OLDS — The Town of Olds and Mountain View County staff are pursuing a bid to co-host the 2026 Alberta Development Officer’s Association, which could bring 120 to 150 people to the area for about three-and-a-half days.
During that time, in addition to listening to keynote speakers and attending workshops, delegates would be given tours of the community.
During its July 14 meeting, the Town of Olds' council voted to direct chief administrative officer Brent Williams to pursue that opportunity in conjunction with Mountain View County.
At the request of development officer Nathan Hill, council also voted to include a $5,000 contingency fund in case organizers are not able to fully fund the conference via sponsorships, although Hill said he’s quite confident they’ll be able to do so.
He said in the last four years, the conferences have cost about $50,000 to about $90,000.
“I've spoken with our economic development team and they feel confident that we'd be able to secure enough sponsorships to cover the cost of the conference,” he said. “With that being said, I'm requesting a $5,000 contingency that would be matched by the county.”
Mayor Judy Dahl asked if there will be a trade show at the conference. Hill said there would.
“That's awesome, and would it be hosted in Olds,” she asked.
“Yes,” said Hill.
“That's very good. No problem at all,” Dahl said. “Personally, I like the recommendation for $5,000.”
Councillors Darren Wilson, James Cummings, Heather Ryan and Dan Daley all spoke in favour of the idea to bid for the conference.
“This is simply allowing us to throw our name into a hat, along with many other potential communities, municipalities that would want to host, correct,” Wilson asked.
“If we were to put our writing forward, I'm confident that we would get it,” Hill said.
Cummings said he’s a “big supporter of all sorts of professional organizations coming to Olds.”
“That shows the greater community in the province and whatnot that you don't have to go to Banff to do these types of things, or Canmore or pretty places. You can come to a community like Olds and have a good, rewarding event here, just as you can place like that,” Cummings said.
He said he’s “in full support” of seeking to land the conference.
“I like the idea that they said tours too, because we have many beautiful places for people to tour this area,” Dahl said.
Wilson said the tours would provide good exposure for the town and that fits well with its effort to grow more housing and development.
“I favour this. I think that it's a good opportunity to expose our local businesses,” Ryan said.
“We certainly have a wide variety of restaurants and good choices of accommodation in this community.
“And certainly we talk about economic development opportunities, and this is one of them, so I don't see why we wouldn't try to support something like this?
“If we get a certain amount of sponsorships, we need not even need the $5,000. I can see some sponsorships not just being here in town, but elsewhere around the province.
“I think it's a win for us, for our community.”
Daley agreed with the others that such a conference would provide good, positive exposure for the town and county.
“If they come here on business, they'll come back again, maybe to visit for a weekend or passing through. They may be more willing to stop and maybe have a meal or whatever. So I think this is a great idea, and I’m all for it,” he said.
