New workshop announced as part of Brand Camp

As part of the intense “ full week” Brand Camp the Bracebridge Brand Development Team is inviting members of the BIA and the Chamber of Commerce to a two hour workshop entitled 20 Ingredients of an Outstanding Business.

The workshop will provide tools and ingredients on things you can do to improve the downtown and your business.  If you loved Roger Brooks’ presentation “A look at Bracebridge through the eyes of a first time visitor” in September 2011, then you won’t want to miss this presentation.

DATE: February 29th, 2012

TIME: 8:00 am -10:00 am

LOCATION: Classroom 2, Nipissing University, 125 Wellington Street

We apologize for the short notice but hope you can find time in your schedule to hear this dynamic speaker.

Bracebridge's Brand Redevelopment Update

Bracebridge’s Brand Development Committee is working diligently at developing a new economic development brand for Bracebridge. The work on a new brand was initiated as a result of the Destination Development International’s (DDI) assessment of the community “from the eyes of a first-time visitor” that took place in September 2011. Working together, the Town of Bracebridge along with the Bracebridge BIA and the Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce have pulled together a Brand Development Committee made up of a diverse group of local citizens to assist with this project. The results of the Brand Development Committee will be unveiled at an Open House on Friday, March 2nd, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at Nipissing University.


The Brand Development Committee has processed a mountain of information that was received from residents during the community input portion of the project and are currently narrowing down the list of possible brands to those that are most feasible for Bracebridge. The Brand Development Committee is comprised of Tony Armstrong (Back Country Paintball), Mae Campbell (Campbell Sports and the Bracebridge BIA President), Allison Dawes (Ecclestone Cycle), Mark Hvasti (The Cottage Winery), Larry Stroud (Board Member, Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce), Laura Hernando (Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport), Melloney McNabb (Simply Cottage), Don Skinner (Skinner Design Group and retail landlord), as well as a number of individuals representing the Town of Bracebridge (Graydon Smith, Lori-Lynn Giaschi-Pacini, Cheryl Kelley, and John Sisson).


“Roger’s presentation last September was a real eye opener for many local business owners. His Community Findings and Suggestions Report identified in excess of sixty initiatives that would improve the experience for first time visitors to our community. A number of these ideas are simply housekeeping items and we’ve already begun to work on those.” said Mayor Graydon Smith. He went on to add, “However DDI’s primary suggestion that Bracebridge needed to develop a strong, unified and unique brand in order to carve out a niche in today’s highly competitive tourism industry was not what some people expected to hear. But in the days following Roger’s presentation, many local business owners came forward expressing interest in becoming part of this project. ”


Mae Campbell, President of the Bracebridge BIA explained that the rebranding needed to come from within the community, not from an outside consultant. “On Roger’s recommendation, we launched a Survey Monkey questionnaire that asked residents a number of key questions. Things like what they thought the community’s assets are, what the major challenges were and what they would like to see the community known for in the coming years. Our questionnaire netted an amazing 500 respondents.” stated Campbell.


February 28-March 2 has been set aside as Brand Camp week. At this time Roger Brooks and his team from Destination Development International will be in town to guide the Brand Development Committee through the final process of choosing the single brand that will differentiate Bracebridge from its immediate competitors. This exciting four day process will culminate with an Open House where the public is invited to see the results of the week long brand development process. The public Open House will take place at Nipissing University on Friday March 2 at 11:00am-11:45am.

Innovation Information Fair

Learn what the Government of Canada is doing to bolster innovation and what programs and services are available to help your business! The Innovation Information Forum brings together Government of Canada departments and agencies to present current innovation and commercialization programs. Hear from representatives from federal departments and agencies on how their programs and services support innovation in Canada. Partners, Programs and Services: Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP) National Research Council of Canada – NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) Natural Science and Engineering Research Council Canada – NSERC Industry-Academia Collaborative Grants for Science and Engineering R&D Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario –  FedNor Applied Research and Development Program Public Works and Government Services Canada – PWGSC

Event Hosts: Muskoka Futures - http://www.muskokafutures.ca/ Muskoka Community Network - http://www.mcnet.ca Muskoka Small Business Centre - http://www.muskokaenterprisecentre.com/ Event Date and Time: Monday March 5, 2012 from 10am - 12:30pm Event Location: Nipissing University, Muskoka Campus (Classroom #2) - 125 Wellington Street, Bracebridge, ON, P1L 1E2 - www.nipissingu.ca/muskoka To register please email: ont.osme-bpme@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca or call 1-800-668-5378

Tourism Workshops - Explorer's Edge

Canadian Tourism Commission
Signature Experiences Collection Training
Explorer Quotient (EQ)™ Bootcamp
Tourism businesses know that the secret to being more profitable lies in reaching and selling their tourism experiences to the customer – the right customer.

You may already understand your customers in terms of where they live, what they like to do or their demographics. With the Explorer Quotient™ (EQ), you can add another, very powerful aspect to your knowledge of your customers – by understanding the travel attitudes and values that drive their planning and purchasing decisions. EQ™ brings it all together – helping tourism businesses build efficient marketing programs that really get their customers' attention – making the most of precious promotional and product development dollars.


Google Ad Words Workshop
Presented by Google Canada in association with Explorers' Edge
As the peak tourism season approaches, Google and Explorers' Edge invite you to attend an exclusive training session to learn how you can elevate the online profile of your tourism-related small business through the Google Ad Words program.
This half-day session includes a review of the latest trends and case studies, as well as a hands-on demonstration of how to successfully execute an online search campaign for your business.
The first 100 operators and/or organizations to register will receive matching funds for a 2012 Google Adwords campaign to a maximum value of $200, courtesy of Explorers' Edge and Google.

Visit Explorer's Edge Website

http://www.explorersedge.ca/


Cheryl Kelley, Director of Economic Development
Town of Bracebridge
705-645-5264

Best Practices for Business Success for 2012

A Retail Specialist will be at the Gravenhurst Opera House

Date: March 9th
Time: 6:30 - 9:30 pm

For more information http://www.gravenhurst.ca/march%208%20seminar%20barbara%20crowhurst%20on%20best%20practices%20for%202012.pdf
Cheryl Kelley, Director of Economic Development
Town of Bracebridge
705-645-5264

Understanding and Managing Your Business Taxation

Workshop hosted by Enterprising Women YWCA Muskoka

Date: February 27th
Time: 9:30 am to 12:00 pm
Location: Nipissing University

Fee: $35 per person

For more information visit their Facebook Page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/YWCA-Muskoka-Enterprising-Women/225778307495668


Cheryl Kelley, Director of Economic Development
Town of Bracebridge
705-645-5264

Learn more from the Ministry of Labour, February 15, 2012

Please join the Ministry for a Networking & Knowledge Exchange session on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 from 9:00 am - 11:00 am at Town of Bracebridge Council Chambers, 1000 Taylor Court, Bracebridge, ON. The facilitated discussion topic will be MOL (Ministry of Labour) visit - when the inspector comes knocking.

Networking & Knowledge Exchange sessions are held throughout the year at a variety of locations across the province. Topics vary from roundtable discussions on health and safety issues, updates on legislation and injury trends, to sharing best practices. Also, learn about products, programs and services available to continually improve your health and safety program.

To Register Call 1-877-494-9777, option #5 or Fax 905-614-1414 or e-mail customercare@wsps.ca (Function #170528)

Attention Employers - Job Fair on March 12, 2012

The 2012 South Muskoka Job Fair will be held on March 12, 2012 at the Bracebridge Sportsplex and the BMLSS Cafeteria. 

This year's event has expanded to include Hiring Employers and Educational and Training Agencies. 

For more information contact:  southmuskokajobfair@gmail.com or  the Job Fair Coordinator at 705-644-3531.

Bracebridge Businesses Have Access to Funding for Training

The Yves Landry Foundation has been providing assistance to Ontario businesses for a number of years through the AIME Program (Achieving Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence).  This program provides grants to foster training that will lead to advancements in innovation within the manufacturing sector.


Over the past few years, the program has not been available to Bracebridge businesses as the funds available were limited to Southern Ontario businesses because they were supported through FedDev Ontario that was created by the Federal Government in 2009/10 to assist Southern Ontario.


Recently (January 23, 2012) the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister for FedNor announced $2 million in funding to the Yves Landry Foundation making this program available to businesses in the Bracebridge area.  Here is link to the Media Release.


Specific funding will be provided for two major objectives:



Objective 1 – Training that will support the adaptation of new technology, new processes or procedures or a change within the company to support innovation. This objective must clearly be linked to innovations leading to global competitiveness including expanding into new domestic or international markets.


Objective 2 – Training that will support and develop Highly Skilled Personnel in any area that leads to innovation. This can include the development of new engineering skills, training in the use of new software, hardware or other tools necessary to support innovation; retraining to embrace new technologies, new manufacturing methods, or any other business area that will make a Northern Ontario manufacturing company more competitive in the global marketplace. Ultimately it should lead to a situation where the applicant develops or enhances a culture that supports constant training and development to support ongoing innovation in all areas of the business cultivating opportunities for growth through innovation and education.


This involves an application process.  





For more information on the program, check on the Northern AIME section of the Yves Landry Website

Destination Development & Rebranding... and the survey says

The Destination Development/Brand Redevelopment Process on-line survey closed at the end of January 2012.  Here is an overview of the respondents to our survey:

• 61% reside within the urban area of Bracebridge; 22.6% reside within the rural area; the remainder within Muskoka or outside of the region
• 95.3% are permanent residents
• 59.6% are female; 40.4% male
• 26.1% of the respondents were over the age of 60; 36.2% of the respondents were between 46 and 60; 26.3% between the age of 31 and 45; and 11.4% unde the age of 30
• 27.5% owned their own business; 20% retired; 22.9% worked for a public company; 18% work for a private company

A Brand Development Team has been created to review the results of over 521 surveys that were completed by the local community.


The project is moving along within the timelines outlined in a memo to Council 

The Brand Development Team is working through their "homework" and will begin meeting shortly to look at the results and work through the exercises of narrowing down the brand ideas provided through the surveys with Destination Development International's guidance.  


The Brand Development Team will narrow the focus and working with Destination Development International to determine what is feasible. "Brand Camp" which is the final step of the branding process will take place during the last week of February.  A public presentation will take place on the morning on March 2nd.  


Keep checking the Town's website for additional updates.