Canadian Curling Pre-Trials Road to the Roar Request for Proposal 2017
1. Objective The Canadian Curling Association (CCA) is requesting proposals for the hosting of the 2017 Pre-Trials (Road to the Roar) which is an event forming part of the CCA s Olympic qualification process. 2. Background The Canadian Curling Association is the national sport governing body responsible for the development, promotion and organization of curling in Canada. In cooperation with its Provincial and Territorial Member Associations across Canada, the CCA provides programs and services to curlers of all ages. The primary area of administration and the most financially consuming of the CCA s responsibilities are championships. On an annual basis, the Canadian Curling Association sanctions and conducts 11 national curling championship events. Approximately 12,000 competitive curlers from all provinces and territories enter play at the curling club level with the hopes of becoming one of the Canadian Champions crowned annually. The Canadian Curling Championships are: Tim Hortons Brier Canadian Men s Curling Championship The Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian Women s Curling Championship M & M Meat Shops Juniors Canadian Junior Men s and Women s Curling Championships The Canadian Seniors Canadian Senior Men s and Women s Curling Championships The Mixed Canadian Mixed Curling Championships The Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships CIS / CCA University Curling Championships Mixed Doubles Curling Trials In addition to the Canadian Curling Championships, the CCA is also responsible for the following events: Capital One Canada Cup World Financial Group Continental Cup Ford World Championships (held in Canada) Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials Roar of the Rings One event not listed above, and which was introduced in 2009 as part of the CCA s Olympic qualification process, is the Canadian Curling Pre-Trials, otherwise known as Road to the Roar.
Road to the Roar In 2009, the first Canadian Curling Pre-Trails was hosted in Prince George, British Columbia at the CN Centre. This event was a great success and formed a significant part of the Canadian Olympic qualification process in the build up to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Due to this success and the importance to the Olympic qualification process, the Canadian Curling Association committed to hosting the Canadian Curling Pre-Trials (Road to the Roar) in 2013, this time being staged in Kitchener, Ontario at the Memorial Auditorium. The 2013 Road to the Roar saw a 20 percent increase in total attendance with approximately 30,000 fans enjoying the four day event. The following key benefits have been associated with the event: 18 hours of national broadcast time on TSN and RDS. Approximately 6 million total viewers watch the event. The host community is profiled with a feature at the start of each broadcast. All ticket sales revenue and local sponsorship sales are retained by the Host Committee. The rights and profits to any 50/50 draws during the course of the event are retained by the Host Committee. A legacy from the Host Committee is left for the benefit of curling in the region. 300-400 volunteers are typically involved in the event. The host community is intimately tied to events throughout the season (Scotties Tournament of Heats, Tim Hortons Brier, etc. as well as post-event at the Roar of the Rings and the Olympic Winter Games) which impacts the Pre-Trials publicity. Economic Impact, as reported by previous host cities, is between $3 million and $5 million. 3. Proposal Evaluation Process and Award The selection committee will consist of the following CCA representatives: CCA Selection Committee Members: Greg Stremlaw, Chief Executive Officer Warren Hansen, Director, Event Operations Danny Lamoureux, Director, Championship Services & Curling Club Development Resource Person: Patricia Ray, Chief Operating Officer Criteria: The Host City must be easily accessible by air and ground transportation. Ideally, the Host City should be serviced by an airport with an adequate number of flights and passenger seats each day. Ideally, the venue will have a 3,000 seat arena, with a maximum seating capacity of 4,500 seats, and will have associated facilities that are able to fulfill the event requirements. This includes the ability for a national broadcast signal to be properly transmitted from the arena and adequate arena lighting to meet national broadcast requirements.
Must have adequate hotel space and availability of rooms to establish a host hotel site for the event conditions to the satisfaction of the Canadian Curling Association. For greater clarity, this will require a minimum of 200 hotel rooms, within 25 kilometers of the catchment area, to accommodate athletes, media, sponsors, television production, and the followers of the various teams. Municipal and Provincial support is absolutely critical to the success of the chosen Host City. As an example, the past two events saw between a $200,000 to $300,000 grant provided directly to the CCA by the municipality in direct support of hosting the event. A similar scope of event funding to the CCA will be sought in this bid process with written confirmation of such guaranteed financial support as part of the bid documentation. Alternate grant proposals will also be considered. Must have a Host Committee with the ability to assist in hosting many facets of the event, coordinating a significant amount of volunteers, and who is agreeable to signing a hosting agreement which outlines the parameters for the Host Committee (see appendix) to assist in the organization and presentation of the event. Exclusive availability of the host arena and the applicable associated facilities during a ten (10) day timeframe (i.e. early November, 2017). For greater clarity, arena availability will be required from November 2, 2017 thru November 13, 2017 for set-up, ice making, competition and take-down. 4. Hosting Fee In addition to the aforementioned macro-level criteria which will be required to host the Canadian Curling Pre-Trials, the CCA will require a one-time hosting fee for the specific right to host this event. This hosting fee is the identical concept to that utilized for the Roar of the Rings. As a matter of public record, Winnipeg, as host of the most recent Roar of the Rings, utilized a multitude of funding partners to meet the hosting fee (ie: both government and corporate). Some specific information about the hosting fee for the 2017 Canadian Curling Pre-Trials: For consideration of a fixed fee, the CCA will grant the winning bidder the exclusive right to host the event. Payment(s) to the Canadian Curling Association are payable by March 1, 2015, at which time the official rights to host the event will be granted. Must be a formal written commitment for the rights to host the 2017 Canadian Curling Pre-trials under the direction of the Canadian Curling Association (CCA). This hosting fee will not be part of the event budget but, rather, will be treated as hosting fee revenue to the CCA and, therefore is clear and distinct from the event and will not be part of any profits thereof. Minimum hosting fee - $75,000 Please note that the outlined hosting fee is the minimum amount required to be eligible for the right to host the 2017 Canadian Curling Pre-Trials. As part of the formal bid process, each venue is eligible to increase their hosting fee allocation as part of their bid package.
Special circumstances will be considered should a candidate city have an alternate proposal. 5. Timelines Availability of Request for Proposal Guidelines Monday, January 20, 2014 Letter of Intent for bid Submission Thursday, May 15, 2014 Deadline for submission of questions to CCA Monday, June 16, 2014 Answers to questions provided individually by the CCA Tuesday, July 15, 2014 Submission of final bid proposal (4 copies) to the Monday,September 1, 2014 Canadian Curling Association Review of Proposals September 1-30, 2014 a) CCA reserves the right to determine the proposal review and selection process. Upon receipt of the proposals, the Selection Committee shall assess the need for site visitation. If required, these will be set-up accordingly. b) The applicants will be notified accordingly of the CCA s decision. Site selection finalized October, 2014 c) The site selection will be based on the decision of the Selection Committee. d) The decision of the CCA Selection Committee will be final. e) A public announcement of the site for the 2017 Winter 2014/15 Canadian Curling Pre-Trials will be made by the CCA communication methods following the completion of all contracts by the selected site (i.e.: host committee agreement, host hotel, venue, etc.). 6. Bid Packages Bid packages will be treated with confidentiality as a closed bid process, given the multitude of stakeholders and diverse interests which may be represented. The CCA reserves the right to not accept any of and/or all of the bids in its sole unfettered discretion. While the CCA is seeking the best possible bid for this prestigious event, it is not obligated to accept the highest bid.
As above, bids must be in the form of written presentation only. Four (4) copies of the final bid proposals are required for the review. In the unlikely event that a site visit is required, the CCA will be responsible for all related expenses. CCA reserves the right to disseminate further information to all candidates throughout the bid process.
Bid Submission Package Guidelines If, after reviewing the attached information package, you are interested in submitting a bid to host the 2017 Canadian Curling Pre-Trials Road to the Roar, we would ask that you advise the Canadian Curling Association directly. Please submit by: Monday, September 1, 2014 TO THE ATTENTION OF: Greg Stremlaw Chief Executive Officer Canadian Curling Association 1660 Vimont Court Orleans, Ontario K4A 4J4 gstremlaw@curling.ca Phone: 613-834-2076 ext. 117 Fax: 613-834-0716
APPENDIX The Canadian Curling Pre-Trials will be operated under the exclusive direction of the Canadian Curling Association and will be awarded subject to organizational requirements outlined by the CCA through terms and conditions set out in a Hosting Agreement. As such, some basic responsibilities will include but not be limited to the following: Canadian Curling Association Responsibilities Appoint Director, Event Operations for the event. Appoint a number of professional support staff to assist in the organization of the event. Be responsible for confirming eligibility of respective team members and coaches, as appropriate. Maintain overall accountability for national marketing, sponsorship, promotion, TV direction and other matters pertaining to the mandate provided through its contract with the CCA. Retain all rights to the sale of Title Sponsor position for the event. Retain all rights and overall responsibility associated with the creation and maintenance of the Internet communications medium ( Internet ) relative to the event. Retain the rights for any charitable fundraising initiatives conducted on site or in conjunction with the event, including but not limited to the CCA s For the Love of Curling branded philanthropic program. Final authority with regard to all competitive elements and technical details of the Pre-trials competition. Name a Chief Umpire and supervisory officials as required. Appoint a Chief Ice Technician, direct ice installation and provide all equipment necessary for the ice installation and maintenance of ice. Be responsible for providing the draw for the Pre-Trials. Arrange accommodation and transportation details for all the competing teams, CCA officials and other special guests, in close liaison with the Host Committee.
Be responsible for arranging team transportation and paying for the applicable expenses. (a) (b) when by air, to the nearest airport served by major airlines and return, at the scheduled date and return at the scheduled date of departure. when by ground, to the host hotel and return, at the completion of the championship. Be responsible for arranging accommodation and paying the applicable room and tax expenses for all team members. Be responsible for purchasing public liability insurance for applicable stakeholders. Direct the media operation including releases, media guide, set-up of media room, etc. Be responsible for the establishment of all draw times in consultation with the official broadcast partner(s) and the Host Committee. Provide scoreboards, all required rinkboard signage and rock bumpers. Provide the stones and handles for the Pre-Trials. Provide the equipment and administrative support material to meet officiating and statistics requirements. Provide the logo and basic graphic look to the event, particularly as it pertains to the television aspect of the Pre-Trials. Provide a merchandising agent. Create and update the event website as part of the Season of Champions portal. This event will require a local Host Committee which will be responsible for numerous aspects of the Pre-Trials and costs associated to those specific areas. Host Organizing Committee Responsibilities The Host Committee will provide local human resources and local volunteer support, as necessary, to stage the event. Provide local input during the planning of the event. The arena/facility, including rentals and surface required for ice installation as required by the CCA. This will also include the responsibility of the cost of any supplemental lighting and power requirements for television.
Arrange media viewing area and media workroom as required. The CCA will approve all media arrangements. Provide all telecommunication services, faxcom, photocopying equipment, telephones and other such equipment for use in the media room. All aspects of security during the championship week which includes the competitors dressing rooms (minimum of 4 rooms). Provide a driver/host for local transportation needs of all team members, identified officials and special guests: (i) (ii) when by air, from the nearest airport served by major airlines and return, at the scheduled date of departure. When by ground, from the host hotel for the duration of the championship Any and all signage in television sight lines, as determined by TSN, must be covered or removed for the duration of the event. Prepare and distribute all accreditation for team members, officials, special guests and host committee members following the instructions of the CCA. The CCA will develop the accreditation system to be used and determine where checkpoints will exist. Print, distribute and the sale of entrance tickets for the Pre-Trials. All ticket sales and related revenue for the event will belong to the Host Committee. The Host Committee agrees to attempt to utilize and contract the services of the CCA s ticket marketing agency to ensure consistency of the brand and experience. CCA will have the right to approve all ticket packages and pricing of the packages with approval not being unreasonably withheld. Provide the installation required for a camera platform and commentators booth for TSN. Provide emergency medical and dental services for all Pre-Trials team members as well as officials of the CCA. Provide on-ice observers, timers and statisticians (three per sheet) who shall be supervised by the CCA s Chief Umpire. Arrange and pay for any dinners, banquets, or receptions during the event. Arrange and pay for all bands and pipers for all banquets and official functions, including the opening and closing ceremonies. Retains the rights to seek local corporate/business sponsorships through a Presenting, Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Friend Sponsorship Program.
The Host Committee agrees to attempt to utilize and contract the services of the CCA s local marketing agency to ensure consistency of the brand and experience are established. All revenues and benefits received specific to this local sponsorship program belong to the Host Committee. For further clarity, sponsorship fulfillment is the responsibility of the Host Committee following direction from the CCA and subject to exclusivities of the Season of Champions sponsors. The CCA retains the rights to all rinkboard signage but will provide the Host Committee with specific rinkboard signage and hack sign rotation at each end of the televised sheet to help fulfill the Host s major sponsor(s). Retains the rights and all revenue pertaining to any 50/50 draws during the course of the event and in accordance will all the laws of the jurisdiction.