More than 30 years after Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tim Horton was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the quick-service restaurant chain bearing his name has joined him.
Tim Hortons formally unveiled the new Tim Hortons Theatre at the downtown Toronto tourist attraction on Tuesday, the culmination of an 18-month negotiation process.
The newly christened space (formerly known as the Esso Theatre) is a 120-seat room that shows footage from the HHOF archives including Stanley Cup highlight reels and other notable events such as the 1972 Summit Series.
Robert Forbes, the company’s senior director of marketing for Ontario and national programs, said the “multi-year” partnership with the HHOF is perfectly aligned with the coffee chain’s ongoing Timbits minor hockey program, which originated 30 years ago in Moncton, NB and now has more than 80,000 participants per year.
“We were looking for a way to demonstrate our long-term involvement in the game,” said Forbes. “Thirty years is a long time, and so many kids have gone through the program, we thought it was a good way to bring that to life.”
Tim’s presence at the HHOF includes on-site signage as well as a digital display screen showing entries in a new contest inviting consumers to submit their favourite Timbits hockey story, photo or video.
People are invited to submit their material at TimbitsHockey.ca or through the Timmy Me mobile app for the chance to win a trip for four to Toronto and a behind-the-scenes visit to the HHOF. Tim’s has also added video functionality to its popular Timmy Me app, enabling consumers to shoot 10-second videos and submit them instantaneously.
The contest runs through early December and is being promoted through a digital buy and through Tim’s owned assets, including its social media feeds and its in-store digital network.
