Supporting Ground-Breaking Cancer Research and Treatment Through Canada's Favourite Game
The 2026 World’s Longest Hockey Game is taking place between February 5-16, 2026. This extraordinary event features 40 hockey players playing an 11-day hockey game to raise $1 million and help fund the purchase and installation of life-saving immunotherapy equipment at the Cross Cancer Institute.
Focus Communications is proud to have supported this important event by offering graphic design, web design, social media, media relations, and communication services. As an event marketing agency in Edmonton that specializes in purpose-driven campaigns, we were honoured to help bring this story to life and expand its reach.
The game continues through February 16, and there is still time to make an impact. If you are able to attend in person or make a donation, we strongly encourage you to get involved and support this important cause.
Building a Website That Inspires Action
A successful nonprofit event marketing campaign starts with a strong digital foundation. We began by revamping the World’s Longest Hockey Game website.
Our team introduced fresh, engaging imagery to showcase the players, community, and cause.
We developed custom code that displays both the total amount raised and the percentage progress toward the one-million-dollar fundraising goal. This real-time visual tracker helps visitors immediately see the impact of their contribution.
To support remote audiences, we created a dedicated live stream page and embedded the event broadcast. This allowed supporters to follow the game remotely.
Creating a Professional Partnership Package
Sponsorship plays a critical role in the success of large-scale fundraising events. As part of our nonprofit event marketing strategy, we developed a polished and professional partnership package designed to attract corporate sponsors.
This package clearly communicated the event’s mission, audience reach, and promotional opportunities. It gave potential partners a compelling reason to align their brand with this impactful event while supporting groundbreaking cancer research.
Leading Social Media Management and Content Creation
Social media is one of the most powerful tools available to nonprofit organizations. Focus Communications took the lead in managing the World’s Longest Hockey Game presence on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
We created a wide range of branded social graphics and posts, including countdown content leading up to the game, donation appeals, event awareness posts, and information about on-site amenities.
We also organically promoted the event on Reddit in strategic sub-Reddit groups leading up to the event.
Our goal was to keep audiences engaged, informed, and motivated to participate.
We also worked with photographers on-site to display their photos on World’s Longest socials, while ensuring they received proper credit.
By maintaining a consistent visual identity and clear messaging, we strengthened the event’s online presence and built momentum throughout the campaign.
Supporting the World's Longest Hockey Game Through Email
Focus Communications wrote and delivered five email newsletters to the Cure Cancer Foundation’s email list of more than twelve thousand subscribers in the lead-up to the event. These emails helped drive awareness, encourage donations, and keep supporters informed as excitement built.
Humanizing the Mission Through Video Storytelling
One of the most important aspects of nonprofit event marketing is connecting audiences emotionally to the cause through storytelling. To do this, we developed a series of social media videos inspired by the Alberta Cancer Foundation’s More Time campaign.
We also created a powerful video highlighting cancer survivors Mike and Don, who were given more time through CAR-T cell immunotherapy treatment.
We also created a longer-form video explaining the specific CAR-T cell equipment that fundraising will help purchase.
These stories helped audiences understand the real-life impact of the funds being raised and reinforced why events like the World’s Longest Hockey Game matter so deeply.
Driving Awareness Through Media Relations
To expand the event’s reach beyond digital channels, our team aided in media relations. We wrote and distributed a press release that conveyed the event’s “newsworthiness” and the importance of the fundraising goal.
- Cochrane Eagle: Cochrane official joins 11-day hockey marathon for cancer fight
- CTV News Edmonton: World's Longest Hockey Game kicks off Thursday in Alberta
- Edmonton Sun: TAIT: World's Longest Hockey Game taps into a quintessentially Canadian response
- CityNews Edmonton: World's Longest Hockey Game underway east of Edmonton
- St. Albert Gazette: St. Albertan laces up his skates for World's Longest Hockey Game
- Edmonton Journal: 'Proud of their mom': Sister of former Oilers defenceman enjoying World's Longest Hockey Game experience
Supporting the Event On Site
Focus Communications was on-site multiple times, leading up to the start of the game. We attended the opening ceremony to capture photo and video assets and to distribute media kits to attending journalists.
We also helped solve a critical logistical challenge by installing a WiFi extender to ensure reliable connectivity at the Alberta Cancer Foundation donation tent. This helped support smooth on-site fundraising efforts.
In addition, a member of our team volunteered their own time at the Alberta Cancer Foundation donation tent.
A Proud Partner in Purpose-Driven Marketing
At Focus Communications, we are proud to contribute our expertise in nonprofit event marketing to help amplify the impact of the World’s Longest Hockey Game.
If your organization is planning a fundraising event and needs a dedicated event marketing agency in Edmonton to support your mission, we would love to help.
