Sign up for the paNOW newsletter

City puts focus on sponsorship with new hire

May 12, 2015 | 4:05 PM

The City of Prince Albert has hired long-time Prince Albert Raiders’ business manager Bruce Vance to fill the newly created marketing and sponsorship co-ordinator position.

Vance has worked within the Western Hockey League for 21 years, and the last 14 of them in Prince Albert. It’s an offshoot from the City’s recent creation of a new sponsorship and naming rights policy.

He will be responsible for helping the City acquire grants, secure sponsorships and marketing the recreation services in Prince Albert. The position is the latest, but not the last addition to the community services department, which has been undergoing restructuring since director Jody Boulet took the helm last year.

“It’s pretty exciting because we’re going to be building it from the ground up and there’s no real parameters as to what to do because in Prince Albert nothing like this has been done before,” Vance said on Tuesday afternoon.  

“I think there’s a number of opportunities out there for sponsorship and marketing and naming rights and certainly grant opportunities that the City qualifies for and they need someone dedicated to go after those opportunities.”

The City came to the conclusion that a marketing and sponsorship co-ordinator position would fill gaps that existed within the department after a review more than a year ago. One of those gaps was in the area of pursuing grant and opportunities, as well as marketing City services, Boulet said.

The first step from here will be to create an inventory of City facilities and assets that are available for sponsorship. Boulet said these assets would have a value for different businesses that want to grow their brand and reach the audience the City facilities bring in.

In 2014, between general admittance, spectators and bookings, the City had more than 1.3 million people through its facilities.

The City was having problems generating revenue from external sources, according to Boulet.

“And we want to continue and limit the impact on the tax base of the City of Prince Albert for our services and the only other way we can do that is by generating external revenue opportunities and we feel by directing resources in that area it’s certainly going to create some improvements for us.”

Vance was selected to take the City forward in this endeavour in part due to his years of experience in marketing and business with the Raiders and the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

“And starting out, certainly, a new venture for us, it’s important that we bring some experience into that position to start it out, and I think Bruce really brings a lot to the table as far as that’s concerned,” Boulet said.

For Vance, it’s an opportunity to take a position that he’ll build from the ground up and put his “stamp” on.

He’s spoken with Boulet about the different opportunities and avenues there are for revenue generation, as well.

He sees a number of challenges he’s looking to tackle when he takes over the position on June 1. One is to learn all of the aspects involved with the position. Vance will begin by learning about the different facilities, what can and cannot be sponsored and research the different provincial and federal grants available.

But it wasn’t an easy decision to leave the Raiders and the WHL. He said his children don’t know anything outside of their father being in the hockey world.

“It’s a big step for me, but … the timing is right for me personally and [I’m] very excited about the chance, but at the same time I’m leaving behind an incredible staff and lots of people I’ve worked many, many years with around the Western Hockey League.”

His position with the Raiders has been filled by Michael Scissons, who was most recently the Saskatoon Blades’ vice-president of business operations. 

Vance’s hire isn’t the final addition to the community services department as a part of its restructuring plan. The department plans to hire an arts co-ordinator. The person currently in the position will be retiring on June 19, and Boulet expects to have an announcement about a new hire as well.

“That’s going to be the last piece, I think, to a very important puzzle in our entire plan that we set out a year ago to accomplish. And with all those pieces together we’re very much looking forward to the future.”

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames