CESA: Update #1
Thank you for signing onto the Canadian Endurance Sports Alliance (CESA). We are confident that our industry will flourish again. Donovan Bailey once said, “follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams”. We are going to have to showcase our passion, be prepared to tell our story, and work harder than ever before to get back to where we were. Nevertheless, we know the endurance industry doesn’t shy away from a challenge...we seek them out.
In short, we believe we need to think long-term, do our due diligence regarding federal funding that is and may become available to our industry and be prepared with well formulated action plans to seek out those funding opportunities. If you keep reading you’ll discover who is behind CESA, why CESA was formed, and what we’re hoping to accomplish.
Who: A passionate group of individuals, not only with extensive event management experience in Road Racing, Trail, Experiential and Triathlon, but other endurance landscape stakeholders who represent vendors, Not-For-Profit organizations and extensive expertise in working with government agencies.
***See below for names of people who have been on various calls thus far***
Why: Not only was the endurance industry one of the first to take a hit but it will almost assuredly be one of the last to recover. Our group is on a mission to show the Canadian Government that our industry not only provides venues and events which promote a healthy lifestyle for all Canadians, have tremendous economic impact for communities across Canada and who partner with a large number of Not-For-Profit organizations who rely on our events to fundraise in excess of 1 Billion dollars.
How: Through our research to date, it has become apparent that a recently formed organization like ours will be lost in the many other funding applications and we require the necessary expertise to target the right people and levels within government, with whom our story will resonate. To that end, the INTERIM board of CESA is in the process of hiring a Government Relations firm to help lobby the Canadian Government on our behalf.
What has the alliance accomplished to date?
Launched bilingual website, complete with mission statement, principles, logo, bios, form to join the alliance, and a video to better showcase our story
Wrote the letter to address politicians
Interviewed Government Relations firms (we interviewed 3 firms and made the decision based on connections within the government, understanding of our industry, and price)
Sent emails asking our colleagues to join the alliance
Analyzed data that highlights which MPs have participated in an endurance event, including identifying which MPs may be consistent participants apart from their political responsibilities
Created and implemented CESA board structure
Reviewed multiple economic impact reports to better understand the impact our industry has on the country, not just from a health perspective, but from a financial and philanthropic perspective.
What are the next steps?
Finalize the selection process and the projected expense related to hiring the right Government Relations firm and an administrative support person.
Develop the long-term vision of CESA membership and the associated benefits (i.e structure, conferences, group sourcing, best practices, etc)
Obtain a firm commitment from all members of CESA to pay membership fees that will cover the projected cost to engage a Government Relations firm as well as our own internal administrative support person.
Increase the size of our membership base in order to ease the individual membership fees while creating superior optics when our group and it’s national impact is presented to government.
Work with the GR firm to define our ask of the government and how the funds would be distributed should we be successful
How can you help?
Either provide us with the names of other endurance event organizations like your own or reach out personally to those organizations and ask them to join us in this fight.
Do you have any connection to government officials?
Do you possess a unique skill (ie. financial reconciliation, PR, public speaking)
Do you have an interest in being a future board member?
The CESA INTERIM Board Positions
President
VP
Secretary
Treasurer
PR Lead
Technology Lead
Marketing Lead
List of people that have been on various calls:
Kirsten Fleming - Executive Director - Run Calgary
Steve Fleck - Professional Race/Event Announcer
Brian Gallant - Owner & Director - Sinister Sports Inc
Holly Bird - Principal - Adesso Creative
John Salt - Founder - MultiSport Canada
Stephan Partridge - President & Founder - Events.com
Jesse Fulton - President - 365 Sports
Dennis Mazajlo - Manager of Strategic Partnerships - Race Roster
Steve Merker - VP, Corporate & Community Partnerships at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation
Alain Bordeleau - Director - Marathon du P’tit Train du nord
Brandon Laan - VP, Sales - Race Roster
Aggregate Data to Date:
Subscribers: 85
Participants Represented: 1,286,130
Events Represented: 1,774
FTE: 721
PTE & Contractors: 2,240
Volunteers: 49,903
Provincial Breakdown:
Alberta = 14
BC = 15
Manitoba = 1
New Brunswick = 2
Nova Scotia = 4
Ontario = 35
PEI = 1
Quebec = 5
Saskatchewan = 2
