201 Portage Canada Day Living Maple Leaf. Downtown Winnipeg BIZ

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1 201 Portage Canada Day Living Maple Leaf Downtown Winnipeg BIZ

2 First annual Downtown Winnipeg BIZ living flag event. Winnipeg claims title for largest living Canadian flag. Winnipeg defends the largest Canadian living flag title Canada-wide. A photo of the 2012 largest Canadian living flag, in Winnipeg, is made into an official Canada Post stamp, with 10 million stamps produced and distributed worldwide. Calgary reclaims the title for largest Canadian living flag, besting Winnipeg s previous record. Winnipeg brings back the title of the largest Canadian living flag, set against the backdrop of downtown s Shaw Park (2016 event pictured below).

3 July 1, 2017 With help from media partners, volunteers, the community and sponsors, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ gathers 3,600 people at Portage & Main to create the largest Living Maple Leaf a spin on the record that made a larger turnout possible, and met the constraints of the new location, Winnipeg s most iconic intersection at the heart of the city. With the participation in 2017 s Living Flag event, the annual event has gathered over 18,000 participants and brought the same downtown for an inclusive and free opportunity to engage with the downtown community.

4 Media Reach With the success of the event, and social media-friendliness of the time-lapse video, the living maple leaf event generates earned media through local, national and even international outlets. Some examples include The Huffington Post, BBC News, Euro News (France), Yahoo News (in the U.K.), Global News (Canada), CBC News (Canada) and CTV News (Canada). With the combined reach of the media coverage and Twitter and Facebook shares, the living maple leaf event is seen by over 170 million sets of eyes, raising the profile of Winnipeg as a premiere place to live, work, play, or visit. The event also produces over 750,000 views on the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ social media accounts, putting the heart of Winnipeg and the heart of Canada in front of international eyes.

5 THE BUDGET The event received a total of $17,850 in sponsorship, including the title sponsorship opportunity (new in 2017). Plus, over $23,000 donated in-kind value. In 2017, the City of Winnipeg also waived the road closure fees, a large sponsorship on their behalf to close Winnipeg s most iconic intersection for the special event. BIZ Levy put towards the event was just over $2,000.

6 THE LOCATION Portage & Main is chosen for the 2017 Living Flag event, showcasing a The vibrant largest and living pedestrian-friendly flag event is use planned of the to be iconic address. held at the iconic intersection of Portage & Main, showcasing the impact of a vibrant, The underground pedestrian-friendly concourse built to divert use of foot the traffic address. from Portage & Main is difficult to access for anyone with mobility issues, therefore, The the underground event promotes concourse a more inclusive built to divert use of the space a foot goal traffic for all Downtown from Portage Winnipeg & Main BIZ is difficult Membership. to for anyone with mobility issues to access, and therefore, the event promotes a more inclusive space downtown a goal for all Downtown BIZ members.

7 The same year that Canada celebrates a milestone birthday, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ is actively lobbying for the reopening of the city s most iconic thoroughfare, Portage & Main. CANADA 150 July 1, 2017 The intersection has been closed to pedestrian traffic since the 1970s, and the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ is advocating for its reopening to make it easier for people to walk around the urban area, adding life to the downtown the way only pedestrians can. 85% of Downtown Winnipeg BIZ members would like to see Portage & Main reopened, to help revitalize the downtown core.

8 Success in redefining Portage & Main Because of the goodwill generated by the event and positive feedback from participants, the event moves the needle in the right direction for further consultation regarding the reopening of Portage & Main. Along with the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ s other supported events run throughout the summer at the iconic intersection, Portage & Main is a summer-long destination for foot traffic and special events, helping to reimagine a future when the 4.5 million annual visitors to The Forks & the inner-city ballpark may be funneled further into the downtown.

9 SUSTAINABILITY With unlimited civic and national pride to dip into, and the ability to keep reimagining the event by showcasing new downtown spaces, the Living Flag event shows no signs of slowing down. As long as it captures the hearts and minds of proud Winnipeggers, it will continue to attract and gather a wide, diverse, and equally welcome, population downtown.