1. Vancouver has been making headlines with major events like the 2025 Invictus Games, the FIFA World Cup 2026, and now the addition of a Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) franchise. What does this say about the city's evolution as a global sports destination?
I give credit to Expo 86 for transcending Vancouver’s identity as a global destination, which initiated critical event infrastructure, like the BC Place Stadium, Canada Place, and SkyTrain. Our tourism industry stepped up to initiate the bid for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to support the visitor economy in the low season. With success in 2010, Vancouver earned a high level of confidence from the global sports community and trusted relationships that play a key role in attracting future global sports events.
2. Tell us about the role Sport Hosting Vancouver plays behind the scenes in attracting and delivering these major sporting events.
Sport Hosting Vancouver is a community-industry partnership between the City of Vancouver, Destination Vancouver, and the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association. Together, we work to identify, attract, and grow major sports events that support the local economy and leave tangible and intangible benefits within the local community. It is unique, in the sense of a ‘one-stop’ shop, that acts as a concierge to assist international event right holders on how to successfully do business in our city, both on and off the field of play. The key feedback that we have heard from many event producers is that we are more than just a sponsor; we are a dedicated partner that wants an event to be as successful as they do.
3. What are the key ingredients that make Vancouver such an appealing city for international sporting events?
The key to our success is much more than having a venue or stadium to host the event properly. We consider our ‘X’ factors to be the accessibility of direct international flights to our world class airport, the walkability of our downtown core, the amazing landscape that surrounds us, and experiences you have outside the stadium—from Michelin-starred restaurants to unique cultural experiences with our local First Nations, there is something for everyone. Vancouver is the ultimate destination for what I call the perfect recipe for motivational travel: matching a bucket list event with a destination that you have always wanted to visit.
4. In light of PWHL’s expansion into Vancouver and you being a golfer yourself, what does the future look like for women in sports in Vancouver?
I’m so incredibly excited for the future of women’s professional sport in Vancouver. Vancouver hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 and had a record of selling out BC Place Stadium, not once but 4 times. Fast forward to 2025, and I’ve personally declared this to be the year of women’s sport in Vancouver. We kicked off the year with a sell-out crowd of 19,000+ fans at Rogers Arena, hosting the first-ever PWHL in British Columbia. In March, we hosted the first-ever U Sports Basketball Championships, where the top 8 Canadian university teams, both men and women, were hosted in the same city at the same time at the same venue. In April, we made history hosting the inaugural match of the Northern Super League at BC Place Stadium, where the Vancouver Rise FC scored the first win of a women’s professional soccer game in Canada. We were also recently announced as the first host of a regular-season WNBA game outside the USA. That’s a lot of firsts in our resume this year, and I know that the momentum will only continue when the puck hits the ice out west, with a soon-to-be-named PWHL Vancouver expansion team that will start their season at the Pacific Coliseum.
5. Events like the HSBC Vancouver Sevens and the 2024 Grey Cup have brought international attention. How do these events impact local businesses and communities?
With all the events we attract to Vancouver, we are very intentional and strategic to ensure that we keep the best interests of our community at the forefront. Our core objective is to complement the tourism calendar and attract events during the off-peak periods between October and April that will benefit the community the most. The Vancouver Sevens is our core annual event that is intentionally hosted in late February to support our low tourism season. That event alone annually draws over 8,000 room nights and has an estimated economic impact of $18.6 M. 2025 marked the tenth year of hosting the Vancouver Sevens, and since then, we have seen youth rugby grow by 30% in our local community programs.
6. How important is intergovernmental collaboration when it comes to hosting large-scale events in Vancouver?
To be successful in our major event bids, it is essential that municipal, provincial, and federal priorities are aligned and that we collaborate in the early stages of the bid to build the event proposal. Delivering the actual event competition is the ‘easy’ part, it is everything that you offer in your event proposal ‘off the field of play’ that determines if you will be successful. With collaboration between all three orders of government, you can leverage the event beyond the scope of sport, maximizing the benefits for trade and investment, talent attraction, reconciliation, infrastructure, and tourism, to name a few.
7. Can you share how Sport Hosting Vancouver ensures events are inclusive, accessible, and beneficial for all Vancouverites, especially underrepresented communities?
With each bid proposal we produce, we do it keeping the community front of mind. Our priority is to work with our local Nations and engage them in the process to welcome the event to the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples. For our spectator events, we distribute complimentary community tickets through Kids Up Front, a local charity. Over the past 10 years, we have distributed over 25,000 community tickets to witness incredible global sports events.
8. How does hosting major sports events contribute to the city’s long-term economic and social development?
Hosting the Invictus Games was an incredible platform and opportunity for the city to generate a legacy of gratitude for the men and women who have served our country. I’ve come to realize there is no optimal ROI number for the event; the only ROI is the ‘return on inspiration.’ We can point and say that this event generated over 25,000 room nights in the city, and welcomed over 19,000 visitors in February, but really, the heartfelt impact of volunteers and the courageous service of men and women who represented their countries will leave a lasting social legacy.
9. What opportunities do these events create for youth and grassroots sports development in the region?
We recognize that hosting major sports events does boost short-term economic benefits, however, it’s the impact of long-term youth and grassroots sports development that excites me the most. I look back at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and hear the stories of a young Julia Grosso who was just 14, watching her idol, Christine Sinclair, play for Team Canada from the stands at BC Place. Fast forward to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and there she was on the pitch beside her idol, scoring the gold medal-winning penalty kick, and I can’t wait to hear more stories from 2026 and beyond!
10. Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future?
There are not too many cities in the world that can say they have hosted a World Expo, Olympic Games, and World Cup. The key challenge for us will be to continue this momentum and reach new limits. I hope to diversify our portfolio with events that are reflective of our community and demographics. I would LOVE to see an international cricket tournament. My family is West Indian, so I’ve witnessed the excitement and passion the cricket community brings to the pitch. I also think that Vancouver would be an ideal host of the World Gay Games, and I’d love to plan a Stanley Cup parade!
