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Old Posted Sep 29, 2011, 6:28 PM
Mininari Mininari is offline
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Marketing Winnipeg to the World

This is a 'letter to the editor' that I submitted to the Winnipeg Free Press some time ago. I was recently informed that it is too long for publication and was requested to revise it down. I decided that I'd lose too much of my message if I did that, so I'm posting it here. Read, comment, add your two cents.

I fully intend to send a copy of this to all city councilors, and whomever our new provincial government is.
Thanks.

**************************************************************
So We Bought a Team; Now Its Time to Sell Our City

Back in 2006, my Wife spent a summer in Lithuania on a student exchange program. When they heard where she was from, people would almost instinctively say to her, usually with a smile, ‘Winnipeg Jets!’ Perhaps only intended as a friendly greeting, this automatic reference to Winnipeg’s then-departed NHL team was an acknowledgment of Winnipeg’s International Identity.

Fast forward to October 2011. Now the Winnipeg Jets are back, the NHL season is upon us, and the Blue Bombers are seeing remarkable support in the stands. City pride is at an all-time sports high; but are sports all that we have to be proud about?

Over the next couple years, Winnipeg will be adding several exciting new major attractions, shopping opportunities, sports facilities, and international transportation facilities. First, we will see the opening of the new James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in October 2011, providing a clean, sleek, and fresh welcome to visitors to our city. 2012 will see the completion of the new, modern stadium at the University of Manitoba, which will serve the community as a new facility for the Blue Bombers, and for University athletes. Later in 2012, we’ll see the grand opening IKEA, probably the most anticipated store opening in Manitoba in some time. In 2013 we will welcome the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the first national museum to be constructed outside of Ottawa. Later in 2013, we will see the results of major renovations and expansions at Assiniboine Park and Zoo come to fruition. A key component of the zoo redevelopment is the Journey to Churchill exhibit, which is destined to be a world-class tourist attraction.

2013 should also be the year that we start to see projects funded by private investment nearing completion. New boutique hotels on Portage Avenue and Waterfront drive will be under construction. The historical exchange district should be healthier and more vibrant with restoration and conversion projects continuing, and new condo infill projects should continue to emerge. The vibrancy and livability of these neighbourhoods will be backstopped by an influx of young blood; students who study at the now expanded campuses of the University of Winnipeg, Red River College, some of whom will live in new student housing under construction nearby.

We have much to be proud of, but many of us still adamantly believe our winters are too long and cold. Why should we be ashamed of our winters? I personally believe that our winters should be looked at as an attribute ripe for development, not a liability. I strongly believe that the city needs to build a new marketing strategy around Winnipeg as a winter destination, using the return of the NHL as both a means and a reason for doing so. Why? For one, winnipeg already has the moniker of ‘Winterpeg Manisnowba.’ As silly as that sounds (or perhaps angering for some), keep in mind that people associate Winnipeg with ‘snow’, ‘ice’, and ‘long winters’.

So does that mean misery times three? No. I propose that we instead market our abundance of cross-country skiing opportunities, snowmobiling, outdoor skating opportunities, winter festivals, ice sculptures, and above all, hockey. For example, imagine expanding Festivale de Voyageur to host an annual outdoor charity hockey / curling tournament. More so, imagine the hype and international television exposure when Winnipeg hosts its first outdoor NHL game at a brand new stadium at the University of Manitoba, the Winnipeg Jets wearing their historical counterparts’ first jersey, with a sold-out crowd cheering them on.

This is also an opportunity for the city to aggressively market itself as a destination for new businesses. CentrePort Canada is an inland port initiative, supported by all three levels of government and now under construction. This development is anchored by the new Winnipeg Airport Terminal, which will also have expanded air cargo handling capacity. Further to this, a new duty-free economic zone is being established within this port to encourage new manufacturing businesses to come to the city. Companies will be able to import raw materials, assemble products and them export them internationally, duty free, via the inland port. Transportation companies, many of which are based out of Winnipeg, can only benefit from these new freight opportunities. Was Winnipeg not originally established as a centre of commerce, trade, manufacturing and transportation?

The ‘Return of the Jets’ honeymoon is only going to last so long, and people from other places are only going to pay attention to our good fortune for so long. Having said that, NHL Television exposure is a huge marketing opportunity for the city of Winnipeg, and its time to get a marketing strategy rolling now. I therefore implore the City of Winnipeg, the City Council, the Province of Manitoba, and businesses around the city to take full advantage of this extremely rare and fortuitous opportunity. Winnipeg has just reclaimed a key part of its international identity and is teeming with pride. Why not go further, and reclaim our former glory as the ‘Gateway to the West’ and ‘Chicago of the North’?

Go Jets Go!

Last edited by Mininari; Sep 29, 2011 at 6:29 PM. Reason: Spelling errors :)
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Old Posted Sep 29, 2011, 6:47 PM
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Good stuff Mininari. I think there are lots of interesting tourism/marketing opportunities that Winnipeg could take advantage. Beyond what you've mentioned, we're one of the few cities in N.A. that has abundant natural features within short driving distances - pristine lakes, great hiking trails, excellent rivers to navigate, etc. Beaches, cottage opportunities, and the like should also be promoted. North Dakota does a great job of this, in it's various campaigns over the years (Discover ND, Legendary, etc)...

The Chamber of Commerce's BOLD campaign had a few interesting ideas as well. Not necessarily tourism, but promoting Winnipeg as a city on the leading edge of green technology and energy. Building off the success of Hydro, they suggest building a green tech cluster by offering incentives, partnering with the universities, opening incubators and providing VC. Another idea was building some sort of performing arts campus in the Exchange, to attract top creative minds from around the country to live and create in our city.

Lastly, I think we'll need to completely revamp our tourism websites in the province/city. Other cities have very interactive and innovative websites that are not only visually attractive, but informative as well. Check out this one from Montreal for example: http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/MontrealTV ... We all know that Winnipeg is a hidden gem. The rest of the country is slowly starting to find out as well (in part due to the Jets' return and the recent hard-on the Globe and Mail has for us) - we need figure out how to keep that momentum going...
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Old Posted Sep 29, 2011, 6:53 PM
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http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bre...130796133.html

More funding sought for tourism promotion
By: Martin Cash
Posted: 09/29/2011 1:33 PM

WINNIPEG — A new industry survey shows funding for Tourism Winnipeg, the city’s destination marketing organization, is at the low end of the national scale.

A recent national survey of DMO’s puts Tourism Winnipeg at the bottom of the list in funding per capita.

The average funding for communities of all sizes is $14 per capita. Tourism Winnipeg funding comes in at $3 per capita.

At Tourism Winnipeg’s annual meeting this morning, Marina James, CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg, TW’s parent organization, said increased funding will be sought from the provincial and municipal governments.
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Old Posted Sep 29, 2011, 7:15 PM
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Great read Mininari, great points, and great idea for a new thread!

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Old Posted Sep 29, 2011, 7:29 PM
Mininari Mininari is offline
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Thanks!
Now if we can just get some of our friendly city tourism folk to agree and act fast. NHL television exposure is not the be-all end-all, but its certainly a great opportunity to capitalize on.
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Old Posted Sep 29, 2011, 8:27 PM
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why not ask them if u could submit it as a artical?
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Old Posted Sep 30, 2011, 2:29 AM
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Being in Toronto, I can say from personal experience that the Jets episode has had an impact on perceptions of the city. I would guess that the city has received positive publicity equal to a $50 million ad campaign, at least. And what's great about it is that it hits directly at what some very damaging weak spots in the city's reputation: (1) there is no money; (2) there is no business community of any significance; (3) everyone is cheap.

And the free publicity will only continue, which is a great thing too. Whether a marketing campaign would add anything to it, I don't know.
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Old Posted Sep 30, 2011, 9:05 AM
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- Summer Olympics and

- EXTREME ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN. Dubai, BBC, Arecibo radio telescope, you name it!

That'd put us on the spotlight like it did for Calgary in 1988 and Vancouver in 2010
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Old Posted Sep 30, 2011, 10:20 PM
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Quote:
(1) there is no money; (2) there is no business community of any significance; (3) everyone is cheap.
1) lots of money.
2) wrong. sam katz is really pushing business and the chamber of commerce is promoting winnipeg a lot. Centralia of 2010 brought millions in international business to the city.
3) wrong, there is a large market for high quality products and services.

the jets are booming, the bombers are winning, the time is right for heavy investment in core infrastructure. From what i can see they are slowly doing it but i think more is needed to push winnipeg to the next level.
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Old Posted Oct 1, 2011, 8:30 AM
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Originally Posted by marketcorrection View Post
1) lots of money.
2) wrong. sam katz is really pushing business and the chamber of commerce is promoting winnipeg a lot. Centralia of 2010 brought millions in international business to the city.
3) wrong, there is a large market for high quality products and services.

the jets are booming, the bombers are winning, the time is right for heavy investment in core infrastructure. From what i can see they are slowly doing it but i think more is needed to push winnipeg to the next level.
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Old Posted Oct 1, 2011, 8:58 PM
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i guess i over estimated this forum.
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Old Posted Oct 1, 2011, 9:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marketcorrection View Post
1) lots of money.
2) wrong. sam katz is really pushing business and the chamber of commerce is promoting winnipeg a lot. Centralia of 2010 brought millions in international business to the city.
3) wrong, there is a large market for high quality products and services.

the jets are booming, the bombers are winning, the time is right for heavy investment in core infrastructure. From what i can see they are slowly doing it but i think more is needed to push winnipeg to the next level.
I think what Andy6 was trying to say is that people outside of Winnipeg perceive it that way. The Jets coming back has changed the way some people view the city.
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Old Posted Oct 2, 2011, 4:39 AM
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Originally Posted by marketcorrection View Post
i guess i over estimated this forum.
What! It's a good concept for an Winnipeg advertisement
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