REAL Board of Directors opting back to Tourism Regina brand, following Experience Regina backlash
Following a controversial rebrand to Experience Regina, Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) has announced it will be reverting back to the Tourism Regina name.
The rebrand, announced earlier in the year, received worldwide criticism for some of its slogans that played on the city’s name and the fact that it rhymes with the word vagina.
In a press conference Thursday, Wayne Morsky, the REAL board chair, said the board has determined next steps following the brand change backlash.
“We looked at what we felt in the public that we were hearing, and we felt that going back to Tourism Regina was the best thing that we could do at this time,” Morsky said.
“This will allow us to return to work and support the local visitors economy as we head into a busy spring and summer season.”
The city’s tourism website, which had been unavailable for the past few weeks, has also beeen relaunched as Tourism Regina, as have all of its social media channels.
In addition to reverting back to the old name, REAL said a third party consultant will complete an independent review to examine what happened leading up to and during the Experience Regina launch.
Morsky said a cost estimate or timeline for that review are not known yet.
“We’re in the final stages of negotiating the contract with the consultant and so I can’t report on the exact cost or time at this time,” Morsky said.
Once the review is complete, Morsky said the REAL board of directors will look it over and submit it to city council.
At this point, Morsky said he is not aware of any REAL employees losing their job as a result of the campaign.
“The status is status quo until the independent review is completed. Then the board of directors will make any decisions going forward at that time,” he said.
“I think it’s more important for us to have a quality review done and find out how this happened so we can learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen in the future. As far as one person, or any people, that’s something we haven’t talked about.”
Moving forward, REAL said it will consult with more diverse community groups to develop inclusive brand strategies.
-- With files from CTV News' Drew Postey and Caitlin Brezinski
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
BREAKING Suspect sought after man found injured in downtown Toronto dies in hospital
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man who was found with life-threatening injuries in downtown Toronto on Sunday morning succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
Cyclist issued fine for striking four-year-old girl crossing the street
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Potentially toxic chemicals hide in our drinking water and countless household objects, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Police investigating after tow trucks shot at in Scarborough two hours apart
Toronto police are investigating after tow trucks were shot at in Scarborough about two hours apart Saturday night.
U.K. foreign secretary says halting arms sales to Israel would only strengthen Hamas
Asked whether the U.K. would follow the U.S. in threatening to cut the supply of offensive weapons to Israel if it carried out an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the two countries cannot be compared because unlike the U.S., Britain supplies a very small amount of Israel's weapons.
BREAKING 37-year-old dies following Sault police shooting
Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officer shot a 37-year-old in the city’s west end on Saturday night.