Leadership Series: The Business of Sport Hosting
Chrissy Benz
Manager
Women's National Team
Volleyball Canada
Michelle Collens
Senior Manager
Sport Hosting Vancouver
City of Vancouver
How do major sporting events, like the Olympics, the Pan-American Games, and the FIFA World Cup, select cities as their ideal hosting destination?
What does the bidding process look like and how do sport hosting opportunities deliver economic, social, and cultural benefits to our communities?
In this installment of our CYP Leadership Series, Members will hear from Michelle Collens, Senior Manager of Sport Hosting for the City of Vancouver and Chrissy Benz, Manager of the Women's National Team and Events at Volleyball Canada, about the importance of the sports tourism industry in Vancouver and how grassroots sports are critically important to the economic health of a community.
Why you should attend:
- Learn about how major sporting events contribute to a city's economic, social, and cultural health while exploring memorabilia at the BC Sports Hall of Fame
- Connect with other CYP Members, athletes from the National Women's Volleyball team, and members of Sport Hosting Vancouver
- Understand how cities bid on major sporting events and how it can impact local businesses
About the speakers:
Chrissy Benz currently manages the women's national volleyball team which has just relocated to the Richmond Oval after 25 year at the University of Manitoba. Part of her current role involves hosting the 2017 FIVB Grand Prix — this will mark the first time that Canada has held this prestigious event on Canadian soil. Previous to this role, Chrissy organized the largest volleyball tournament in Canada - indoor youth national championships which brought almost 800 club teams to Calgary in 2015 over a 6 day event which included international matches of the Men's and Women's Senior National Teams. Previous roles included, Sport Event Director of NORCECA (North America, Central American and the Caribbean Volleyball Confederation) and Manager, National Olympic and Paralympic Committee Volunteer Program (Whistler Athlete Village).
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Michelle Collens currently serves as the Senior Manager of the Sport Hosting Vancouver partnership, working closely with all levels of government, tourism partners, and community organizations driving economic and social development opportunities in the City of Vancouver. Leading a collaborative, cross-sector approach to the implementation of a multi-faceted sport hosting strategy, Vancouver's portfolio includes the successful hosting of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, 2016 Americas Masters Games, Davis Cup, HSBC World Rugby Canada Sevens and most recently securing the rights to host the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Platinum Program Partner:
