Organizers of Challenge Penticton just got a lesson in economics: the lowest price may not always be the best price.
Their lesson came in the form of promotional materials imported from Asia with the city’s name misspelled as “Pentiction.”
In the two years since the City of Penticton switched its triathlon from Ironman to the Challenge Family, the new race has been slow to get its feet under it.
It’s no surprise that the race doesn’t draw as many participants as the Ironman did. Just as it took the South Okanagan Events Centre years to build up to its potential, Challenge Penticton is going to need some time. After all, Ironman had 30 years to get to the point where it was filling hotels from Osoyoos to Peachland.
But there were promises made when the city bought the Challenge Family licence. One of the key ones, after years of Ironman gradually shifting profits away from Penticton, was that the community would control all the purchasing and promotion. In other words, the race would invest in the community by using local service providers.
The race came under new ownership for its third year (2015). New owners that have found themselves under scrutiny after choosing to contract a company in Asia to supply some promotional materials. “Challenge Pentiction” banners were put out on display before someone caught the spelling mistake and photos were spread by the public on social media.
Needless to say, a local contractor — though more expensive — would have likely caught the misspelling of “Pentiction” in time. Race organizers now had to pay those same locals to correct it.
Obviously it was a budget decision to choose a company outside of Penticton to do the banner work, but it is an unfortunate mistake for an event still trying to gain a certain reputation.