Bid Information Package 2012 World Junior Ringette Championship 2013 World Ringette Championship

Introduction Thank you for your interest in being a part of the celebration of ringette across Canada in 2012 through 2013. As you may know, 2013 will mark the 50th Anniversary since the founding of our sport and these two events will certainly provide a platform to celebrate this milestone. In the pages below, you will find the requirements for hosting these events. These requirements can help guide host committees in terms of formation of bids as well as in developing hosting plans once awarded an event. These requirements are in place to help host committees ensure that the events provide the athletes, coaches, officials and fans an unforgettable experience while delivering a solid legacy for the host community. While these requirements form an important “backbone” to the hosting of these events, there remains considerable room for host communities to put their own mark on the event and to ensure that the event is locally relevant.

About Ringette Canada Ringette Canada is the National Sport Governing Body (NSGB) for the sport of ringette in Canada. Ringette Canada is a member of the International Ringette Federation (IRF) and has been awarded these two events by the IRF in keeping with the IRF constitution. Ringette Canada includes over 28,000 players from 9 provinces as well as over 2000 coaches and 1,800 officials. In all of our work, Ringette Canada is guided by our core values: Integrity • Respect • Fairness • Excellence • Human Development • Team Work • Fun • Safety

Bid Overview The bid process presents an incredible opportunity for ringette communities and communities-at-large. There is, of course, the opportunity to host ringette’s best and to excite and electrify your ringette community in the process. But there is also the opportunity to connect with your community-at-large and forge more connections within your own community. Even those bids that are not successful in securing one of these events will benefit from the connections, thoughts and relationships that are required to put together the bid.

Bid Timeline September 15, 2010 November 1-6, 2010

Release of Bid Packages IRF Congress Meeting at the World Championship - (Discussion to include timeline for upcoming events).

March 1, 2011

Deadline to Submit Bid Information Package to Ringette Canada’s Office

April 1, 2011

Bid Presentations Made - Cambridge, Ontario

April 3, 2011

Vote to Award Events

Event Overview - World Junior Ringette Championship The World Junior Ringette Championship is the first exposure to elite international ringette and is a key element in the ongoing development of our athletes and our national team programs. To further the development of our athletes, Canada fields two teams for the event, “Canada East” (athletes residing in Ontario and East) and “Canada West” (athletes residing in Manitoba and West). Team Finland arranges their teams in a similar manner with “Finland Blue” and “Finland White” competing at the event. Given the differing levels of development among ringette nations, other national team programs are invited to send their senior national team if they so desire. Teams from Sweden and the USA will be invited at a minimum, with additional teams such as Slovakia, France, and Hungary for up to 12 teams attending the event. The 2012 event will be a special one in that it will be the beginning of the celebrations to mark the 50th Anniversary of the foundation of ringette in 1963. As the kickoff of celebrations, the event should incorporate elements of the celebration and celebrate ringette’s past in the host community. As part of this celebration, the event can include other competitions to create a festival atmosphere, if this is desired by the host. This could include age-group tournaments that run in conjunction with the event. The 2012 World Junior Ringette Championship will be the second such event. The first was held in Prague, Czech Republic in August of 2009. For illustration purposes, the following is the schedule for the 2009 event from Prague: Tuesday, August 4th - Day 3 1. 9:30 - 11:30 2. 11:45 - 13:45

Canada East Canada West

3. 16:30 - 18:30 4. 18:45 - 20:45 Wednesday, August 5th - Day 2 5. 8:30 - 10:30 6. 10:45 - 12:45

Finland White vs. Finland Blue vs. Opening Ceremony Canada East vs. Canada West vs. Finland White Canada East

vs. vs.

Finland Blue Canada West

7. 8.

Canada West Canada East

vs. vs.

Finland Blue Finland White

15:00 - 17:00 17:15 - 19:15

Finland Blue Finland White

Thursday, August 6th - Day 3 9. 9:30 - 11:30 Finland White vs. 10. 11:45 - 13:45 Finland Blue vs. 11. 16:30 - 18:30 Canada West vs. 12. 18:45 - 20:45 Finland Blue vs. Friday, August 7th - Day 4: Semi-Finals SF 1 16:30 - 18:45 Team 2 vs. Team 3 SF 2 19:00 - 21:15 Team 1 vs. Team 4 Saturday, August 8th - Day 5: Medal Games Bronze 9:30 - 12:15 Loser 1 v. 4 vs. Gold 12:30 - 15:00 Winner 1 v. 4 vs. 15:00 Awards Presentation

Canada West Canada East Canada East Finland White

Loser 2 v. 3 Winner 2 v. 3

The time-window for hosting the event will be discussed at the 2010 IRF Congress meeting in Finland. As a point of reference, the previous event was held in August.

Event Overview - World Ringette Championship The World Ringette Championship (WRC) is the premier event in our sport. Held every three years, the WRC brings together the best athletes, coaches and officials our sport has to offer. The event will have no less than four teams competing (Canada, United States, Finland, and Sweden), in a full round robin event held over the course of a week. The WRC receives considerable media and television attention here in Canada. For the 2007 WRC, television audiences were over 150,000 and media pickup of the event was from across Canada, including major coverage in the major dailies in Ottawa throughout the event. Past WRC’s include: Year 2010 2007 2004 2002 2000

Location Tampere, FINLAND Ottawa, CANADA Stockholm, SWEDEN Edmonton, CANADA Helsinki, FINLAND

Champion -FINLAND FINLAND CANADA FINLAND

Year 1996 1994 1992 1990

Location Stockholm, SWEDEN St. Paul, USA Helsinki, FINLAND Gloucester, CANADA

Champion CANADA FINLAND CANADA CANADA

The 2013 World Ringette Championship will be one of the highlights of the celebrations surrounding the 50th anniversary of the foundation of our sport in 1963. Bids should be prepared to work on methods to include the 50th anniversary celebrations in their bids, and should be prepared to include these celebrations, along with celebrations of local ringette history as part of hosting the event. As with the WJRC, this can also mean operating another tournament or competition in conjunction with the WRC to allow young players to participate on the ice while being fans at the WRC.

For illustration purposes, the following is the schedule for the 2010 event from Tampere: Sunday, October 31st 10:30-17:00

Team Practices

Monday, November 1st - Day One 1. 15:30 - 18:00 2. 18:30 - 21:00 Tuesday, November 2nd - Day Two 3. 15:30 - 18:00 4. 18:30 - 21:00 Wednesday, November 3rd - Day Three 5. 13:00 - 15:30 6. 16:00- 18:30 19:00 Thursday, November 4th - Day Four 7. 15:00 - 17:30 8. 18:00 - 20:30 Friday, November 5th - Day Five 9. 15:00 - 17:30 10. 18:00 - 20:30 Friday, November 6th - Day Six 11. 11:00 - 13:30 12. 14:30 - 17:00 19:00

Finland Canada

vs. vs.

USA Sweden

USA Canada

vs. vs.

Sweden Finland

Canada vs. USA Finland vs. Sweden Mini Games (If Necessary) Game 1 - Bronze Medal Series Game 1 - Gold Medal Series Game 2 - Bronze Medal Series Game 2 - Gold Medal Series Game 2 - Bronze Medal Series (if necessary) Game 2 - Gold Medal Series (if necessary) Closing Ceremonies and Awards Banquet

The time-window for hosting the event will be discussed at the 2010 IRF Congress meeting in Finland. As a point of reference, the previous events were held in a window between mid October and early December.

Bidding on On One or Both Events As this package covers the hosting of two distinct events, host communities will be asked to bid for the following: ● Only the World Ringette Championship; ● Only the World Junior Ringette Championship; ● Either event; ● Both events. The choice selected by the host should be made as a clear element of their bid package. For any committee selecting to bid for “either” or “both”, they will be given the option to have their bid be considered for the World Junior Ringette Championship should they be unsuccessful in their World Ringette Championship bid. Of course, bidding communities can also opt to bid for only one event or the other.

Roles and Relationships Both events will require that we all clearly understand our roles and that we continue to nurture open communications between the stakeholders for the event. The roles and responsibilities for the event are laid

out in more detail in the “event requirements” section, so the following is an overview of the key stakeholders in the events to give context to those details: International Ringette Federation (IRF): The IRF is the international governing body for the sport of ringette. Founded in 1986, the IRF is the organizer of both the World Ringette Championship and the World U19 Ringette Championship. Only the IRF is empowered to declare a “world champion” in our sport. Website: www.ringette.cc Ringette Canada (RC): RC is the governing body for our sport here in Canada. Founded in 1980, Ringette Canada includes 9 member provincial ringette associations and over 28,000 players. Ringette Canada is in charge of organizing national championship events as well as Team Canada programs for international events. Ringette Canada has been awarded the right to host the World Ringette Championship and the World U19 Ringette Championship by the IRF. Website: www.ringette.ca Provincial Ringette Associations: The provincial ringette associations are the members and owners of Ringette Canada. They are also indispensable in terms of hosting any major event. All bids must receive the endorsement of their provincial ringette association before being considered for this bid process. Provincial ringette associations will be free to endorse more than one bid if they so choose. National Sport Governing Bodies (NSGB): The NSGB’s are the national sport organizations that organize ringette in their respective countries. The NSGB’s will be in charge of preparing and sending (a) national team(s) from their countries.

Event Requirements In order to ensure that our events are held to the highest standards, we have created the following event requirements. Bidding committees should be careful to read and understand these requirements before proceeding with their bid. These requirements will help create a solid foundation for the conduct of the events. With this foundation in place, bid/host committees will have considerable room to create and innovate to develop a better event with greater benefits for all involved. These requirements are intended to be clear enough to give specific direction to bidding committees. What cannot be captured in requirements of this type is the need for our hosts to rise to the world class level of our athletes. The guidelines outline, for instance, the size of dressing rooms. They do not outline that the dressing rooms must be of a quality fitting at World Championship. A challenge for bids will be to show how they intend to meet this standard and the challenge for the successful bids will be to achieve “World Champion” status as hosts. Luckily, in ringette, we are used to rising to, and exceeding, the greatest of expectations.

Technical Requirements At the heart of the events are the athletes. The following section lays out the requirements for services to the athletes as they compete at the events.

Field of Play The main facility should meet the following requirements: ● Standard size ice (85’ x 200’) preferred, or international size ice surfaces ● Minimum of 1 dressing room per team, to be held by the team for the duration of the event (up to a maximum of 8 teams) ● First Aid room ● Officials’ meeting room and change area ● Athlete warm-up area The ice surface for the event should be cleared of all non-ringette markings (including non-event commercial logos) and should rink boards that are cleared of non-event commercial markings.

Dressing Rooms and Warm Up Areas One dressing room assigned to each competing nation up to 8 dressing rooms must be available for the event. Dressing rooms must be large enough to accommodate a team, and measure approximately 20’ x 20’, include a private toilet and sink, and stalled shower facilities. It is expected that the dressing rooms will be clean, acceptably maintained for this level of international event. A warm-up area for athletes must be identified within the main facility. The warm-up area must be accessed by accreditation, separate from the general public, and large enough to accommodate 2 teams wishing to warm-up prior to their match. The floor surfaces must be appropriate athletic surfaces.

Medical and Athlete Services Medical services should include: ● ●

Non-emergency treatment Emergency Treatment

One First Aid room which should include a toilet, sink, bed and ice machine. The first aid room must be easily accessible from the ice surface and should not be accessible to spectators. The host committee will have first aid attendants and first aid kits available at every related venue with access to a qualified physician within minutes of each venue. Ambulance services would be coordinated so that appropriate coverage would be in place for all of the related events. The main medical center would be located at Primary Competition Facility where all medical personnel would be coordinated and dispatched. On site medical centers would be clearly identified and visible to all participants, volunteers and spectators. Other services such as general physiotherapy advice would be available as coordinated through the medical headquarters.

Minor and Major Officials A minimum of 4 and maximum of 8 on-ice officials will be required for this event. One officials’ changing room is required, should measure at least 250 square feet excluding the shower and washing area. The officials’ change room should include toilet, sink and shower facilities. Minimum minor officials requirements (per game): Shot Clock operators: 1 Penalty Box attendants: 2 Timekeeper: 1 Scorekeeper 1 Statisticians: 6 Statisticians must be able to keep track of, at least, the following game statistics: ● shots on goal ● +/● free passes ● passing percentages ● rebounds (offence and defence) ● goalie ring success rates. In order to keep this level of statistics, each game will require six statisticians. One per team to track shots on goal and +/- and two per team (one recorder, one “caller”) for the other statistics. 6 Stop watches must be available and functional in the timekeeper’s area as back-up for malfunctions to the main timing system. All minor officials must be experienced and trained in the area they will be working. It is expected that minor officials will be working the test event for the National Team prior to the event.

Event and Logistical Requirements Arena - Seating and Spectator Services The arena should have a minimum seating capacity of 5000 for the WRC and 3000 for the WJRC. A designated VIP seating area should be identified. Athlete seating area (60 seats) should also be designated. Concessions and event memorabilia sales should be available for spectators at the venue. Phone lines, power outlets and Internet connection should be available if required by the memorabilia vendor. A locked storage space should be available for overnight storage of merchandise.

Arena - Media and Television Requirements The arena must be suitable for hosting a broadcast or webcast. A letter of support from a broadcast partner who has used this facility in the past should accompany the host bid.

Ground Transportation Ground transportation to and from the designated airport as well as to all event functions must be provided by the host for Teams and Officials. Transportation can include cars or busses. A transportation plan for the Ringette Canada and the IRF delegations should also be established. Fans attending the event should also be provided with a preferred transportation plan (e.g., public transit, etc).

Opening and Closing Ceremonies The event will feature both opening and closing ceremonies. The details of these events will be up to the discretion of the host committee. Opening Ceremony The object of the opening ceremony is to signify the beginning of the Championship. This is an occasion for the host committee and host community to welcome the participants in a way that reflects some of the uniqueness and pride of the city, area or province/territory. The ceremony should be kept fairly short with limited number of speeches and should include some brief quality entertainment. This event should be hosted in a venue with a capacity of no less than 250 people. This minimum would cover the participants, host committee and VIPs. This event can be open to the public and tickets can be sold for the event. Closing Ceremony The object of the opening ceremony is to signify the conclusion of the Championship. This is an occasion for the host committee and host community to once again showcase some of the uniqueness and pride of the city, area or province/territory. This ceremony will include Awards presentations and again should be kept fairly short with limited number of speeches and should include some brief quality entertainment. This event can include meal service and should be hosted in a venue with a capacity of no less than 250 people. This minimum would cover the participants, host committee and VIPs. This event can be open to the public and tickets can be sold for the event.

Medal Ceremonies and Game Presentation Medal ceremony will take place following the gold medal game. The format of this presentation will be developed by the host committee in consultation with Ringette Canada. The ceremony will include Gold, Silver and Bronze medal presentations. Game presentation will be a vital element in making this event a success. At a minimum all games should have an announcer (both official languages) and music during warm-up stoppages in play and intermissions. Over the course of the event feature games should be identified where fan interaction intermission activities will be held. At minimum one game per day should be a feature game. In addition to game presentation, the event should feature opportunities for athlete/fan interactions such as autograph sessions.

Host Hotel and Accommodations A host hotel for the event should be identified for the teams, Ringette Canada staff & Board of directors and IRF congress delegates. A preferred rate for staying at the host hotel should be negotiated. The cost of the officials’ rooms are to be covered by the host committee. The following rooms are required (minimum) Guest Rooms

Meeting Rooms

Room Capacity

WRC

WJRC

Teams

60 rooms

90 rooms

1 Meeting room

30 people

Officials

5 rooms

6 rooms

1 Meeting room

8 people

Ringette Canada

8 rooms

8 rooms

1 Meeting room

IRF Congress

8 rooms

8 rooms

1 Meeting room

10 people

In addition to the host hotel, the host should provide a low cost alternative for teams preferring not to stay in a hotel.

VIP Services The following groups are designated VIPs for the event and should receive preferential treatment such as access to all events, preferred seating, access to event transportation: ● Ringette Canada Board or Directors ● Government Representatives ● International Ringette Federation delegation

IRF Congress Support The IRF Congress is schedule to take place during the Championship. The host should make available a location for the meeting to take place. A room for 10 people should be sufficient and the cost would be covered by the IRF. Ideally the meeting space should be at the main competition venue.

Merchandise and Souvenirs As a Ringette Canada sponsor, NAMI (Northern Amerex Incorporated: www.nami.ca) has the right of first refusal for event merchandising for both events. Should NAMI chose not to take part in these events the host would work with a local or preferred supplier for the official event merchandise sales.

Official Event Photographer An official event photographer is required and should be identified by the host. The photographer should provide daily photos of games and all events surrounding championship to the host committee and Ringette Canada. Photographs will be used for media and promotional purposes. At the conclusion of the event, the photographs would become the property of Ringette Canada with photo credit being given to the photographer. In addition to providing official photographs for the event, the photographer can also sell the photographs onsite to fans, athletes and families.

Media Relations and Communications - Including Websites The Host committee will designate a Media PR rep to work in consultation with Ringette Canada’s Media PR consultant to create awareness and provide general event information to the Media. Ringette Canada will provide the platform for the event website, online results system and access to the ringette.ca website. All communications must be provided in both official languages (press releases, website postings, etc)

Event Promotions and Ticket Sales The host will be responsible to establish an events promotion and ticket sales plan targeting both the ringette and non-ringette communities. This plan should be geared towards the promotional goal of having a sellout for the gold medal game. The plan should include:

● ● ● ● ●

Event signage throughout the host community leading up to and during the event Ticket sales to be set up via a professional 3rd party outlet (ie Ticketmaster) An event logo approved by Ringette Canada and designed to reflect the event and the host community. Press conferences All local ringette associations in the host area.

Ringette Canada will work with the teams to make athletes available (when possible) for any promotional events scheduled.

Financial Requirements In order to create value for our stakeholders, we need to bring resources into the event and then allocate those resources prudently. This section deals with those elements and should be a part of the consideration of any group considering or working on a bid for these events.

Revenue Generation The host committee will need to generate considerable revenues in order to fulfill all of the obligations of the event while still creating a legacy fund. Hosts can, and should expect revenue from the following sources (though others are certainly possible): Ticket Sales Host Committees can and should sell tickets to all games and capture revenue from these sales. Local Sponsorship Host communities will be able to develop sponsorship packages for local sponsors as well as national level sponsors. See below (“Relationship with Event Sponsors”) for more on sponsorship and working with Ringette Canada to develop sponsorsable properties. Merchandise Sales Host communities should develop a merchandise sales plan for the event. This should include developing a relationship with a merchandising company, but will also include working with the venue management group to ensure that the merchandise kiosk has all of the support/location it needs. Program Sales The host committee should develop a souvenir program for the event. The program should be available for sale to fans at the event. Ticket Sales for non-game events (e.g., Opening and Closing Ceremonies) Opening and closing ceremonies can both be opportunities for extra ticket sales. Grants (see below)

Host committees will need to examine opportunities to partner with governmental and other agencies for grant funding in support of the event. Parking, concessions and other ancillaries. Host committees should attempt to capture revenue from parking, concessions and other elements of the venue operations. These elements are most often retained by the venue, but this possibility should not be ignored. 50/50 and other Gaming Fundraisers Host committees are free to pursue 50/50’s and other similar fundraisers such as casino nights providing they secure proper registration/licensing from their respective municipal and/or provincial government.

Key Funding Partners Government funding partners can be an important part of the revenue picture, but also a source of the important connections that can make the event truly memorable. This can and should start at the bid stage, as bidding committees should be working closely with their local tourism bureaus to help with the formulation of the bid. Governmental partners can include (but is not limited to): ● ● ● ●

Local Municipality; Regional Government (if applicable); Local or regional tourism and/or economic development bureau; and Provincial Government

Economic Impact Both of these events can generate a significant economic impact for the host community at large. Each event will generate significant hotel room bookings, local tax revenue and will support employment at the local level. Past events have generated local economic impacts on the order of $1,000,000.

Cost Management In order for the event to be successful, the host committee will have to ensure that proper controls are in place to manage and limit costs. The host committee will need to establish its own bank account and financial procedures. Signing authority for the host committee account needs to be held to a maximum of four people and it needs to be clear to the entire committee that only those four can commit the funds (even informally) of the committee. Host committees can expect costs to be incurred for many of the areas outlined in this bid package. Costs for varying elements can be quite different from city to city, so for the most part direct comparisons will be difficult.

It is vital to note that any losses incurred through the hosting of these events will be the responsibility of the host organization.

Surplus Sharing As both of these events are owned by the International Ringette Federation and have been awarded to Ringette Canada there is a formula for sharing the surplus amongst the three presenting stakeholders. The formula is as follows: Surplus Level

Host

IRF

Ringette Canada

$0-$10,000

50%

50%

0

$10,001-50,000

50%

25%

25%

$50,001-$100,000

60%

20%

20%

$100,000+

100%

0

0

Legacy Funds Every host committee should be planning to create a surplus as a result of their hosting of these events. As such, each host committee will be expected to develop a plan for the use of their legacy funds to help further ringette in their respective community. Legacy funds can be a boon to the development of our sport in a host community, but can also present a very real challenge to the governance of the association. Legacy funds should be an element of the bid presentation as the key decisions about what legacy will do and how it will do it need to be dealt with at the outset of the hosting process.

Host Committee At the heart of this project will lie a committed, passionate and effective host committee. The work of the host committee will vary greatly in scope and type and thus so too should the composition of the committee. The host committee will need to be affiliated with an existing body that has the ability to contract. Although the committee will be affiliated with another body, it will be required to have its own bank account and to keep financial operations separate from its parent body.

Structure of the Host Committee The host committee will need to have a structure that is sufficiently flexible to allow it to adapt to the challenges throughout this process but sufficiently rigid that it can form the foundation of the event. Striking this balance is no small feat. Regardless of the structure of the committee, one of the keys to the success of the event will be the people that make up the committee and its sub-committees. People will need to bring passion, dedication and expertise in order to ensure that we accomplish our goals for these events. In developing a committee, bids should be cognizant of the skill sets they will need to have on the committee as well as the need for people to do the work. To that end, the following is a non-exhaustive list of skill sets that can be considered essential to the successful function of the host committee: ● ● ● ●

●

Meeting planning and running meetings; Legal; Accounting and Financial management; Connections in the community: ○ Government; ○ Venues; ○ Sponsors and service providers; ○ Service clubs and other voluntary organizations; and Ringette expertise and experience.

The structure of the host committee is also important and should follow this template: Co-Chairs: The event should have two co-chairs who jointly perform the leadership role for the event. As with the other key roles in the host committee, the co-chair structure allows for some redundancy and avoids having the committee become too reliant on one person. The chairs should be prepared to act as the official spokespeople for the event in the community and to lead the efforts of the rest of the host group. At least one of the co-chairs should have experience in running meetings. Director - Technical Arrangements: This role attends to the service of the ringette tournament part of the event. This includes medical services, officiating services, the preparation of the ice surface area and the dressing rooms areas. The person in this role usually also is selected to sit on the event protest and grievance committee. Director - Hosting and Athlete Services: This role attends the transportation, housing and feeding of the athletes, coaches and officials at the event. This role is broad and usually involves a large portion of the volunteer contingent for the event. Director - Volunteer Services: The event will require between 150 and 200 volunteers. In this role, the director will be in charge of recruiting, training and recognizing these irreplaceable volunteers. The person in this role will have to be able to liaise

effectively with all other elements of the organization in order to gauge and fill each of their volunteer services needs. Director - Finance: The director of finance will be charged with managing the financial well-being of the event through the initial stages of the bid through to the completion and the creation of legacy funds. This role requires solid knowledge of bookkeeping/accounting practices as well as the ability to work closely with all of the elements of the host group to determine and resource financial requirements. Director - Event Services: The event services element of the event will include the opening and closing ceremonies, game presentation, medal ceremonies and other promotional events leading up to and including the week of the event. Representatives of Stakeholders: Depending on the view of the host committee it may be prudent to include representatives of key partners on the host committee. These partners may include the municipality, the province or a key funding agency. The inclusion of these people on the committee can include ex officio (non-voting) roles or full membership. All of these roles will be backed up with co-directors and with sub-committees. This structure will allow the host committee to spread out the work, and allow leaders in the community take on particular areas (transportation for instance) without having to take on the entire “Athlete Services” portfolio. Host committees will have some flexibility in terms of their organizational structure, but should expect to work with a structure similar to that outlined above.

Host Committee Relationship with Ringette Canada Ringette Canada has been awarded the honour and the challenge of hosting these two prestigious events in our sport. Likewise, we will award a host committee with a similar challenge and honour, so we need to work together at every step of the way. The Executive Director of Ringette Canada will be an ex officio (non voting) member of the host committee and must be able to participate in all host committee meetings and have all committee documents/minutes/budgets made available at all times. Ringette Canada’s Staff The host committee can expect that one or more members of the Ringette Canada staff will visit the host community in the months leading up to the event and will participate in committee meetings at that time. The Ringette Canada staff group has the experience of running the annual Canadian Ringette Championships as well as the background that comes with being a professional in sport administration. It will be important for host communities to work closely with the Ringette Canada staff at all times to ensure a positive outcome for the event.

Ringette Canada’s Board of Directors Ringette Canada’s Board of Directors will have the very important duty of selecting the successful bidder for these events. They will also be in attendance at the events and are in charge of developing budgets and policy that may affect the operation of the event. The Board does not get involved in the day-to-day preparations and operations for the event. From time to time, the Board may request a report from the host committee about their progress. The Board will then provide feedback to the host group via the Ringette Canada staff.

Volunteer Recruitment, Training and Recognition The event simply will not happen if not for the considerable efforts of between 150 and 200 volunteers. Volunteers will be involved in the development of a bid package, and right through to after the closing ceremonies. Host committees will need to have a plan in place to recruit these volunteers, train them for their specific roles and recognize them for their efforts. The bid package should include an overview in reference to the available volunteers (especially if the municipality or province maintains a volunteer skills inventory), plans for recruitment and plans for retention.

Host Committee Relationship with Key Partners The host committee will need to work closely with many key partners in order to make the event a reality. Below is a short overview of some of these key partners. Local Ringette Associations It will be imperative that the host committee have the full support of their local ringette association and of those associations in the area. The event will require a great deal of volunteer support, a dedicated base of ticket buyers and the coordinated efforts of the entire ringette community. Bid packages should include letters of support from all local associations in the area and must include a letter of support from the local association in which the event will take place. Provincial Ringette Association As with the local ringette associations, the provincial ringette association will be an irreplaceable part of the bid and the conduct of the event. All bids will require a letter of support from the provincial ringette association. As with Ringette Canada, the provincial ringette association is a source of experience and information in terms of operating ringette events, and should be consulted throughout the planning and execution of the event. International Ringette Federation The International Ringette Federation owns the World Ringette Championship and the World Junior Ringette Championship. In terms of the conduct of the tournament itself, the IRF is the lead organization. The IRF will develop the event schedule, assign officials and chair the coach’s meetings. In the bid phase, host committees should not consult with the IRF directly as all communications with the IRF are to be done through Ringette

Canada. However, if any bidding group wishes to get more information from the IRF, Ringette Canada will pass along the question and provide the question and the answer to all bidding committees. Competing Nations and National Teams During the bid phase, host committees will not have ongoing contact with the competing nations or national teams. As the event approaches, teams will be consulted to ensure that their specific needs are met and to coordinate logistical details such as arrivals and departures. Venue Owners Host committees will need to work closely with the owners of all of their venues. This, of course, includes the main competition venue, but also includes hotels, sites for ceremonies and sites set aside for practices. Governments A world championship event requires that the municipal and provincial levels of government become involved. Their involvement can be financial in the form of grants, and can also include promotional and logistical support. The governmental partners can also include local and provincial tourism boards who can provide irreplaceable support to the host committee through the bid process and into the operational phase of the event.

Post Event Report All host committees will be required to complete a post-event final report. This report will include information about the financial operations, logistics as well as lessons learned from the experience of hosting.

General Requirements There are some elements of an outstanding event that are not captured in one of the headings above. The following outlines some of these more general requirements of bids and host committees.

Relationship with the Federal Government Host committees may be able to find funding sources through the federal government. Regional development agencies (e.g., Western Economic Diversification, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency), Human Resources Development Canada or other departments. Within the government, only Ringette Canada should have contact with Sport Canada or the Department of Canadian Heritage. The host must keep Ringette Canada apprised of all contact with the federal government.

Relationship with Event Sponsors Host committees will need to work closely with their event sponsors to ensure that they get the best possible experience from their relationship with the event. This will include VIP services for these sponsors, outstanding delivery on the deliverables in the sponsorship contract as well as working closely with Ringette Canada’s sponsors to ensure there are no sponsorship conflicts or other challenges. Host Committees will need to work closely with Ringette Canada on their sponsorship program to ensure that there are no conflicts and that we work together to deliver value to our corporate partners.

International Ringette Symposium At the World Ringette Championship, hosts should expect to host an International Ringette Symposium. The symposium is designed to bring together leaders in ringette from the competing nations as well as from the local area to discuss the ongoing development of ringette on the international stage. Local host committees wil not be asked to be the leads on this project but will be asked to help with some coordination (such as room bookings) and potentially with securing guest speakers from the local area.

Relationship with Broadcast Partners Ringette Canada is the broadcast rights holder for both of these events. As such, any broadcast agreement will be signed by Ringette Canada. Although Ringette Canada is the owner of the broadcast rights, the local host committee can and will be very involved in the broadcast of these events. This may include working with broadcast partners directly, ensuring that the broadcast partners have the facility access they need and having co-chairs and/or spokespeople available for interviews. In the realm of broadcast, it will be important that the host committee work closely with Ringette Canada and that the committee fully communicate the broadcast requirements to the rest of the committee as broadcast requirement often touch on multiple elements of the operation.

Official Languages All communications in relation to these events must be provided in both of Canada’s Official Languages. This includes websites, promotional material, in-venue announcements and major signage in the venues. Ringette Canada will be able to help with translation services but host committees will need a plan for translations as well as for bilingual announcers/MC’s for events. Official communication (memos, letters, etc) to the competing nations shall be sent in the IRF’s official language, English.

Language Services While the competing teams are likely to have either most or all of their players and team staff that speak English, some translation into their languages will be helpful. Host committees should seek out volunteers who speak Finnish and/or Swedish to help with this accommodation.

Team Canada Services Of course, one of the benefits of hosting a World Championship event is hosting Team Canada. Both of these events offer this opportunity and thus offer hosts the ability to work with Team Canada not only at the event but in the months leading up. Working with Team Canada can include scheduling Team Canada games so as to create the greatest ticket sales potential, scheduling pre-event exhibition games and hosting Team Canada during the training phase of the event.

Team Canada Training Camps In preparation for these events, Team Canada will be meeting for several training camps. Bidding committees should be prepared to host at least one such camp. This camp will include ice time, logistics and accommodations. Ringette Canada will provide funding for these camps, but host groups will be required to treat these camps as test events for the championship. This will include: - Access to the main competition venue for practices and/or games; - Access to the host hotel for team accommodations; - Production of a “red/white” exhibition game that includes all statistics, minor officials and game presentation as will be done at the event - the host committee will be free to sell tickets for this event; This training camp would be held in the January immediately before the event. In addition to giving Team Canada the chance to become familiar with important venues and the city in general, it will also give the host committee the chance to test their operations in a ringette setting. The testing should include the use of the host hotel, transportation, medical services and game presentation. The training camp can also serve as an important “media launch” for the event.

Treatment of Canadian Teams at the Events Once the event starts, we expect that host committees will provide the highest levels of service to all teams, regardless of their jersey colour. Therefore, preferential treatment beyond small items such as choice of dressing room will not be welcomed.

Selection Process The Ringette Canada Board of Directors will be faced with a difficult decision to select from among several wellprepared bidding groups, all of whom would be more than capable of hosting an unforgettable event. The following section outlines the process we will follow in order to arrive at that difficult decision.

Bid Forms In addition to your bid document, the following forms must be submitted: • • •

Technical Overview Events and Logistics Overview Projected Budget

These forms are provided in an excel format and must be submitted in this same format.

Pre-Evaluation of Bids Bidding groups will be able to submit a draft of their bid to the Ringette Canada office for a preliminary evaluation. The Ringette Canada staff will provide feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the bid confidentially. Bidding groups are well advised to take this feedback under advisement but are not obligated to do so.

Recommendations to the Board Upon receipt of the final bid package, the Ringette Canada Executive Director will provide the Board of Directors with an overview of the bid packages including their respective strengths and weaknesses. This report will not include a recommendation in terms of a selection but will include detailed feedback to the Board.

Ringette Canada’s Board of Directors The Board of Directors will vote on awarding the event to the successful bidding committee. Ringette Canada’s Board of Directors is comprised of nine volunteer members from across Canada. The Board is elected by the member associations of Ringette Canada, and is entrusted with the management and leadership of Ringette in Canada. Members of the Board do not hold “portfolios” (e.g., “VP Officiating”) and thus all members represent the broad interest of the sport.

Bid Document Guidelines Bidding communities should produce a document that outlines their bid, the support and their community. This document must be delivered to the Ringette Canada office no later than March 1 in electronic format. The host committee should provide the Ringette Canada office with no less than 12 hard copies of the bid document at that time as well. There are no restrictions in terms of the content of the bid document, but the document must include the forms that form part of these bidding guidelines.

Bid Presentation Guidelines Bids will be presented to the Ringette Canada Board of Directors at the Tim Hortons Canadian Ringette Championships, in Cambridge, Ontario. Bidding groups should keep the following guidelines in mind when preparing their presentations: Travel and Accommodations Bidding groups will need to fund their own travel and accommodations to the event. Ringette Canada can logistically assist bidding groups with bookings at the event hotel. Size of Contingent Bidding groups can have as many or as few members of their bid committee on site as they see fit. Length of Presentation As we cannot be sure of the amount of bids to be received, bidding groups will be allotted a minimum of fifteen minutes to make their presentations (including five minutes for questions). Should there be adequate time, more time may be added to the presentation time limit. Bidding groups will be given advance notice of the exact amount of time they are to be allotted. Handouts As is noted above, the host committee should provide Ringette Canada with 12 hard copies of its bid presentation document upon submission of the bid. Bids are free to hand out supplementary informational items at their presentation. All items, other than the bid book, handed out at the Board meeting must be directly related to the bid and must not be greater than $20.00 in value. Technological Support The room for the presentation will be equipped with a digital projector, screen and PC computer. Should a bidding group wish for other equipment they will be responsible for provision. Should the baseline list of support items change or be upgraded (to include wireless internet access for instance) it will be made available to all bidding groups.

Order and Time of Presentations The order of the presentations will be determined by random draw. The bidding groups will be informed of their presentation time in advance. Follow Up Questions The Board will reserve the right to ask any bidding group to meet again with the Board for follow up questions should they deem it prudent. Voting Procedures The Board of Directors is comprised of nine individuals. All members of the Board have an equal vote in the process, but the Chair will vote only in the case of a tie.