All images by Mark Gallup
It says a lot about the effectiveness of your booth at the Banff Mountain Film Festival that the first person to visit it is none other than pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones.
Jones was at the 2023 Festival as a keynote speaker and he dropped by during the official opening of the event’s three-day Marketplace to check out the various vendors and organizations, including KORE, that had booths set up to offer info and gear to attendees. A splitboard offering from Revelstoke-based Trapper Snowboards was what initially pulled Jones into the KORE booth but he hung around for a while talking with representatives about the robust craft gear industry in the Kootenays and how the new Kootenay Approved campaign was set to showcase all the local makers and designers to the world.
One of the main highlights of the 2023 event was the three-day marketplace event in which KORE had a booth. Representatives were front and centre to introduce the thousands of visitors to the initiative as well as the 50+ member companies that are based in the Kootenay region and producing everything from snowboards and skis to bikes and beanies. Specific companies and products represented in the unique KORE booth, which was designed by Selkirk College’s Technology Access Centre (STAC), included:
Marketplace Highlights
- A splitboard by Trapper Snowboards
- An ultralight tent and backpack by Durston Gear
- Headlamps by Lynx OGT
- Backcountry poles by Wolverine Snow Products
- Skis by Instinct Skis, Thoroughbred Skis, Powder Room Skis, and Ski Fels
- Ski poles by Waist Deep Skis
- Apparel by Ambler Mountain Works
- Bikes by Six Mile Bikes and Jackalope Bikes
- Hats by Passage Hat Co.
- Bear spray bike holder by Ghostrider Equipment
- Clothing and backpack by Zapped Outfitters
- Slopedeck by Floworks Design
- Maternity outdoor clothing by Wildelore
- A run bike by Pintail Bikes
- Climbing gear by Basecamp Innovations and Dark Horse Innovations
15,000 Attendees
The on-site event lasted from Oct 28 to Nov 5 and total attendance increased 34% over the 2022 season.
92,000 trailer views
That’s just the number of views that occurred during the event.
66,000 Online Trailer Views
Festival films were also available to view online and 66,000 of them were viewed, and each included the trailer.
10,404,152 Impressions
Total festival impressions for the festival included 1,724,000 reader impressions from print advertising and 8,680,152 impressions from live and online platforms.
84% Attendees From AB/USA
The majority of in-person visitors were from Alberta and the United States, areas KORE is specifically targeting to get the word out about the Kootenay region and its makers.
60 Organizations
The number of companies and associations, including KORE, that took part in the Festival Marketplace.
457 Screenings
The number of North America screenings in 250 communities as part of the tour. The KORE Kootenay Approved contest prize will be featured at each. Canada will have 174 screenings while the US will have 283.
250,000 Fans
The estimated number of viewers who will attend the North American screenings and see the KORE Kootenay Approved prize package.
Aside from being featured in the official trailer, in its digital and print advertising, and via the World Tour Contest, other benefits and promotions came out of the partnership with Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival such as:
- Promotion on the contest website and contest video
- Collaboration on social media
- Promotion on the Festival Sponsor Intermission Video
- Major Partner recognition in media releases
- Recognition as a Major Partner on Mountain Photo Essay, Film and Book Competition entry forms
- Major Partner logo recognition during Festival in-person events
- KORE Outdoors name and logo as a Major Partner on Festival HTML messaging and e-newsletters
- Major Partner logo on Festival website plus active link to KORE Outdoors website
- Inclusion of KORE Outdoors promotional gift in the Festival Guest registration packages for VIP guests
The entire Banff Festival experience was a part of the “Kootenay Approved” campaign, which is funded by ETSI-BC’s Innovating and Advancing Key Sectors program. The campaign has a primary mission to raise consumer awareness of the KORE gear maker and creator cluster, increase sales of the products they’re responsible for, and attract business growth in the Kootenays. In short, it promotes the craft gear from here, one of the most renowned mountain regions in the world, and celebrates the way of life unique to this area of BC.
About KORE
KORE is an economic development and diversification initiative managed by the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise Society located in Kimberley, British Columbia. It is an industry alliance of outdoor recreation gear manufacturers and designers in the Kootenays and has brought together a network of 60+ craft gear makers and designers who have organically started up production manufacturing and designing in the region. KORE’s mission is to foster growth within the alliance through education, collaboration and connecting businesses to resources, grants, financing and capital, and to attract outdoor recreation product manufacturing and designers into the region to relocate or facilitate new entrepreneurial start-ups.
About Banff Mountain Festival
Since 1976, the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, a flagship program of Banff Centre, has celebrated mountain culture. The event promotes understanding and appreciation of the world’s mountain places by creating opportunities for people to share and find inspiration in mountain experiences, ideas, and visions. Following the multi-day festival in Banff Alberta each fall, the annual World Tour reaches more than 40 countries on seven continents, making it the largest adventure film tour on the planet.