The Juno awards came and went, making a mark on Calgary’s music and tourism industry, but the question is, how do we build on that momentum?
Marco De Iaco of Tourism Calgary told Metro his organization is instilling a new focus plan in hopes of luring more big name events to the city.
“We are focusing now on being strategic and proactive in bidding for events well in advance. We would really like to book our calendars with events year-round,” De Iaco said.
De Iaco said even though the Juno Awards, which some have called the best since the Canadian music awards show went on the road, are over, it doesn’t mean the city should rest on its laurels.
“We put ourselves on the music map across the country and we just have to build on it. It looks good on our resume, but now we can go even further.”
Terry Rock, president of Calgary Arts Development, agreed with De Iaco that Calgary’s next big event — the Virgin Music Festival — won’t hurt the city’s reputation either.
“The Virgin festival is huge for the city. It’s a good way to promote the city as a musical centre and promote local artists,” Rock said of the summer event that will bring a variety of musicians to the city.
Rock also hopes the recent spotlight on the city’s musical talents will “empower” them to continue to promote themselves and the city in the music industry.
