Banff is more than just a beautiful place to hold an event — the Banff Community Impact Program also offers groups an opportunity to support real change for the local community.
Banff’s Community Impact Program (CIP) makes it easy for event organizers, especially incentive planners, who are seeking new ways to support and give back to the local communities while learning, networking and enjoying the destination. While other destinations may encourage local spend via restricted-use cards, provide ways to incorporate charitable giving into events, support local environmental and social causes through event-driven donations, the CIP provides all these benefits in one package, along with the opportunity to revel in one of Canada’s most iconic and scenic destinations.
How It Works
The CIP, a collaboration between Banff & Lake Louise Tourism (BLLT) and the Banff Canmore Foundation, combines prepaid spending cards usable within the destination with a direct, trackable benefit to local charities and a report for participating organizations.
With the CIP, delegates receive a pre-paid card to explore the region, funded in part by the program, with additional funds from BLLT. Meeting and event attendees can use the pre-paid card in local shops, restaurants and activity outfitters within the timeframe of their conference or by extending their stay. The enables attendees to use the card to experience the destination and make a difference to the local community — and take home a little piece of the destination as well.
When a group enrolls in the program, they also have the opportunity to align themselves with a local charity that reflects their values, and BLLT also makes an initial contribution to the chosen charity. And there likely will be a charity to choose that will resonate with just about any group. The CIP approved charity list includes everything from the Banff Public Library to the Banff Sports Medicine Foundation to the Biosphere Institute of Bow Valley, Rocky Mountain Adaptive and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. If sustainability is an important factor for your group, this destination also has much to offer, from zero-waste coffee experiences at the Hotel Canoe & Suites to using AI to reduce food waste at the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs to Mount Norquay, which now operates on 100% renewable energy.
After the event ends, the organization participating in the CIP receives a report showing how the program positively impacted the destination.
Programs elsewhere may offer some — but not all — of the elements of Banff’s CIP. For example, the North Central Massachusetts Gift Local Program allows visitors to buy prepaid cards usable exclusively at local businesses, boosting local economic activity. While this type of program does encourage event planners and residents to spend locally, supporting small businesses and the regional economy, they are not directly tied to charities like Banff’s CIP. Some companies also provide gift card solutions that nonprofits or event organizers can use to distribute prepaid cards redeemable at local businesses or for rewards. These can be customized for conferences or events to create localized economic and social impact, although they are not typically designed or managed by destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in the same way as Banff’s CIP.
As Julia O’Grady, Owner, ITM Events, says on the CIP website, “I love the charity component of this initiative and the flexibility of being able to spend the pre-paid card on something meaningful to me. I purchased attire from a retailer and every time I wear it, it will evoke the fond memories of my trip to Banff and all it has to offer our clients.”
Learn more about the Community Impact Program here.
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