Branded Cities Awarded Media-Operating Rights to Woodbine Entertainment’s New On-Property Digital Signage Network
Branded Cities continues its dominance of premium Out-of-Home assets in sought-after destination venues including Yonge & Dundas, Union Station, and now the Woodbine Racetrack property.
Toronto, Canada – June 26, 2024 – Branded Cities, the un-rivaled leader in iconic Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising across North America, proudly announces the acquisition of operating rights to the highly anticipated Woodbine Entertainment digital network. Fresh from their win of the coveted “The Well” in Toronto’s west side, and the major redevelopments and additions to their flagship venue of Yonge and Dundas, Branded Cities continues to be the choice for brands for premium venues. The addition of Woodbine Racetrack solidifies Branded Cities’ dominance in Canada’s largest city by offering an unbeatable selection of iconic destination venues, including Union Station, Yonge and Dundas, and The Well.
Woodbine Entertainment has plans for the most exciting development project in Canada by developing much of the 684 acres on which the historic Woodbine Racetrack is situated. The Woodbine Community Plan is the vision motivating the redevelopment of the property to create new, sustainable revenue streams to support and grow the horse racing industry and the approximately 25,000 jobs it supports across the province. The first phase of this development includes the recently expanded casino, which is now known as Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto and consists of the largest gaming floor in the country, a 400-room trackside hotel overlooking the world-renowned E.P Taylor Turf Course, a 5,000-person live entertainment venue and a brand-new parking structure.
figure 1: 5,000 seat venue, The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort
figure 2: Woodbine property border
This expansive property is bordered by Highway 27 to the East, Highway 427 to the West, Rexdale Blvd. to the North, and the Go Transit Line to the South. As part of the development, Woodbine Entertainment is installing a new digital signage network throughout the property to market everything offered, improve communication for guests, and create opportunities for third-party advertising, which Branded Cities will manage. The City of Toronto has officially designated Woodbine as a Special Sign District, underscoring its significance.
The exterior digital network at Woodbine has been carefully conceived and created to ensure signage locations offer the maximum visibility and exposure for brands to reach desirable audiences while reflecting the overall exciting brand characteristics of Woodbine Entertainment. The high-resolution digital displays offer advertisers both landscape and portrait formats and can accommodate industry-standard advertising options. All the displays are networked and can be synchronized to enable lucrative and exciting brand domination campaigns.
“We are thrilled to present our brand partners and clients with this extraordinary opportunity to showcase their campaigns with one of Canada’s most remarkable destination venues. Our proven track record in successfully operating Out-of-Home assets in Special Sign Districts, as exemplified by Yonge and Dundas, positions us as the ideal partner for Woodbine, and we will leverage our deep expertise to ensure brands have maximum impact for their advertising campaigns,” said Steve Ellman, Chairman and CEO of Branded Cities.
figure 3: The 2023 King’s Plate live-streamed at Yonge and Dundas
The synergy between Woodbine and Branded Cities has already proven to be a perfect match, as evidenced by the recent live streaming of Woodbine’s largest event, ‘The King’s Plate,’ at Yonge and Dundas in 2023. The much-anticipated event was broadcast on Canada’s three largest digital screens, and the highly trafficked venue witnessed all the excitement and racing drama brought by Canada’s biggest horse racing event. It will be exciting to see further collaborations and bigger opportunities with brands when Woodbine’s network goes online.
“In selecting Branded Cities as our partner for this endeavor, we were confident in their ability to align with our vision and enhance the Woodbine experience. Branded Cities’ impressive track record in destination-focused Out-of-Home advertising and their success at Yonge and Dundas assured us they are the perfect fit for this project. We eagerly anticipate the innovations and memorable moments this partnership will bring to Woodbine Entertainment,” stated Daniel Caulfield, Head of Business Development and Partnerships of Woodbine Entertainment.
About Branded Cities
Branded Cities, which is owned by EL Media and Shamrock Capital, is a leading Out-of-Home media company with an integrated network of premier digital and static signage across North America. The digital and static media assets span across some of the largest markets in the United States and Canada (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Edmonton, Montréal, Ottawa and many more) and are situated in the country’s most valuable Out-of-Home environments such as Times Square, the Las Vegas Strip, West Hollywood, Union Station and Yonge-Dundas Square. Branded Cities empowers brands to deliver impactful and engaging messages to North America’s most desirable, hard-to-reach audiences. EL Media is an affiliate of The Ellman Companies (“Ellman”). Ellman is a privately owned media, real estate and investments group founded in 1972 with diverse interests in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.
For more information, visit: brandedcities.ca or brandedcities.com
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Canadian Press Contact:
Ali Satchu
SVP, Marketing
(416) 408–0800
asatchu@brandedcities.com
About Woodbine Entertainment
‘Woodbine Entertainment is the largest horse racing operator in Canada with a multi-dimensional entertainment business. The Ontario corporation is host to world-class Thoroughbred horse racing at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto and Standardbred horse racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Milton. Woodbine operates HPIbet, a wagering platform that allows Canadians to bet on races at Woodbine tracks and horse racing around the world online. Operating without share capital, Woodbine Entertainment has a mandate to support the horse racing industry and the nearly 25,000 jobs it supports across the province. With this in mind, Woodbine Entertainment is surging ahead with the development of the land surrounding Woodbine Racetrack, creating living, business, and community spaces as outlined in the Woodbine Community Plan.
Press Contact:
Jamie Dykstra
VP, Communications
Woodbine Entertainment
647-400-6235
jdykstra@woodbine.com