(Photo: submitted by Jason Bullerwell)
The dust has settled, and the large crowds are gone following the 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
More than 100, 000 people attended, and it’s estimated around 20 million dollars in economic activity was generated.
CEO for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton John Wishart says the volunteers played a big role in its success, “We had about 150 core volunteers. This event would not have happened without them. I saw the same people there every day working long hours doing it because of their love of the community.”
Moncton’s Deputy Mayor Bryan Butler agreed, “You can’t do it without volunteers. The Bill Whalen’s, The Larry Nelson’s and the number of volunteers who took pride in the event and wanted to show the world what we really are.”
The tournament took place in Moncton and Halifax from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Pre-tournament activities took place in communities across the province, including Moncton, Quispamsis, St. Stephen and Bouctouche.
The Government of New Brunswick says the event resulted in:
- a 40 percent increase in hotel bookings compared to a typical December;
- record attendance for any event ever held at the Avenir Centre;
- up to $2 million in provincial tax revenue collected;
- 10,974 visitors to the #ExploreNB Fan Fest in Halifax, which was hosted at the Halifax Convention Centre from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5;
- a 140 percent increase in activity on the ExploreNB website;
- the launch of a new Always Inviting marketing campaign seen across North America;
- $150,000 generated from 50/50 proceeds for New Brunswick community organizations to support sexual violence prevention and work towards greater safety and inclusiveness in and around hockey.
