Town of Bonnyville sponsors Cold Lake Air Show 2022 for $20,000

The Town of Bonnyville has agreed to be an entrainment sponsor for the Cold Lake Air Show in 2022.

On February 22, Council unanimously agreed to sponsor The Full Throttle Festival for $20,000. The air show is happening in the City of Cold Lake on Friday, July 15.

Administration told the council at the meeting that the town has previously sponsored this event in both 2016 for $5000 and 2018 for $7000. And that was for VIP chalet packages.

“This year the town does have $20,000 included in the interim operating budget for this event. Recommendation or requests for administration is that council approved participation for the 2022 Cold Lake Air Show at a cost of up to $20,000,” Administration told Council.

Council was presented with different options and sponsorship amounts at the meeting.

A gold-level chalet package would be about $12,000 and that would enable the town to send 60 people over two days to the event.

“This level of sponsorship may be preferable if council wants to be able to attend with family and open the event to staff attendance,” Administration said.

“Traditionally, in the past, that’s what we’ve done. We’ve done chalet sponsorships, one level or another and in 2018, our contribution was $7,000 If I recall right, and so this is the first time we’ve been asked to step up the game, so to speak. And so that’s why we have alternatives in front of you this evening. And it’s completely dependent on if you want to become an event formal sponsor or continue to do the chalet as we’ve done in the past,” Chief Administrative Officer Bill Rogers said.

The request from 4 Wing Cold Lake for the 2022 Air Show was for the town to become an entertainment sponsor at a cost of $20,000. This level of event participation includes a bronze level chalet package, which would be 15 Tickets for the weekend. Plus several other benefits including corporate logos on volunteer t-shirts, and attendance for two people at the 4 Wing Commanders tent.

“I like the idea of moving to either the entertainment sponsor, the communication sponsor, and most of that is visibility,” Councillor Brian McEvoy said. “It’s the acknowledgments. It’s the fact that our logo now becomes part of volunteer t-shirts that are worn by people that are there. I think it’s, it’s stepping up and making us more visible throughout the entire region, as opposed to just in Bonnyville.”

Mayor Elisa Brosseau agreed with Councillor McEvoy.

“I would agree. I think, you know, we’re just looking at working and partnering more with airbase and I know even just with Community Futures trying to get local contractors to work out at the base for them to start acknowledging that, you know, we do have that capacity, even if you know, Bonnyville is 25 minutes away,” Mayor Brosseau said. “So for me, this is a good way for us to partner with them, and to show our support. I wish there was a way for us to do like the sponsorship and getting tickets for stuff because of course I want them to support it too. So I mean, if you want to bump it up to $30,000, I’d be fine with that.”

Councillor Phil Kushnir said sponsoring $30,000 “Was pushing it.”

“This goes on to the previous councillors and administration. So in the past, what have you seen for tangible benefits for this?” Councillor Kushnir said. “You know, when we sponsor things in the past, what have you seen that we get back that you can really see? Does anybody have any comments on that?”

Councillor Byron Johnson told Kushnir that a lot of people come to this air show from across northern Alberta.

“So a lot of people drive through our community which gives us some economic spin-off too,” Councillor Johnson said. “So by supporting them, it’s also you know, promoting our town and helping us to because, you know, a lot of people are coming through and we do have a lot of members of 4 Wing that do live in Bonnyville, do business in Bonnyville. So it’s kind of supporting, you know, local residents as well.”

The council unanimously voted to support and agreed to spend the $20,000.