Vancouver Tries to Change the Tourism Bureau Model by Thinking Green and Local
Photo Credit: TED founder Chris Anderson interviews Edward Snowden at TED 2014 in Vancouver. TED Conference
Skift Take
By creating new networks between the bureau and local businesses—tourism and otherwise—the Vancouver "DMMO" is rewriting the rules of internal destination engagement.
In March 2013 during a press conference at the LEED-Platinum Vancouver Convention Centre, TED founder Chris Anderson explained why he decided to move his famous conference to Vancouver by turning his back to the crowd to point outside.
Vancouver is one of the most visually stunning and perfectly designed cities in the world. North America’s densest downtown core and largest urban park combine together in a harmonious Yin/Yang duality, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, English Bay, Coal Harbour and the cloud-swept Rocky Mountains.
But Anderson said he relocated TED from Long Beach, California to Vancouver for the event's 30th anniversary as much for the Canadian city’s brains as its beauty. Vancouver’s top-5 ranking every year in the Mercer global livability standards; its culture of innovation, sustainability, openness and integration; and its close proximity to Whistler for TEDActive also helped seal the deal.
After acknowledging Vancouver’s natural beauty, Anderson
