If you’re a Pan Am Games doubter, and there are a great many out there… take a look at the amazing new teaser video put out by Travel Ontario.
To be fair the 2015 Games have endured the same script it seems most major events write. Budget issues. Political controversy. Executive turnover. Public skepticism. Yes Southern Ontario has been strangled by closed roads, traffic snarls, cost overruns, and construction delays. For the general public that has no idea who PASO is or why this event matters, it’s been tough PR to combat.
But day by day the tonality appears to be shifting. Tim Horton’s Field is now open in Hamilton and the CFL Tiger-Cats appear invincible in their new digs. According to colleagues who have seen it, the new Aquatics Centre and Field House in Eastern Toronto (you could also call it Scarborough) appears to be worth every penny. Ticket sales have hit the six figures with months to go.
Clearly the marketing minds at Travel Ontario are convinced of success. Their production investment in this piece of film has been pegged at $ 2 million by some experts I consulted. It might just be worth it.
To me this work is more than just a promo for an event. It’s a mini-doc for our amazing city and region. If I were one of the many people not named Ford, trying to wrest back control of our city to sane hands, I would do my best to co-op this piece or at least get a cameo in the upcoming versions. It’s that powerful. Inherent in the power is what it represents.
The film demonstrates clearly that these Games are more than just athletics. Already our region is benefiting from state of the art venue development and construction. Olympic pools in the 416 mean that your talented swimming daughters will finally have a place to train, prepare, rehab, and compete. The stadium in Hamilton is much more than the host of a dozen professional football games in a year. It’s a shrine, in an often mocked community, that is accessible for all Steel City residents, will attract major events, and provide a unbelievable home field advantage for local teams to proudly defend.
The Pan Am Games have already secured their structural and athletic legacy. But it goes further.
The Games themselves will be an opportunity to show off our city to the Pan Am countries who are visiting. This will include visitors, businesses, and government. Toronto prides itself on being a cultural mosaic and I suspect this event will entice even more people to move here from abroad.
This video now signals a time for the corporate community to jump in. How can your business add to the excitement, the atmosphere, and the festivities of the Games? The recently announced Torch Relay will provide reach right across the province. It’s less than a year away and it’s not too late for you to think of how you can get involved.
2015 promises to be a great summer with Pan Am, FIFA Women’s World Cup (more on that in a coming blog), and my 50th birthday. (Okay two out of three ain’t bad.)
Watch the video. Get in on the Games.