Alberta's Involvement in the Games

The global spotlight shines on Vancouver, but the glow reaches across our country. Alberta is capitalizing on opportunities to invest in our future, while celebrating excellence in sport, culture and the arts.

Alberta House and Alberta Plaza

Olympic Summary | Pre-Olympic Activites | Alberta @ Vancouver 2010 | After Vancouver 2010

Located on the corner of
Beatty and Robson

View of BC Place from
outside Alberta Plaza

Gold medalists Scott Moir
and Tessa Virtue pose
with a volunteer during
visit to Alberta House

The Vision for Alberta House

Located at the heart of the Olympic festivities, across from BC Place and Canada Hockey Place, Alberta House and Alberta Plaza, with their innovative designs, were a visual representation of Alberta�s freedom to create and spirit to achieve.

Alberta House was a business and reception venue that promoted Alberta�s culture, business, tourism and sport. From February 12-28, Alberta House hosted more than 2,250 national and international guests including diplomats, athletes, sports federations, industry leaders, tourism operators, media, government officials and young Alberta leaders. Special guests at Alberta House included Olympians Jenn Heil, Alexandre Bilodeau, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, Jon Montgomery, the Canadian men�s and women�s curling teams, and Wayne Gretzky, just to name a few.

Dubbed by one Vancouver radio station as the �rockingest pavilion�, Alberta Plaza was one of the places to celebrate the Games. Thousands lined up every day to savour the �Taste of Alberta� menu and the open air design meant everyone had a chance to enjoy Alberta�s warm hospitality. Whether cheering for Team Canada on the big screens or dancing to one of the 40 free musical performances by Alberta�s established and emerging artists, no one was left out of the fun.

�Alberta's Olympic vision, in other words, is as clear as it is down-to-earth. It's to drum up business for Alberta, rather than to invite the world in for a free visit.�
- Jon Ferry, Columnist, The Province (published in the Calgary Herald, Feb. 20, 2010)

�So is all this marketing activity working? The best answer came from a Swedish man, who, when asked what he knew about Alberta, replied: "Spirit to achieve. Freedom to create."
- Jessica Demello (National Post, February 27, 2010)

"It's the best advertising for Alberta we've done in history."
- George Brookman, chairman of Tourism Calgary (Calgary Herald, March 3, 2010)

Blogs: Can't take Alberta out of Wayne Gretzky | Alberta Plaza is the place to be |

Alberta House Lobby

20 pieces from the AFA
Art Collection were
showcased. Industrial art
and new media modernized
classic symbolism like the
custom wallpaper
featuring an abstract of
the Great Horned Owl.

Alberta literature in the
Alberta House Library

The Architecture

The architecture of Alberta House and Plaza was a visual demonstration of the juxtaposition between our nature and our future � natural material taking a futuristic and contemporary industrial form that said we are proud of our roots, but we are innovative and looking towards the future. The asymmetrical design was praised in national media and by visitors.

Environmental sustainability was a key consideration for Alberta House. It was designed and constructed using locally available recycled and recyclable materials to ensure a minimal environmental footprint.

Following the Games, the building additions were taken apart and reused. The red cedar slats that clad the building and pillars were donated to various organizations including the Emily Carr Aboriginal Access Program, and the Farmers on 57th and Youth Environmental Alliance Community Garden projects. The floor tiles from Alberta Plaza, made of recycled rubber tires by Alberta-based Eco-Flex®, were returned for repurposing. The scaffolding was disassembled and will be re-used for future construction projects.

Materials that could not be reused, repurposed or resold, were disposed of in a responsible manner through a Vancouver based company, de.brand, that specializes in environmental friendly disposal.

"Alberta has scored a tremendous hit at the Games in far more than sports. Both the Alberta Train and downtown Alberta Plaza are winning rave reviews on the coast."
- Don Braid, Calgary Herald, February 18, 2010.

�I dropped by Alberta Plaza along with my young family on Alberta Day (Wednesday). I'm one more B.C. er who wants to say "hats off" to Alberta for your super-friendly pavilion staff, your top-notch display space focused on culture and business development, and even a minister (Lindsay Blackett) who took the time to make our group feel right at home. You folks ought to be proud! Go, Alberta!"
- Tom Tevlin, North Vancouver (published in the Calgary Herald, February 19, 2010).

Video: What Became of Alberta Plaza? | Photo Gallery |

Open air design allowed
for street side viewing

The Dudes performing live
February 19th

Thousands watched as
Canada won the men's
hockey gold medal from
Alberta Plaza

Alberta Live

Over 40 Alberta music acts performed in free concerts at Alberta Plaza, with additional ancillary performance opportunities created through partnerships with the Aboriginal Pavilion, Place de la Francophonie, Talking Stick Festival, PRIDE House Whistler, the Art of Craft exhibit at the Art Gallery of Vancouver and the Athletes� Villages in both Vancouver and Whistler. Cultural programming also took place on the Alberta Train for five days during the span of the games.

The concerts offered the artists exposure to new audiences and a world of opportunity. Many used their Olympic experiences to book additional dates in Vancouver, or to make it part of a larger Canadian tour and many others made connections at Alberta House and Plaza that will take them on to other exciting opportunities.

Stephanie Bosch � Selected to perform at Canadian Music Week in Toronto � March 2010 after being selected to perform at Alberta Plaza.
Matt Masters � After conversations with the Calgary Stampede President at Alberta House after his live show, four performances were secured and 10 others are pending. A performance at the World Petroleum Conference was also secured as the event planner was in attendance.

Live web streaming of performances from Alberta Plaza provided the opportunity for Albertans and international viewers to watch Alberta performers throughout the Olympic time period. Archiving of this material has also provided the artists with additional promotional material to leverage further performance opportunities with national and international presenters.

�It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the atmosphere in this huge event. I'm an Alberta girl, and I feel very proud to go there representing Alberta as an artist. Even if you get a handful of visitors from overseas, it opens the door to other possibilities. Whether there's 30 people or 500, we're just happy to be part of it."
- Tracy Millar, Performer (published in Edmonton Journal, Feb 11, 2010)

Alberta Live Archives | Alberta Stars | Blog: Stephanie Bosch | Photo Gallery | Blog: Remembering the Gold Medal Hockey Game

Alberta Train

Alberta Train enroute to
Vancouver

The Alberta Brand will
remain throughout the
2010 season

Gorgeous views through
glass dome ceiling

Brewster buses will also
retain Alberta Brand
through 2010 seaon

Vancouver media dubbed the Alberta Train �one of the hottest tickets� and was hailed by guests and media from around the world as one of the most creative business development and marketing tools at the 2010 Games. More than 2,900 people road the Alberta Train during the Olympics. The six-hour round trip afforded influential national and international tour operators, travel suppliers, partners, business leaders, sport organizations, media, government officials and guests a rare opportunity to network, develop relationships and learn about the many opportunities in Alberta.

Approximately 60 international tour operators, travel suppliers and partners were hosted by Travel Alberta daily on the Alberta Train. Participants included: Lake Louise Ski Area, WestJet, Mexicana Airlines, Anderson Vacations, Heritage Park, Calgary Stampede, Tourism Calgary, Edmonton Tourism, Edmonton Airport, Tourism Jasper, Ski Sunshine, fashion designer Paul Hardy, Rocky Mountaineer, Air Canada, Brewster, Honeybee Ranch, Calgary Airport Authority, Northlands, and the Children's Wish Foundation among many others.

Alberta�s tourism industry will continue to benefit from this Olympic collaboration with Rocky Mountaineer and Brewster motor coaches. The Alberta Train and touring buses will continue to make a colourful impression on visitors to British Columbia and Alberta as the train and two coaches will continue to display the Alberta brand through the 2010 summer and fall travel season.

��We have four corporate buyers from Spain coming to Lake Louise in April to look at bringing their incentive meetings to Alberta�All that business from just one meeting! And from a market we need to grow in��
- Sandy Best, Lake Louise Ski Area

�The verdict so far is that it's a marketing coup for the province, or as one West Coast media pundit put it, "the best idea Vancouver never thought of." While the train touting Alberta does travel through some of the most scenic British Columbia scenery, Travel Alberta officials have managed to ensnare some powerful decision-makers for the six-hour round trip, with millions of dollars in deals benefiting Alberta business already having been signed.
- Valerie Fortney, Calgary Herald, Feb 22, 2010

�Hockey, schmockey. The best place to be is on the train.�
- dbramham@vancouversun.com

"It was worth every dollar, and 100 times more."
- David Chalack, president of the Calgary Stampede.