How We can Help
The Explore Waterloo Region Sport Hosting Office (SHO) provides a number of services and resources to support sport and esports event hosting.
We value the important economic, social, and cultural impacts events have on our community. And we have the experience, expertise, capacity, and infrastructure to make your event a success!
Here’s how we can help…
Esports Hosting Incentives
The Waterloo Region Esports Commission (WREC) provides access to financial support, as well as providing information on grant opportunities available to sporting events. If you are interested in further information on event hosting grants in the region and province, please contact WREC.
For information on WREC Grants, please contact the Director of Sport Hosting, Allister Scorgie: [email protected].
In addition to funding through WREC, we can work with you to secure funding through our venue operators and local partners, to further assist in budget support for your event.
Additional Funding Opportunities
Funding to assist with sport hosting, programming and infrastructure projects are available through Municipal, Provincial and Federal partners. For further information on types of funding, eligibility and submission deadlines, please visit the links below.
- City Of Waterloo Community Cash Grants
- City Of Cambridge Arts And Culture Funding
- City Of Kitchener Grants & Incentives
- Township Of North Dumfries Community Grants Program
- Township Of Woolwich Grants And Special Assistance
- Township Of Wilmot Municipal Grants Program
- Township Of Wellesley Grants And Special Assistance
- Federal Infrastructure Funding
Bid Development
The SHO has extensive experience in bid development and we can work with you to identify the key elements of your bid proposal and support you in the development of a professional bid package that highlights the best that Waterloo Region has to offer. Contact the SHO to request our standardized bid documentation.
Accommodations & Housing
With thousands of hotel rooms as well as campus housing at Conestoga College, University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University – the SHO can provide a variety of accommodation options to suit your needs and work with you to secure the best option for your event by liaising with properties to develop room blocks and contracts.
Sport Familiarization Visits
The SHO can provide support in developing site visit itineraries for event organizers and connect visitors with the key stakeholder groups in the region to ensure every box is checked off during an inspection visit while providing a great hosting experience.
Esports Venues
The SHO can coordinate securing any of Waterloo Region’s state of the art esports venues. With the combined resources of multi-municipalities, and a range of esports assets we can provide you all of the options to stage your event.
Partnerships
The SHO can coordinate on behalf of an interested bid group public funding and stakeholder partnerships to support events, community letters of support and/or funding and VIK from local organizations, institutions and sponsors.
Marketing, Public Relations & Social Media
Combined with the resources of Explore Waterloo Region, the SHO can provide numerous supports to ensure your event is reaching the local and regional community. Depending on the scope and objectives of your event, the SHO can assist you in developing a strong social media presence, contacts with media and press professionals across a large network, development of content and a presence on explorewaterloo.ca as well as press opportunities.
Tourism & Culture
The SHO can provide up to date information on things to do in Waterloo Region between competitions, including attractions, group friendly restaurants & catering, city information and community events.
Transportation
The SHO can provide information on transportation services to and from and within Waterloo Region for visiting teams, officials and spectators. For more information on transportation services and airport services available, click HERE.
Volunteers
Need volunteers? The SHO has a database of dedicated volunteers from across the region that can be shared for recruitment to support your event.
Want to volunteer? Sign up as an esports event volunteer in the database.
Advisory Services
With extensive event experience, ranging from community and regional events to some of the largest sporting events in the world, the SHO can provide a lens of expertise to support your overall event plan. The SHO is available to sit on bid committees, host organizing committees and provide overall advisory support to any event in the Region of Waterloo.
Tools & Templates
The SHO can provide the below supports to assist in event planning:
- Bid Evaluation
- Economic Impact Evaluation
- Event Contract Template
- National and International Contacts
- Bid Template
- Sport Event Marketing Template
- Transition Plan Template
Waterloo Region provides the perfect balance between new and old, rural and urban, nature and technology, classical and contemporary, tranquility and adventure.