Member News January 26, 2023

2022 in the Rearview Mirror The good, the bad and the ugly of 2022 is in the books. We saw the end of lockdowns but a slowing of the economy, with a tougher than usual holiday retail season as people kept an eye on rising inflation and interest rates and curbed their spending. As slow as Q4 was, we were happy to finish the year with some wonderful Winterdown community events. Thank you to the sponsors, participating members and volunteers who helped make our first ever Winterdown program happen.

Hello 2023 We took a bit of a breather over the holidays but have now jumped right back into planning for the new year. At the recent board of management meeting (with input and recommendations from sub committees), all 2023 signature BIA events, dates and budgets have been approved!

This is the first time in 3 years we have been able to plan the year in advance and we are looking forward to sharing news about 2023 plans very soon to help you integrate BIA activities with your own marketing plans! Download key dates for BIA 2023 events here... with more details to follow shortly. Stay tuned!

Your Feedback is Needed Workforce Planning Hamilton (WPH) in partnership with the City of Hamilton's Economic Development Office has launched their 2023 Hamilton EmployerOne Survey. The survey aims to create an updated snapshot of Hamilton's business and employer needs and to discover insights into how WPH and the City can continue to move our economy forward. This is even more important at a time when recruitment and retention of talent is at the forefront for many of our businesses. Please use this link to complete the survey. There are 30 questions and it will take about 15 minutes to complete. Findings will be published in aggregated form only to maintain the confidentiality of survey respondents.

$2,500 Transformation Grants Available The Digital Transformation Grant application portal has reopened for eligible brick-and-mortar small business to apply. The Digital Main Street program provides assessments, online training and $2,500 grants for small businesses to implement a digital transformation plan. If you received a DMS grant between July 2021 and March 2022 you are not eligible to apply in this round. However, previous recipients who received grants prior to June 30, 2021, may apply again. The application portal will remain open until September 30, 2023, or until the grant funds are exhausted. More information and apply here.

Vendor Applications for the 2023 Waterdown Farmers' Market Are Open! We're looking beyond today's snow and forward to another great Farmers' Market starting May 27. Whether you're a BIA business interested in booking the sponsor tent (FREE for BIA members), applying as a vendor, running a kids' activity, sponsoring a growing season or know a farmer you think would be a great fit for our Market - we want to hear from you. Check out waterdownfarmersmarket.ca for policies and application details.

Looking for a New Marketing Plan? Or an Update to an Existing Plan? Consider working with third-year marketing students from McMaster University who are available to work with local businesses to develop a marketing plan at no cost. During a 3-month period, student teams will work hard to understand the business they are working with and produce a complete plan for a problem or opportunity the business is investigating based on thorough research. Learn more here. If you have questions or would like to connect, please reach out directly to Sidney Claerbout at the DeGroote School of Business, at claerbos@mcmaster.ca , (519) 830-8424.

REMINDER BIA Boardroom Available for BIA Member Use at No Cost It's been great to see Birmingham Consulting, Re/Max SMART Realty, Watzin's Veterinary Clinic and EPICare Medical recently make use of the BIA office facilities. The boardroom comfortably fits 10 and virtual guests can also join in. The Boardroom is available during regular business hours and is booked on a first come, first serve basis. Contact susan@waterdownvillage.ca to book.

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Waterdown Village Business Improvement Area