Job Number: 52719
Are you a strategic thinker with a passion for bringing world-class events to a vibrant city? The City of Edmonton is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Event Attraction Strategist to play a pivotal role in enhancing our city’s global profile. This unique position focuses on attracting key national and international sport and culture events that align with the City Plan and Economic Action Plan, contributing to economic diversity and fostering community engagement. If you thrive on building strong relationships with diverse partners and are skilled in complex negotiations, we invite you to be a part of our dynamic team.
This position is central to advancing Edmonton’s efforts to attract national and international sport and culture events. You will work collaboratively with Explore Edmonton’s Sport and Culture Team, event producers, provincial and national sport organizations, and international rights holders. A key function involves building strong relationships and partnerships with diverse groups, managing potentially differing priorities and objectives. You will also liaise extensively with major event venues and professional sports teams, as well as various internal City of Edmonton branches to ensure seamless collaboration and support for major events. Utilizing your technical skills and expertise, you will align sponsorship budgets with event roadmapping and draft agreements to maximize benefits for the City of Edmonton and community .

SKILLS REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS:

• Ability to express ideas effectively, both orally and in writing, particularly for bid documents and Council reports
• Strong negotiation skills and the ability to represent the City of Edmonton with various interested parties and agencies
• Excellent communication skills to build strong, credible relationships and partnerships
• Experience working with evaluation tools to analyze and assess community legacy and alignment with strategic outcomes (e.g., City Plan, Economic Action Plan)
• Achievement-focused, with the ability to recognize and act on event attraction opportunities, demonstrating persistence
• Creative, innovative, and forward-thinking team player with sound decision-making abilities, capable of working under pressure
• Passion for Edmonton and the ability to correlate event attraction with advancing the city’s local, national, and global reputation
• Demonstrated ability to work independently in research, analytical techniques, issue identification, and problem-solving
• Excellent customer service, organization, time management, and prioritization skills
• Alignment to our Cultural Commitments and Leadership Competencies
• Embracing a Culture of equity, diversity, reconciliation and inclusion

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Recreation Administration, Public Relations, Commerce, Business Administration, or an equivalent recognized degree
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in program and service delivery, policy and program development, festival and event bid/delivery, and corporate sponsorship or foundation wor

• Lead the development and updating of the Major Events Strategic Framework in partnership with Explore Edmonton, ensuring alignment with City objectives and positioning Edmonton as a premier event host city
• Collaborate on marketing and communications plans to support the Major Events Framework and successful event activation
• Engage with sport and cultural groups to align efforts and drive legacy initiatives
• Assist in developing high-calibre event bids and negotiations, gathering data, developing realistic budgets, and articulating value propositions to secure events for the city
• Draft reports and materials to support City leadership presentations, including those to City Council
• Initiate and draft all sponsorship agreements for secured events, ensuring mutually beneficial terms and protecting the organization’s interests
• Provide strategic direction and support for funding, agreements, and sponsorships, ensuring desired community benefits are realized
• Establish and maintain regular communication channels and build trust with event producers, rights holders, venue operators, government entities, and City colleagues
• Actively listen to and understand the needs, goals, and challenges of event partners, offering support and resources
• Address and resolve issues or conflicts that may arise during events or with partners
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Recreation Administration, Public Relations, Commerce, Business Administration, or an equivalent recognized degree
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in program and service delivery, policy and program development, festival and event bid/delivery, and corporate sponsorship or foundation work