Calgary Champions

Securing a local champion and organizing committee is a precondition of bidding on major global events. Fostering the development of a strong community of local champions is not only critical to attracting and securing these top tier conferences for our city, but the benefits bestowed on these champions, and Calgary as a whole, go far beyond economic impact.

Through our local champions program, we seek to identify thought leaders in our ecosystem, collaborate with them on ambitious conference solicitation strategies, and provide them with the tools they need to not just successfully execute an event, but to also demonstrate why Calgary is the Ultimate Host City.

What is a local champion?

Local Champions are leaders in their respective fields, from academia to business to industry. These champions serve as the link between an international organization and local partners to support these conferences through the decision-making process and execution of hosting an event in Calgary.

What does a champion do?

Champions work with an ecosystem of organizations and individuals to lead a Local Organizing Committee (LOC).  Subject to the directives of the international body hosting the conference, the champion and LOC are responsible for the high-level strategy of conference programming, budgeting, gala event theming, legacy outcomes, and more.  We provide the resources and network to support the champion and engage with a Professional Conference Organizer (PCO) to manage the tactical execution and logistical minutiae of the conference itself.

How do we support champions?

Just as our champions are specialists in their respective fields, we have a team of seasoned meeting professionals. Not only are we experts in securing major international conventions, but we also have a robust network of meeting industry suppliers and contacts. This ensures that conference planning and execution results in new benchmarks of success for our events, as well as a terrific delegate experience that will be the envy of other destinations.

In providing our champions the right kinds of resources, expertise, and counsel, we limit conference-related work to the side of your desk, instead of having it take over the whole work surface!  After all, we want our local champions focused on what made them leaders in their respective fields in the first place.

Local champions bring to life Calgary's visions of being the Ultimate Host City. They play a key role in not only ensuring visiting delegates experience the warm, welcoming hospitality Calgary is renowned for, but they also help showcase our city to the world as a hub of innovation and a center of excellence in their respective fields. The confluence at these events of thought leaders from around the globe and from within our city leads to advancement and new growth opportunities for Calgary's key industry sectors and tremendous outcomes that positively impact our local economy and the champions themselves.