executive committee meeting of council · fibre optics . optic zoo networks has built 5 kms of...

MEETING OF THE BUSINESS INNOVATION, GROWTH AND ATTRACTION COMMITTEE

TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2015, AT 3:00 P.M. ROOM 530 – 5th FLOOR – ABBOTSFORD CITY HALL

AGENDA

1. ADOPTION OF MINUTES

None.

4. DELEGATIONS

.1 Russell Riblett, Director of Sales at GIS Planning will be presenting via Go-To Meeting on the GIS Planning tool

5. BUSINESS OUT OF MINUTES .1 Discussion on next meeting time

6. REPORTS

.1 Report by the Executive Director regarding an update on Economic Development Department Activities

(attached)

8. ADJOURNMENT

City of Abbotsford Economic Development (CAED) Report to Business Innovation Growth and Attraction (BIGA) - July 2015

Business Retention and Expansion

The Business Retention and Expansion program has been working to assist businesses with their growth and

expansion within the City of Abbotsford. Prior to a formalized and illustrated BR&E program launching in 2016,

several key initiatives are being employed across the community:

Business Surveys

So far over 70 businesses have responded with insights into why they do business in Abbotsford.

These responses have resulted in over 25 in-person follow up visits to local businesses.

One noticeable challenge with the surveys was that there was excellent engagement from the

Downtown Business Association Members, however, fewer responses from larger industry

stakeholders.

Location Support

Numerous existing businesses have reached out for support finding new locations. There has been a

trend over the past months of location challenges for a few clients as these businesses have had very

specific needs and parameters to fill.

Business Walks

The Economic Development Department will be initiating a ‘Business Walks’ week-long program in

Abbotsford for the week commencing Monday 14th, September 2015. This walk will focus on engaging

with businesses in the major Industrial areas of the city with focused outcomes of fostering stronger

relationships and determine useful resources for the needs of owners. The walk will take in different

locations during the week’s activities. Supporting material for this initiative has been provided by the

provincial government.

CAED staff will partner with the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce on this initiative and engage with a

proactive communications plan prior to September’s walk.

Please read the link and further information below:

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/economic-

development/resources/guides/business-walks-101

Background:

A Business Walk is an opportunity to connect Economic Development support staff with businesses informally

and in-person. The goal is to take the pulse of the local community and identify common themes to stimulate

economic activity and job creation in the area.

Goals:

Increase awareness of programs and services available to business

Communicate successes and obstacles to doing business in the area

allow for Chambers of Commerce and service providers to share information about their organizations

and the value they can provide to business owners

Track the business pulse over time to gauge the business climate, thus impacting program

development, strategic planning and business climate messaging; and

Build relationships for follow ups and assistance

Investment Attraction

Since our last BIGA meeting CAED is continuing to work on existing leads and have added an additional three.

These new leads are looking promising and would add an additional 200 jobs to Abbotsford within the next

twelve months.

International Marketing Strategy

CAED is excited to have the opportunity to work with DCI (Development Counsellors International) to develop

our international marketing strategy. DCI have offices in New York, Denver, Los Angeles and Toronto. The

project will kick-off on August 1st and complete on October 31st. During the project, DCI will be connecting with

internal and external stakeholders in addition to BIGA members. To find out more please take a moment to

view their website at: http://www.aboutdci.com/.

Information about DCI from their website:

Development Counsellors International (DCI) is the leader in marketing places. Since 1960, we have worked with more than

450 cities; regions, states and countries, helping them attract both investors and visitors. We specialize exclusively in all phases

of economic development and travel marketing.

But we’re also much more than this.

We are a firm deeply committed to our clients’ success, because we share a fundamental value with them: a passion for places.

By telling our clients’ stories in the national and international media, we believe we can help create prosperity and growth in

their communities, ultimately benefiting the lives of thousands of people who call these places home.

Perhaps this seems a bit lofty or idealistic. But consider this: each year, our travel and economic development clients help

create hundreds of jobs by bringing investment – in the form of visitor dollars or manufacturing facilities, for example – to their

communities, often raising one generation from poverty into the middle class, increasing citizens’ quality of life and opening

doors for the next generation to pursue higher education and become part of a skilled workforce.

If we can augment this type of work through successful place marketing campaigns on behalf of our clients, we think we have,

as the saying goes, done well by doing good.

Fibre Optics

Optic Zoo Networks has built 5 KMs of fibre optic cable network in Abbotsford so far this year and acquired

access to another 30 KMs of existing fibre network. In 2015, they expect to build a further 10KMs of fibre optic

cable network in Abbotsford. Optic Zoo Networks connects commercial buildings, institutions, and data centres

with the highest quality fibre optic cable construction to provide cost effective, very high speed, networking

solutions.

Once the fibre is installed in Abbotsford, Optic Zoo has confirmed that they have received interest from some

of their existing clients about relocation to a more affordable destination.

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/economic-development/resources/guides/business-walks-101

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/economic-development/resources/guides/business-walks-101

http://www.aboutdci.com/

General:

Terms of Reference

As per BIGA’s motion CBIGA 003-2015, the Terms of Reference for BIGA have been amended to read: “The

Purpose of the Committee for Business Innovation, Growth and Attraction (BIGA) is to enhance Council’s

Strategic Cornerstone of a Vibrant Economy.” Please see attachment A for the amended Terms of Reference.

CAED has produced Terms of Reference for the three Advisory Groups (Aerospace, Agriculture and

Connected Leaders). They are attached to this report as attachment B.

Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC) The Executive Director recently attended an EDAC board meeting held in Comox. The organization is moving

forward with an MOU with IEDC (International Economic Development Corporation) and recently signed an

agreement with the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO). Discussions on

economic development in partnership with First Nations groups and best practices associated, will be a major

component of the annual conference in Whitehorse, YT; September 19-22nd , 2015. For more information

please visit: http://edac.ca/conferences/2015-conference/

EDAC Awards City of Abbotsford Economic Development will be nominating our work in three categories for the 2015

Economic Developers Association of Canada Marketing Awards. We will enter the video (using the version of

the video from the Mayor’s breakfast); Single publication (the publication made in partnership with Canadian

Business Journal and private sector) and Brand/Brand Identity (the new CAED brand).

Video Project

During the Comox board meeting, discussions were held with a representative from the Yukon about

partnering on a “What is Economic Development” video with its messaging and audience focused on elected

officials. Yukon has already has discussions with FCM who are interested in being a partner. CAED have

discussed this with BC provincial representatives who have also expressed interest. We have had discussions

locally on the project, its messaging and script. We will provide more information as this project progresses.

This is a great opportunity for Abbotsford to take a leadership role in this collaborative initiative.

Sumas First Nations The Executive Director met with Malonie Langthorne who is managing Lands and Economic Development

departments at Sumas First Nation on June 25, 2015. The meeting was extremely positive with interest in

working in close collaboration going forward. Some of the key items from discussions were as follows:

Achieving their services agreement with the City is a priority

Sumas would very much appreciate having access to a bus service to help get people off the

reservation, having this service would open up more work opportunities. To achieve this objective

would mean the #7 would have to adjust its routing slightly. CAED staff have had an initial discussion

with the Director of Transportation

Sumas would be interesting in working with CAED and Tourism Abbotsford to develop a cultural

tourism strategy. The First Nations group have an interesting opportunity with a key asset of an old

brick plant. When this plant was operational, it was the only facility manufacturing bricks for Japan that

met their earthquake regulations

The group expects to be breaking ground in September on a new waste facility

Sumas are negotiating a 49 year lease with an existing Abbotsford business that has to relocate from

their present position

Finally, they are discussing the opportunity of a new hotel with convention facilities on their lands south

of highway 1

A GP 4 Me Initiative

The Executive Director is representing the City on the GP 4 Me recruitment and retention committee. The Committee held their first meeting on Wednesday June 17th, 2015. Key elements of the Recruitment and Retention for GPs will include the following components:

Red Carpet Strategy

Physician Advisory Circle

Locum Strategy

Connectivity to Provincial Group The group is starting to discuss implementation tactics for all of the above. Updates on current the GP situation in Abbotsford was provided; six GP are to retire or leave for the City during the remainder of 2015, with two new GPs arriving shortly. Two additional GPs are expected to tour the City soon and we are coordinating visit programs. GPs are in worldwide demand and essential for supporting our growing community. With the change in demographic the needs and expectations of the emerging physicians are changing; the most notable change is the desire to be an ‘employee’, with no interest in setting up a new practice.

Events Since our last BIGA meeting CAED staff have collaborated and supported the following events:

Mayor’s Breakfast

Fraser Valley Kick off to Summer (this event has been postponed to next year to due last of interest

from neighbouring communities and farmers market vendors)

UDI – Fraser Valley Forecast – CAED took a minor sponsorship at the event and raised awareness of

the brand and function

CAAP – Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce (ACOC)breakfast presentation and discussion

Canada Day – Supported CAED’s agency Original Ginger and they provided a ‘tap photo booth’ for the

event

Future Events:

CAED will be presenting a brief mid-year, 10 minute update to council at the Council Meeting of July 27th.

Prior to the airshow will be the ADSE event (Aerospace, Defense and Security Expo) at TRADEX (Wednesday

5th August to Friday 7th), the City is a major partner in the event and the Mayor has confirmed that he will be

making opening remarks. The CAED team will be sharing booth space with the Abbotsford International

Airport.

We have completed the initial invitation list for the Airshow Chalet; CAED staff will be working with marketing

and communications to design an e-invitation to be distributed soon. If Mayor and Council have any particular

invitations that they would like to make, please advise staff before Friday 10th July.

On November 26, 2015 CAED is sponsoring the New Business of the Year category at the ACOC Business

Excellence at TRADEX. If any committee member would be interested in presenting this award at the event,

please let the Executive Director know.

Tourism

Abbotsford Tourism Society held their Annual General Meeting on Wednesday June 25, 2015. One new

director was elected from a Bed and Breakfast which resulting in a change in board chair. Allan Asaph (the

ACOC representative on the board) was elected. Wendy Dupley will continue as the representative from City

on the board of Directors. The Annual report from the society is provided as Attachment C , for information.

Research

Hiring Demand Software CAED has discussed with the District of Mission having access to Vicinity Jobs database. Mission

development the system and populated it with baseline data from across the Fraser Valley. Accessing the

data will enable us to have a handle on City of Abbotsford industry sector and employers who are currently

hiring. A sample report is attached as attachment D, for information. Further details for an agreement have

been provided by Mission, they have also proposed the following costs for leveraging the system:

The program costs incurred to date by Mission are approximately $22,000, which includes all of the

original data input, trouble-shooting, templates and training. This also included 2 years of licensing cost

Full annual license is $3,000

City of Abbotsford would pay an initial fee of $3,500 plus $1,000/yr as a contribution to the licensing

agreement

A two-year agreement with a review at the end of the term

Distinct access for us will be set up and in addition to initial and ongoing collaboration with the

Economic Development Office in Mission, initial training and development of initial reports

Any custom reports you want to do beyond what has already been designed would be designed for us

but would be at an additional cost

The District of Mission would license CAED and staff would be users of the software

Communications

Website

Our innovative and interactive website is on track for its end of summer launch. Our team has been working

tirelessly on content for the site. That work has now been complete and sent to Original Ginger, our marketing

agency, for their writers for development. The GIS Planning tool would add depth of statistical data and site

selection information. It would be an excellent addition to CAED’s website and would support both CAED’s

BR&E and IA programs. Our staff are not quite ready to share a preview of the website with BIGA at this time,

but stay tuned. We are looking forward to sharing this with you at our September meeting.

Twitter

Since our last update to the Committee, our Twitter followers have increased by 22%. The progress on our

social media is slow but steady. We are in talks with Pace Creative (a communication and marketing agency)

to develop a social media strategy for us as well as manage our Twitter so that it will have a deeper impact and

further reach. We would like to see @AbbotsfordEcDev be the most followed Twitter account in the city! The

next page includes the most current analytic data pulled from our account.

ABBOTSFORD Terms of Reference

EDB Page 1 of 2

CHAPTER: COUNCIL

SECTION: COMMITTEES, COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS

SUBJECT: COMMITTEE FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION, GROWTH AND ATTRACTION (BIGA)

APPROVED BY: COUNCIL

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 13, 2015 REVISION DATE: June 29, 2015

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the Committee for Business Innovation, Growth and Attraction (BIGA) is to enhance Council’s Strategic Cornerstone of a Vibrant Economy.

The BIGA committee reviews information related to economic development based upon consultation with business, industry and academia and provides recommendations to Council to advance the City’s interests in these areas.

AUTHORITY:

Community Charter, Council

MANDATE:

1. The Committee for BIGA is established to:

a) Review, monitor and make recommendations to Council on programs and initiatives related toattracting investment and expanding economic development in Abbotsford;

b) Review, monitor and make recommendations to Council on programs and initiatives related tobusiness innovation and growth in the community;

c) Consider and make recommendations to Council on any matters referred to the Committee bycouncil;

d) Provides advice and input to the initiatives of the Office of Economic Development that arereferred to the Committee; and

e) Serve as a conduit between the City of Abbotsford and business, industry and academia relatedto the purpose of the committee.

MEMBERSHIP:

1. Appointments, and removal, of members of the Committee for Business Innovation, Growth andAttraction (BIGA) will be made in accordance with the City’s Committee Protocol Policy.

2. Terms of appointments will be in accordance with the City’s Committee Protocol Policy.

ABBOTSFORD Terms of Reference

EDB Page 2 of 2

3. The Committee for BIGA will consist of the Mayor and three members of Council.

4. The Chair of the Committee will be the Mayor or an alternate appointed by the Mayor.

5. The staff liaison to the Committee will be the Economic Development Executive Director, or his/herdesignate. Other staff assistance will be provided to the Committee as required.

6. The City Manager, Deputy City Manager, Economic Development Executive Director or theirdesignates will normally be in attendance at all meetings as non-voting members, to providetechnical advice and staff assistance.

7. From time to time, representatives and delegates from other city departments, EconomicDevelopment working groups, industry or academia may be requested to attend specific meetings forpresentation purposes only.

POLICY

1. The Committee of Business Innovation, Growth and Attraction (BIGA) will operate in accordancewith the Community Charter, Council Procedure Bylaw, the City’s Committee Protocol Policy, andany other applicable enactments, bylaws or policies, as amended or replaced from time to time.

2. Meetings will be held at the call of the Chair.

3. Quorum will be determined in accordance with the City’s Committee Protocol Policy. Vacancies(but not absences) are excluded when counting the voting members in order to establish thequorum.

4. Committee members must avoid conflicts of interest, in accordance with the City’s CommitteeProtocol Policy.

5. The Committee will report to Council, in accordance with the City’s Committee Protocol Policy.

TERMS OF REFERENCE Community Connected Leaders Advisory Group

(CCL)

At Council’s April 13, 2015 meeting, Council approved staff to proceed with the ‘fusion’ model for Economic Development for the City of Abbotsford. A key element of the fusion model is the sector specific Advisory Groups. The sector advisory groups provide an avenue for critical industry-led business engagement and consultation. The Agriculture Advisory Group is one of three sector specific advisory groups.

Purpose:

Provide strategic input on the activities of the Economic Development Department and

Be pro-active leaders with City of Abbotsford Economic Development messaging withinAbbotsford.

Goals and Objectives:

To meet at the call of the Chair, to achieve the following:

Identify opportunities within the Economic Development department to support itsmandate with creative, innovative, technology driven solutions;

Advocate for the activities of the Economic Development department;

Provide business intel and advise Economic Development staff on emergingtrends/issues that could assist with strategic directions;

To give advice and ideas to Economic Development staff on matters affecting strategicpriorities and sectors;

Monitor and maintain its goals and objectives

The Advisory Group may also make recommendations to Business Innovation, Growth and Attraction committee (BIGA).

Where goals and objectives overlap with other Advisory Groups, Economic Development department staff shall be responsible for apprising the other Advisory Groups of issues or opportunities in ensures a unified and consistent approach.

Further to the objectives, the Advisory Group may:

(a) seek alternative inputs and may actively consult with the broader community; seeking advice and opinion from sources both inside and outside the community that will enable the Advisory Group to provide options, accurate information and advice to BIGA and Council.

(b) contribute to the development of a strategic plan and annual business plan for the Economic Development department plus any relevant benchmarks that will evaluate progress.

Procedures:

(a) The Advisory Group will:

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Meet bi-monthly with the Executive Director on matters related to its goals andobjectives;

Report on any issues, real or perceived, which may affect the City of Abbotsford’sposition with respect to business issues or relationships;

(b) A summary of the meetings will be provided to BIGA along with the update report on Economic Development department activities.

(c) A summary of the previous meeting will be provided back to the Advisory Group for approval at the meeting

(d) Committee members shall receive advance notice of each meeting and related materials

(e) The Board shall meet at minimum of every two months with the exception of summer months unless there are pressing issues to discuss.

(f) Members will be expected to read relevant paperwork in advance of the meetings and to participate fully in discussions. Members are expected to take a pro-active, creative and constructive role in the work of the Advisory Group.

(g) The Advisory Group may invite other persons to participate in making presentations in order to benefit from additional expertise pertaining to subjects being discussed.

(h) The Advisory Group will refer to the Executive Director or the personnel of the Economic Development department any prospective companies evaluating a decision to move to Abbotsford; and any City of Abbotsford business seeking assistance with its retention or expansion plans.

(i) When the Advisory Group’s business involves matters in which one or more members have a conflict of interest, those members should withdraw from the meeting. It lies within the discretion of the Chair or Vice-Chair to judge when such a situation exists, and he/she may then ask a member or members to withdraw.

Composition:

The Advisory Group shall be made up of 9 voting members, who shall be persons holding professional and/or business experience deemed to be of value to the Economic Development department and will be appointed on the basis of availability, experience and the expertise they can bring.

The Community and Connected Leaders Advisory Group shall consist of:

(i) five appointees who are leaders from the community-at-large; (ii) one appointee from the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce; (iii) one appointee from the Financial sector; (iv) one appointee from the Indo Canadian Business Association and (v) one appointee from the University of the Fraser Valley

The Executive Director of Economic Development, and/or their designates, shall normally be in attendance at all meetings to provide technical advice, staff assistance and to record the meeting’s minutes. Other departments’ staff may be required to attend specific meetings, also as non-voting members. The term for representation on all Advisory Committees will be 2 years. The Advisory Group shall annually appoint a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson from the voting members. The Chair and Vice-Chair shall serve one-year terms.

The Chairperson, or in his/her absence, the Vice-Chairperson shall preside over the meetings.

In the absence of the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson, the Committee shall appoint a Chairperson from those members present. A quorum will be five voting members.

TERMS OF REFERENCE Aerospace Advisory Group

At Council’s April 13, 2015 meeting, Council approved staff to proceed with the ‘fusion’ model for Economic Development for the City of Abbotsford. A key element of the fusion model is the sector specific Advisory Groups. The sector advisory groups provide an avenue for critical industry-led business engagement and consultation. The Aerospace Advisory Group is one of three sector specific advisory groups.

Purpose:


Be pro-active leaders with City of Abbotsford Economic Development messaging withinAbbotsford.






To give advice and ideas to Economic Development staff on matters affecting theAerospace sector;






(b) contribute to the development of a strategic plan and annual business plan for the Economic Development department plus any relevant benchmarks that will evaluate progress.

Procedures:


Meet bi-monthly with the Executive Director on matters related to its goals andobjectives;

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Report on any issues, real or perceived, which may affect the City of Abbotsford’s position with respect to business issues or relationships;


(c) A summary of the previous meeting will be provided back to the Advisory Group for

approval at the meeting



(f) Members will be expected to read relevant paperwork in advance of the

meetings and to participate fully in discussions. Members are expected to take a pro-active, creative and constructive role in the work of the Advisory Group.


(h) The Advisory Group will refer to the Executive Director or the personnel of the Economic Development department any prospective companies evaluating a decision to move to Abbotsford; and any City of Abbotsford business seeking assistance with its retention or expansion plans.


Composition:

The Advisory Group shall be made up of 9 voting members, who shall be persons holding professional and/or business experience deemed to be of value to the Economic Development department and will be appointed on the basis of availability, experience and the expertise they can bring. The Aerospace Advisory Group shall consist of:

(i) six appointees from the Aerospace Industry at Large; (ii) one appointee from Cascade Aerospace; (ii) one appointee from the Abbotsford International Airport and (iii) one appointee from the University of the Fraser Valley Aerospace Centre (iv) one appointee from Aerospace Industries Association of Canada Pacific

The Executive Director of Economic Development, and/or their designates, shall normally be in attendance at all meetings to provide technical advice, staff assistance and to record the meeting’s minutes. Other departments’ staff may be required to attend specific meetings, also as non-voting members. The term for representation on all Advisory Committees will be 2 years. The Advisory Group shall annually appoint a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson from the voting members. The Chair and Vice-Chair shall serve one-year terms.



TERMS OF REFERENCE Agriculture Sector Advisory Group

Background:

At Council’s April 13, 2015 meeting, Council approved staff to proceed with the ‘fusion’ model for Economic Development for the City of Abbotsford. A key element of the fusion model is the sector specific Advisory Groups. The sector advisory groups provide an avenue for critical industry-led business engagement and consultation. The Agriculture Advisory Group is one of three sector specific advisory groups.

Purpose:


Help align Economic Development’s activities with industry needs






To give advice and ideas to Economic Development staff on matters affecting strategicpriorities and sectors;






Procedures:


Meet bi-monthly with the Economic Development Officer on matters related to itsgoals and objectives;

Report on any issues, real or perceived, which may affect the City of Abbotsford’sposition with respect to business issues or relationships;

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(c) A summary of the previous meeting will be provided back to the Advisory Group for

approval at the meeting



(f) Members will be expected to read relevant paperwork in advance of the

meetings and to participate fully in discussions. Members are expected to take a pro-active, creative and constructive role in the work of the Advisory Group.


(h) The Advisory Group will refer to the Economic Development Officer or the personnel of the Economic Development department any prospective companies evaluating a decision to move to Abbotsford; and any City of Abbotsford business seeking assistance with its retention or expansion plans.


Composition:

The Advisory Group shall be made up of 9 voting members, who shall be persons holding professional and/or business experience in the agricultural sector deemed to be of value to the Economic Development department and will be appointed on the basis of availability, experience and the expertise they can bring. The Agriculture Sector Advisory Group shall consist of:

(i) three appointees who are experienced in the agriculture sector at large (ii) one appointee from poultry/dairy/livestock; (iii) one appointee from the berry industry; (iv) one appointee from the agriculture technology and innovation field (v) one appointee from the education sector (vi) one appointee from the value added agriculture sector (vii) one appointee from the greenhouse industry

The Economic Development Officer, and/or their designates, shall normally be in attendance at all meetings to provide technical advice, staff assistance and to record the

meeting’s minutes. Other departments’ staff may be required to attend specific meetings, also as non-voting members. The term for representation on all Advisory Committees will be 2 years. The Advisory Group shall annually appoint a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson from the voting members. The Chair and Vice-Chair shall serve one-year terms.



TOURISM ABBOTSFORD SOCIETY

2014 ANNUAL REPORT

Committed to building theBottom Line for TourismOperators in Abbotsford

British Columbia, Canada

The Tourism Abbotsford Society is a registered not-for-profit currently in good standing with the Registrar of Societies. The Society is recognized as a Community Destination Marketing Organization (CDMO) and is operated by an industry led board of directors located in the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains tourism region. The primary mandate of the Society is to implement various programs and projects which realize incremental revenue for the local visitor economy with a defined focus on the growth of commercial accommodation occupancy and yield.

Board of Directors

Jas Dhatt President Alpine Inn

Allan AsaphVice President Chamber Of Commerce

Kathleen McCarthy Secretary-Treasurer Sandman Hotel & Suites

Wendy DupleyDirectorCity Of Abbotsford

Maggie AmiraniDirectorBest Western Bakerview

This Annual Report has been designed to be read in a digital (pdf) format. In the interests of maintaining our Super Natural region we ask that you do not print this report and if you do, please use draft settings and

two sided output if possible

Senior Management

Craig NicholsExecutive Director

Yvonne HaydenDirector of Business Development Travel Division

Bill TavaresDirector of Events & Building Services Tradex Division

Brad StybaDirector of Events & Business Development Tradex Division

BOARD MEMBERS

THE TOURISM ABBOTSFORD SOCIETY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

01/

02/

03/

05/

07/

09/

12/

Message from the President

Business Overview

Visitor Services

Destination Sale & Marketing

Fraser Valley Tade & Exhibition Centre

Financial Report

Building for the Future

This Tourism Abbotsford Society Annual Report covers the period from January 1 to December 31, 2014 and has been prepared to provide our stakeholders and partners information on the primary outputs and outcomes of the Society for the 2014 fiscal year. The format of the report has been designed to ensure the appropriate level of accountability and transparency with respect to the operation of the Tourism Abbotsford Society and to be clear and concise for the reader. All content and information included in this report is the property of the Tourism Abbotsford Society and has been provided for information purposes only.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

The Visitor & Destination Services team was busy helping to publish the inaugural Experiences Guide, a joint consumer publication partnership between Langley, Chilliwack and Abbotsford. Our Visitor Centre outreach program enabled us to connect with thousands of locals and visitors, and support such events as the Provincial Volleyball Championships, Run for Water, Canada Day Parade, Berry Beat Festival, Abbotsford Farm Market, ‘Touch a Truck’ event, and UFV 40th Anniversary celebration. Although the Abbotsford Heat ended their tenure in the city, 2014 provided many other opportunities for Abbotsford to generate incremental visitor spending and showcase itself as a sports community. To help elevate sport legacy in our community, Tourism Abbotsford was happy to sponsor the ‘Wall of Fame’ for the Abbotsford Sports Hall of Fame project.

Our support for Run for Water continued to highlight our community as a destination and generate overnight stays. Additionally, Tourism Abbotsford supported several other events that helped realize incremental visitor spending in the City including National Championships Rope Skipping, Twisters Gymnastics Invitational Meet, and Abbotsford Triathlon.

Tourism Abbotsford looks forward to working with many local sport organizers and will continue to focus on grass roots sporting endeavours and niche events such as mountain biking, speed skating, wakeboarding, and wrestling to name just a few.

I would like to express my appreciation to the Senior Management of both Tourism Abbotsford and Tradex for their continued dedication and hard work in helping us meet our commitment to build the bottom line for tourism operators in Abbotsford.

Jas DhattPresident

It has indeed been an exciting and interesting past year in the tourism industry. Tourism in the Vancouver, Coast & Mountain region and throughout BC experienced good growth in 2014 with industry statistics suggesting that tourism revenues and activities were up throughout the province. The other consistent throughout the province was change.

Most notable for us were the changes announced by Destination BC that our regional DMO, Vancouver, Coast & Mountains, would be dissolved and that a new cooperative marketing program for the region would be developed. This is an exciting change that has the potential to create great cooperative marketing opportunities for our city and region.

Change was also part of the theme here at Tourism Abbotsford as we said good-bye to Executive Director Dan Stefanson who left the society after 11 years. Under Dan’s leadership, Tourism Abbotsford was able to grow the services provided to local stakeholders, and Tradex was able to survive and thrive. Dan was very involved in the provincial tourism industry and helped raise the profile of Abbotsford as a leisure and event destination, and we are very appreciative of his hard work and dedication.

In September we welcomed Craig Nichols in to the role of Executive Director. With experience managing operations and guest experiences for several leading tourism operators, Craig has experience in both regional tourism management and facilities operations. We look forward to working with him to realize the many opportunities that are before us in the years to come.

At the AGM in June, all board members were confirmed as returning - in September the new Economic Development Director, Wendy Dupley, was appointed to the Board as the City’s representative in place of Kathleen Treloar who had been filling the board position temporarily.

Through the challenge of constant change, Tourism Abbotsford was able to realize a successful financial year, with some first time achievements along the way. The Tourism and Tradex teams developed new web sites, and the Management team at Tradex was instrumental in working with clients to develop a robust offering this past winter including North Pole BC and weekend indoor midway rides. The excitement of the winter culminated with a tremendously successful First Night New Year’s Eve event that received great support from the community.

1

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

who owns the venue. The division seeks to maximize the number of events booked each year with the objectives of generating incremental local economic activity, creating demand for overnight accommodation and tourism services and generating positive net operating revenue.

In order to fulfill our diverse purpose and successfully undertake our various business functions, financial resources are generated and managed from a number of sources. While Tourism Abbotsford continually pursues new funds, the primary annual revenue sources are a Municipal & Regional District Tax (MRDT), marketing partner campaign investment, fee for service agreements and the operation of Tradex. Additional financial details are included in the Annual Financial Report section of this document. Tourism Abbotsford currently has eleven (11) full-time employees. When all of our business divisions are included we employ approximately one hundred and seventy five part-time and/or season employees, which is the equivalent of approximately twenty-eight (28) full time employees.

Tourism Abbotsford is a registered not-for-profit Society duly constituted under the terms and conditions of the BC Societies Act and is currently in good standing with the Registrar of Societies. The Society is recognized as a Community Destination Marketing Organization and operates in the regional tourism area of Vancouver, Coast& Mountains.

The Society is governed by a five member industry-led Board of Directors who are appointed annually by the three Society members - namely, the Abbotsford Municipal & Regional District Tax Collectors, the City of Abbotsford and the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce. Our core purpose is to design and undertake various activities, programs and projects which realize incremental revenue for the local visitor economy. Basically, we work with tourism operators to build their bottom line. Within this core purpose the Society has three primary business functions:

Travel Division - Visitor ServicesThe Visitor Services Division functions as a catalyst to influence the activities and satisfaction of travelers. This in turn has proven to increase the length of stay, total value of expenditures in the community and the probability of a return visit. The division includes the operation of a Visitor Centre on Delair Road near the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 11 (Sumas Way), and a self-serve information kiosk at the arrivals area of the Abbotsford International Airport.

Travel Division - Destination Sales, Marketing and Development The Destination Sales, Marketing & Development Division is responsible for the development and implementation of an annual Destination Sales, Marketing & Development plan in collaboration with our more than 300 marketing partners and industry stakeholders. The overarching goal of the annual plan is to increase overnight stays and grow total visitor expenditures on local tourism and hospitality services.

Fraser Valley Trade & Exhibition Centre (Tradex) DivisionThe Tradex Division is responsible for the day to day operation of the Fraser Valley Trade & Exhibition Centre (Tradex) through the negotiated terms and conditions of a management agreement with the City of Abbotsford,

2

VISITOR SERVICES

All travel counselors employed by Tourism Abbotsford have been fully trained and certified through the TVIC Training Program, which is coordinated and delivered by Destination BC through various local trainers (please note that Yvonne Hayden and Pamela Arthur are certified Trainers). This training provides the travel counselor with the skills, knowledge and self-confidence to provide a positive visitor experience.

In addition to direct interaction with visitors, Visitor Centre travel counselors also support other Tourism Abbotsford projects through program and publication fulfillment, which can either be by direct mail or by local and/or regional delivery. Some of the most successful work of the department is completed during an annual local business “blitz”, which has our travel counseling team visiting businesses throughout the community for five days in May to deliver our print materials and showcase the services that are available at the Visitor Centre.

During 2014 the Visitor Centre at the Abbotsford International Airport was open daily on a self-serve basis. The main Visitor Centre was open six days per week (closed Sundays) with the exception of the summer visitor season (May long weekend until the September long weekend) during which time it was open daily.

The Tourism Abbotsford Society operates a satellite self- serve Visitor Centre at the Abbotsford International Airport and the main community Visitor Centre located on Delair Road near the intersection of the Trans Canada Highway and Highway 11. Our main Visitor Centre is operated as a participating member of the BC’s Visitor Centre Network, which not only provides for consistent and recognizable Centre branding, but creates the basic foundation for excellent customer service and the delivery of diverse programs which add value to the visitor experience. Fee for service funding for Visitor Service operations are provided through Destination BC and the City of Abbotsford, however the Society applies for various other grants, delivers a retail/tourism product sales program and allocates other budgetary resources to ensure that day-to-day operations have sufficient human and financial assets.

Yvonne Hayden, Director of Business Development, is responsible for the high level management of both Centres; Pamela Arthur, Coordinator of Visitor Services is responsible for day to day operations, including the recruitment, retention and training of all travel counselors.

Primary Visitor Service ActivitiesThe primary activity of the Visitor Services division is to respond to direct requests from visitors and residents regarding various aspects of travel planning both locally and throughout the province. The majority of these visitor interactions take place face-to-face at the Visitor Centre or at one of our seasonal temporary mobile Visitor Centres. In the past few years, an ever increasing number of visitor interactions are taking place in a digital or virtual format which includes email or social network sites such as Trip Advisor, Twitter and Facebook.

3

VISITOR SERVICESContinued Visitor Services Enhancement PlanIn 2013, motivated by the relatively steady decline in visitors and a long term assessment of the role of Visitor Services, a Visitor Service Enhancement Plan pilot project was launched. The project was aimed at creating a more mobile visitor service offering with greater emphasis on social media.

Building on the success of this enhancement plan, 2014 saw more visitor services delivered in the community and online. Throughout the year, the mobile Visitor Centre team engaged with a total of 5330 visitors. As this was the first full year of this type of engagement, there are no comparable stats from 2013.

Visitor Service - Key Performance IndicatorsWhile Visitor Services and individual travel counselors play an important role in all aspects of our business functions, two primary indicators are measured to determine the overall performance of the Visitor Services division. The first is a tracking of the total number of annual visitors and the second is a quantitative measure of retail/tourism product sales.

Total Volume of VisitorsDuring 2014, the Abbotsford Visitor Centre provided face-to- face travel counseling services to 12,525 total visitors, which was essentially unchanged from 2013 (12,557).

Visitor Centre - Total Guests

Retail & Tourism Product SalesVisitor Centre sales volume provides an effective measure of our engagement during face-to-face interactions with visitors and provides a valuable source of revenue to support the operations of the division. We sell a number of items including travel planning tools such as maps, souvenirs, brochure racking and our popular mail-it-home program for the Abbotsford Airport. The total volume of sales for 2014 was $10,300, $900 short of expected revenue.

4

Some of the community events we were represented at/by the VC team:

• 2 major volleyball championships at Tradex• Canada Day Parade & Family Fun Day Celebration at Exhibition Park• Berry Beat Festival in Historic Downtown Abbotsford• Abbotsford Farm & Country Market (8 times),• Run For Water• Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase• UFV 40th Anniversary• ‘Touch a Truck’ Event

20000

18000

16000

14000

12000

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Gue

sts

DESTINATION SALES & MARKETINGOverall it was the 3rd consecutive year in which total revenue exceeded $12M. The chart below shows total eligible Municipal Hotel Room Tax revenue since the tax was implemented in 2003:

Aggregated Hotel PerformanceTourism Abbotsford purchases destination accommodation data from Smith Travel Research. The data provides an 18-month rolling reconciliation of three primary accommodation performance indicators - ADR, Occupancy and RevPar. We have full data sets for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and have set performance targets for these three categories for 2015.

For 2014, occupancy was reported at 51.4%, which represents a 4.7% increase over 2013; ADR was reported at $92.63, a .4% increase from 2013; and RevPar was reported at $47.63, a $2.32 increase over 2013. Through Destination BC and other sources, comparable data for ADR and Occupancy is available and presented below for comparison purposes.

Destination Sales & Marketing is our primary function. Our goal for destination sales & marketing is to design and implement programs, projects and campaigns which generate incremental visitor volume and tourism spending for Abbotsford based tourism operators and related businesses. Efforts are focused on three cornerstone areas which represent travel segments where Abbotsford has a competitive advantage or strong future potential, including:

• Leisure Travel• Sport Tourism & Sport Hosting• Meeting, Conferences & Exhibitions

All sales & marketing efforts are delivered under the leadership of the Director of Business Development, Yvonne Hayden, who maintains strong professional relationships with the 300 businesses in the local tourism sector and with colleagues and peers throughout British Columbia.

Destination Sales & Marketing PlanThe purpose of this Annual Report is not to provide a tactical level evaluation of each campaign, but to highlight the impact that our sales and marketing plan has on the performance of the local tourism economy. The plan identified a total investment in all destination sales and market activities of $229,800. The actual investment for 2014 was $221,548 which represents a decrease of $8252 largely due to some expenses from Circle Farm tour being deferred from 2014 to 2015.

Destination Sales & Marketing - Key Performance Indicators The Society tracks a number of meaningful key performance indicators.

Municipal & Regional District Tax (MRDT) Eligible Accommodation Revenue This revenue measures total consumer expenditures on MRDT eligible commercial overnight stays in Abbotsford. In and of itself, the annual accommodation revenue number is not necessarily a good indicator of performance, but when benchmarked against previous years, we are able to identify a general trend in overall revenue performance. The revenue target for 2014 was $12.2M, actual revenue was 12.25M, a decrease of .68% from 2013.

5

$14,000,000.00

$12,000,000.00

$10,000,000.00

$8,000,000.00

$6,000,000.00

$4,000,000.00

$2,000,000.00

$-

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

DESTINATION SALES & MARKETING

We measure this indicator in two ways, the first is a simple comparison to the budget estimates and the second is as a ratio to Municipal & Regional District Tax collected. For 2014, the target for Marketing Partner investment was $164,700; actual investment totaled $132,320. The targeted ratio to Municipal & Regional District Tax collected was set at .647; the actual ratio was .554, which was 14% behind target.

Sales and Marketing Highlights

• Handpicked in the Valley (regional marketing campaign Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langley) Published 2014 Experience Guide (23 partners - $24,777 invested)

• Abbotsford Circle Farm Tour (16 partners - $8700 invested)

• 107 Days of Summer ( 7 partners - $2975 invested)

• Website advertising (12 partners - $16,560 invested)

• Run for Water attracted 4165 participants

• Passport to Christmas (11 partners - $6600 invested)

• Published 12 Blogs by Mrs. Abbotsford

Unique Web Site VisitationOne of the primary desired outcomes of our tactical efforts is to get a potential client or visitor to land on the official Tourism Abbotsford web site – www.tourismabbotsford.ca. It is our belief that visitors to our webpage will develop a new level of understanding and excitement about a trip to Abbotsford.

Tourism Abbotsford worked with a local web designer to create a website that was fully responsive and much easier to navigate. There was a noticeable increase in the number of site visitors immediately. Now, guests can efficiently navigate to the next step in the purchase cycle, which may include a direct e-mail to one of our counselors, the booking of a hotel room or a link-out to the web site of one of our marketing partners.

The website redesign also allowed for the oportunity of online advertisement space which helps generate a few thousand dollars in new advertising revenue each year. The target for unique visitors for 2014 was set at 37,000; the actual visitation was 39,366 a positive variance of 6%.

Social MediaMore and more of our marketing efforts are focused on engaging with the guest or potential guest through social media. Our key performance indicators focus on the reach of our social media channels and the influence we have on those who engage with us. The reach targets for 2014 were 4500 Twitter followers and 1500 Facebook fans; actual results were 4611 Twitter followers and 1592 Facebook fans. Investment by Marketing PartnersInvestment by marketing partners is a vital measure of the quality and effectiveness of destination sales & marketing programs. If our marketing partners did not see a return on their investment they simply would not participate in programs.

6

A great destination marketing partner is a strategic visionary who gets its partners, its community and recognizes collective opportunity. The Tourism Abbotsford team is that focused and creative game changer who rolls up its sleeves and proactively works for and with its partners to achieve the ultimate goal: successful and measurable results.

- The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford Team

“ “

7

FV TRADE & EXHIBITION CENTRE

Tradex continues to seek out new clients to maximize the number of events each year. For 2014, we were extremely excited to book a variety of new or one-time events including the Business Excellence Awards, National Truck Drivers Championship, Chrysler Canada Ram Tour, BC Supermoto, West Coast Super Bikes, BC Stunt Drivers, North Pole BC, FV Event Planners, Baby & Tot, and West Coast Amusements. Additionally the team at Tradex took on planning and execution of two large community events, Oktoberfest and First Night.

First Night was a huge success as the community showed great support and the feedback received was overwhelmingly positive. Locals were particularly pleased that there was finally something to do for families on New Year’s Eve, and that it was affordable. This appears destined to turn in to an annual event.

In addition to coordinating these new events, the Management Team had some other notable achievements in 2014 including the revamping of the Standard Licensing Agreement used with our clients, and the development of a new, fully responsive web site for Tradex. Perhaps the most gratifying achievement for the team was the cheque we presented to the Abbotsford Food Bank in the total $4551. These funds were raised by directing a portion of parking revenues from events that occurred in December.

Tradex continued to provide staffing solutions for the Cloverdale Rodeo and Abbotsford Agrifair. Providing external staffing solutions has three primary benefits; it supports employee retention through the offering of additional shifts, it generates gross margin and it raises the awareness of the quality of customer service which Tradex has become famous for.

The Tourism Abbotsford Society, through the authority outlined in a management agreement with the City of Abbotsford, acts as the operator of the Fraser Valley Trade& Exhibition Centre, or what we have all come to know as Tradex. Tradex is one of Western Canada’s premier small scale exposition venues. Our flexible design, best in class customer service, ease of move in/out, and competitive price structure allows the facility to succeed in a highly competitive industry. In addition to the technical merits of the venue, Tradex enjoys many other competitive advantages including our proximity to the major markets of Vancouver and Seattle, seamless access from the Abbotsford International Airport and the Trans-Canada Highway and our centralized location in one of the fastest growing and most economically prosperous census metropolitan areas in the country.

Key Tradex AchievementsThe Tradex book of business for 2014 was very strong with great returning business as well as new business. The venue hosted 65 exhibitions & special events attended by an estimated 306,381 vendors and guests. These events generated total venue revenue in the amount of $2,563,000 and provided more than 59,000 hours of employment for our front-line event team members. The year’s three largest events based on gross margin were:

• Vancouver Motorcycle Show• BC Boat & Sportsmen’s Show• Snowbird RV Show & Sale

Having produced the Pacific Agriculture Show at Tradex for the past 17 years, I would like to thank and acknowledge the Staff for the great job they do. In particular, Bill Tavares and Brad Styba in Operations have taken very good care of me over the years. The Pacific Agriculture Show is considered one of the best Ag Trade Shows in North America and the helpfulness and professionalism of the staff at Tradex has helped make that happen.

- Jim Shepard, Owner/Manager Pacific Agriculture Show

“ “

FV TRADE & EXHIBITION CENTRETotal Event Attendance Measures the total number of vendors, show staff and guests who attend events. The target for 2014 was 318,395; the actual attendance was 306,381, which represents a negative variance of 3.7%,

Total Operating Revenue Measures total revenue earned by Tradex in a given fiscal year. For 2014 the target was $2,436,855 million; the actual revenue realized was $2,563,022 million, which represents a positive variance of $126,167.

Revenue Per Event Day Measures the yield of each event day, this is of particular importance when we are trying to determine which event to book on any given day; we will strive to book the event which generates the highest yield. The target for 2014 was $27,016 per day; the actual amount was $20,341 per day, which represents a negative variance of 24.7%,

Unique Web Site Visitors The target for 2014 was 100,000, the actual visitation was 191,711. This was due in large part to our revamped website.

Social Media Followers The targets for 2014 were 1750 Twitter followers and 1000 Facebook fans; actual results for the year were 2041 Twitter followers and 1459 Facebook fans.

Every year significant venue/event investments are made by Tourism Abbotsford to keep Tradex operational and a desirable place to host events. In 2014, investments included $10,000 for new parking kiosks, $4000 in parking lot repairs, $4000 for new Speedline iPad terminals, and $20,000 in upgrades to our F&B areas.

Since Tourism Abbotsford commenced operation of Tradex in 2004, the Society has invested approximately $660,000 in the replacement or acquisition of equipment and building enhancements.

Tradex - Key Performance IndicatorsTourism Abbotsford Senior Management and our various stakeholders measure the overall performance of Tradex by tracking and analyzing a number of key performance indicators. This suite of indicators provides the empirical data necessary for sound operational decisions and financial forecasting. A selection of key performance indicators are introduced and measured below:

Event Margin Measures total event revenue earned less the cost of delivering those events. The 2014 target was$1,458,719; the actual margin generated was $1,455,223 which represents a $3,496 negative variance from budget estimates.

Total Event Days Measures the number of days that the venue was open to the public or to delegates in the case of private events. The 2014 target was 90; the actual number was 126, which represents a positive variance of 40%. When set-up and move-in/out days are accounted for, the total event days for 2014 are 209;

8

FINANCIAL REPORT

The remaining asset categories are consistent with historic norms; liabilities are also consistent with historical norms and net assets reflect the balance of all internally restricted reserves as of December 31, 2014. The reader will note an unrestricted net asset in the positive value of $44,893; following the 2014 Annual General Meeting the net operating revenue will be allocated to one of three restricted funds by motion of the Board of Directors. These funds are used at the discretion of the board to invest in future operational or destination enhancements.

Statement of OperationsThe Statement of Operations presents the annual consolidated revenues, variable operating and facility (fixed) costs of the Society for the 2014 fiscal year. The total costs are subtracted from the revenues to calculate net operating revenue (expense) for the year, which for 2014 represents net revenue of $44,893.

Specific notice should be made with respect to the ratio of Business Development costs (sales & marketing programs) to Hotel Room Tax revenue. The unique structure of Tourism Abbotsford provides the economy of scale for investments in sales and marketing activities to exceed annual tax revenue realized through the Municipal & Regional District Tax (MRDT). This ratio is one of the key performance indicators for the overall value of Tourism Abbotsford and is monitored closely when developing our operating budget and reviewing primary organizational performance.

Financial Statements for the year ending December 31, 2014 have been prepared for the Tourism Abbotsford Society (the Society) by the Financial Services & Accounting Department of the City of Abbotsford using generally accepted Canadian accounting principles (GAAP). The Financial Statements have been considered and approved by the Board of Directors and will be duly presented to our membership at the 2014 Annual General Meeting for acceptance into the official record of the Society. Given that the Financial Statements are prepared by an unbiased financial system (the City of Abbotsford) which is held to an extremely diligent fiscal standard (and is itself duly audited on an annual basis), the Society has deemed that a formal audit for the 2014 fiscal year is not required.

The Society Annual Report presents the Statement of Financial Position (or what is often referred to as a Balance Sheet) and the Statement of Operations (or what is often referred to as an Income Statement). Copies of the 2014 Financial Statements in their entirety are available upon written request to the Society.

Statement of Financial PositionThe Statement of Financial Position presents a sound fiscal position for the Society. The Society has a positive cash balance, but it should be noted that the Society is faced with two long term outstanding debts – these are the 36th Elders Gathering who owe $63,437 and the Jatana Family Wedding who owe $14,081.

9

FINANCIAL REPORT

$ 175,172 179,915 6,200 16,673 111,718

136,519 191,157

36,000 21,918 36,000

68,084

162,002

$ 307,720 169,860 20,097 32,666 65,408

180,668 208,188

58,695 44,612 58,695

44,893

206,895

ASSETS Current Cash Accounts Receivable Prepaid Expenses Inventories Due from City of Abbotsford

LIABILITIES Current Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities Customer Deposits

NEW ASSETS Internally restricted Business Development Reserve Tradex Operating Capital Reserve Operating Contingency Reserve

Unrestricted

10

$ 595,751 $ 489,678

388,856 327,676

$ 595,751 $ 489,678

Statement of Financial PositionAs at December 31, 2014, with comparative figures at December 31,2013

2014 2013

FINANCIAL REPORT

$ 247,144 216,412 496,525 765,671 103,412 252,718 506,852 389,245

221,659 818,147

816,771 276,796 317,931 317,486 141,105

$ 235,345 229,620 556,816 821,318 114,449 271,151 501,598 306,271

240,897 886,902

775,453 292,164 342,262 353,609 120,388

$ 240,200 255,450 518,458 738,167 129,169 266,552 533,665 262,294

238,613 739,523

825,513 276,468 365,150 330,670 138,300

REVENUES Hotel room Tax Visitor and Destination Services Rental Food and Beverage House Keeping Security Parking Other Revenue

VARIABLE OPERATING COSTS Food and Beverage Event Expenses

FACILITY COSTS Staffing General and Administrative Business Development Operations Utilities

11

Statement of Financial PositionAs at December 31, 2014, with comparative figures at December 31,2013

2,943,955 3,036,568 2,977,979

978,136 1,107,799 1,039,806

1,936,101 1,883,876 1,870,089

2014 BUDGET 2014 ACTUAL 2013

NET OPERATING REVENUE (EXPENSE) $ 29,718 $ 44,893 $ 68,084

CHANGE IN FUND BALANCES $ 29,718 $ 44,893 $ 68,084

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURESport HostingSport hosting was identified as one of the areas of focus when Tourism Abbotsford was established twelve years ago and has continued to demonstrate that it is a key driver of tourism revenue. Our mix of unique facilities and geographical location has made Abbotsford one of Canada’s most well recognized sport tourism destinations. An investment in annual events like the Run for Water has motivated overnight stays while increasing the profile of the community. And through support at the grass roots level of niche sports like wrestling, cyclo-cross, speedskating, pickleball, mountain biking etc, we believe there is an opportunity to develop a stable of regular occurring small to mid-size annual events that will act as the catalyst for long-term sport hosting growth.

Festivals and EventsAnother of Abbotsford’s core strengths as a community is the diversity of cultures that exist, and the ability to host large events such as Canada Day and the Abbotsford International Airshow. Every city has stories to tell and events play an important part in telling them.

The potential of an expanded offering at Tradex will remain a top priority because the hosting of more trade and consumer shows achieves our objectives of increasing demand for accommodation and generating incremental economic output. Meetings and ConferencesA diversity of venues, sound pricing and service strategies combined with location and a vibrant economy position Abbotsford as a niche Meeting and Conference destination. Tourism Abbotsford builds and maintains relationships with event planners, identifies the right “fit” for the community and facilitates a great experience for delegates and organizers when they arrive.

The local tourism economy is not reflective of traditional vacation destinations where visitors travel from a great distance and plan to stay for an extended period of time. To overcome the challenges that city destination marketing organization like ours are met with, Tourism Abbotsford works closely with our marketing partners, the board and the City of Abbotsford.

We understand that the majority of visitors to Abbotsford arrive here because their planned activity (conference, consumer show, sporting event, etc.) is taking place in Abbotsford or a neighbouring community. Our strategy has been designed to capitalize on these travel motivators through developing campaigns and tactics that generate incremental reasons for guests to visit Abbotsford, and make attempts to engage with the visitor along the way.

As we look towards the future, we believe there are significant opportunities for Abbotsford in tourism segments where Abbotsford possessed a competitive advantage or where future potential exists.

Leisure The leisure market for Abbotsford is primarily focused on demonstrating how Abbotsford compliments a broader British Columbia vacation, with particular attention paid to the visiting friends and relatives segment. In light of this, we will focus our attention on growing awareness amongst locals that what Abbotsford has to offer by way of Agritourism, culture and outdoor recreation is what is sought after by visitors. Through thoughtful and strategic planning we hope to develop engagement with residents and increase their familiarity with local experiences.

As part of this strategic planning, we will look for opportunities to support local attraction development including touring products of like-themed experiences (i.e. Circle Farm Tour). As Abbotsford grows and the economy becomes more robust, the development of engaging experiences will be of primary significance in ensuring long-term success. We are excited to be part of the growth of the destination in the years ahead, and look forward to helping Abbotsford share its’ stories.

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Tourism Abbotsford Society1190 Cornell Street Abbotsford, BC

V2T 6H5 604.859.17011.888.332.2229

[email protected] www.tourismabbotsford.ca

Produced on 10 April 2015 for the North Fraser Partnership by Vicinity Jobs Inc (www.vicinityjobs.com) All rights Reserved ©2015

MISSION HIRING DEMAND SUMMARY January – March 2015

Top 5 Employers**

Rank Employer Past 3 Months Past 12 Months # Postings % Share # Postings % Share

1 Loblaws 17 24.6% 51 16.7%

2 DISTRICT OF MISSION 6 8.7% 17 5.6%

3 INTERWRAP 5 7.2% 5 1.6%

4 VALLEY ACRYLIC BATH LTD 4 5.8% 17 5.6%

5 MONEY MART 4 5.8% 8 2.6%

** Includes postings from identified known employers only.

Top 5 Hiring Industries ** Full-Time vs Part-Time

** At 2-digit NAICS codes level, includes postings from identified known employers only.

Full-time vs Part-time by Occupational Category

Rank Industry Past 3

Months

Past 12

MonthsPostings % Postings %

1 44 - Retail Trade 31 39.7% 87 26.9%

2 32 - Manufacturing 10 12.8% 25 7.7%

3 52 - Finance and Insurance 10 12.8% 45 13.9%

4 48 - Transportation and Warehousing 6 7.7% 14 4.3%

5 91 - Public Administration 6 7.7% 17 5.2%

Postings % Postings %

Full-Time Positions 67 58.3% 262 49.8%

Part-Time Positions 17 14.8% 66 12.5%

Full-time or Part-

Time Positions

21 18.3% 56 10.6%

Not Specified 10 8.7% 142 27.0%

Total 115 526

Past 3 Months Past 12 Months

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Top 10 Occupations

Rank Occupation Postings Past Qtr

Postings Prev Qtr

% Change

1 6322 - Cooks 7 0 new

2 6552 - Other customer and information services

representatives 5 2 150.0%

3 6622 - Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers 5 4 25.0%

4 6622 - Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers 4 4 0.0%

5 6235 - Financial sales representatives 4 6 -33.3%

6 6411 - Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade

(non-technical) 3 0 new

7 6421 - Retail salespersons 3 2 50.0%

8 6541 - Security guards and related security service

occupations 3 0 new

9 6623 - Other sales related occupations 3 0 new

10 7621 - Public works and maintenance labourers 3 1 200.0%

% full-time % part-time % ft or pt % not specified # of Postings

0 - Management occupations 50.0% 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 8 -27.3%

1 - Business, finance and administration

occupations

40.0% 0.0% 40.0% 20.0% 10 0.0%

2 - Natural and applied sciences and related

occupations

100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2 -50.0%

3 - Health occupations 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1 -95.7%

4 - Occupations in education, law and social,

community and government services

60.0% 20.0% 20.0% 0.0% 5 -28.6%

6 - Sales and service occupations 61.4% 15.9% 18.2% 4.5% 44 2100.0%

7 - Trades, transport and equipment operators 90.9% 9.1% 0.0% 0.0% 11 -60.7%

8 - Natural resources, agriculture and related

production occupations

75.0% 25.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4 -42.9%

9 - Occupations in manufacturing and utilities 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5 150.0%

Other / Unidentified 36.0% 24.0% 32.0% 8.0% 25 316.7%

NOC Current Quarter % change

vs. prev. qtr

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