When the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Nashville Predators in an overtime shootout on Monday night, March 6, spirits were high inside Rogers Arena. Inside a private suite high above the ice, spirits were high before the game even began, when Travel Oregon hosted media and regional travel partners to a celebratory reception in a large private suite.
The reason for the celebration? The sponsorship of the Vancouver Canucks, one of the most prominent brands in British Columbia, in a deal signed by Travel Oregon starting January 2023. So far, it’s been a quiet sponsorship, without the kind of blaring presence of most sponsors’ brands blazing across message boards or flashing on the jumbotron at Rogers Arena. There was not even a press release, which is surprising considering the fanfare usually accorded this kind of thing. (Sponsorships are a powerful part of an overall marketing mix, and can build awareness, engagement and trust. According to Nielsen’s 2021 Trust in Advertising Study, 81% of global respondents completely or somewhat trust brand sponsorships at sporting events.)
Lorna Davis, Travel Oregon’s warm, soft-spoken Global Sales Manager, presented the sponsorship from a friendly, low-key perspective before discussing its marketing relevance. “In Oregon, we tend to support our west coast sports teams, and hockey fans throughout Oregon are certainly familiar with the Canucks,” she said. Yes, but what about the Seattle Kraken?
“B.C. and Canada are our No. 1 market, and a major drive market for us. Amtrak resumed the Vancouver-Portland route just today, which is great. Our Canadian visitors contribute significantly to the Oregon economy. Canada is predicted to be our first market post-pandemic, with a full recovery and then some in 2024.”
Her regional partners, from Southern Oregon and coastal reps from Astoria to Brookings, as well as Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley, were with her and had attended the big Vancouver Outdoor Adventure Show on the weekend.
“We have seven regions in Oregon, with every climate from ice-capped wilderness to high desert to rainforest, and a strong cultural heritage with nine Native American tribes. We have a full offering of guided experiences, outdoor outfitters and soft adventure to dark skies. And some incredible small towns, like Phoenix, in Southern Oregon, which is quickly rebuilding and regenerating after being wiped out in the Alameda fire in September 2020.”
Will Volpert, who with his wife Julie owns and operates Indigo Creek Outfitters, a whitewater rafting company based in Phoenix, has a family background steeped in outfitting. He is thoroughly experienced. Indigo Creek has a full offering including day or multi-day adventures, white water trips or family floats on the mighty Rogue River, a river so special it was designated as Wild and Scenic to protect it forever. They also offer rafting on the Klamath River that he says will soon be radically changed.
“This summer is the last opportunity to see a section of the Klamath River that will be very different next year. In the largest dam removal project in the world, four dams are being removed in 2024 at a cost of about $500 million. It’s a huge environmental win and it will transform the river as we know it,” he said.