Page 25 - 2016 Year In Review

TASTE FESTIVALS: In Canada, multicultural festivals can offer brands
valuable opportunities to engage with new Canadians and diverse
audiences in ways few other properties can. Krinos Taste of the
Danforth in Toronto, for example, is a three-day event and Canada’s
largest street festival with 1.6 million attendees annually. With the
ability to draw large crowds and capture an entire community’s
attention, multicultural festivals like Krinos Taste of the Danforth and
Etobicoke’s Taste of the Kingsway have seen interest from corporate
sponsors looking to demonstrate their commitment to the local
community.

PRIDE: More and more, brands are embracing celebrations like Pride
throughout the world, and demonstrating support towards the LGBTQ
community. In Toronto, the 2016 Pride Parade was considered a
tremendous success and was the very first parade to have the Prime
Minister of Canada march in support. However, to authentically gain
attribution as a LGBTQ-friendly brand, advocacy and support for the
LGBTQ community should extend beyond rainbow-washing a logo.
Canada is becoming an increasingly diverse nation, and sponsors have a
unique opportunity to be advocates for inclusion. As society develops a
more progressive and inclusive stance towards equality and gender
identity, celebrations like Pride will continue to grow throughout the
world.

PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS (PBR): In 2015, Professional Bull Riders
made headlines with its sale to global sports and entertainment company
WME-IMG, which has been active in growing the property since the
acquisition. In 2016, a Netflix original documentary series was released,
titled Fearless, which focuses on the behind the scenes of the sport and
provides fans with exclusive access to their favourite riders. As a result
of PBR’s steady growth, Professional Bull Riders has attracted a number
of top sponsors such as Monster Energy, Ford, and Dickies.

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