VEDC News
Lower Mainland municipalities team up to attract business during Olympics
GOVERNMENTS JOIN FORCES IN HISTORIC BID TO MAXIMIZE 2010 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Unprecedented collaboration set to attract green business, new investment & employment opportunities to the Metro Vancouver region
November 9, 2009
VANCOUVER, BC – Nine Metro Vancouver municipalities have unveiled details of an unprecedented joint initiative to attract foreign investment and strengthen the region’s economy through its hosting of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
“This is an unmistakable, one-time opportunity for Metro Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada to leverage the world’s most powerful global event,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson while announcing details of the Metro Vancouver Commerce 2010 Business Program today at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The partner municipalities include the City of Vancouver, City of Surrey, City of Richmond, District of North Vancouver, City of North Vancouver, City of New Westminster, City of Port Moody, City of Coquitlam and District of Maple Ridge.
The $1.5 million 2010 Business Program, funded in part by the federal government’s Western Economic Diversification agency, also involves collaboration at the provincial government level. This is the first time in Lower Mainland history that a group of local governments have come together in such a significant regional business approach to generating economic development for their communities.
“In the months leading up to the Games, MVC partners have been working together closely, employing an extensive and rigorous screening process to identify international companies with a keen interest in investing in our region,” said Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts, one of three founding members of Metro Vancouver Commerce.
During the Games, the Program will allow decision-makers from 50 international small and medium-sized businesses to spend four days in Metro Vancouver participating in between 10 and 15 meetings with key business leaders, industry associations and B.C. officials – and ultimately brokering business agreements that lead to long-term investment and economic prosperity for all Metro Vancouver Commerce partner communities.
“These executives have already expressed a genuine interest in our region,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, also a founding member of Metro Vancouver Commerce. “By hosting them during the Games we’re able to show them firsthand our world-class lifestyle, our thriving economy, and the business climate that makes us a global destination for investment and a gateway for international trade.”
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The Program opens the door to an unprecedented opportunity to attract new investment, and generate employment and growth in sectors of importance to the economic well-being of the Metro Vancouver region, such as green enterprise; digital media and film; biotech and life sciences; wireless technologies, advanced manufacturing; and trade, transportation and logistics.
MVC derived the Program from Olympic Business Best Practices around the world. It’s expected to generate business from over half of all delegations brought to the region, with measurable results for all contributing municipalities produced well beyond 2010.
Delegates must arrange their own travel to the region. They will then be hosted over four days of high-level meetings with local businesses, key business leaders and B.C. officials, as well as both ticketed and non-ticked Olympic-related events.
About Metro Vancouver Commerce:
Metro Vancouver Commerce (MVC) is the leading group of economic and business development professionals in the region. Its purpose is to implement collaborative economic planning and development on a regional basis – recognizing that many economic development activities can be done more effectively, and more efficiently, on a regional basis. Started by the cities of Richmond, Surrey and Vancouver in 2007, MVC partner communities now include the City of Surrey, City of Richmond, City of Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, City of North Vancouver, City of New Westminster, City of Port Moody, City of Coquitlam and District of Maple Ridge, which all participate in collaborative efforts to implement results-based trade and investment programs that benefit the region.
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Reference:
Laura Ballance Rebecca Peters
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