The Bids and Events Committee is responsible for supporting local sport and event organizations in bidding to host events and competitions in Medicine Hat. They are also responsible for consulting with sport and event organizations regarding event execution.
Lovell McDonnell
Lovell retired in 2001 after a 31 year career as a Fire Fighter at Canadian Forces Base Suffield. During that time and continuing to the present he has volunteered in many capacities in the operation of minor sports programs and the hosting of tournaments and events at the Local, Provincial, Western Canada, Canadian and International levels. Currently he is the President of the Medicine Hat Big League Youth Baseball Association. In 1997 the City of Medicine Hat named a baseball diamond (R.L. Lovell McDonnell Diamond) in his honour of his commitment to baseball in the community. Throughout his time as a volunteer Lovell has sat on many different committees and boards and has received multiple recognition awards. In 2003 he was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and the Medicine Hat Sports Wall of Fame in 2010. Lovell is very supportive of community and the enthusiasm hosting a wide array of events will bring to our city.
Natalie Sauer
Natalie has been a proud Hatter for most of her life. She recently retired after a 33-year career in recreation with the City of Medicine Hat, with her final position as Manager of Recreation. She has vast experience working with sport user groups and community organizations, as they plan and provide quality programs and events to our community. Much of her volunteer time has been working on community events, including multi-sport Games at all levels. She has been the Director of Protocol for many of these and has enjoyed the diversity of that portfolio. One of her many career highlights was serving on the board of the Southern Alberta Summer Games, which gives many smaller communities the opportunity to host an annual sporting event and showcase all their community has to offer.
Ken Sauer
Ken has been involved in many different events including the 1992 Alberta Senior Games, the 1998 Canadian National Senior Games, the 2002 Alberta Winter Games, the 2008 Alberta Summer Games, the 2016 Alberta Winter Games, the 2017 Alberta Special Olympics, and the 2019 55Plus Alberta Games. In each of these, he has acted as the Vice Chair and Director of Administration. His activities with these events have included being the recording secretary, holding copies of the incorporation and working closely with Alberta Gaming. Ken has recently been inducted into the Medicine Hat Sport Wall of Fame and had the Dr. Ken Sauer Elementary School named after him. He also holds an Order of Canada and Alberta Order of Excellence.
David Young
David is the Manager of Recreation for the City of Medicine Hat and has been involved in the sport community for 22 years as a participant, coach, parent and employee of the City of Medicine Hat. He believes that the MHSEC will be that one point of contact for any group looking to host an event in Medicine Hat and will provide the coordination for the community in all the events we host. The MHSEC will be able to help all community groups with resources for whatever a group may require to be successful including financial seed money for event bid preparation.
The Promotions and Marketing Committee is responsible for supporting the promotions and marketing of the Council and Medicine Hat as a host. They are responsible for the awareness of the Council itself to sport and event organizations, businesses, media, provincial and national organizations, and all levels of government. They are also responsible for assisting sport and event organizations with promotions and marketing initiatives.
Elisha Ammann, Chair
Elisha Ammann has worked in the hotel industry for almost 20 years. She was the inaugural President of the Medicine Hat Accommodation Association and eventually moved into the role of Executive Director. She oversees all the marketing activities for the MHAA (also known as StayInMedicineHat.com) as well as coordinates group bookings for major events. Elisha believes it is the wonderful people of Medicine Hat that make it a true hidden gem. She is excited to work with the Sports & Event Council to continue to encourage visitors to come to Canada’s Sunniest City!
Steve Pudwell
Steve is the General Sales Manager with the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. He also sits as a Board Member with the Medicine Hat Chamber of Commerce.