That is the conclusion of a Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model provided by the Canada Sport Tourism Alliance from the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling 2015 Masters, held at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre (RECC) from Oc.t 27 to Nov. 1. Featuring the top 15 men’s teams and 15 women’s teams based on the World Curling Tour’s order of merit.
“The results of the economic impact of Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling is an incredible accomplishment for the RECC,” Truro Mayor, Bill Mills said, in a news release. “That was the goal all along. All of us had visions of the facility being an economic engine for the region from the start.”
Mills went on to describe the spiel as being one of many “very, very positive” events that have been held at the RECC “and I believe there are many more successes to come.”
Along with the economic impact assessment, a number of businesses were surveyed to determine the impact the event had on local businesses. Overwhelmingly, the town release said, businesses reported they’d like to see more events of this magnitude hosted in Truro and felt that overall the it was a huge success for the community, as well as for the RECC.
“Being the Rock Sponsor for the Grand Slam of Curling was a wonderful opportunity for our business,” said Karen Ballie, owner of Elegant Steps on Inglis Place. “The event brought huge awareness to our community and our business.”
The Grand Slam was planned and hosted in partnership with the Town of Truro, Municipality of the County of Colchester, and the REC. A host community spent about a year planning the event, and it was executed through the commitment of approximately 150 volunteers.
“This was a terrific event and the results of the economic impact report are tremendous. It goes to show what a great economic benefit events of this magnitude have on the entire community,” said Colchester County Mayor Bob Taylor.
A further benefit was the visibility that the event brought to the Truro/Colchester area, which was magnified through the televised coverage on Sportsnet and CBC, which included a local tourism commercial highlighting specific shots from the overall community.
“With the success of this event to add to our resume, the Rath Eastlink Community Centre is well positioned to host many other national sporting events,” said general manager Matt Moore.
“We hope to be part of a formalized approach and an event attraction strategy which will help Truro and Colchester attract more events of this magnitude to the local area.”
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