The federal government threw a CEO summit in Vancouver on Monday.
One small problem: Next -to-no CEOs.
Minister of International Trade Peter Van Loan got the unenviable task of waving the flag for the business community at these Olympics, hosting a "Global Business Leaders Day."
In the spirit of the Games, full marks for trying, Mr. Van Loan. But like a number of federal initiatives at the Olympics, the results just weren't there.
Ottawa managed to snag one globally relevant name as a speaker for its day-long session, in PIMCO boss Mohamed El-Erian. The next tier of talent consisted of a handful of domestic executives, including TMX Group CEO Thomas Kloet and the creative director at the Cirque du Soleil, Lyn Heward, all of whom were grilled by Financial Times editor Chrystia Freeland.
But the relative lack of big-name attendance at Monday's session showed sports, not business, is the theme of these Games.
There is no lack of CEOs at the Olympics. Vancouver is awash in bosses. General Electric's Jeff Immelt stopped by for the opening. Royal Bank of Canada's Gord Nixon is expected later this week. André Desmarais, co-CEO of Power Corp., was standing outside the hockey rink on Sunday, just after the Americans rolled over Team Canada.
It's just that, well, say you had a choice. You could have a front row seat to a once-in-a-lifetime sporting event, in a picture-perfect mountain city. Or you could sip lukewarm coffee in a crowded meeting room, while listening to a discussion of economics.
CEOs are spectators this week, on the slopes or at the rink, not at government-sponsored conferences. And there is nothing the well-maining Mr. Van Loan can do to change that reality.