of a new interpretive play space for children, a “green” roof and an improved entrance.

The City of Edmonton is providing $1.1 million for the expansion while the Government of Canada (Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program) and the Edmonton Nature Centres Foundation are contributing $801,277 and $550,000, respectively.

Get Hooked Fishing Adventures becomes Alberta's first and only Certified Freshwater Angling Guide
After completing a certification course that is offered through Emerit and the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council and passing the required standards as well as through evaluation and written exam Keith now becomes Alberta's first and only certified freshwater angling guide.

After lobbying the provincial government for the last two years to have standards and a license put into place for fishing guides, the government refused to move ahead with any such program. Keith then contacted the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council who informed him of their nationally recognized program. Wanting to give his guiding service further credibility and peace of mind for his consumers Keith took the course. His guides will be starting the course in the near future.

By trying to establish some form of standards for the guiding industry Keith hopes that other fishing guides in the province will soon follow suit.  http://gethookedfishing.com 

Edmonton Named Most Sociable City in North America
Edmonton tops 9 American cities in garnering award

The Responsible Hospitality Institute has named Edmonton the most Sociable City in North America. The award recognizes Edmonton’s success in creating a safe and vibrant nightlife.

Edmonton’s innovative marketing campaigns, partnerships between government and businesses, the Public Safety Compliance Team and other city services were highlighted in awarding the honour to the city. The award acknowledges the city’s work in its 13 different entertainment districts, which include Whyte Avenue in Old Strathcona, West Edmonton Mall, and downtown.

Edmonton has become the go-to city for others to learn about safely managing entertainment districts. Responsible Hospitality Edmonton RHE was invited to the New York Regional Forum where cities like Boston, Philadelphia and New York examined Edmonton’s successful strategies. The City of Pittsburgh also consulted Edmonton to learn how it successfully evolved the management of the Whyte Avenue area in Old Strathcona.

Other major North American cities competing with Edmonton for the coveted title included:

• Long Beach, Santa Rosa, Livermore and San Jose, California,
• Gainesville and West Palm Beach, Florida
• Seattle, Washington
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The City of Edmonton created RHE to plan, manage and police 13 hospitality and entertainment district zones throughout the city to support community development, revitalization, safety and economic development. 

The first Sociable City Awards were recently presented in Austin, Texas. Criteria to determine the top sociable city focused on safety and vibrancy to encourage partnerships, proactive compliance education and training, public space entertainment, multi-cultural and/or multi-generational activities and public services supporting an active nightlife. 

Edmonton Tourism celebrates Approved Destination Status with China
Designation could pump $100 million annually into Canada’s tourism industryEdmonton Tourism is thrilled with today’s announcement that the Government of China has granted Canada ‘Approved Destination Status’ (ADS), a designation that makes it easier for Chinese citizens to visit our country and for the Canadian tourism industry to advertise Canada to China.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the announcement in Beijing following his meeting with counterpart Wen Jiabao, Premier of China.

“We’re very happy with today’s historic announcement by China,” says Ken Fiske, Vice-President, Economic & Tourism Development, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC).

“We have been laying the groundwork in preparation for ADS since 2005. Edmonton Tourism has established working relationships in Shanghai, Beijing, Harbin, Jinan and Chengdu. This work has resulted in the signing of formal cooperative tourism agreements in February 2009 with Jinan, Harbin and Chengdu,” Fiske adds.

In 2008, visits to Canada by Chinese citizens were up 5.3 per cent from 2007 for a total of 159,000. Chinese travellers had the highest average length of stay - 28 nights - in Canada and spent more than visitors from any other country – on average $1,650. According to a Conference Board of Canada survey, ADS is expected to boost the yearly rate of travel to Canada from China by up to 50 per cent by 2015.

Edmontonstories.ca Provides Personal Views on What Makes Edmonton Great 
City wins heart of relocated Maritimer and provides serenity through its ribbon of green 

A story of how Edmonton’s waving canola fields, “The Bay of Canola Fields” quelled a Maritimer’s longing for the ocean and insights on the soothing impact of the river valley, “Ribbon of Green” are two randomly drawn winning stories in a contest encouraging people to submit their thoughts on what makes our city unique to Edmontonstories.ca.

“I’m thrilled at winning, and I’m thrilled to live in Edmonton,” said Tanya Edison. “This city is my home, and I’m proud to tell anyone who’ll listen about what a great place this is.”

“What I value is the different, more natural and off-the-beaten-track side of Edmonton,” asserts David Hryciuk. “Our city provides a priceless level of natural therapy through the river valley. What an amazing advantage we have.”

“It’s interesting that these two submissions link to the land and the breathtaking setting of our city,” says Mayor Stephen Mandel. “There is so much that makes our city special. We know it – but the reality of Edmonton is often a surprise to those who can only imagine what Edmonton has to offer. The range of stories and the glimpses of Edmonton being described are truly inspiring. I encourage everyone to take a few moments, have a look and a read and, even more importantly, take some time to share your story of our city and what it means to you.” 

The Bay of Canola Fields and Ribbon of Green were selected at random from the stories posted to the site in a contest encouraging story submissions that bring life to more authentic and personal aspects of our city.

In the first 48 days, Edmontonstories.ca has received:

• 62 new stories, bringing the total stories posted to 136
• over 32,000 visits of which 23,939 were unique
• people are spending an average time of 2.15 minutes on the site
• site visitors are coming from 92 countries and over 1000 cities world-wide

Edmontonstories.ca is an initiative to raise awareness of Edmonton and build pride in our city. The first part of the campaign is gathering the stories of Edmonton that have inspired people to live here or visit. The second part is to share those stories online to inspire others to consider living or visiting. The City of Edmonton and Edmonton Economic Development are partners in the effort.

Explore Edmonton through our stories at www.EdmontonStories.ca. 

 
Edmonton chosen to host Rendez-vous Canada in spring of 2012 
Four day event will draw international tourism industry to Festival City

Edmonton Tourism and its industry partners are proud to announce that the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) has named Edmonton the host city for the 2012 edition of Rendez-vous Canada – Canada’s premier annual international tourism industry marketplace.

Rendez-vous Canada brings together international buyers and Canadian sellers of tourism products through a series of pre-arranged meetings over a four-day period each spring. In the spring of 2012, that four day period - May 13th to 16th - promises to be a fantastic showcase for Canada’s Festival City.

“We’re delighted that we’ve been chosen to host the 35th annual Rendez-vous Canada event in Edmonton in 2012. As host city, we’ll have a tremendous opportunity to showcase the region and the incredible product we offer,” says Ken Fiske, Vice-President, Economic and Tourism Development, Edmonton Economic Development Corp (EEDC). “Hosting Rendez-vous Canada will have an immediate positive impact on international visits to the region.”

Every year, in a different Canadian destination, Rendez-vous Canada brings selected international buyers and travel trade media together with invited suppliers of Canadian tourism products, services and information. The 2010 event will take place next May in Winnipeg.

Rendez-vous Canada is owned by the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) and staged by TIAC. It’s one of several CTC events that provide value for tourism attractions and support Canada’s $71 billion travel industry.

2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship Coming to Alberta
The 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship will take place from late December 2011 to early January 2012 (exact dates to be determined) in Alberta at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary and Rexall Place in Edmonton. The schedule will consist of 31 games, created and approved by both the IIHF and the 10 competing nations. The game schedule will not be determined or announced until early 2011.

The Alberta Bid was led by a team from the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Sport Tourism Authority, Edmonton Events International, Edmonton Oil Kings, Calgary Hitmen, Northlands and Hockey Alberta.

Information on public ticket availability for the 2012 IIHF World Championship, including ticket prices, will be finalized at a later date. When tickets plans are finalized, it is anticipated that season and partial ticket holders of the Alberta-based WHL teams will have front-of-the line access to ticket packages at the official ticket campaign launch date.

The Alberta bid was chosen from two potential groups who made final presentations in Toronto on June 9-10 to the 2010 and 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship site selection committee, comprised of Bob Nicholson (president and CEO, Hockey Canada), Allan Morris (chair of the board, Hockey Canada), David Branch (president, Canadian Hockey League), Scott Smith (COO, Hockey Canada) and resource person Scott Farley (director of marketing services and events, Hockey Canada). The other finalist was a bid from Toronto. Saskatoon and Regina, SK had also bid for the championship, but withdrew after those cities were awarded the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship. www.hockeycanada.ca

Edmonton, Alberta will play host to the 2012 Women’s Baseball World Cup

The International Baseball Federation (IBAF) has announced that the City of Edmonton, Alberta will play host to the 2012 Women’s Baseball World Cup.
 
The City of Edmonton, in conjunction with the Edmonton International Baseball Foundation (EIBF), has played host to seven previous international baseball events, including the inaugural Women’s Baseball World Cup in 2004, and most recently the 2008 World Junior Baseball Championship.
 
“It will be a great pleasure to go back to Edmonton, we have had some excellent experiences there and I am confident this edition of the Women’s World Cup will be no exception,” says Riccardo Fraccari, President of the IBAF
 
The EIBF is a non-profit organization established in 1979 by Mr. Hayter in order to attract prominent international baseball events to Edmonton, starting with the 1981 Intercontinental Cup.
 
The 2012 Women’s World Cup will be the fifth edition of the event, a tournament that is held every two years.  The United States won the first two World Cup tournaments, with Japan capturing the title at the last event in 2008.  Canada has medaled in each of the first three events, winning bronze in 2004 and 2006 and taking silver as runner-up in 2008. www.ibaf.org

Looking Ahead on Edmonton's Calendar

2010

• Edmonton hosts Country Music Week and the 2010 CCMA Awards Sept 8-12
• Hot to Huddle Grey Cup Festival coming to Edmonton Nov 25-28
• New 138-room Courtyard Edmonton West scheduled to open Fall 2010
• Canada’s West Marketplace Trade Show heads to Canada’s Festival City in November 2010
• New developments planned for 2010/2011: Four Points by Sheraton Gateway and Four Points by Sheraton West (opening TBD)

• Edmonton Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 60th season in 2011/12
• The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival turns 30!
• International Children's Festival celebrates 30 years!
• Alberta 55 Plus Games come to St. Albert
• Residence Inn by Marriott opening November 2011 (tentative)

• The Edmonton International Film Festival celebrates 25 years!
• 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship come to Edmonton
• New control tower opens at the Edmonton International Airport
• Edmonton hosts Rendez-vous Canada in the spring
• Edmonton to host 2012 Women’s Baseball World Cup