Businesses hope for boost during the Calgary Stampede
After a year-long hiatus, the Stampede is gearing up for a comeback and businesses are hoping for a badly-needed boost.
Brett Beninger, TB Salon Managing Partner, and his team are assembling last minute pieces to their Stampede tent at 270 - 14 Sve SE, which is right across the street from the grounds. For the next 10 days, they are welcoming patrons to enjoy music, drinks and barbeque.
“I was hit really hard with COVID-19 and just to be able to put this on for everybody and have a chance to bring some capital into the pockets of our staff is really exciting for us,” said Beninger.
In Mission, South Block Barbeque and Brewery just opened up a few days ago, right in time for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. The owner, Jared Kichula, says the Stampede won’t be the same this year but they are looking forward to kicking it off.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a Stampede like we’ve ever seen before,” said Kichula.
“It’s going to be a very muted one but it’s getting some people out and that’s the benefit to this is that people are back out and some form of normalcy is going to come out of this.”
Kichula also owns Cardinale, which is located near the Stampede grounds, and says for 15 years they’ve been able to enjoy the economic boost from tourists and crowds during this time of year. He say this year they might see half the crowd.
REDUCED CAPACITY
Calgary Stampede officials announced capacity on the grounds this year will be reduced by half to make room for those in attendance and health and safety protocols such as sanitization and cleaning will be in place.
The Nashville North tent will require visitors to show proof of vaccination or take an on-site rapid test before entering the premises.
Dr. Anne Marie Dorland, Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Bissett School of Business at Mount Royal University, says the Stampede is setting a precedent for other large-scale organizations to host events.
“The Stampede really is holding up a high standard for their engagement with their brand and I’m looking forward to seeing how they are setting the stage for other Canadian organizations and events to be starting some things we never tried before.”
Beninger is proud to be a part of the culture of Stampede again. He has hired 30 people to help operate the tent over the next ten days and is optimistic.
“We understand people are being cautious and don’t want to go and enjoy the stampede and we respect that but I do think there is a large percentage of people that have had enough of being at home and not being around other people and that’s really the main reason we created this,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.