Economy Kills 2010 Convention

By Bob Mackin, 24 HOURS, Nov 7, 2008

A prestigious international sport convention in Vancouver has been cancelled because of the global economic crisis.

Legacy Lives 2009 was supposed to kick-start a month of celebrations marking the one-year countdown to Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics. More than 400 international sports experts and decision makers were expected to attend the Hyatt Regency Jan. 26-30. Only 30 delegates and five exhibitors had registered, according to Ian Buckley, stakeholder relations manager of event host 2010 Legacies Now. Admission started at $1,200, while exhibit space rented for $4,600 and up.

Legacy Lives, announced last January, was competing with SportAccord, a March 23-27 meeting in Denver of 100 international sport federations and the International Olympic Committee. Vancouver will, however, host the eighth IOC and United Nations' World Conference on Sport and Environment March 29-31.

"The market is being saturated with major events here all in a short period of time, all talking about the same thing," Buckley said. "You factor in the economy on top of that."

Legacy Lives was staged in 2007 in London, England and 2008 in Barbados by London-based consultancy pmpLEGACY. Chairman Peter Mann did not respond to 24 hours' interview request.