The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver were the first Games to introduce a digital and social media strategy, which generated 13.5bn impressions per month on the www.canada.travel website.
The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) said the concept and marketing efforts behind the Games generated more than US$10m in tentative conference and incentive business leads for Canada for the years ahead, changing the face of the global meetings and incentives business model and strategy.
The CTC’s CEO, Michele McKenzie, told CMW of its other activities to promote the games and work to leave a lasting legacy.
“We are thrilled with the legacy that the Winter Olympics brought to Canada for the conference and incentive market.
“We worked hard to promote all aspects and corners of Canada as a nation in the afterglow of this important event, by hosting key buyers and media to join us behind the scenes at other large events and festivals that we hosted in that year, such as the G8/G20 summit in Toronto, the Toronto Fim Festival and the Quebec City
Winter Wonderland.”
McKenzie said the Games also brought a redeveloped infrastructure to the country, including a sustainable wing to the Vancouver Convention Centre, a newly-designed highway from Vancouver to Whistler and an airport transporter allowing visitors easy access to downtown.
“The new infrastructure that the Games brought enabled us to attract larger international associations and groups along with an increase in sporting events,” added McKenzie.
The Winter Olympics included curling, figure skating and sledge hockey.
The Vancouver Organising Committee’s operating revenues and expenses balanced at US$1,884.1m.
The event took place across 17 days with 2,566 athletes taking part from 82 participating countries. Ten thousand media representatives attended the event which was seen by three billion television viewers worldwide.
A report from Pricewaterhouse Coopers indicated that the Games generated US$2.3bn. in GDP between 2003 and the end of the Games and created over 45,000 jobs.
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