Board of Trade supports the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver

Be sure to check this page and our 2010 archives often for updates on the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and related Spirit of Vancouver 2010 news.

2010 Business Opportunities Workshop — Vancouver, June 20, 2007
The intent of the workshop is to catalyze the small business sector to take advantage of business opportunities related to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games by enhancing their capacity to identify and effectively select, interpret and respond to government and 2010 Winter Games related business opportunities. More...

20,010 Winter Games licence plates sold
Over 20,000 British Columbians have chosen to purchase 2010 Winter Games licence plates in the past seven weeks. To mark the occasion, a special presentation was made to a Richmond resident who purchased the 20,010 plate. More...

BC Ferries maiden voyage to promote 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
Three new BC Ferries that will sail from Europe to their new British Columbia home this fall are being wrapped with a massive invitation to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, announced Premier Gordon Campbell, BC Ferries President and CEO, David Hahn, and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games’ (VANOC) CEO, John Furlong today. More...

Winning is not a bad word, Own the Podium 2010 CEO says
"Winning is not a bad word" was the overriding theme at the Spirit of Vancouver®’s celebration of the 1,000-day countdown to the 2010 Olympic Games, where speakers explored how the Own the Podium 2010 program will put Canada on top in 2010. More...

Delivering Major Sporting Events: Connecting U.K. companies with local partners for 2010 and beyond
On June 5, 2007, Martin Cronin, British Consul-General, Vancouver, invites you to attend presentations and workshops, and meet U.K. companies visiting Vancouver to explore Olympic partnering. View/download invitation (PDF/1,439kb).

Atlanta’s mayor shares lessons on buillding a "best in class city"
"The ability to bring people together" is what Shirley Franklin, the mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, says has made all the difference in the turnaround of her city, but there is still much to learn from cities such as Vancouver. Franklin made her comments at Spirit of Vancouver® event today. More...

2010 Business Opportunities Workshop — Vancouver
Join the BC Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat on May 29 for this special seminar on 2010 Business Opportunities. The intent of the workshop is to catalyze the small business sector to take advantage of business opportunities related to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games by enhancing their capacity to identify and effectively select, interpret and respond to government and 2010 Winter Games-related business opportunities. More...

VANOC volunteer update
In celebration of National Volunteer Week 2007, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) is extending its thanks and appreciation to the millions of Canadians and people from around the world who dedicate their time and talent volunteering for local initiatives and organizations. In 2010, we look forward to staging an extraordinary Games with volunteer support. More...

Act now to cash in on Games, firms told
B.C. firms trolling for Olympic-related business should be prepared for opportunities to crop up sooner than they might expect and in some unusual places. That is some of the advice Felicity Shankar, a marketing expert with a long Olympics history, will share with a Vancouver Board of Trade audience Wednesday. "Everybody that's going to be buying something in Vancouver [for the 2010 Olympics] is starting to travel there now," Shankar said in a phone interview from London. Read Vancouver Sun article.

Spirit of Vancouver® Countdown to 2010^TM celebrates athletes and communities
With three years to go until the 2010 Games, The Vancouver Board of Trade, VANOC and 2010 Legacies Now joined together for the fourth annual Spirit of Vancouver Countdown to 2010 celebration. More...

In preparation for 2010 Games, panel discusses volunteerism in Vancouver
High-profile members of the volunteer community gathered today for the latest installment in the Tough Talk for Tender Causes^TM series, in a session on "Finding, Keeping and Supporting Volunteers." The event was packed with expert tips and insight into the voluntary sector. More...

"Be Canadian" when planning 2010 Games, Turino Olympics boss advises
When asked about planning for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, Valentino Castellani has two words of advice: "Be Canadian." Castellani, president of the Torino 2006 Olympic Organizing Committee, spoke as part of the RBC 2010 Legacies Now Speaker Series. More...

Olympic sport makes ideal school of life
Adolf Ogi, former president of Switzerland and UN Special Advisor on Sport for Development and Peace, spoke about the role of sport in making a better world. "I do what I believe in: I believe in what I do," he said at a Spirit of Vancouver® luncheon. More...

VANOC and CCES partner on goal of doping-free Games in 2010
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) are pleased to announce a partnership for the delivery of anti-doping services for the 2010 Winter Games through the VANOC Anti-Doping Program. The announcement was made on the occasion of Sport Leadership 2006, the largest annual gathering of national sport leaders, coaches, government officials and sport volunteers. More...

Workshop helps businesses tap into $4-billion worth of Olympic opportunities
When it comes to procurement and what is being spent on and for the 2010 Olympics, "people often get very tunnel-visioned on VANOC," Tim Reeve of the 2010 Commerce Centre and the BC Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat told attendees at a recent procurement workshop presented by Spirit of Vancouver® in co-operation with the Secretariat and the Commerce Centre. More...

Games planning "on time and on budget"
It has been a little over three years since Vancouver won the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and there are just over three years to go until the opening ceremonies. According to the CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), venue construction, revenues, planning and operations are all on track. More...

EPCOR Joins Vancouver 2010 in Support of Canadian athletes
EPCOR today becomes an Official Supplier to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC), with a major focus on supporting Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The partnership will include Official Supplier rights to the Canadian Olympic Team for the Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010, and London 2012 Games. More...

GM Canada commits $5.2 million to make athletes’ dreams possible
GM Canada will donate $4 million to Own the Podium 2010, an initiative created to help Canada become the number one nation in terms of medals at the 2010 Olympic Games and top three at the 2010 Paralympic Games. In addition, GM has created Making Dreams Possible, a $1.2 million program, which will create a competitive advantage for Canadian athletes by directly supporting coaches at the elite and local club levels. More...

Canadian Chamber caught up in the Olympic spirit
John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), received a standing ovation at the recent Canadian Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting in Saskatoon. More...

Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games emblem celebrates B.C., Canada and the Paralympic athlete’s journey
A dynamic new identity representing the journey of a Paralympic athlete was introduced today as the official emblem of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The unveiling of the emblem before a crowd of thousands was the highlight of a free outdoor celebration at Whistler. More...

Vancouver 2010 receives $110 million venue funding commitment from Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) today received confirmation that the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia have approved VANOC’s funding request of $110 million ($55 million each) for its venue construction program, thereby ensuring sufficient funding is in place to complete its state of the art venues with lasting legacies for future generations. More...

Volunteer workforce will deliver Games in 2010
With the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games less than four years away, VANOC is faced with the daunting task of hiring an estimated 25,000 volunteers. How it intends to meet this challenge was the topic at a special Vancouver Board of Trade members' event at the PNE. More...

VANOC volunteer update — August 2006
As the summer draws to a close and the Beijing 2008 Summer Games mark their two-year countdown, VANOC continues to plan and prepare for the 2010 Winter Games. Over the next few years, VANOC Volunteer Updates will provide you with the latest information about volunteering with the 2010 Winter Games. Here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about volunteering. More...

Vancouver 2010 celebrates Paralympic Movement with free concert and launches new emblem to the world 
On September 16, Whistler will host one of the strongest assemblies of Juno award-winning talent the mountain resort community has seen. Vancouver 2010 will celebrate the Paralympic Movement with a free concert that reveals the new 2010 Paralympic Winter Games emblem to the world, featuring performers Chantal Kreviazuk, The Philosopher Kings, Spirit of the West, Jim Byrnes, and Jeremy Fisher. More...

Beijing 2008: Two years to go
On August 8, 2008, over 90,000 spectators will gather in Beijing’s new National Stadium to celebrate the start of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. With fewer than 750 days to go, the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) is moving quickly into the operational phase of preparations. The focus is now on completing venue construction and launching major programs such as ticket sales and volunteer recruitment. More...

"There is no handbook for the Olympics": Lessons from the 2002 Salt Lake Games
Bill Malone, executive director of the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau in Park City, Utah, said Vancouver is "light years ahead" in its preparation for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and congratulated the city and the province for taking steps to ensure the 2010 Games are the best, and most sustainable, ever. More...

Countdown to 2010 event — photo by Dave Roels

Countdown to 2010
One day after the Closing Ceremonies of the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Torino, Vancouver launched the final stretch of preparation for its own 2010 Games with the help of the premier at the third annual Spirit of Vancouver Countdown to 2010 celebration. More...

Banner program introduces new Vancouver 2010 brand
The look of the 2010 Winter Games is hitting the streets of Vancouver in the form of new banners. The banners, which sport the same look that VANOC recently introduced in all promotional materials, represent the first step toward creating a look in which the city and venues will be decorated for the 2010 Winter Games. More than 900 banners showcasing a sea-to-sky colour palette and graphic elements of the official Vancouver 2010 brand will be displayed on bridges and streets around the city, including areas around future Olympic venues. More...

Olympic Opening Ceremonies on the big screen at The Centre — photo by Dave Roels

Board of Trade celebrates Torino Opening Ceremonies via live CBC broadcast at The Centre
Seven hundred Vancouver Board of Trade members joined The Hon. Gordon Campbell, premier of British Columbia, His Worship Sam Sullivan, Mayor of Vancouver, and Vancouver 2010 chairman Jack Poole to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy on a 60-foot, high-definition screen at The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts. More...

RBC 2010 Legacies Now Speaker Series webcast —Thursday, February 9, 2006, 12 noon PST
The first international speaker in the RBC 2010 Legacies Now Speaker Series is Margy Osmond, Chief Executive of the State Chamber of Commerce of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia. Osmond will join the province via webcast on Thursday, February 9 at 12 noon. More...

Identifying Olympic opportunities
The 2010 Olympics can be "the gift that keeps on giving," provided that long-term benefits for Vancouver’s business community are planned and nurtured from the earliest possible date, said Margy Osmond, chief executive of the State Chamber of Commerce of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. More...

The Games are Coming! Celebration Week 2006 — an invitation from the City of Vancouver
When the Olympic flame goes out at the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, and Mayor Sam Sullivan is handed the Olympic flag, our City's official countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games begins.To jump-start the journey to 2010, four unique events are happening during a special Celebration Week starting February 26, 2006. More...

RBC 2010 Legacies Now Speaker Series brings Olympic and Paralympic experiences and experts to B.C. communities and businesses 
Over the next few years, a roster of international experts will share their Olympic and Paralympic experiences with British Columbia communities and businesses through the RBC 2010 Legacies Now Speaker Series, ensuring British Columbians can take advantage of the opportunities that come with hosting the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. More...

2010 Commerce Centre: Your one-stop 2010 business centre
Connecting B.C. businesses to Olympic opportunities is the reason behind the launch of the 2010 Commerce Centre, your portal to information and resources and a place to expose your company to worldwide business relationships. View the 2010 Commerce Centre's December newsletter (PDF) at left and visit the Centre at www.2010CommerceCentre.gov.bc.ca to find out more.