More than 500 Masters of Business Administration (MBA) students from 19 Canadian universities will gather at Nanaimo’s VIU campus to compete in academic, team sport and spirit competitions from Jan. 2-4.
“A lot of people are coming from the east coast and have never been to the island before so this is great exposure,” said Omar Karim, chairman of the organizing committee and a VIU alumni.
The event and its earlier B.C. version this past October will inject up to $2 million into the local economy, the organizing committee estimates.
This is also the first time in the Games 30-year history that it’s being held in B.C.
“The economic impact is from flights to accommodations, to (people) driving through Ladysmith,” Karim said.
Each year, the event also raises money for a select charity partner. The 2017 partner is the Moose Hide Campaign,which is working to end violence against Indigenous and non-Indigenous women and children.
The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation is providing matching funds up to $150,000 as part of its commitment to the Moose Hide Campaign.