Edmonton Economic Development Corporation

What Edmonton Economic Development Corporation does

Explore Edmonton Corporation, operating as Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) and doing business as Explore Edmonton, is the official Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO) for the City of Edmonton, Alberta. Established in 1993 and operating as a private non-profit corporation, the organization drives Edmonton's visitor economy through a hybrid mandate that combines destination marketing with the operation of two award-winning civic venues: the Edmonton Convention Centre (9797 Jasper Avenue NW) and the Edmonton EXPO Centre (7515 118 Avenue NW), totaling 672,000 square feet and welcoming more than 1.8 million visitors annually.

The core technology asset is the exploreedmonton.com platform, a content-driven destination portal that aggregates an event calendar with category-based filtering, a Food & Drink directory of 170+ establishments, an Attractions & Experiences directory, a downloadable Visitor Guide, and a bundled Discover Edmonton Pass providing access to 9 attractions under a single purchase. A Partner Listing Platform allows local businesses to self-submit events and directory entries. The organization maintains a registered trademark portfolio anchored to signature Edmonton events and brands, including K-Days, Klondike Kate, Kids Town, and the unregistered "Festival City" designation, and operates distribution channels across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and a monthly email newsletter.

Commercially, Explore Edmonton does not sell directly to end consumers; businesses are listed on the website free of charge through directory request forms, and the partnership with Travel Alberta enables shared use of aggregate visitor statistics. Revenue is generated primarily through venue management activities at the two civic venues, supplemented by government funding tied to its DMMO mandate, with cost recovery coming from event hosting, conventions, concerts, and meetings. In 2014 the organization acquired Startup Edmonton, extending its scope into the local technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Name

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation

Legal name

Explore Edmonton Corporation

Website

https://exploreedmonton.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Explore Edmonton Corporation, operating as Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, is Edmonton's official Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO). It promotes the city as a four-season visitor destination, operates the exploreedmonton.com platform with event and business directories, and manages two award-winning venues (Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing and Venue Management

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Destination Management (Ground Handling & Onsite Operations) (THAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Experiential & Cultural Programming (Tours, Activities, CSR/Voluntourism) (THAHADAF), Event Production & Theming (Décor, Creative, Entertainment Booking) (THAHADAH), Venue & Special Event Site Sourcing (Unique Venues, Permitting) (THAHADAE)

Keywords

• Destination marketing organization
• Convention venue management
• Visitor economy services
• Tourism promotion services
• Event venue operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Venue Management: Manages two award-winning venues - Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre - generating revenue through event hosting, conventions, concerts, and meetings
2. Destination Marketing Services: Government-funded destination management and marketing organization focused on increasing economic impact of visitor-based economy

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Explore Edmonton Corporation operates as Edmonton's official Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO), promoting Edmonton as a four-season tourism destination through its website platform, event calendar, directories, and visitor guides. The organization also directly manages two award-winning physical venues - the Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre (totaling 672,000 square feet) - generating revenue by hosting conventions, meetings, concerts, sporting events, and exhibitions.

Product overview

Explore Edmonton operates a unified destination marketing platform centered on its main Explore Edmonton Website Platform. The platform aggregates multiple sub-products including an Event Calendar for tracking festivals and happenings, a Food & Drink Directory showcasing Edmonton's culinary scene, an Attractions & Experiences Directory, a Visitor Guide resource, a Discover Edmonton Pass bundle offering access to 9 attractions, and a Partner Listing Platform for local businesses to submit and manage their listings. The organization also manages two award-winning venues—the Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre—totaling 672,000 square feet and welcoming over 1.8 million visitors annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Explore Edmonton Website Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.8 million visitors welcomed annually to venues
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Travel AlbertacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTravel Alberta is described as a partner of Explore Edmonton. They receive non-identifying aggregate or statistical data compiled using personal information from Explore Edmonton visitors. The partnership involves shared use of website visitor statistics and collaborative tourism marketing efforts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tourism Calgary: Calgary's official destination marketing organization promoting tourism, conventions, and major events in Calgary, Alberta. Direct regional peer competing with Edmonton for convention business and Western Canadian leisure visitors.
• Destination Toronto: Toronto's official DMO responsible for destination marketing and major event attraction in Canada's largest city. Comparable in mandate, structure, and venue management role, though operating in a much larger market.
• Tourism Vancouver: Vancouver's official destination marketing organization promoting leisure travel, conventions, and major events. Direct DMO peer with overlapping four-season positioning and similar convention venue mandate.
• Visit Denver: Denver's official convention and visitors bureau managing tourism marketing and convention sales for a mid-size North American city. Closely comparable in scale, venue-plus-marketing mandate, and four-season mountain/plains destination positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA): Long-established U.S. DMO operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and driving tourism marketing for Las Vegas. Comparable DMMO+DMO model combining venue operations with destination marketing, though at vastly greater scale.
• NYC & Company: Official destination marketing organization for New York City, managing tourism promotion across leisure and convention segments. Comparable official-DMO mandate and integrated venue/marketing role, at much larger scale.
• Destination Canada: Canada's national tourism marketing agency promoting the country to international visitors. Operates upstream of city DMOs like Explore Edmonton, with overlapping role in driving inbound visitation that benefits Edmonton.
• VisitBritain: UK national tourism agency with DMMO-style mandate promoting inbound visitation, events, and trade partnerships. Comparable government-backed destination marketing model with similar event attraction function.
• Brand USA: USA's national destination marketing organization driving inbound international travel. Comparable government-affiliated DMO promoting a multi-city destination through partnerships with regional DMOs akin to Explore Edmonton.

Regional players

• Travel Alberta: Provincial tourism marketing corporation for Alberta and a stated Explore Edmonton partner. Operates one tier above city DMOs in geography and budget, with overlapping mandate on promoting Alberta destinations including Edmonton.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ExploreEdmonton
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/exploreedmonton
• Facebookfacebook.com/EdmontonTourism
• Instagraminstagram.com/exploreedmonton
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edmonton-economic-development-corp-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Edmonton Economic Development Corporation