WELCOME
Salmon Arm and the Shuswap region is home to many exciting events and festivals every year, celebrating our community culture and enriching the quality of life for both our residents and our visitors.
We recognize the value of festivals and events in our community. Festivals and events contribute to quality of life, enrich our community culture, encourage local economic development and help shape our community identity with a positive community impression, vibe and culture.
Whether you are an event planner organizing to host the event, a local business manager or owner, an employee of a business, or a community resident, this site is for you. The purpose of the site is to connect the community together as “one” – connecting event planners and event opportunities with our local community network.
If you’re organizing a festival or event, large or small, we hope you find our “Small City, Big Events” website and the planning resources helpful. The “Small City, Big Events” website is designed to assist our event planners in planning successful events with ease, and act as a community portal providing a one stop service for ease of information, communication and community networking.
Please remember to use the following city hashtags along with your event hashtags!
#smallcitybigevents | #SAbigideas
Small City, Big Events Site Users:
LOCAL RESIDENTS
• Sport Tournaments, Races & Marathons
• Hobby Affiliation
• Family or Grad Reunions
• Weddings
• Friends & Family events
• Hobby Affiliation
• Family or Grad Reunions
• Weddings
• Friends & Family events
MANAGERS & EMPLOYEES
• Scheduling staff accordingly for higher
visitation times
• General awareness when talking
to customers
visitation times
• General awareness when talking
to customers
EVENT PLANNERS
• From out of town and trying to plan an
event in Salmon Arm from afar
• Local representatives and local event
coordinators
event in Salmon Arm from afar
• Local representatives and local event
coordinators
EVENT ORGANIZERS & ASSOCIATIONS
• Ensure not to schedule conflict
• Add value by putting on smaller local
events in synergy with larger events,
adding “more to do” while staying in
Salmon Arm
• Add value by putting on smaller local
events in synergy with larger events,
adding “more to do” while staying in
Salmon Arm
Event Planning Quick Tips:
WHY PLAN AN EVENT IN SALMON ARM BC?
Salmon Arm and the Shuswap Region has lots to offer an event organizer. Whether it is hiking and biking on some of Canadas best trails system, to snowshoeing, swimming or paddle boarding on some of the largest Shuswap lakeshores, or hosting in some of our wonderful hotels, conference and sporting facilities. From mountainside to lakeside, Salmon Arm and the Shuswap region definitely offers something for everyone.
Apart from the pristine geographic location, the community has developed event planning services to support event organizers and provide a streamlined approach to event planning needs.
Visit “Where to Start Planning”, for more information.
Apart from the pristine geographic location, the community has developed event planning services to support event organizers and provide a streamlined approach to event planning needs.
Visit “Where to Start Planning”, for more information.
EVENT IDEAS
Are you part of an organization or association and looking for creative events to bring increased awareness? Did you know events can be a potential revenue stream as an alternative to fundraising or sourcing grants? Are you aware that as an entrepreneur, events can potentially build significant revenue sources for event planners and or additional revenue streams for organizations?
Here are just a few event ideas:
Here are just a few event ideas:
- Paddleboarding & Canoeing – especially the lit boards and canoes at twilight
- Swimming – in our beautiful lakes or state of the art indoor pool (with an expansion coming soon)
- Trails – biking, hiking or running – some of the best trails in Western Canada
- Snowshoeing & Cross-Country Skiing – winter season destination
- Hockey & Figure Skating – indoor twin arena and training areas
- Meeting & Conferences – a destination offering four seasons with a variety of extra curricular activities
- Music Festivals – fair grounds conveniently located in the core of the city
- Drama & Theatre Festivals – quaint theatres and a demographic eager to be entertained
- Street Markets & Cultural Events – beautiful downtown area and pristine parks for ideal locations
TOP 5 EVENT PLANNING TIPS
1) Plan the best time of the year for your event – which is most likely in shoulder or winter season.
2) Planning your event in shoulder or winter season could potentially bring the following benefits:
4) Contact the visitor centre and other community organizations to be sure other events happening at that time, are a good fit for your event, and ideally try to cross promote one another.
5) If your event meets the 6 Pillars of Small City, Big Events, it may qualify for funding and added resources and support from Salmon Arm Economic Development (as a part of the MRDT initiatives).
Check out “Where to Start”, for more information.
2) Planning your event in shoulder or winter season could potentially bring the following benefits:
- Reduced rates with accommodators
- Funding sources are potentially more generous to encourage events in shoulder or winter months
- Restaurants and tourism activities can focus more on your event participants instead of competing with tourism traffic and higher volume in summer months
- Less busy in the city in general
- And more…
4) Contact the visitor centre and other community organizations to be sure other events happening at that time, are a good fit for your event, and ideally try to cross promote one another.
5) If your event meets the 6 Pillars of Small City, Big Events, it may qualify for funding and added resources and support from Salmon Arm Economic Development (as a part of the MRDT initiatives).
Check out “Where to Start”, for more information.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
An economic impact analysis (EIA) examines the effect of an event on the economy in a specified area, ranging from a single neighborhood to the entire globe. It usually measures changes in business revenue, business profits, personal wages, and/or jobs.
A popular economic impact assessment is based on average expenditure for event destination as per the Canadian Sport Tourism Association (CSTA).
The formulation uses standardized visitor expenditure profiles that have been developed with primary data collected by the Canadian Sport Tourism Association (CSTA), which is then supplemented with data from Statistics Canada. The model makes adjustments to the expenditure profile used in the preparation of the impact assessment based on these demographic characteristics, as well as the location of the event. This spending estimate is then combined with capital and operations expenditures to produce an overall estimate of the expenditures associated with the event, which is then entered into the economic impact assessment component of the model.
Based on CTRI’s STEAM model, which is the most widely used tourism economic impact model in Canada. STEAM has been calibrated with on-site expenditure surveys from a variety of sport events throughout the country.
Although the STEAM model is primarily used for sporting events, there are factors in the same evaluation that prove to work for other events and special interest sectors.
A popular economic impact assessment is based on average expenditure for event destination as per the Canadian Sport Tourism Association (CSTA).
The formulation uses standardized visitor expenditure profiles that have been developed with primary data collected by the Canadian Sport Tourism Association (CSTA), which is then supplemented with data from Statistics Canada. The model makes adjustments to the expenditure profile used in the preparation of the impact assessment based on these demographic characteristics, as well as the location of the event. This spending estimate is then combined with capital and operations expenditures to produce an overall estimate of the expenditures associated with the event, which is then entered into the economic impact assessment component of the model.
Based on CTRI’s STEAM model, which is the most widely used tourism economic impact model in Canada. STEAM has been calibrated with on-site expenditure surveys from a variety of sport events throughout the country.
Although the STEAM model is primarily used for sporting events, there are factors in the same evaluation that prove to work for other events and special interest sectors.