The spirit of the Oilers is always alive and well in the Capital City, and when it’s game day, you’ll find buses flashing “Go Oilers Go” across their destination line, along with a sea of orange jerseys as excited fans converge on Rogers Place. However, the players and the game are just a part of a much larger picture. That big picture is OEG Inc. (formerly Oilers Entertainment Group), a North American leader in sports and entertainment, retail and hospitality.
OEG’s combination of sports and businesses has been a driving economic force in Oil Country for decades. On the sports and entertainment side, the portfolio includes the NHL, AHL and WHL franchises; ICE District—which includes ICE District Plaza, Fan Park @ ICE District, JW Marriott ICE District, Connect Centre, the Oilers Flagship Team Store, Sky and Legends Private Residences and premium retail and office space—plus an industry-leading community foundation and renowned film production company Dark Castle Entertainment.
Complementing the sports and entertainment division are partnerships through OEG Hospitality, which feature a wide variety of the country’s best known, award winning restaurants, including Braven and Alchemy Bar. OEG Hospitality has a successful 30+ year history of culinary, experiential and operational excellence thanks to a commitment to forming local partnerships whenever possible, and operating at the leading edge of culinary advancements and dining trends. OEG Hospitality has some of the best local chefs who are always looking for new, diverse offerings. Whether you’re ordering a Tomahawk Steak dinner from Braven or a hot dog from Rogers Place, you can expect quality ingredients, great value and a great experience.
Tim Shipton, EVP, external affairs, OEG Sports & Entertainment says, “Hockey remains at the heart of OEG’s sports and entertainment organization, driven by the Edmonton Oilers—one of the world’s most iconic sports franchises. With a history and global legacy, a world-class arena and plaza, a wildly passionate fan base, league-leading revenue metrics (including additional content and gaming potential), two of the best players on the planet and a Western Conference title in the 2024 and 2025 NHL playoffs—we are positioned for growth and success on and off the ice for years to come!”
Shipton adds that, “The driving force behind everything OEG does is to create unforgettable experiences for fans here in Oil Country. We are proud of making Daryl’s bold vision a reality with ICE District and we thank the world’s best fans for their unmatched loyalty, energy and passion to truly bring ICE District to life as a leading catalyst of vibrancy and revitalization, and the beating heart of Oil Country.”
Stu Ballantyne, president & COO, Rogers Place and ICE District, is also excited about the past, present and future. “With world-class venues, operational expertise, brand identity and awareness and a far-reaching reputation now in place, Edmonton’s ICE District is a highly sought-after destination for employers, performers, fans, visitors, residents and consumers to live, work, stay and play. We will continue to transform downtown Edmonton through ICE District—the heartbeat of the city and epicentre of entertainment.”
Since it went from conception to construction, ICE District, the vision of Daryl Katz to create a social and cultural epicentre for all Edmonton residents and visitors, was a plan that came with significant risk.
Fabio Guarducci, president, Katz Group Real Estate, explains.
“The vision behind the project was to create a new home for the Oilers and ensure the franchise thrives for decades to come. That vision was augmented by the goal to create the largest mixed-use sport and entertainment district in Canada to transform Edmonton’s skyline, drive investment and revitalize the downtown core. The aim was to create a destination for residents and visitors to live, work, stay and play in the heart of Edmonton’s downtown core.”
Within eight years, OEG built Canada’s largest and North America’s second largest sports and entertainment district totaling 4 million square feet at a cost of over $2 billion. Phase I generated $3.2 billion in economic impact for the region, along with thousands of jobs. ICE District attracted more than 1,100 new residents, 8,000 employees and over 2.5 million event attendees annually across three venues, with over 250 events per year.
Yet, it has not all been smooth sailing.
“There have been challenges along the way,” admits Guarducci. “We had the pandemic where ICE District was essentially shut down for two years from an operation perspective and significantly slowed down from a construction perspective. We are now working through post-pandemic effects like high interest rates and inflation, along with broader issues related to Edmonton’s downtown core and creating a safe and welcoming environment for guests.”
ICE District continues to grapple with new work patterns, interest rate volatility, crime and disorder, overpopulation and real estate trends.
“The first five years after Rogers Place were about learning and figuring it out, the next five (with a global pandemic) have been about optimizing, growing and better connecting, not only our business lines and products, but better connecting with our fans and customers,” Ballantyne says.
OEG’s ownership and management group recognizes that there is an urgent need for integrated solutions to address complex societal issues through a true collaboration among agencies, businesses and government.
“For Edmonton’s downtown revitalization to be successful, we also need residents and visitors to feel safe when they come downtown, and to do that, we not only need support services, but also a base level of what is acceptable behaviour,” says Shipton. “From OEG’s perspective, we are committed to doing everything we can to revitalize the region, boost the economy, increase safety and support the creation of much-needed housing developments.”
ICE District is certainly doing its part in that regard. Ballantyne points out, “We bring well over 2.5 million visitors downtown annually and have grown our entertainment business from 120 events to 250+ events per year, plus, we host more than 100 corporate and meeting rentals on non-event days. We’ve also added 1,200 resident units and a multitude of amenities, including restaurants, shops, banks, a grocery store and more.”
ICE District Phase II includes a new, one-of-a-kind in Canada, 140,000 square-foot, Downtown Community Event Park located in the current Fan Park @ ICE District site and Village at ICE District—a medium-density 5.3-hectare urban development located to the north of Rogers Place that will include green spaces, shops, cafes, restaurants and a variety of housing options.
Guarducci adds, “The new indoor/outdoor Event Park will focus on community events and smaller live entertainment shows to bring people downtown 365 days a year. Phase II will connect ICE District to Chinatown, the Arts District and the Education district—creating a critical mass that will truly drive revitalization across Edmonton’s downtown core.”
Expansion of ICE District integrates housing, entertainment, sports, and public spaces to create a dynamic, livable downtown that serves diverse needs and fosters community pride. Transforming vacant and underused downtown areas into vibrant neighbourhoods will reduce urban sprawl and make efficient use of existing infrastructure. All these points work together, creating a resilient and thriving downtown ecosystem that benefits all Edmontonians.
Ballantyne continues, “That’s the next logical step now that our core ICE District business is secure. Think about ice rinks, ice castles, New Year’s Eve and Igloofest in the winter, ball hockey, basketball, beach volleyball, DSTRKT25 and other outdoor festivals and events in the summer—along with cultural events like Oktoberfest, Diwali, Canada Day and more, including a wide variety of community programming. Just steps away, you will have the Village at ICE District with at least 2,500 residential units of various housing typologies tapping into where demand exists: affordable, student, multi-family, etc.”
Shipton says, “The City and Province have been strong partners in helping bring this vision to reality. We are now embarking on the next exciting phase of ICE District in partnership with the City and Province, which includes Fan Park @ ICE District. This has become a central hub for community programming with the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation using it extensively, alongside its charitable partners, to bring over 10,000 kids to the heart of downtown for a wide range of community programs.”
The vision of ICE District has always been about supporting the city, the province and showcasing the collaborative effort on the global stage.
“We believe that we played a significant role featuring the modern face of Edmonton on a global stage to attract more visitors and more investment, while also generating significant economic impact—with over $547 million in economic impact generated for the region during the last two Oilers playoff runs,” Ballantyne says.
“The future of Edmonton can be bright if we work together across the public and private sectors. If we work together and truly collaborate, Oil Country can not only play a leading role in the revitalization of downtown Edmonton, but of Canada,” adds Shipton. “Global events like the 2027 World Juniors, major NHL events and other international tournaments, AAA concerts and new multi-day festivals, along with a wide variety of community programming, will continue to drive tourism and economic impact.”
Alberta is home to some of the world’s best ideas, talent, food, culture, community spirit and innovation—all delivered with humility and an unrivaled work ethic. Alberta is an economic powerhouse and Edmonton is the epicentre. This city has what the world wants – energy – but industry leadership and innovation have also created a highly educated and skilled population, which has spawned other opportunities.
OEG sees this and unites many brands under one banner to uplift all the best parts of Edmonton, and Alberta. With exceptional leadership, outstanding names across entertainment and hospitality and being engaged and active in the revitalization of our downtown core, OEG has ushered in a new era for the city with ICE District, and is poised to do it again with Phase II.
“ICE District is not only the home of the Edmonton Oilers, it is a gathering place for residents, visitors and community groups from across Oil Country to come together in the heart of our city,” Guarducci says with pride. “ICE District has also become a catalytic driver of private investment and revitalization in Edmonton’s downtown core. We are proud of our work to date, which has changed our city for the better, and we look forward to building on that success through Phase II. We still have lots of work to do to attract more residents, visitors and investment downtown, but we are working our hardest to create safe and welcoming public spaces, bring more events, more festivals and more community programming to Edmonton to bring more activity, more people, more vibrancy and the housing needed to meet the demands of our growing city.”
Ballantyne adds, “It is thrilling to see Daryl’s vision come to life. We set out to create a place for visitors to the city and Edmontonians alike to gather and experience the very best the city has to offer, and we could not be happier with the product. I speak for our entire team at OEG when I say that we can’t wait to continue to create memorable moments and once-in-a-lifetime experiences for anyone who visits ICE District. As thousands of events and millions of visitors have shown us, ICE District Plaza is a preferred destination for people of all ages and backgrounds, and has truly become a postcard image of Edmonton’s downtown that has been broadcast around the world.”
All three can also promise one important thing: “Make no mistake about it, the goal is also to bring the Stanley Cup back to Edmonton for our fans!”
Learn more online at www.oeg.ca.
