Event

‘We have a Strategy for that” – Ec Dev Week Event Series


Submitted ByCity of St. Albert

Challenge: Over the past 2 years, St. Albert has seen a 24% increase in businesses with over 2,800 businesses operating in our community. With this increase, there is more demand than ever business support. A business survey revealed that many businesses were unclear as to who to contact for business-related inquiries. The Economic Development profession has terminology that many businesses do not always recognize or identify with, creating confusion.

Objectives: To promote & differentiate St. Albert Economic Development core services to the growing business community.

To provide an opportunity for businesses to learn & engage with the Economic Development team by amplifying our contributions, demystifying economic development, and organizing meaningful events that enhance local business competitiveness.

Purpose/ Strategy: Each year, communities across North America celebrate Ec Dev Week to recognize and celebrate the role Economic Development professionals play in supporting growth and enabling business development in their communities.

This was an opportune time to create a series of events and promotional activities to highlight and recognize the work of Economic Development and to deliberately increase business community awareness of our department services to effectively reach and support more businesses. 

Target Audience: St. Albert business community and new investors

Plan & Execution: A variety of platforms were used to reach our target audiences, including digital, print and in-person events.

Mayor Cathy Heron announced the proclamation for Economic Development Week which was shared on the City’s website and YouTube channel to kick start the week of celebrations. Mayor’s Proclamation

A three-part LinkedIn campaign was developed to highlight the City’s Investment Attraction Strategy with a focus on industrial development and employment opportunities. The series was posted 3 times from May 6 -10. This provided effective outreach to the business community about the work we do and promoting City initiatives to investors. To bolster our campaign, the City sponsored a plenary session at the Edmonton Real Estate Forum on Industrial Attraction, showcasing St. Albert and creating synergies with the SM campaign.

To demystify Economic Development and create awareness of our services, we developed an Ec. Dev 101 document that details the variety of ways Economic Development equips our community with the resources needed for businesses to thrive. This was used as an education tool with other partner organizations.

The core work of Economic Development is established through listening to the business community’s needs. On May 9, we co-hosted a procurement event titled How To Win Contracts with Industry & Government alongside Sturgeon County. Procurement professionals from St. Albert, Sturgeon County, Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis and Procurement Assistance Canada provided insight about their procurement process and shared stories of successful local business vendor relationships aimed at enhancing local business competitiveness.

On May 10, we welcomed the St. Albert business community to an Economic Development Meet & Greet BBQ. This was a great opportunity to meet with members of the business community to provide an overview of the role we play in contributing to economic development outcomes.

Economic Development Week provided a stage for us to develop deliberate messaging & events within our community to improve awareness of how we support and grow our business community, promote key department strategies, and how our efforts benefit our businesses. It ultimately provided a conduit to develop stronger relationships within our business community.

Engagement (stats in creative submission): LinkedIn campaign series, LinkedIn posts, How To Win Contracts with Industry & Government Forum, Edmonton Real Estate Forum – Industrial plenary session sponsorship, Business Meet & Greet BBQ

Sponsors