2023 Economic and Tourism Development Year-End Report
BUSINESS START-UP, RETENTION AND EXPANSION
Business Networking Workshop
Spring Workshop Series We hosted a series of workshops in the Spring to help businesses expand, improve their experiences, and find new customers. The goal of the Workshop Series was to help prepare participating businesses for the kick-off to the busy tourist season, while also creating evergreen educational content for all industry members. In 2024, these educational resources will be available on our new website to further their reach and impact.
At the end of the year and just before the Holiday break, we coordinated a workshop titled “A Decade of Life Lessons from a Creative Entrepreneur”. We invited guest speaker Christina Bagatavicius of Bespoke Collective to join 20 guests/business owners in attendance. The day also included a networking portion and business owners left with new connections and new ideas.
The three workshops were:
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Tapping into the $12 Billion LGBTQ+ Tourism Market (19 attendees) Elevate Your Visitor Experience (21 attendees) Enhance Your Business’ Online Visibility (13 attendees)
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Each workshop was designed to offer practical, hands-on knowledge and industry best practices that could be implemented by small business owners. Supported by workbooks, each attendee left armed with tactical takeaways and a road map forward. The sessions were well attended, and we received positive feedback from participants.
Small Business Month
For Small Business Month, we wanted to recognize local businesses throughout Hastings County for all that they do. To make it happen, we created a social post asking the public to nominate their favourite businesses, and we would give each business a small gift as recognition. The results were astounding, with over 100 businesses recognized. The Small Business Coordinator and Marketing Coordinator “hit the road” travelling over 400 KMs to visit each business in person. Each business was so thankful for the recognition and visit from Hastings County staff.
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