An independent review is shedding light on the controversial rebranding of Tourism Regina to “Experience Regina.”

The 144-page report, conducted by George B. Cuff & Associates Ltd., based in Spruce Grove, Alta., details what happened and how the “incident” happened.

Cuff found that on the same day of the “Experience Regina” launch, a REAL staff member, without reference to their supervisor, greenlighted the release of the slogans to the website.

The staff member did this by confirming to a website designer that they were “good to go” with the “City that Rhymes with Fun” and “Show Me Your Regina,” as well as other slogans on the Experience Regina website.

Cuff said the “incident” happened in large measure due to a lack of managerial oversight, loose procedures, inadequate policy guidance and unavailable senior staff who were knowledgeable about what was expected.

“While there were undoubtedly extenuating factors which impacted how the release of unapproved slogans occurred, the lack of adequate supervision was certainly one of them.”

He also noted a factor was the degree of busyness within the organization during the takeover of Tourism and the lead-up to the Experience Regina launch.

The “incident” was also impacted by the turnover in senior REAL leadership.

A new vice-president of marketing, communities, and tourism and sales started in late February and had conflicting personal and business priorities to attend to before she could apply her full attention to her new role. A Director of Marketing was also in place who was the key person on this file who had left just before the brand launch.

That meant the key person responsible for the brand launch was absent from the scene in early March.

Soon after the brand launch on March 16th, social media would blow up with criticism and questions regarding the slogans.

President and CEO Tim Reid took responsibility for the incident and issued an apology with the coordination of all offensive material being removed.

While Reid took responsibility for the incident and the brunt of the criticism, the report recommends no personnel changes.

“There is no apparent need to fire anyone connected to this episode,” Cuff said in the report. “While it would be a fairly easy solution to simply blame the President/CEO and demand a resignation, that would be foolish and unnecessarily expensive.”

Cuff, who called the incident ‘bound to happen,’ said while no personnel changes need to be made, policy changes do.

“REAL as an organization needs to take a fresh look at itself and its expectations for the current components of the organization,” he said. “While the factors leading to the slogan imbroglio might have occurred regardless, it is evident that too much of the workload and expectations are placed on one person.

“An improved decision ladder needs to be grounded into the organization,” he continued. “The message with respect to who has what authority to sign off on any initiative, new or otherwise, needs to be absolutely transparent, well-grounded and thoroughly communicated.”

Cuff also said that the City of Regina also has a role to play, stating that a lack of sufficient funding and staffing for REAL played a role.

“The City also has an obligation to provide REAL with sufficient funding to govern and manage REAL assets and functions and an opportunity to be successful. While the latter is responsible for preparing a Strategic Plan and budget to be submitted annually, the City needs to ensure that reasonable resources are being provided so that the functions provided are sustainable.”

Wayne Morsky, Chair of the REAL Board of Directors, said the board is already looking at its next steps following the review.

“Recognizing the mistakes made in the Experience Regina brand launch, the REAL Board of Directors is committed to a constructive path forward that best represents our City and our citizens,” said Morsky. “The completion of the independent review is a critical step in this process, and we want to be transparent with our stakeholders and community members as we move forward.”

The board will:

• Review board policies and procedures related to governance with the lens of the observations of the report, including committee charters, procurement policies and risk priorities;
• Define what information is required to be shared with, or presented to, the board as part of committee and board meetings to allow the board to carry out its responsibilities effectively;
• Direct management to review operational procedures related to internal project management process, external communications and decision-making authority;
• Review the organizational structure, including capacity and capability, of REAL and Tourism Regina and ensure appropriate mentorship, supervision and accountability; and
• Establish a tourism advisory committee to ensure Tourism Regina is reflective and inclusive of the citizens of our community.