The group tasked with reeling in big-ticket events to Victoria is setting its sights on one of the most important nights in Canadian music: the 2018 Juno Awards.
The Capital Region Music Awards Society confirmed Wednesday it is planning to launch an official bid for the event, three years after applying for the 2014 Junos unsuccessfully.
But with a slew of events in the rear view mirror including Rifflandia, BreakOut West and Rock the Shores, supporters say the timing of this bid couldn’t be more perfect.
“We’ve proved to a lot of the music professionals in the industry, not only in Canada but across the world, with the last festival that just happened this weekend, that Victoria can pull it off,” said CRMAS Director Derrold Norgaard.
Norgaard said the 2012 bid had regional and provincial support and raised $2-million, but in the end, Winnipeg was chosen to host the ceremony.
Some suspected Victoria’s bid was turned down because the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre wasn’t big enough to host it.
“We believe that some of the concerns the Juno Awards had in the past have been dealt with,” said Norgaard. “That was the size of venues, the location of venues and the ability for people to get around the city. I think we’ve proved with [Rifflandia] and the BreakOut West Awards that none of those concerns matter anymore.”
While there are no fixed deadlines for Juno applications, bids are generally submitted two to three years before the event, meaning the CRMAS has about six months to file paperwork.
According to the Junos, the festivities have consistently earned host cities north of $10-million in economic spinoffs.
It remains to be seen whether the B.C. government will support the new bid.
Calgary is set to host the 2016 Junos, while the 2017 host city will be named sometime this fall.
The last time the awards show came to B.C. was in 2009, when it was hosted by comedian Russell Peters at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.
