Centre for Women in Business: Year in Review [2013-2014] by Centre for Women in Business

Centre for Women in Business

YEAR IN REVIEW 2013-2014

Mount Saint Vincent University The Meadows, Second Floor 166 Bedford Highway Halifax, Nova Scotia B3M 2J6

1 902 457 6449 1 888 776 9022 cwb@msvu.ca centreforwomeninbusiness.ca

www.centreforwomeninbusiness.ca

Contents Section 1 :

A Year in the Life

Section 2 :

A Day in the Life

Section 3 :

Membership: Operation Impact

Section 4 :

Behind the Scenes

Section 5 :

Signature Event Showcase

Section 6 : Onward

Section 1:

A Year in the Life Looking back, the Centre’s first event of 2013-2014 set the tone for our year, and sent a message to all of our members, clients, and partners. We called it Rev Up 2013. Held on the evening of September 17th, members were invited to a motorcycle showroom where they could network in jeans over a glass of Yellowtail wine, and learn about the evolution of brand and gender from a senior marketing strategist at HarleyDavidson Canada. In the months leading up to this event, the team had many round table talks about the launch of our new year and what it would entail. Executive Director Tanya Priske wanted the venue to scream fresh, and reflect some of the exciting new changes in the works.

1 | A Year in the Life

Her idea was to hold it at Privateers Harley-Davidson in Halifax. Not only would it provide the perfect backdrop for a presentation on gender and brand strategy, it would help us roll out our new schedule in a truly unique way, and allow everyone to roll out of their comfort zones as we journeyed into our 21st year. And what a year it was. We launched six new training opportunities; 755 women registered for these and the other ‘tested and true’ programs that were reintroduced by popular demand. Two business development officers carried out an incredible 379 business advisories:

184 were with start-up entrepreneurs, and 195 were with experienced operators looking to grow. Questions concerning efficient growth strategy flowed steadily, so no one was surprised when seats for a new workshop series, the Advanced Mentoring & Management Program (AMMP), filled in just a few days. But program coordinator and Business Development Officer Laurie Sinclair received so many applications that she started a waitlist, and a second program was added to our schedule in January with 14 participants.

Rolling out our 21st year with Harley-Davidson

Photo credit: Rebecca Clarke

Our first 11 AMMP participants ‘graduated’ in fall 2013, but many requested a second, more advanced program in order to continue the work they were doing. So we created one, and all 11 women signed up. Other highlights, to name just a few: we nominated Centre member and Whitestone Developments CEO Tamara Barker Watson for an RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award. She won, and would go on to share the experience, and entrepreneurial success story as the keynote speaker for our International Women’s Day (IWD) luncheon on March 6th.

Centre member and Whitestone Developments CEO Tamara Barker Watson (second from right), at the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards in November. She took home the award for TPH Sustainability.

of 2014, there will be a 52 per cent jump in start-up employment. Our program structure, and the Blueprint series in particular, will help facilitate this boom. Senior Business Development Officer Gordia Macdonald once again created a workshop for women looking to max-out their presence at business conferences, trade shows, and high-level networking

AMMP was hands-down one of the very best training programs I have completed during my 10 years in business. I found the peer-to-peer learning, content and guest facilitators to be wonderful. – Eleanor Beaton, Eleanor Beaton Communications IWD and our three other signature events were sell-outs, or reached our registration targets: Rev Up 2013 on September 17th; our first-ever Professional Development Day: Your Essential Business Toolbox on January 29th, and our year-end wrap up, Breakfast and Answers with Margaret Trudeau on June 6th. We filled not one but three sessions of Blueprint for Business Plan Success this year. Led by Business Development Officer Nora Perry, the reach of this program continues to grow, along with the number of start-ups opening their doors and expanding their operations throughout Atlantic Canada in 2013. Atlantic business news publication, Entrevestor, surveyed the region’s 280 new start-ups, and 162 reported total employment of 1453, up 43 per cent from 2012. It’s projected that by the end

events. She then led a delegation of eight women business owners (our largest group to date) to the WBE Canada Conference in Toronto held in November. In addition to the rich learning experiences and national exposure that characterize this annual two-day conference, several delegates came back with big wins, including member Brenda Gallagher, whose UNISON

WBE Canada Conference 2013

eye masks landed a glowing product review in Toronto Life Magazine. We brought Canada, and the world, to Halifax. We hosted a workshop with international communication and supplier diversity expert Julia Hubbel,

3 Sold Out Signature Events and a full-day of video pitch training with Canadian broadcaster Jaeny Baik. Perhaps most notably, we hosted a professional development day featuring eight of Canada’s most prominent female entrepreneurs: Christine Magee, president and co-founder of Sleep Country Canada; Eleanor Beaton, award-winning journalist and founder of Eleanor Beaton Communications; Margaret Hachey, founder of tech communications giant Duocom Canada Inc.; Kathryn Coll, managing partner of HRA Associates Inc.; Peggy Gates-Hammond, director of wealth management at BMO Harris Private Banking; Suzanne Larochelle-Bachur,

International communication and supplier diversity expert Julia Hubbel

A Year in the Life | 2

president of Premiere Executive Suites Atlantic Ltd.; Colleen Cole, founder, president and CEO of PERMA-DRY, and Judy Garland, marketing manager for Sobeys Atlantic. We collaborated with key players in Nova Scotia’s tech industry sector, co-hosting training with Digital Nova Scotia, Canadian Women in Technology (CanWIT), and teamed up with MSVU’s Industry Liaison Office to facilitate new opportunities for member Pam Streeter of Birch Hills Academy, and Melanie Fiske of Fiske’s Animal Care Products. We assisted both women with successful applications to the Nova Scotia Productivity and Innovation Voucher Program, allowing each to receive $15,000 in innovation expertise from Nova Scotia post-secondary institutions.

Start-up hires up

Christine Magee, President and co-founder of Canada’s largest mattress retailer, Sleep Country Canada, joined our all-star business panel at Professional Development Day, provided the keynote and took part in round table discussions on leadership. Photo credit: Emma Geldart

‘sandbox,’ which will provide resources to students interested in pursuing entrepreneurship as a career.

March of 2014, we processed more membership applications than we did during 2013 in its entirety.

That on-campus work extended to Advancement, where we focused on drawing more MSVU alumni into the Centre community to help support all those pursuing entrepreneurship. We joined forces with the Public Relations department to offer complimentary communication plans to our members, and were inundated with responses. We were pleased to help these already accomplished PR students gain even more professional polish.

We poured over the survey results and in March, we introduced a new, more clearly defined membership plan with greater opportunities for exposure and essential training.

We were ‘out there’ more often: our Executive Director, Tanya Priske, and business development officers spent a lot of time on the go, meeting potential partners, government representatives, and local women business owners at various

Together with MSVU, we are proud to be a part of the province’s business innovation

CENTRE MEMBERS SPIKE IN events and brainstorming sessions. We were on the phone with current and past Centre members to ask them what we can do better. In late fall, we took it one step further and sent out detailed surveys to find out what specific resources, training programs and support opportunities they require, and committed to bringing those recommendations to life. The result was staggering: between January and early

3 | A Year in the Life

Encapsulating all of this: the launch of a new tagline that clearly expresses our mission. Exposure, Connection, Learning. Those three words have guided the Centre since its inception back in 1992, and will keep us on track as we motor into a brand new year of business challenges and professional milestones.

2014

Section 2:

A Day in the Life contacted us looking for ways to advance their business skills through volunteer and networking opportunities. We encourage this dialogue, and made it our priority to work with them as much as possible.

AMMP NS 2013 Photo credit: Kate MacLeod, Halifax Headshots Photography

As of Spring 2014, the Centre for Women in Business had 255 members and several hundred clients. These are women from Atlantic Canada that we have worked with in some capacity. Of them, 158 were brand new members. We conducted 379 business advisories, hosted four large-scale signature events, and presented 18 workshops and networking opportunities, some ongoing and some offered multiple times throughout the year to accommodate our clients.

Needless to say our days were, and remain, very busy. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. This year, a typical morning at the Centre included scheduled business advisories and walk-ins from women seeking appointments, information on our services, workshop recommendations or program schedules. We took many calls and emails from women wanting to discuss our membership plan and upcoming workshop opportunities. MSVU students (both male and female)

We brought financial institutions, government organizations, and research and technology partners to the table. We split our time between round table discussions, individual meetings and online interaction. Our e-advisor, located on the Centre’s website, provided busy entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners with an opportunity to pick the brains of our business experts without having to step outside. We received dozens of e-advisor queries each week; most questions dealt with ‘next steps,’ in respect to training, expansion, financing, or making new business connections. We answered all of them. The business development officers on the receiving end of those queries offered up their educational, business and financial expertise. Each sharpened that expertise through various forms of training: in the classrooms of universities and colleges; at

We had close to 3,500 followers and fans across our social media channels and engaged countless more through shares, wall posts, and private messages.

We did this with seven full-time staff and a rotating intern position filled by some of the very best students in the MSVU Public Relations Coop Program.

AMMP NFLD 2013 Photo credit: Denise Dunn/NLOWE

A Day in the Life | 4

professional development days, and in business training conferences held across North America. All brought back valuable insight, hot business trends and entrepreneurship strategies to share with our clients, and incorporate into the training opportunities offered by the Centre. We met clients where they were: literally, in terms of their geographic locations, and also in respect to their experience. Our workshops were offered wherever there was a demonstrated need, and meetings were held here at The Meadows, in the offices of our clients, and in coffee shops all across Nova Scotia.

The Meadows, home of the Centre for Women in Business, MSVU. advisor, a marketing plan or a mentor, we facilitated those connections. Though our team remained in demand and on the go, we took time to sit down together as a group. Our monthly team meetings ran a full day, and gave us an

opportunity to check in on the objectives of the annual plan and program strategy we devised during the summer of 2013, and unveiled at Rev Up 2013 to mark the official start of our year.

When we had an advisory request outside of the HRM, we made it happen; when those meetings resulted in a need for additional resources, like a financial

Tanya Priske

Executive Director

Innovation and creativity were at the forefront of everything we did. Photo credit: Trevor Kennedy, Healing Tree Communications

5 | A Day in the Life

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our goal is to be the leader in entrepreneurial success, and 2013-14 certainly set the tone. Innovation and creativity were at the forefront of everything we did. The Centre played on the national stage this past year and your voice, the Atlantic Canadian women business owner, has been heard loud and clear. Building linkages, creating partnerships and opening doors to benefit the women business owners we work with will continue to be our core strength. Engagement from companies such as Emera and Shell are paving the way for diversity and inclusion, and we were pleased to work with them to help create new opportunities for the women business owners in our community. It was an exciting year, and 2014-15 only looks brighter.â&#x20AC;?

Gordia Macdonald

Sr. Business Development Officer There are big things on the horizon for women entrepreneurs in Atlantic Canada.

“It’s been a pleasure working with established women business owners looking for new markets this year. Again, with Women Business Enterprise Canada, we’ve grown our community by connecting more Maritime women business owners with national and international opportunities. There are big things on the horizon for women entrepreneurs in Atlantic Canada.”

Photo credit: Trevor Kennedy, Healing Tree Communications

Nora Perry

Business Development Officer “It was exciting to hear the creative ideas women had for businesses, and to work with them to ‘get the plan done’ and progress through the start-up phase. We did a lot of work with students on the MSVU campus to help them develop business ideas; this year we had 12 students complete the Entrepreneurship Leaders certificate program, where groups developed business plans for student-run businesses. This year has been very rewarding; it’s been all about building relationships with our members and clients, and working with them to, in turn, help them build relationships with their clients, suppliers and business contacts.”

This year has been very rewarding. It’s been all about building relationships. Photo credit: Trevor Kennedy, Healing Tree Communications

Laurie Sinclair

Business Development Officer Congratulations to all of the brave women business owners I’ve worked with this year. Photo credit: Trevor Kennedy, Healing Tree Communications

“When I look back on this year, I think of the story of the heavily loaded down business owner who is overwhelmed with the burden of having to function in all roles within their business. Many women who came to us with an organizational chart that contained their own name in all of the boxes; as their businesses grew, it was exciting to partner with them and watch them develop the skill sets and management teams needed to delegate effectively. Congratulations to all of the brave women business owners I have worked with this year—those who have taken this leap and accomplished sustainability and growth—you are all inspiring.”

A Year in the Life | 6

Janna MacGregor

Communcations Manager Entrepreneurship is booming in Nova Scotia, and we get to see that first-hand every day.

Photo credit: Trevor Kennedy, Healing Tree Communications

“Our membership and social media following saw a huge spike this year, and with it, a major boost in client engagement. New names who liked our Facebook page and followed us on Twitter became members of our community. They called, emailed and connected with us online; they attended events and registered for training sessions, and the result was a year of sell-out events and workshop waitlists. On any given day, our business development officers were booking back-to-back advisories to keep up with the demand. Entrepreneurship is booming in Nova Scotia, and we get to see that first-hand every day.”

Melanie MacDonald

Membership & Events Coordinator “I’m excited to be rejoining the Centre team in the role of Membership/Events Coordinator. Having previously worked with the diverse and business savvy members here, I am excited to continue the momentum of the 2013-2014 year to ensure every woman entrepreneur can leverage her business with the membership program. I am always seeking suggestions and feedback from you to continually improve our events and member benefits, and I look forward to connecting with each of you in the coming year.”

I’m excited to continue the momentum of 2013-2014.

Photo credit: Trevor Kennedy, Healing Tree Communications

Michele Brayman Office Coordinator I appreciate being part of a group that is dedicated to furthering women’s voices in the business community. Photo credit: Trevor Kennedy, Healing Tree Communications

7 | A Year in the Life

“It has been a busy first year for me and one that I have truly enjoyed. With the help of the team here at the Centre I understand the importance of the collaboration we have with our members and clients. When I first arrived I was told we are a big family, and it’s true. From our kick-off last year at Halifax Harley-Davidson to our breakfasts together here at the Meadows, I appreciate being part of a group that is dedicated to furthering women’s voices in the business community. I am looking forward to another busy year and the opportunity to continue learning.”

Centre Events A-Z 2013-2014 AMMP (Phase I & II)

Fall 2013 / Winter 2014

BizConnect

Fall 2013

Blueprint for Success

2013 / 2014

Breakfast & Answers with Margaret Trudeau

June 2014

Business Certificate Program

Spring 2014

Communications Planning for Small Business

Fall 2014 / Winter 2014

Conference Ready

October 2013

A workshop series that takes 10 seasoned entrepreneurs with revenues of over $500,000 and uses mentoring and education to kick business development into high gear. A workshop series that shows women how to connect with other businesses and access their supply chains. A six-part workshop series that guides participants through the process of creating a business plan. A presentation and talk-show style Q&A featuring Margaret Trudeau, focusing on her high-profile life as wife of Canada’s 15th Prime Minister, and her trailblazing advocacy of mental health awareness. Three 10-week certificate workshops offered in partnership with Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour and Advanced Education, complimentary to our members. A complimentary program for Centre members to get a custom designed communication plan for their business, offered in partnership with MSVU Public Relations Department. Expert panel discussion and presentation by Jaeny Baik.

The highlight for me is the relationships that have been formed between us participants. Yesterday I felt so happy to be in this group (AMMP) and to see how each of us has progressed in our business and personal life over the past six months. I also feel the

Meryl Cook

Homeopathy & Bowen

skills we are learning in the round table discussions are invaluable. I’m very pleased that (AMMP) will be continuing in the fall. Entrepreneurship Leadership Certificate Program

Fall 2013/Winter 2014

Holiday Cheer Open House

December 2014

International Women’s Day 2014

March 2014

Learning Passports

Fall 2013 / Winter 2014

Hosted by the Centre for MSVU Tourism and Hospitality students who are considering entrepreneurship as a career and are in need of practical business skills training and experience. Our annual holiday networking event, complimentary to our members. An annual luncheon celebrating the advancement of women in business. A program for MSVU business students to earn grades through Centre designed skills training.

A Year in the Life | 8

Centre Events A-Z 2013-2014 LinkedIn for Business

July 2013

Making Connection$: Serious Networking with Julia Hubbel

May 2014

Professional Development Day: The Essential Business Toolbox

January 2014

Rev Up 2013

September 2013

A workshop on ways to leverage LinkedIn and create new customers, complimentary to our members. Training designed to help women business owners develop a strategy to leverage their connections, and develop and execute sales tactics that work. A day of one-on-one training and mentorship featuring a cross-section of national and regional business leaders. A networking and learning event held at Privateers Harley-Davidson, designed to kick-start a brand new year at the Centre.

The Centre acts like a family of support. I feel like I can open up to the Centre and other members to get advice and just share common experiences. Knowing they’re there for me is very comforting,

Tammy Buchanan

especially when I’m just getting started with my business.

Owner of Small Jobs Plumbing

The Rewards of Recognition

March 2014

A lunch and learn designed to walk women business owners through the benefits of business awards, along with application processes and selection criteria.

Supplier Diversity A-Z

July 2013

An afternoon workshop with Julia Hubbel, where she defined supplier diversity, why it matters, and how local business owners can use it to increase their sales and clientele.

Toastmaster

Monthly

Video Pitch Perfection

October 2013

WBE Canada Conference 2013

November 2013

Women, Business & Breakfast

Monthly

Women Presidents Organizations – Atlantic Chapter

Monthly

A group of women who meet twice a month to engage in exercises to improve their public speaking skills. A workshop on how to use video for business marketing purposes, where participants were able to work with Jaeny Baik to create a high-quality promotional video. A delegation of Centre members attended a two-day conference in Toronto, where some of Canada’s most successful women entrepreneurs and business leaders converged to discuss practical growth, supplier diversity and proven success strategies. Sponsored by TD Canada Trust, these monthly breakfasts feature small group networking and facilitated business discussions for both start-up and established business owners. A peer advisory group for women presidents and leaders of multi-million-dollar companies headquartered in New York City, and brought to Atlantic Canada by the Centre.

9 | A Year in the Life

Section 3:

Membership: Operation Impact How do you...

Take a great idea and turn it into a viable business?

Find a mentor and mine their experience?

Women came to our business development officers with the above questions and many more. We didn’t just provide answers; we helped create strategies infused with opportunities for promotion, networking, and skills development. In short: Exposure, Connection and Learning. We connected with our members and clients at events; through regular e-blasts; social media; personal follow-up by our business development officers, who often touch base to recommend workshops that will help clients achieve identified goals, and our BizBeat e-newsletter.

Attract new clients and keep them coming back?

Break into new markets, or launch a sustainable expansion?

Pick up needed business management skills or become more savvy?

As of spring of 2014, BizBeat was being received by 2,576 people. Each signed up to receive it, and the distribution list contains entrepreneurs, media, government representatives, partners, academics, research professionals, and members of the community, to name just a few. BizBeat is sent out the first Friday of each month, and beyond keeping people ‘in the know’ about all things Centre for Women in Business, its purpose is to showcase our members. It features our Member Spotlight, an in depth profile of a Centre member chosen by our team to showcase business success stories, and the kind of entrepreneurial experiences other business owners will relate to. Wisdom, advice, and good old-fashioned storytelling are the hallmarks of our Member Spotlight articles which, throughout the year, were also published by the Chronicle Herald. They appeared each month in the form of a Community Herald series called Fempreneur that reached over 140,000 readers in Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, and Sackville. The profiles are written by our public relations interns, giving them an opportunity to hone their interview, writing and research skills while providing each featured entrepreneur a chance to get their names and businesses ‘out there’.

The Centre for Women in Business has been a huge help to me. I was able to meet with a business development officer who gave me lots of feedback on my business plan which earned me some investor interest and even some funding.

Katelyn Bourgoin

Founder of RedRiot Branding & Swapskis

Membership: Operation Impact | 10

Business conversations sometimes begin online with a simple retweet viewed by someone who is perhaps unfamiliar with the Centre, or a simple Facebook query: “I heard about the Centre and am wondering what you do...” or “How can you help me?”

Section 4:

Behind the Scenes

Social Media Stats Facebook

Twitter

FOLLOWERS

1164

1710

WINTER 2012

SPRING 2013

1978 SPRING 2014

673

983

WINTER 2012

SPRING 2013

We use social media to connect with our community and other business resources; to spread the word about our services, events, trade missions and workshops; to share member news, show-off our team, and to ignite conversation.

2002 SPRING 2014

For me it was a no brainer to become a

AVERAGE MONTHLY PAGE VISITS

FOLLOWERS

member; I’m proud to be associated with this organization because I’ve had some opportunities that I wouldn’t have otherwise had.

Jennifer Stewart

Founder of JAS Potential

192

234

648

SPRING 2013

SPRING 2014

WINTER 2013

11 | Membership: Operation Impact

1680 SPRING 2014

It’s like a Masters program in business development. To be able to have that education, support and mentorship is just unbelievable. Joining the Centre has been a major game changer for us: we wouldn’t be in the position that we are in right now without the support of the Centre.

Sarah Arnold

Co-founder of Halifax Learning

Top 5 Most Viewed LinkedIn stories of 2014:

Member Stats

BY SECTOR

Uncategorized is commonly selected by members who have not yet started a business or are pursuing “intrapreneurship” (applying entrepreneurial strategies in a leadership role).

“Our AMMP participants are hard at work

with facilitator and former international journalist Halina St. James.” – March 21

“In the past eight weeks, we have processed the

same number of membership applications as we did for all of 2013!” — March 4

“Exactly one week to go before we celebrate

International Women’s Day 2014.” — February 28

47 UNCATEGORIZED

— March 27

21 EDUCATION & TRAINING

design support.”

6 RETAIL

looking for graphic

3 TRAVEL & TOURISM

“MEMBERS: We are

3 PET SERVICES

— March 25

39 HEALTH & PERSONAL CARE

‘how-tos.’”

13 FOOD SERVICES

ship awards and application

8 REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

the impact of entrepreneur-

16 LEGAL & GOVERNMENT SERVICES

Technology (CanWIT) present

22 PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS & DESIGN SERVICES

Canadian Women in

77 BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES

“The Centre and

It’s a great community. Now, instead of attending the presentations, I turned into somebody giving the presentations.

Brenda Fair

Fairwinds Training

Membership: Operation Impact | 12

Just a couple of the most obvious external victories that my company has received as a result of AMMP, is Fiske’s has been accepted to go on a New Exporters Conference to Germany. Also Fiske’s is now Trade Marked in the EU, US and Canada. These accomplishments would not have occurred without this program. It is one thing to plan the work, but it is another to work the plan! I can’t express my most sincere appreciation for creating this wonderful program. Don’t let it ever end.

Melanie Fiske

Owner Fiske’s Animal Care Products on the Centre’s Advanced Management and Mentoring Program

Client feedback and the overall membership experience is always a focal point of internal discussions. Much of the conversations focus on our major events, in particular, our four signature celebrations: Our year-end wrap in June; our September kick-off; International Women’s Day, and our annual conference or as we prefer, ‘professional development day’. A typical signature event might see the team devote 50-plus hours to prep and promotions, ensuring our speakers, venue, food and the overall experience meets the needs and the expectations of our participants. At the end of these events, we circulate a feedback survey, either in print or via email, which lets us know if we’re doing a good job and what we can do better. Those same goals were applied to the design of our fall membership survey, for the purpose of creating a more clearly defined membership plan. All members were sent this survey via email, and almost all responded. We took that feedback and incorporated it into our new membership plan, and will continue to apply it when we sit down over the summer months to plan the structure of our 2014-2015 year. Some member feedback:

More training

Promote membership to

opportunities (these are also

influential women leaders

networking opps), discounts

in HRM and create an

for other off-site training

environment and activity

of my own business (and look

opportunities, e.g. university

schedule that would appeal

forward too), I know I couldn’t

operated training, or

to them.

have done it alone. At various

conferences, Halifax events.

As I look back at the growing

pivotal points in my business growth I needed: consultants, partners, sounding boards and solid business advice, much of this advice came from the team and various programs at the Centre for Women in Business. Thank you for

I’d like the opportunity to showcase my business and to have other showcase their business so I can learn more about the services they offer. I would be more likely to support them and get the services I require.

your help and support so that I could do what I love, but also fine tune the other business skills required for success and business growth.

Melanie Taljaard

Founder and CEO of More in Store Marketing

Armed with this evaluation feedback, we launched a members’ blog, and an online membership directory that is managed by our members, and allows each the opportunity to showcase their businesses, or themselves as individual business professionals and industry experts.

New Member Comment: Located on our homepage, member profiles include the option to add business images, social media links and location mapping; each profile then becomes part of a logo based listing, categorical and alphabetical name search. As of spring 2014, we had 104 members listed there, and hope to see all members featured by the end of the summer. We streamlined our website with a specific focus on refreshing our homepage and events calendar so that upcoming opportunities are easy to find. We sourced internally: when we needed design or photography support, we emailed our members and shared the call-outs via social media. We also diversified our training opportunities and event offerings significantly in order to attract new members (this year, we counted 158) and influential leaders, including acclaimed

Gordia Macdonald with broadcaster Jaeny Baik during the Video Pitch Perfection workshop in October

CBC reporter and international video marketer Jaeny Baik for a workshop called Video Pitch Perfection; a who’s-who of Canadian women business leaders for our Professional Development Day panel in January (our first-ever Essential Business Toolbox event that combined one-on-one networking and Q&A with the experts), and Margaret Trudeau as the keynote at our year-end event in June. Opportunities for members to promote their businesses and professional expertise were built right in to our events. For example, we frequently used members to emcee our events (Corina Walsh, a training consultant and facilitator, at the Essential Business Toolbox), and to be a part of them: Tamara Barker Watson of Whitestone

Centre networking worked for me on my first full day as a member. I ended up sitting next to a colleague I had lost touch with over the past couple of years. We exchanged contact info and I expect some business may come my way as a result. I also got a request from a colleague to sit on a panel during an upcoming conference. But here’s what I liked the best..this breakfast started at 8:30 and I felt ready to tackle the day when I got there; the pace was much more leisurely and it allowed lots of time for networking. If this the kind of thing I can expect from my Centre membership over the next year, I would say it’s money well invested.

Allison Brewer

Owner, Dance Card Communications

Developments gave the keynote at our International Women’s Day Celebration, and Eleanor Beaton of Eleanor Beaton Communications acted as moderator during Breakfast and Answers with Margaret Trudeau. Often times, our team will get a good sense of the value and level of interaction that goes on at our workshops, because we attend as participants. For example, when we hosted Video Pitch Perfection, a workshop designed to help our business owners create a short, effective video pitch showcasing their businesses and expertise, staff member Gordia Macdonald took part. Gordia created her own pitch on the Centre’s supplier diversity programming, and how training can help women business owners access more clients and sales opportunities beyond our Canadian borders.

Membership: Operation Impact | 14

Section 5:

Signature Event Showcase