Lethbridge Lodging Association explains sponsorship rationale
By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on August 8, 2024.
Herald photo by Al Beeber
The Lethbridge Hurricanes office is seen at the newly renamed VisitLethbridge.com Arena, following an announcement this week of the Lethbridge Lodging Association as the new naming sponsor for the Sportsplex.With the new name of the VisitLethbridge.com arena being announced on Tuesday, it has brought a lot of speculation from residents, especially on social media platforms, with it.
One user on a Lethbridge Roast and Toast page on Facebook posted “Roast to the City of Lethbridge-City Hall for not finding a real sponsor and using taxpayer money (to) give our arena a stupid name. (What) is wrong with our city?”
In a news release on Tuesday, the City announced Lethbridge Lodging Association (LLA) as the new naming sponsor for the Sportsplex.
LLA is the business operation behind VisitLethbridge.com which is a website and social media strategy promoting Lethbridge as a tourist destination.
They are a not-for-profit organization who represent 70 per cent of accommodation rooms in Lethbridge and were established in 2007. They are the largest destination marketing organization in Lethbridge.
Shilpa Stocker, the project manager for LLA, says they have had advertisements promoting Lethbridge in various places including airports in both Alberta and the U.S.
“We market Lethbridge as a destination by promoting Lethbridge in a variety of ways. Some of the ways we do it, for example, is to market Lethbridge in airports. We’ve had advertising in airports around Alberta and Montana to let people know about Lethbridge and the wonderful experience that they can have here by visiting tourist attractions, by visiting shops, by exposing hiking, taking part in golf, making or coming here for events,” said Stocker.
LLA also sponsors a variety of events including the University of Lethbridge’s 50th anniversary, the 2022 Tim Horton’s Brier and the Western Slam coming to Lethbridge in November.
It’s not just local events they have sponsored. LLA sponsored a chuckwagon in the Rangeland Derby at the Calgary stampede. Not only did this bring massive viewership both in person and through television, the chuckwagon won the race which made great impressions on the brand.
Just like all these previous sponsorships, the naming sponsorship of the VisitLethbridge.com arena came from marketing dollars from the association, not from taxpayers dollars.
In fact, LLA has been a victim of inflation and wanted to make a difference.
“Our group collectively pays millions of dollars in property taxes in the city. We had what every other business is facing: rising cost of inflation. So as a group we sat down and we said, ‘OK, we can continue to complain about this, but that’s not going to change the situation or, we can be part of the solution’ and our part of the solution is we are going to invest in this city, we are going to strengthen a quality facility which is responsible for us being able to attract a lot of the sport events, the concerts here. We would not be able to do that if the facility didn’t exist,” said Stocker.
Stocker added the sponsorship will have benefits for all residents of Lethbridge by attracting tourists to fill the building which will help pay for its operations so tax dollars can be used elsewhere.
“We’re increasing revenues to that property, to that facility and reducing the amount that it has to be subsidized through tax dollars, through resident and business tax dollars. So it means a lot to us to be able to support that facility, to strengthen that facility, and to leverage its what it can do for the benefit of the city by attracting people,” said Stocker.
Within 24 hours of the sponsorship announcement, VisitLethbridge.com received an influx of website views by 60 per cent, with 42 per cent being out of town. More specifically of the out-of-town views 44 per cent were from Calgary, 20 per cent from Edmonton and 35 per cent were out of province.
VisitLethbridge.com is by the community and for the community and as Stocker points out who would you rather have as the face of one of the biggest tourist attractions of the city?
“We’re going to continue to market through our brand. We’re going to continue to market Lethbridge as a destination because we very much believe in this community and we’re going to continue to collaborate to support and strengthen where it makes sense for the benefit of all of Lethbridge: businesses, hospitality, tourist attractions everybody.”
18-17
It’s a mouthful. Get past that and it is a smart move. Recycles essentially local funds. Supports the community. Supports localized business and employees in multi fold manner. As immediately noted, the marketing works; that mouthful will generate many a web search. Doubtful we will have any “cancel culture” controversy.