Leadership, Innovation and Recognition

Leadership & Innovation Several high profile events occurred in the third quarter that exemplify EEDC’s core values of leadership and innovation. In July, Edmonton City Council formally acknowledged the work of the Shaw Conference Centre (SCC) for its successful adoption of green initiatives. The SCC has consistently demonstrated innovation in its efforts to develop Edmonton’s green advantage, reducing its own carbon footprint while giving event organizers the opportunity and ability - through a sustainable events guide and eco-report card - to reduce their own environmental impact. They also hosted the first-ever “Sustainable

Style” luncheon and eco-fair, an event that coincided with the second annual United Way Re-Use Fair. All proceeds went to the United Way to provide funding to their member agencies in the Edmonton area. In August, the SCC was the recipient ofthis year’s “Venue of the Year” award presented at the annual Events Management Awards hosted by The Greater Edmonton Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (MPI). This recognition came for hosting the National Meetings Industry Day (NMID) in Edmonton. The Greater Edmonton Chapter of MPI credited the SCC with going above and beyond in partnering with them and supplying outstanding

support throughout the planning and execution of NMID. September ushered in the second annual Everyone for Edmonton event. Building on last year’s successes, close to 150 non-profit groups ranging from from sports and social advocacy to health, education, religion and ethno-cultural organizations were featured. The annual gathering is designed to raise awareness about non-profit and voluntary groups in the Edmonton area and to provide the public a chance to meet people behind the causes and find out how to become involved as volunteers. For more information visit www.everyoneforedmonton.com

A Report to Greater Edmonton’s Business Community

Ron Gilbertson, President & CEO, EEDC

July August September Q3 • 2009

Quarterly Report

Economic & Tourism Development

July August September Q3 • 2009

Economic Development•In partnership with Alberta Finance and Enterprise, Alberta’s Industrial Heartland and the City of Edmonton, EEDC continues to work on the collaborative strategy around the development and creation of a world-class petrochemical cluster for the Edmonton region. •EEDC sponsored the Energy Services Summit in Edmonton July 24-26. A networking and leadership summit for over 300 senior executives in the energy services and supply sector, over 70 per cent of the attendees were at the VP/CEO level. •A Machining Benchmarking Study, conducted by CED (Calgary Economic Development), EEDC and the Government of Alberta, was completed in July. The study analyzed the machining industry in Alberta and how it compares to the rest of world, while also serving as a benchmark in the future.•Workforce Development presented to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers at The Workforce of the Future conference on September 9. The presentation was a call to action for the industry to plan for their future employment needs. •Held a Financial Services Leaders Council Meeting September 14 to discuss the future of the financial services industry in Edmonton and EEDC’s role in supporting it.•EEDC, along with CED, the Central Alberta Rural Manufacturers Association (CARMA) and the Government of Alberta, coordinated the Alberta Manufacturers’ Networking Day September 16. The event had senior representation from 15 organizations, with participants discussing their top industry issues and challenges in today’s economy. •Attended the LEAN Strategy Summit September 22-24, consisting of workshops and presentations on the importance of lean culture.

EEDC exposed eight Alberta industry participants to lean principles and provided them an opportunity to learn from others’ deployment challenges and successes.•EEDC partnered with the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) for the 2009 Oil Sands Trade Show and Conference September 22-23. The tradeshow highlighted Port Alberta and the opportunities it holds for the region. During the conference EEDC: o Held a reception and Air France Cargo Presentation September 23 geared at attracting increased cargo capacity to Greater Edmonton. o Organized a UK Trade & Investment reception and speed networking event September 21 to connect UK-based companies with local companies. o Met with a US manufacturing company September 23 to showcase potential sites for its expansion.•Hosted Greater Edmonton Transportation Luncheon September 21 and arranged for a speaker to present on his company and why it is located in the Edmonton region.•Attended the Canada Maritime Conference September 22-24 to highlight the transportation opportunities within the region.

Industry & Tourism Services

•With the hiring of a new Edmonton Tourism Membership Manager, EEDC has secured 212 new industry partners since August.•Industry & Tourism Services was responsible for a large part of the coordination and logistics of the Everyone for Edmonton and Homeless Connect Edmonton events.

External RelationsEdmonton Festival City•Edmonton Festival City was represented at 14 events including a function in Washington, DC hosted by Edmonton Tourism for association & executive planners. Other activity included performances at the World Rugby Cup, CABI National Conference and a Rotary event which brought in over 150 international guests.•Festival City Media Relations program continues with a monthly e-newsletter distribution to out-of-market media showcasing festivals and other related products, providing story ideas, and raising destination awareness. Open rates have continued at 25 to 30 per cent.

Marketing & Communications Activity•The Edmonton Green Advantage program targeting association and executive planners is under development. This collective industry initiative packages Edmonton’s eco-friendly experiences by showcasing the region’s green products and offers an environmentally sustainable package to clients.•In partnership with the City of Edmonton, EEDC continues to work on the awareness campaign aptly named Edmonton Stories. Visit www.edmontonstories.ca to explore stories about working, living and visiting our great city.

Media Relations Activity•Media relations handled 22 media inquiries and follow-ups that resulted in several local stories. Focus was on tourism, the Shaw Conference Centre, the Edmonton Research Park and economic impact queries. Further, 13 media outlets picked up the Innovotec announcement including in-market media outlets as well as out of market with Montreal Gazette, Calgary News – CBR AM, and the National Post. •In partnership with Travel Alberta, Edmonton Tourism organized 31 travel media visits from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, the UK and the US. The media represented outlets such as The Wall Street Journal (USA), The Gurus Explore television show (Australia), Reforma (Mexico), and KBS TV (Korea). •Responded to over 15 requests for information, images or video from media, and sent out nine story pitches and news updates to travel media contacts. •Edmonton Tourism held two sets of one-on-one appointments with Canadian and international media at the GoMedia Canada marketplace in Whistler September 20 - 24.

Short-Haul Marketing •Edmonton Tourism’s summer campaign continued through July and August targeting the rubber-tire markets within Alberta as well as from B.C., Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Yukon to increase Greater Edmonton’s share of tourists. o The multi-media campaign included direct mail, e-marketing, print and radio advertising. Messages were timed to profile Edmonton’s vast array of festivals, attractions and events, and audiences were directed to visit the campaign website at www.edmonton.com/liveallyear. While there, visitors found vacation packages, valuable coupons and opportunities to win exciting prizes. •A simultaneous campaign aimed at travellers in national and international markets ran through Air Canada and WestJet. These campaigns promoted Greater Edmonton as a tourist destination through in-flight magazines and websites; while, Air Canada also featured Edmonton during its in-flight broadcasts. •Sent out the quarterly Vacation Packages E-Newsletter to a database of close to 60,000 subscribers featuring vacation package offers from the region, with open rates of 13 per cent.

Strategic Relations•EEDC held a Tourism Sector Luncheon on September 9 with key members of the hospitality industry for discussion of opportunities, priorities and challenges. The EEDC Board of Director’s Strategic Relations program was being developed.

Web Services•Focus on Edmonton.com continued through Q3. Ongoing efforts are being invested into this integral platform. Search engine optimization strategies have been developed aimed at increasing rankings of Edmonton.com. Web metrics will be monitored to determine impact.

Third quarter business volumes have had a small decline compared to 2008. Despite the reduction in demand, there has not been enough space for all requests and two national conventions were turned away.

On July 22, City Council directed EEDC to prepare a long term development plan (30-40 years) to address the needs of the city’s convention market. This report will include the potential value of the convention market, key success factors for convention facilities, stakeholder identification, projected space requirements, funding models and a recommendation on a plan of action.

Shaw Conference Centre

Progress continues with the Regional Alliance Group. Its profile is increasing, with the September edition of Alberta Venture highlighting this new co-operation. Short term priorities for the group include the formation of a branding and marketing strategy.

The annual Canadian Association of Business Incubators (CABI) conference September 13-15 was a success, attracting delegates from Canada, Mexico and the United States. Although officially hosted by NovaNAIT, EEDC assisted in organizing and promoting the event as a sponsor.

Edmonton Research Park

July August September Q3 • 2009

The public gathered at the Shaw Conference Centre September 20 for the second annual Everyone for Edmonton event.

Tourism DevelopmentBusiness Travel•A total of 80 convention and event bids with a year-to-date potential value of $55 Million were submitted by September 30.•Exhibited at the Meeting Professionals International World Education Congress (MPI WEC) in Salt Lake City, UT July 11-14.The booth had 56 meeting planners visit.•Attended the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives (CESSE) Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL July 21-24. EEDC made 30 new contacts at this event. •Hosted the annual Indy Car familiarization trip July 24-27. Guests included representatives from BI Worldwide, Carlson, Cristoff & Associates, International Conferences & Exhibitions LLC and Travel Alberta.•Attended the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) annual conference and exhibit in Toronto August 15-19. EEDC produced three solid leads for future convention business. •Attended the Incentiveworks Tradeshow August 25-26. With support of local partners, EEDC launched the MeetingsEasy software, while making 105 contacts and nine leads.•Hosted a Fairmont Business Development Tour August 27-31 for seven UK-based travel executives. •Along with industry partners, attended the Canadian Tourism Commission’s Live Canada events September 8-9 in seven US cities and one UK destination. These events gave Edmonton a strong presence while focusing on educating the clients on Canada.•Along with industry partners, EEDC hosted two successful stand-alone events in Washington, DC September 19-20 which attracted approximately 100 people. •Edmonton Tourism’s Meeting and Event Services department provided VIP “concierge service” to: - Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences (SCC), July 12-17 - Rexall Edmonton Indy, July 24-26 - Global Youth Assembly (NAIT), July 30-August 2 - Alberta Gift Show (Edmonton EXPO Centre), August 16-19 - Oil Sands Trade Show (Edmonton EXPO Centre), September 23-24

Event Attraction•Edmonton Events International (EEI) sponsored a soccer match between Everton & River Plate July 15 at Commonwealth Stadium. The sponsorship package included: EEI’s logo on the screen during play reviews, in the program, two EEI on-field signs and two announcements about EEI. Over 15,800 people attended the game.•Submitted a letter of intent to host the 2012 Special Olympics National Winter Games, and received confirmation that Edmonton has been selected to move forward in the bid process. •Secured 2,593 accommodation room nights in Edmonton, including for the 2010 CFL Grey Cup.•EEI is also working on the following bids: 2012 Canadian Gymnastics Championships, 2012 World Women’s Baseball Championships and the 2010 National Senior Taekwondo Championships.

Leisure Travel•In cooperation with the Canadian Inbound Tourism Association (CITAP), Edmonton Tourism held the 2009 CITAP Market Update and Roundtable session July 24. The informal sessions discussed the changes in the Asia Pacific market and strategies for action, new initiatives, planning and implementation. •Edmonton Tourism, The Canadian Tourism Commission China and Travel Alberta invited GZL International Travel Service in China to a familiarization tour in Edmonton. The group toured the region, learned Edmonton’s history and created ideas on building packages around Greater Edmonton. •Leisure Travel attended the Jinan China International Tourism Fair, as well at the Mount Taishan Summit of World Famous Mountains in Taiain, on a China sales mission August 30 - September 9. The mission included meetings with the EXPO Shanghai office and with Chinese tour operators. •Edmonton Tourism participated in Travel Alberta’s sales meetings and media appointments in Mexico City September 2-7, prior to the start of the Conozca Marketplace, an annual event which creates opportunities to increase Edmonton’s business and marketing advantage in Mexico.•In conjunction with Travel Alberta, Edmonton Tourism conducted training appointments with seven major tour operators in the Vancouver area September 17-19. EEDC also met with over 20 agents during the Receptive Tour Operator Training Mission.•As part of an on-going marketing initiative with the Honda Centre and the Anaheim Ducks, Travel Alberta developed a familiarization tour with EEDC for a team of AAA sales agents selling custom Edmonton and Calgary Anaheim Ducks fan packages. The September 18 tour provided destination awareness of Edmonton to those agents who also went to an Oilers pre-season game.•Edmonton Tourism hosted 10 travel agents from Taiwan September 24-26. The participants travelled throughout Alberta developing new product for winter 2009 and summer 2010.•Edmonton Tourism hosted 10 Canadian specialist travel agents from Germany on a Northern Alberta familiarization tour September 27-29. The tour provided additional education on the Alberta and Canadian product.•EEDC was a sponsor and host, along with Travel Alberta, of the International Adventure Film Festival September 27 - October 1 in London, UK. Edmonton Tourism conducted over 10 sales calls throughout the UK and created potential opportunities for Edmonton products.

Film Commission •The Edmonton Film office continued to work closely with Film Gar-den Entertainment in securing details regarding the episode of the PBS series ‘The Endless Feast’ filmed in Edmonton and area in late August 2009. •The television series Mixed Blessings began production and will feature 13 episodes for APTN.•Six leads were developed after 16 meetings were held August 16-19 in Los Angeles, CA with all three Alberta film commissioners in attendance. •Gemini award nominated Caution May Contain Nuts went into pre-production in late September. Director Bruce Pirrie of SCTV fame is on board as well as many of Edmonton’s local comedic actors.

Edmonton Economic Development Corp.3rd Floor, World Trade Centre Edmonton9990 Jasper AvenueEdmonton, Alberta, Canada T5J 1Pl(780) 424-9191 or 1-800-661-6965info@edmonton.comwww.edmonton.com/eedc

EEDC is a not-for-profit company owned by the City of Edmonton that is responsible for regional economic development and regional tourism marketing as well as management of the Shaw Conference Centre and Edmonton Research Park. This report is produced quarterly to update Greater Edmonton’s business community on EEDC’s key initiatives.