InnFocus Fall 2022

2016 America Masters Games - Courtesy of Sport Hosting Vancouver
both for our venues and our stakeholders in the hospitality industry,
especially our hotels.
“Hotels play a critical role right from the beginning when we’re
attracting large events. Destination Vancouver, our marketing
organization, will forward an RFP to the VHDA to notify them of the
opportunity and what the client is looking for—dates, room blocks,
room needs and any other concessions they may require. The VHDA
then alerts us to their inventory and then prepare a bid which includes
everything the event right holder needs, from competition venue
availability, hotels, transit, and transportation to any other ancillary
features we want to highlight about our city, such as the walkability from
hotels to competition venues. Once the business end is confirmed,
we will assist with spectator planning. Having a single point of contact
makes it easier for organizers and also helps us to present a compelling
bid as to why they should bring their event to Vancouver.”
Securing the Event
When considering events, those that fall outside of peak travel
seasons are preferred as they support the hospitality industry. This
is an issue that has become increasingly important due to the overall
shortage of hotel rooms. “There is a capacity gap that our industry
has been facing in various forms for more than a decade. This is not
news: cities of a comparable profile have been building hotels and
adding rooms. At the same time, Vancouver’s hotel supply has been
contracting; the city is now net negative 1,500 rooms since 2010,” says
Chwin. Unfortunately, when the system is overstressed, it becomes
increasingly difficult for visitors to find and secure an affordable room,
decreasing their satisfaction.
“Although we try to secure major events when hotels have more
capacity as a destination, that is not always possible. When major
events like FIFA land in our high season, it helps if hotels take a slightly
broader, long-term view of the business. Hosting one major event can
lead to hosting another and then another. A sport hosting reputation
is built over time. If hotels are keen partners and provide competitive
room pricing and quality services, it provides the confidence other
destination stakeholders need to be aggressive in seeking sport
business,” says Regan.
Once an event has been secured, Sport Hosting Vancouver begins
working to identify and promote packaging for the leisure traveller.
Packages could be a combined ticket and room rate or securing a
courtesy block of rooms at a set rate. These promotions are shared
with VHDA members, however every hotel should be marketing their
own deals to this demographic. Providing destination packages,
offering tickets to other local events, points of interest, or restaurants
are a great way for them to attract the sport tourist.
Hosting mega events, sport or otherwise relies heavily on the
hospitality industry. Just as the events require facilities, the people
behind and attending them need a comfortable place to rest at
reasonable prices. Hotels are clearly an MVP, given their involvement
from the initial bid to delivering a satisfactory experience to the
organizers, athletes, and fans once the event is underway.
22 InnFocus