EDCO 2016 Annual Conference Town Halls Transforming your Communities through Discovery Communities with Populations Less than 25,000 Facilitator- Eric McSweeney McSweeney and Associates February 4 th, 2016

Wisdom of the Crowd

Potential Topics for Discussion Business Retention & Expansion Workforce Development Marketing/Attraction Regional Cooperation/Collaboration Main Street/Downtown Entrepreneurship and Small Business

Business Retention & Expansion 1. Issue Ideas

Business Retention & Expansion 2. Issue Ideas

Business Retention & Expansion 3. Issue Ideas

Workforce Development 1. Issue Ideas Skilled Trades Shortage Grade 8 – Area wide education session. Introduce them to skilled manufacturers. Grade 11 & 12 – Tech Teachers – bring in skilled training to schools. Making students workforce ready (students identified by students) OYAP Attracting students back – stay connected with youth via social media Ottawa Valley – College Programming for graduating students to keep them in the area and train them for jobs in the area. Connecting Colleges and Employers “Build it and they will come” – Need employer for students to come back to. Unions building their own training facilities – partnership opportunity Programs exist but we need to connect the people to these programs (employers and students) Understand what the needs of the employers are. Facilitate the training of the community to meet those needs. May be a gap between the small local community and the larger regions needs. Immigration to fill gaps. Quinte Region (RED Funding)

Workforce Development 2. Issue Ideas Lack of Housing & Transportation Educate the developers on the needs To be affordable – needs to be dense (community needs to support density).

Workforce Development 3. Issue Ideas

Marketing Attraction 1. Issue Ideas Leverage the Private Sector – co-op advertising/marketing Stand out in the marketplace – get local buy-in (market authentic experiences) Focus on your targets – who do you want? and go after that market Don’t purchase magazine ads Building an ambassador program and providing them with key speaking points. Strong community profile (What to include in a profile? Eric to provide sample) Quick fact sheets Website Tap into government funds/grants Exceptional customer service = clients will do the marketing for you. Partner with neighbouring municipalities/regional partnerships Small budgets

Marketing Attraction 2. Issue Ideas Communicate metrics to Council When creating campaigns design the metrics (be specific) Short term vs. Long term – include both of these metrics Monitoring outcomes and impacts Measuring what comes back to you not what you put out (i.e. brochures distributed vs. having a contest in your ad to determine if the ad was effective). Be clear on purpose and expectations with Councils and Advisory Committees IEDC Performance Measurement Training and Guide ROI/Metrics for Marketing Activities

Marketing Attraction 3. Issue Ideas

Regional Cooperation/Collaboration 1. Issue Ideas Finding Value – Time commitment on regional takes away from local responsibilities Take turns on who is the lead and who are the partners to “own” the project and share the workload. Build Trust Partnerships need to evolve naturally – projects that make sense Communication is key – every 2 months check in with partners to discuss issues and challenges at staff level Start small – prove success Manage expectations Partner with communities that make sense (even if outside your region). Educate politicians and “not-in-council” politicians – changing every 4 years. Engage “Champions” outside of the Council Chambers Find some people that you trust in ED to talk about challenges. Not everyone needs to “play” all the time on all the projects

Regional Cooperation/Collaboration 2. Issue Ideas

Regional Cooperation/Collaboration 3. Issue Ideas

Main Street/Downtown 1. Issue Ideas Getting the right mix in your downtown Look at other successful downtowns Cluster or theme development- targeted business recruitment Layout the downtown like a mall – Main Street Program – National Heritage Trust Local ownership and buy-in to attracting the right businesses Encourage store-front type businesses (retail vs. service) Increasing residential density is critical for downtown retail Assist local businesses with selling online (education)

Main Street/Downtown 2. Issue Ideas

Main Street/Downtown 3. Issue Ideas

Entrepreneurship/Small Business 1. Issue Ideas

Entrepreneurship/Small Business 2. Issue Ideas

Entrepreneurship/Small Business 3. Issue Ideas

7 ½ Keys for Big Success in Small Towns Key #1 Adopt a “can do” attitude Key #2 Shape their vision Key #3 Leverage their resources Key #4 Raise up strong leaders Key #5 Encourage an entrepreneurial approach Key #6 Maintain local control Key #7 Build their brand Key #7 ½ Embrace the teeter-totter factor

Questions/Comments?