Turning On The High Beams Of Long-Term Planning

Message from the Chair
January 1st, 2020

On this, the first day of the new year and first day of the new decade, it’s as good a day as any to look into our crystal balls and imagine where we could be at this time in 10 years, let alone one year down the road.

That’s exactly what the BC Sports Hall of Fame family – from our Board of Trustees and management team to our Foundation Board of Directors and former Chairs of the society – are doing as we transition from our Inspiration 2020 strategic plan to our Inspiration 2024 planning cycle. As we look forward, we are intent on building both continuity and consistency into the approach we take to make the BC Sports Hall of Fame the best BC Sports Hall of Fame that we can be.

We also wanted to streamline the way we managed our priorities, both at the strategic level of governance to the professional leadership provided day-in, day-out by our Chief Executive, management team and staff.

That’s why we intend to carry the strategic priorities inherent in our 2020 strategic plan over into our 2024 plan. And those priorities are anchored in the three pillars of: Celebrating Honoured Members; Cultivating Sustainable Partnerships; Sparking Inspirational Experiences (and Education).

Everything we do should enhance or advance one or more of the above three strategic pillars. Anything we do should reflect the mission of the BC Sports Hall of Fame — building outstanding community legacies by honouring the past and inspiring the future – and our vision: Future champions making their dreams come true.

Going into 2020, the key for us will be how we balance the imperatives of day-to-day operations with the long-term visioning and goals of our four-year strategic plans and the horizon planning towards where we want to be 10, 15 or 20 years down the road.

The day-to-day operations of the BC Sports Hall of Fame will always endeavor to align themselves with our: (i) Strategic priorities; (ii) Fiscal budgets; and (iii) Management plans. Our Chief Executive Nicholas Cartmell is of course responsible for the day-to-day operations and management leadership of the Sports Hall. What will help maximize the limited staff resources we have at our disposal will be the volunteer engagement of our Board of Trustees and Committees.

To help provide as much support as we can to our management team, we are organizing our committees into three groups: Strategic Committees, Standing Committees and Community Committees.

Those committees will not only optimize our Fiscal year oversight – from year-to-year — they will also be important to the measurement and management of our strategic priorities over the course of each four-year planning cycle.

Yet as an organization that aspires to provide best practices in story-telling, leadership and mentorship around sport history, sport heritage and sport culture, we know we’ll do the best possible job of looking “back” by looking “forward” through long-term horizon planning. That’s why we’re proud to be working on Ideation 2030; a horizon planning exercise designed to represent what we’d like the BC Sports Hall of Fame to look like in 2030, 2040 and beyond.

Every step along the way counts. That’s true of the days, weeks and months of each fiscal year as it is the scope of vision contained in our four-year strategic plans and longer-term horizon plans.

The bottom line is that we are committed, more than ever, to pulling out all the stops in short, mid and long-term planning, and to working with you – Honoured Members, PSOs, MSOs, Sport System Leaders, Partners and other Stakeholders – to help bring our – and your – dreams to life. To Inspire the Future in ways that we may not have yet imagined were possible. With your help and support, we know we can be the best BC Sports Hall of Fame that we can be; one that meets and exceeds your expectations when it comes to celebrating extraordinary achievement in British Columbian sport history and inspiring future generations to make their dreams come true.

Tom Mayenknecht is the Chair of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. A principal at Emblematica Brand Builders in Vancouver and a nationally-recognized sport business commentator and host of The Sport Market on TSN Radio, he is a strong advocate for KidSport, Right To Play and other children’s charities. He is also a member of the Ringette Canada Hall of Fame as a builder.