Date: June 3, 2016
From: Regina Hotel Association
MEDIA RELEASE

eofe-logoThe search for Regina’s next “big” event came to a close today. The Regina Hotel Association (RHA) crowned “ReginAcadabra” as the Event of Events Competition Champion and recipient of a $20,000 sponsorship to help start-up the new event.

The competition was launched in January in search of a new investment opportunity for the RHA. The RHA currently sponsors over 60 events, festivals and conferences every year. “We were thrilled with the quality and creativity of the event ideas that were submitted into the competition,” said RHA CEO, Tracy Fahlman. “With 42 entries, it was a tough choice in selecting only 11 official contestants.”

Contestants had to meet the initial requirements called for on the contest website and have potential to draw visitors to Regina and generate demand for hotel rooms. Over the past three months, the 11 official contestants pitched their event idea to a panel of judges and were “checked-in” or “checked-out” of the competition through a series of elimination rounds.

The three finalists were: The Great Saskatchewan Mustard Festival, Hill Case Competition and ReginAcadabra. The competition then tested the overall public appeal of each finalist and measured their marketing savvy. “It was important to the judges to understand what the community would be willing to support,” said Awelana Akeriwe, competition judge and founder of Regina Afrofest. “Our twitter poll allowed us to gauge each contestant’s passion, drive and ability to promote their event.”

ReginAcadabra won the Competition by scoring the highest in a ranking system. This new magic festival combines public magic shows, ticketed performances and a magic-industry convention over a proposed 2-3 day period. “We liked the combination of the public events for all ages with an industry-focused conference,” said Fahlman. “It polled well in the community and recieved great support from Canada’s magic industry.”

regina-hotel-assoc-logo-2016The RHA may produce the competition again in the future, however it is now redirecting its focus on supporting ReginAcadabra and the other contestant’s efforts to turn their dream event idea into a reality. The final episode will be released at noon on June 8, 2016 at www.eventofevents.ca.

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For More Information, please contact:
Tracy Fahlman, CEO
Regina Hotel Association
info@stayinregina.com / 306.546.4272