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Multiplex sponsorship to be discussed at planning session

What the future name of the Multiplex could be and whether or not the Town would be open to corporate sponsorship is a subject of discussion for Canmore council at its upcoming planning session.

What the future name of the Multiplex could be and whether or not the Town would be open to corporate sponsorship is a subject of discussion for Canmore council at its upcoming planning session.

Deputy chief administrative officer Lisa de Soto said Monday (June 6) while the Town has a policy for sponsorship and naming of facilities, the topic in relation to the $39 million Multiplex project is one council needs to discuss.

“We have yet to take that to council to have that philosophical discussion,” de Soto said.

Other communities have seen corporate sponsorship and naming rights for entire facilities while Canmore recently held a community competition to name the Alex Kaleta and Thelma Crowe Memorial Arenas.

In Cochrane, for example, a new facility was named the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.

Sponsorship in terms of a capital fundraising campaign is difficult at this time, de Soto said, because the project is completely funded by the municipality through debenture and Municipal Sustainability Initiative grant funding.

But naming rights or corporate sponsorship for components is a possibility, subject to council direction, and would provide revenues for the operational budget of the facility.

“What you are looking at is soliciting companies that want to spend advertising dollars,” de Soto said. “We need to package that and the facility needs to be further developed to do that.”

The current sponsorship and naming policy is being reviewed by the Multiplex steering committee, de Soto said, but there is a need to bring in expertise to consult on the issue.

She said the municipality does not have that expertise in-house and will look to the 2012 budget to fund a consultant.

“We need to bring in that understanding of what companies are looking for when spending advertising dollars in terms of naming a facility,” de Soto said. “There are different approaches and council has yet to address that.”

Meanwhile, operation of the climbing wall saw three expressions of interest from Yamnuska Mountain Adventures, the Alpine Club of Canada and Vsions Climbing Gym.

There is a detailed request for proposal currently issued for those three operators that is due June 20. de Soto said administration will evaluate those proposals at the end of June and beginning of July.

She added she hopes to work with the operator during the final design stages of the climbing wall.

As for the food services aspect of the Multiplex, de Soto said the Town has met with a number of local cafés and coffee shops to gauge interest and needs.

“We have not gone out to a proposal call, but we hope to do that at the end of June, beginning of July,” she said.

Council will hold a planning session, which is not open to the public or media, with administration on June 29.


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