SNOWBOARDING NEWS ITEM

Canadians Ready for 2010 Games

TUESDAY, 27 MARCH 2007

Three in four Canadians believe that attending the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver would be "the experience of a lifetime," according to a recent study commissioned by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). These initial results of ongoing market studies provide valuable research as VANOC continues to develop its ticket sales plans, which will be released in 2008.

"The 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver are perceived to be the premier event ticket for Canadians," says Gord Hendren, President of Charlton Strategic Research Inc., "scoring the highest of all major sport and entertainment events tested, including the Stanley Cup Finals and the SuperBowl in terms of overall experience."

The study, conducted by Charlton Strategic Research Inc. among adults aged 18 and older, finds that three in four (75%) agree that "attending the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games would be the experience of a lifetime."

"We expected encouraging results from this study - but this data is stronger than we anticipated and confirms the significant interest from Canadians to watch the best athletes in the world compete in Vancouver and Whistler in 2010," said Caley Denton, VANOC's vice president, ticketing and consumer marketing. "We are continuing to develop our ticketing program and look forward to releasing details to the public in 2008."

Interest in attending the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver is strong across the country with 37% of Canadians aged 18+ saying that they are "very interested" in attending the Games (another 29% are "somewhat interested"). At least three in ten residents of all provinces across Canada are very interested in attending, with the highest interest coming from BC residents (48% "very interested").

Likelihood of purchasing tickets to attend the Games is understandably highest among residents of BC (31% "very likely"). VANOC was particularly encouraged however by study results from other provinces; approximately one in ten residents of Alberta (11%) and Ontario (9%) also say they are "very likely" to purchase tickets. In other regions of Canada, those saying they are "very likely" to purchase tickets ranges from 5-7% in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces.

VANOC anticipates selling approximately 1.8 million tickets for Olympic and Paralympic sport events and Opening and Closing Ceremonies and approximately 800,000 tickets to the nightly medal award ceremonies in Vancouver and Whistler.

Ticket prices for the 2010 Games are still under development. VANOC is planning to offer a wide range of ticket prices and will take into consideration a number of factors, including the prevailing prices for major events in Canada and worldwide and the goal to extend the opportunity to enjoy the Games to a wide cross-section of the public.

"Knowing the level of intense Canada-wide interest in attending the 2010 Games, we want to get the system right," said Denton. "The purchase of a ticket is often the first and most important encounter that the public has with the Games Organizing Committee. We're committed to ensuring that experience is a positive one," said Denton.

VANOC plans to make full use of the internet and other technology to deliver its ticket sales program while also maintaining traditional delivery systems. In the meantime, public interested in receiving ticket information directly can register at vancouver2010.com.

VANOC will engage a ticketing service provider to assist in offering fair and equitable distribution of tickets and friendly customer service. In January, VANOC issued an expression of interest for a ticketing service provider. The successful ticketing agency will work with VANOC to develop a fair ticket sales, service and distribution plan, as well as policies and procedures to manage inventory and sell tickets for the 2010 Winter Games. A decision on the ticketing services provider for the 2010 Games is expected to be announced this summer.

This article is courtesy of www.vancouver2010.com.

advertising info

Print News Item