Edmonton Economic Development Corporation

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation was founded by the City of Edmonton in 1993, as an independent, not-for-profit corporate entity. Its main objective was to provide leadership for the economic growth strategy for the region.[1]

In its 2017 Annual Report, EEDC announced that over the previous year, it had a $186.4 million economic impact in the region - a 48% increase over the previous period. EEDC also stated it had attracted 2.3 million viewers to its Explore Edmonton website, reached over 4,000 students through its Startup Edmonton initiative, collaborated to bring about direct Air Canada flights to San Francisco, and that after hosting over 650 events at the Edmonton Convention Centre, the Centre had seen a 9.6% increase in revenue.[4]

In August 2018, when Derek Hudson took over as CEO of EEDC, he said that his main goal in the position was to develop a more resilient, diverse economy, including focusing on the tourism and technology sectors.[3]

In January 2019, EEDC announced that one of its goals was to move Edmonton away from its reliance on the oil industry, and said the Corporation would focus on industries such as arts and culture; sport; health; artificial intelligence; public service; and government, in moving towards this aim.[6] In support of EEDC's goals, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said at the EEDC's 2019 luncheon that the city needs expansion and innovation across its industries instead of waiting for and relying on the oil market to rebound.[6]

EEDC is responsible for, among other things, the following:

• Supporting industry growth and diversification
• Stimulating entrepreneurism and ionnovation
• Marketing the city image in target markets
• Managing the Edmonton Convention Centre
• Boosting tourism, events and attraction
• Enriching the Edmonton Research Park

EEDC works in partnership with a variety of stakeholders, including the City of Edmonton, Edmonton International Airport, post-secondary institutions, the Government of Alberta, regional economic development agencies, Productivity Alberta, Northlands, and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.[2]

EEDC has a number of divisions, each with their own focus areas.

• Trade and Investment Division
• Urban Economy Division (comprising Startup Edmonton, TEC Edmonton, Edmonton Research Park, Make Something Edmonton, and Edmonton Made)
• Edmonton Tourism
• Edmonton Convention Centre
• Edmonton Expo Centre
• Corporate Services Division[4]

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation receives annual funding from the City of Edmonton, with the remainder of its budget coming from convention centre operations and government grants.[4][6]

In 2017, EEDC was recognized as one of Canada’s most admired corporate cultures by Waterstone Human Capital.[4]