Tag: Value Added
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Insights from over 1,100 BR+E Surveys
The results for the July 2016 – December 2017 roll up report are here! Over 1,100 businesses were surveyed across Ontario, and the key findings have been aggregated in an infographic. For clients with ongoing BR+E Projects, the roll up offers a benchmark to measure the success of their own BR+E Project against the Provincial…
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2 Workshop Sessions You Don’t Want to Miss at the 61st EDCO Conference
Economic development is constantly evolving and changing, forcing economic developers to think outside the box to continue growing local economies. This is exactly what the 61st annual Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) conference will be focusing on. This year’s theme is Mission Possible: Agents of Change, and is all about challenging norms and using…
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New Main Street Revitalization Initiative
Vibrant main streets help attract visitors, create jobs and increase the competitiveness of small businesses, which are the backbone of small, rural communities. At this year’s Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) announced the Main Street Revitalization Initiative, a new initiative that will be administered…
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5 Steps to Successfully Recruiting Volunteers
Asking people to volunteer is not an easy task, but by recruiting volunteers it can provide benefits such as: helping spread the work among members of the organization, keep the organization alive, bring in new ideas and get work done. By following these five steps, recruiting volunteers does not have to be a problem! Step…
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Best Practices for Downtown Revitalization
Building on the online model developed by the Agriculture Economic Development and Planning Community of Practice (AED COP), the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is launching an online community of practice for Downtown Revitalization in Ontario. What is a Community of Practice? It is an informally structured group that allows practitioners with…
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Strategic Planning is a Great way to Keep your Organization on Track.
Strategic planning should be embedded into the regular operation of any organization. It helps organizations make sound decisions to guide its activities over time. OMAFRA has partnered with the Ontario Business Improvement Areas Association (OBIAA) to deliver a free program to build organizational capacity using the Strategic Planning Train-the-Trainer (TTT) program. The program engages and…
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Performance Measurement Training for Economic Developers
The Economic Developers Council of Ontario is pleased to announce this new workshop series, presented in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Performance Measurement is the process of monitoring, measuring, assessing and reporting on the progress that a plan, such as an economic development plan is making towards the desired…
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Lessons Learned from the Annual International Downtown Association
Themed “AuthentiCITY” the International Downtown Association (IDA) recently held its 63rd annual Conference and Trade Show in Winnipeg. The conference focused on examining the role of place management organizations in shaping prosperous downtown and commercial districts. After taking a few weeks to collect my thoughts, here are some of the key topics I continue to think…
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Sharing of (somewhat) International Best Practices on BR+E
I was invited to present on Business Retention & Expansion at the recent International Economic Development Council annual conference in Toronto. The session explored common denominators for success and highlighted unique attributes of the Halifax Partnership, the Ontario and the British Columbia programs.
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What I Learned At The International Economic Development Council – Annual Conference 2017
It Wasn’t So Much What Was Talked About As What Was Said The 2017 International Economic Development Council Annual Conference in Toronto marks the first time the event has been held outside the United States. The topics on the agenda weren’t all that different from what was discussed at the Economic Developers Association of Canada…