Halifax, NS—The town of Port Hawkesbury, N.S., in conjunction with Events Nova Scotia will host the upcoming provincial major event conference on November 24th and 25th, 2010. Hosted at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, the Events Nova Scotia Conference will bring together community tourism, sport, culture, and economic development professionals to share knowledge and experiences as well as provide educational opportunities on major event hosting for communities.

“Our community has developed a wonderful reputation for hosting major events in recent years,” said Mayor Billy Joe MacLean of Port Hawkesbury. “From Celtic Colours to an NHL Training Camp we’ve greatly benefited from these types of opportunities to showcase our community. They create a significant impact and leave a legacy in our community that we continue to enjoy. We’re delighted to share some of those hosting experiences with other communities,” continued MacLean.

The sessions are focused on building capacity at a local level and helping communities become more actively involved in the development of major events for Nova Scotia. “The hosting of major sport, culture and entertainment events is a highly competitive and growing sector,” said Grant MacDonald, Director, Major Events and Community Partnerships, Events Nova Scotia. “We are working with communities from across the province to help them identify and attract major events. This conference will provide an opportunity for our communities to come together and discuss how we better compete for hosting major events,” continued MacDonald.

The two-day event is designed for communities who are interested in learning more about the hosting of major events. Topics will include: an introduction to sport tourism, developing a local major event tourism strategy, community success stories, building successful bids, and measuring the impact of events on communities.

Who should attend? Representatives of community recreation departments, economic development representatives, colleges and universities, tourism and other destination marketing organizations, sports councils, events rights holders, facilities, organizing committees and other interested individuals. For more information about Events Nova Scotia and the Provincial Conference visit www.eventsnovascotia.com

Events Nova Scotia is focused on assisting communities to attract new major events in the sporting, culture and entertainment sectors; establish consistent measures to evaluate the economic return generated by major events; and share best practices in order to build major event hosting expertise across the province. It is a partnership with the Province of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency with support from Trade Centre Limited.

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For more information:
Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons
Manager, Event Marketing & Communications
Events Nova Scotia
902-421-7002
fiona@eventsnovascotia.com

Paula Davis
Director of Marketing, Recreation, Tourism and Culture
Town of Port Hawkesbury
902-625-7891
paula.davis@townofporthawkesbury.ca