Prince George, B.C.- When the 2015 Canada Winter Games  start next February,  it will not be “business as usual” for local  businesses  says Games CEO Stu Ballentyne, and that’s why there is a series of seminars  set for tomorrow to help prep businesses for what’s to come.

 “For the 18 days it will not be business as usual.  There will be higher volume” says the 2015 Games CEO,  he says  it’s anticipated there will be anywhere from 10 to 15 thousand people who will be coming  to the Games who will be here to  watch the activities.

“These are people who  have to eat, they  want to be entertained,  they have a whole  bunch of activities they are going to want to be involved in.”  So it’s important local businesses are ready to handle the demand.

Ballentyne shared this example, “You can imagine having 20 high schools having grad the same weekend,  how does  the White Goose  Bistro  deal with a line up  that’s 40 people long when they only have  35 seats?  What do  they have to think about now so  they don’t  get   themselves where they can’t handle the business  and  make sure  people want to keep coming back over the course of the 18 days?”

It’s all about being prepared says Ballentyne “Finding out what’s the difference between this weekend, and a weekend during the Games and leading up the Games.  Being ready for higher volumes, understanding the business that the Games bring,  all the different social events,  what are these individual groups doing, what are they buying how much  are they buying, how do I get ready to handle some of that?  So these sessions are to get businesses ready locally for Games time, but also if there are things the Games need,  we would much rather  buy from within the region.”

There are three sessions set for tomorrow, all are taking place at the Civic Centre and participants must pre-register.

Workshop1 is for potential suppliers and contractors, and will outline what is being purchased and when, expectations for quality, quantity and pricing, how to bid successfully

Workshop 2 is all about understanding VIP and customer hosting opportunities, it will provide an understanding of the scale and scope of hosting VIPS and customers during  a major sporting event and how to  start planning and budgeting for hosting.

Workshop 3 is for those in the economic development and public sector agencies,  and will see participants learn more about the best practices in leveraging major sporting events to  support the growth of  existing businesses and attract new investment.

More information about the sessions and the costs involved can be found here.