The uptick of major events in the City of Grande Prairie is only one way the community is being highlighted to visitors, according to the city’s mayor.
Jackie Clayton says looking over the past few years, there has been an uptick in major events being hosted in the city, including the Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games and Alberta Winter Games, but there have also been numerous tournaments, conventions and cultural events held in the city. She explains the region is used to hosting, and it can be as simple as a service club hosting a regional meeting. The mayor says an upcoming example of a local event that can bring people to the region is the Bear Creek Folk Festival in August.
“Events such as Bear Creek Folk Fest or Grand Con really bring a lot of people to our region, and an important part of the events that the City of Grand Prairie puts on themselves is the timing of existing events,” Clayton explains. “It is important to look at the calendar and make sure the event is scheduled where there are no possible conflicting or competing events, not only because of the schedule but also to prevent there from being a possible drain on volunteers and the sponsors in our community.”
Clayton adds that the business community is very generous when it comes to the support they give events, so city officials try to make sure there is a good balance of events across the calendar. However, according to the top municipal politician, the benefit of having these events in the city, whether they be the large sporting ones or the smaller regional ones, is that it highlights the facilities available in the region and also highlights all Grande Prairie has to offer.
“We know that after they’ve finished competing or participating or even supporting other individuals who are here to participate, they walk away with a great feeling. We hear on a regular basis from parents, athletes and officials that come to our region and to our city to compete and participate, what a great opportunity it was and how they had no idea how wonderful our community is.”
“Bringing people here is a great way to share more information about our community. It’s a way for people to have their own experiences so they can go away and tell our story for us. And so hosting people is something that we take great pride in, and we also know it has an economic impact.”
Clayton says it makes her proud when she meets someone while travelling across not just the province but the country who has been to the city for one of the events and shares their experience. She adds that this also helps recruit workers to come to the community.
“When they’re maybe looking at a job to move to the region, they already know about our community and what great facilities and people we have and the amenities that we’re really privileged to have in this region. So them having a firsthand experience really makes that job of us selling our community that much easier.”
Clayton says several smaller events are happening throughout the community during the last part of the summer, including afternoon tea at the Forbes Homestead, the GP Grows tour and Experience Grand Prairie. As well, over the long weekend, there are Heritage Day events scheduled.
