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ART CREDIT
incentive meetings Calgary The quintessential Western experience
Pick up the pace At WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park, incentive groups can ski, snowboard, bobsled, and zipline their way through the site of the XV Olympic Winter Games.
Day at the races Every July, Calgary hosts The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth — the Calgary Stampede. Incentive groups can experience the event’s famous rodeos and races from the comfort of the infield’s 28 luxury suites and two large tents.
Set against the palatial, snowcapped peaks of the Canadian Rockies, Calgary satisfies the most adventurous of spirits. As a play- ground for urban cowboys or a springboard to the nearby ski parks, rugged ranchlands, and fossil-rich badlands, Calgary’s attractions and assets for incentive meetings span a long and entirely unique list. Meeting planners may already know Cal-
gary for the world-famous Calgary Stampede, which takes over the city for 10 days every July, but they may not know that groups can take over the Calgary Stampede as well. Whether they come to experience the stampede itself or meet in one of Stampede Park’s many indoor and outdoor facilities at another time during the year, the experi- ence is always an iconic display of Western sport and heritage. Beyond the stampede’s rodeos, chuckwagon races, and grandstand
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shows, groups will experi- ence an authentic and his- toric Calgary tradition, from the famous Western-style pancake breakfasts served around the city at sunup to the live music and dancing that begins at sundown. Groups who would rather get in on the
action themselves can take over WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park, the site of the XV Olympic Winter Games in 1988. Visitors can ski and snowboard on a variety of courses and terrains, take a lesson at Canada’s sec- ond-largest ski school, and, in the summer months, mountain-bike or hike around more than 165 acres. Visitors can also bobsled down an Olympic track (accompanied by a professional driver) or speed down the fast- est zipline in North America year around. Custom team-building activities can also be
devised for groups, from scavenger hunts to ropes-course challenges. As one of the world’s largest energy hubs,
Calgary is an ever-evolving metropolis, con- sistently earning nods for its cleanliness and ease of accessibility. The city has been ranked both the safest city in North America and the cleanest city in the world, as well as one of the top five cities in the world to live.
For more information: Meetings + Conven- tions Calgary — Erin Lee, Business Develop- ment; (403) 261-8545; elee@meetingscalgary.com; meetingscalgary.com