The City of Nanaimo says bringing the Island municipal convention to the city twice a year will have positive impacts throughout the region.
Council met during a finance committee meeting on Mar. 20 to discuss hosting the event in 2025 and mayor Leonard Krog says this is a prime example of a win-win scenario for everyone in the city.
“This means our convention centre gets business, our local restaurants, and local rate payers don’t have to send representatives from the city to a convention out of town,” Krog says.
The city is scheduled to host the 2025 convention and Krog says there is a good chance this could turn into a permanent arrangement because of Nanaimo ‘s advantages over other communities.
“Only Victoria and Nanaimo have the kind of convention centres that can handle the volume of people,” he says. “Given the number of delegates, and municipal representatives who come, it is just practical for Victoria to host one year and Nanaimo the next.”
Krog adds approximately 300 delegates typically attend the event with their spouses, which could bring over half a million dollars to the city.
The motion passed during the committee meeting, and Krog says the city will now work with the RDN.
“The RDN has agreed to share the cost next year,” he says. “The question is whether it becomes permanent over the long haul.”
The city is part of the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities, a group of municipal bodies that bring concerns to the Union of BC Municipalities.
