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HomeMy WebLinkAboutADMIN-07-99 THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON REPORT Meeting: File# �' Date: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Res.# Report#: MARCH 1, 'I99P1e#: By-Law# Subject: ADMIN-07-99 MARKETING, TOURISM & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE STATUS REPORT Recommendations: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report #ADMIN-07-99 be received for information. 1.0 BACKGROUND: 1.1 Over the past 3.5 years the Marketing, Tourism & Economic Development Office has experienced unprecedented growth and development. The mandate of this Department is to promote the Municipality of Clarington to individuals, organizations and businesses inside and outside of our boundaries. This report updates Members of Council and the community by providing information regarding the activities and projects of the Marketing, Tourism & Economic Development Office (MTED) over the past 6 months. 1.2 For clarity and brevity, this report will be in an abbreviated format so as to provide all readers with as much information and detail with as few words as possible. 2.0 ADVERTISING: 2.1 As a business location -Advertisements have run in 1 Canadian (Trade & Commerce), and 4 US based magazines in 1998 (US Sites & Development; Area Development; Plants, Sites & Parks; and, Expansion Management ). These publications are sent to industry decision-makers and site location firms in both Canada and the United States In 1998, these advertisements generated more /2 1 '201 REPORT ADMIN-07-99 -2- MARCH 1, 1999 than 70 leads from businesses interested in getting more information about Clarington. Each lead was sent printed material (e.g. Community Profile, Visitor Guides & Maps, general promotional brochure) to introduce Clarington further and to give the reader a sense of all the opportunities available in this community. Second, prioritized leads were contacted by telephone to ensure that the material sent had been received and to determine if there was anything further that the MTED office could provide to assist with the decision process. 2.2 As a tourism destination - Focused tourism advertisements were placed in the 1998 and 1999 Durham Region's Visitors Guide, Group Tour - Great Lakes Edition magazine, Discover Durham (Metroland Special insert); Durham Countryside Adventure brochure; Durham Central Agricultural Fair program; Globe & Mail's Discover Ontario & Quebec travel insert. Some of the placed ads are done in cooperation with other partners. The ads placed in the Group Tour - Great Lakes Edition magazine have been done in cooperation with Tourism Durham. A local advertising cooperative ad was placed in a special Discover Durham insert that was produced by the Metroland Publishing Group (the Clarington ad occupied the centrefold area of this publication). The advertising placed in the Group Tour magazine has resulted in over 100 leads to travel consultants, tour groups and individuals in the United States who read our ads and requested a copy of the Visitors Guide. The majority of these leads were followed up either by telephone or by letter. 3.0 CLARINGTON COMMUNITY PROFILE: 3.1 The MTED office is responsible for a number of print productions - both annual and non-annual. The Clarington Community Profile is a 20-page full colour print production that provides statistic and demographic information regarding the Municipality of Clarington. This project was 7 months from collection of information to project completion in December 1998. Information presented was collected from various sources including: Region of Durham, Clarington Planning & Development Department, Enbridge Consumers Gas and Statistics Canada. A total of 5,000 copies have been printed with a significant number having already been sent to advertising leads and local businesses. This document is a .J3 1202 REPORT ADMIN-07-99 -3- MARCH 1, 1999 strong source of information for existing and potential business clients to use to facilitate their decision-making process. 3.2 Since the majority of the provided information is provided by the statistics collected by StatsCan every 5 years, the new Community Profile will have a shelf-life of 3 years since the year 2001 is the next (scheduled) Census year. Local statistics (such as housing starts, building permit activity, tax information) will be updated on an annual basis - through the in-house publication "Clarington Facts" and on the Municipality's web site. 3.3 The new Community Profile features many of the pictures submitted in the "A Day in the Life of Clarington" photo contest held during the 1998 summer. This has provided the benefit of providing a local "picture" of how our residents and visitors see our Municipality. 4.0 1999 VISITORS GUIDE: 4.1 The Clarington Visitors Guide was first printed in 1996 and, since that time, has grown in popularity and readership. The positive response to the Visitors Guide in previous publications, resulted in the production of 50,000 copies of the 1999 edition. Other changes to the Guide included minor format changes and, more significantly, a higher quality of paper. This annual production is supported, in part, through paid advertising from our local tourism partners. In 1999, more than 50% of the total production cost was paid through the sale of advertising. 4.2 The Guide is distributed throughout the Province of Ontario (in local tourism offices as well as Ontario Tourism locations). Copies are also sent "south of the border" into northern New York State with new points of distribution being confirmed in the States of Michigan and Ohio. All local partners receive copies of the Guide for distribution from their locations. Operations, such as the Information Centre at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, Darlington Provincial Park, Mosport, Bowmanville Zoological Park and Orono Jungle Cat World, are key partners in the local distribution of this document. Other government departments (e.g. Durham Region Economic Development & Tourism, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Trade & Tourism) and regional tourism/information offices (Oshawa Chamber of Commerce's Tourism /4 1 '2u3 REPORT A D M II N-0 7-9 9 -4- MARCH 1, 1999 Office, Oshawa Centre's Information Kiosk and the Whitby Information Office) are sent copies of the Guide for distribution from their locations. 5.0 COMMUNITY ACTIVITY GUIDE: 5.1 The Community Guide is produced twice annually (Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer) to provide information to residents regarding the services, facilities and programs provided by the Municipality of Clarington. Much of this document is dedicated to the programs and services provided by the Community Services Department. 5.2 The Spring/Summer 1999 edition is currently in the final stages of production and should be available for household delivery prior to the March Break. Just as the Municipality of Clarington has grown, so has the size of the Community Guide. This is probably one of the best read documents produced by the Municipality and is usually kept for the entire duration of its estimated shelf life (i.e. 6 months). In preparing this current edition we need to increase the number of pages from the traditional 56 pages to a total of 64 pages (not including the covers). This was to accommodate new submissions from municipal departments including Planning & Development and Community Services. This publication has become a favourite advertising opportunity for a number of our local businesses. To accommodate the space requests (which are limited so as not to change the focus of the publication) MTED authorized the inclusion of 4 additional full-colour process pages for advertisements. 5.3 In the past, changes as noted here would not have been feasible, as they increase the overall cost of the Guide's production proportionately. In past productions, the Municipality was guaranteed maximum advertising revenue, which was used to reduce the project's printing expense. By retaining the responsibility of selling advertising space (and thus receiving the full benefit of the advertising revenue), the advertising revenue has more than doubled for this publication alone. This is used to pay for the increased number of pages and colour process in addition to reducing the cost of production. The Fall/Winter edition will begin production mid-May with the household distribution being in early August. ../5 REPORT ADNHN-07-99 -5- MARCH 1, 1999 6.0 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: 6.1 Since becoming responsible for the function of business development, much effort has been made to establish strong communication linkages with the Clarington business community. This activity has many roles but the primary one has been to work with businesses who are already operating in Clarington. In many ways, existing businesses are the key players in promoting this Municipality to new business clients. Equipping the business community with a working knowledge of the available municipal service results in the long-term effect of creating a larger "sales force". This sales force works with representatives of the Municipality to encourage new businesses to relocate or expand into this community. This is a basic tenant of the proposed agreement with the Clarington Board of Trade. 6.2 As of January 21, 1999, the Clarington Board of Trade is officially incorporated as a business entity. The draft agreement between the Municipality and the Board of Trade has been forwarded to the Directors of the Board for review. The agreement details the terms and conditions governing the operation of the Board as provided for in Report ADMIN-56-97. Once the Board has completed its review, the Agreement will be brought forward to Council for review and execution. 6.3 An important function of the Marketing, Tourism & Economic Development Office is to help individuals find their way through the process of starting their own business. In doing this, the Marketing, Tourism & Economic Development Office teams up with other municipal departments (specifically the Planning & Development Department) to ensure that the client has all the necessary information to base their future decisions. The Planning & Development Department has been a strong process partner dealing with questions of permissible uses and zoning requirements. In working with new clients referrals to other organizations, agencies and levels of Government. For example, inquiries are often referred to the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations, the Better Business Bureau, the Durham Region Health Unit and the Durham Region Economic Development Department. In some cases, MTED /6 120 REPORT ADMIN-07-99 -6- MARCH 1, 1999 staff make the inquiry on behalf of the client while in others, the client makes the direct contact. The intent of the information referral process is to assist the client to identify the resources that are needed to assure "start-up" success. 6.4 Quite often, a potential client or site locator asks about incentives that the Municipality provides to businesses relocating to this community. Although tax incentives/deferrals are not possible, other initiatives could be investigated and developed. To establish a plan for this an in-house study could be undertaken to determine what other municipalities and communities do to attract business. This information would form the basis of a proposal brought forward for Council's consideration. 7.0 www.municipality.clarington.on.ca: 7.1 The Municipality of Clarington is promoted online through a comprehensive information web site since September 1996. Since its inception, the web site has experienced an ongoing growth of online readership. YEAR 1998 1997 1996* ANNUAL VISITORS 160,474 78,583 13,351 VISITS/DAY 441 216 108 % CHANGE 204.2 200.0 The 1996 data is from September 3, 1996 to December 31, 1996. If the trend for visits per day (108/day) is extrapolated for an entire year, site may have had as many as 39,420 during the January 1, 1996 to December 31, 1996 period. ../7 1 � J6 REPORT ADMIN-07-99 -7- MARCH 1, 1999 7.2 The following table identifies the most popular pages downloaded by site visitors. PAGE JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL Alphaindex.html 207 228 284 247 219 233 278 256 363 264 202 213 2,994 business/ecodev.html 50 44 52 61 207 business/factfig.html 46 69 75 60 81 68 123 103 68 66 759 commun/bowman.html 50 91 88 71 87 84 142 129 168 79 67 49 1,105 commun/commun.html 54 67 71 44 75 59 370 commun/courtice.html 41 52 54 54 53 70 27 351 commun/cprofile.html 89 109 131 121 97 140 122 84 184 140 97 99 1,413 council/townhall.html 107 91 82 67 63 71 74 41 124 81 41 63 905 dept/admin.html 37 33 52 64 40 33 45 35 92 73 43 44 591 dept/agenda.html 63 62 57 48 62 68 40 79 113 63 66 721 dept/deptindx.html 88 125 122 116 82 91 93 71 171 95 73 78 1,205 tourism/accom.html 43 40 35 30 46 45 75 50 24 388 tourism/events.html 53 65 75 53 50 69 68 68 144 66 51 57 819 tourism/rec.html 89 94 131 95 79 111 90 87 145 112 93 106 1,232 tourism/tourist.html 90 93 138 129 133 124 207 192 210 166 87 98 1,667 whatsnew.html 91 101 101 92 87 112 82 54 138 82 59 56 1,055 TOTALS 323 353 1,551 888 1,245 1,409 895 717 1,782 978 77T'718 15,782 7.3 The following chart provides a summary of visitors to the Clarington website from the first day of activation (September 3, 1996) to December 31, 1998 (data for January 1999 is also shown). Annual Web Site Statistics u) 2007000 .N _ 1007000 0 Commercial Education, Canada(.ca) (corn) Network, International Unresolved TOTAL Organizations ®1998 34,264 64,819 27,428 3,351 30,612 '50,474 x1997 23,797 23,020 14,063 2,077 15,896 78,853 E]1996 4,688 3,906 1580 134 2,843 13,151 1999 3,333 8,454 2,862 421 2,835 17,905 Originating Domain REPORT ADMIN-07-99 -8- MARCH 1, 1999 7.4 Updating the Clarington web site is an ongoing activity to ensure that the data and information provided is current and accurate. In the past year new pages (such as the Council Agenda, Vendor Application - an interactive form filled out on the web site - Employment Opportunities) have been added to the site. Linkages need to be implemented that will take a visitor from our front cover to the page of interest directly. This redesign is to be completed before the end of May. 8.0 TOURISM: 8.1 More than 1 million people visited Clarington tourism attractions and sites in 1998. The most frequently visited sites include: Archibald Orchards & Estate Winery; Bowmanville Zoo; Courtice Flea Market; Darlington Nuclear Generating Station (Information Centre); Darlington Provincial Park; Empire Orchards & Herb Farm; Jungle Cat World; and, Mosport Park. Detailed information on Clarington's Tourism Profile is available in the Community Profile publication. 8.2 The new Tourism Office opened in August 1997. Since that time, more than 20,000 visitors have attended to office to collect information and ask questions about the tourism opportunities available in this Clarington. Although material from other tourism locations is available, the priority is to promote Clarington tourism. The Office is open full-time (7 days per week) from May 1 st to the Thanksgiving weekend in October. In the "off-season" (i.e. Mid-October to the end of April) the Office operates on reduced hours (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays). 8.3 The Clarington Tourism Partnership is a new initiative that intends to improve communications and networking between the Municipality and our tourism operators and between the operators themselves. This informal committee meets every two months to discuss issues and activities that have the potential to impact their operations. Recent meetings have included discussions on the Municipality's Sign By-law and the Canadian Tourism Oriented Directional Signage (TODS) program. The TODS meeting was attended by John O'Toole, M.P.P. and Linda Zeisner, (representing the Ministry of Economic Development, ../9 REPORT ADMIN-07-99 -9- MARCH 1, 1999 Trade and Tourism) to hear the concerns of the Clarington Tourism Partnership. Future meetings will focus on co-operative promotional and learning opportunities. 9.0 CLARINGTON'S 25TH: 9.1 This milestone in the growth and development of the Municipality of Clarington is being celebrated throughout the year. The overall plan is to incorporate working with community organizations to develop a plan whereby the Municipality and the organization may collaborate. Some projects have been initiated and there will further detail provided on the others once the plans have been established. The projects started include: • The newly designed Municipal Flag has been received and a supply is on hand in the MTED Office. The flag is being unveiled at the General Purpose and Administration Committee Meeting • A Writing Challenge for youth, 8 to 18 years of age has been announced and is a joint venture with the Clarington Public Library. The deadline for submission is mid-March. • A special Video Contest is planned through which amateur "videog rap hers" will be invited to submit videotapes highlighting various aspects of living and visiting the Municipality of Clarington. Specific details are not available at this time but will be provided to Members of Council by the end of March. The process will be quite similar to the "Day in the Life" Photo Contest which was hosted during the summer of 1998. A special event or screening of submitted videotapes is planned for this fall (1999). • "Day in the Life of Clarington" Photo Contest held last summer resulted in over 80 photographs being submitted. Many of these have been incorporated into a number of Clarington publications including the Community Profile and the Clarington Visitors Guide (1999 edition). Submitted photos are also planned for inclusion in the new "Clarington Today" newsletter and on the Municipality's web site. 9.2 A special event to celebrate the anniversary of Clarington is planned for August of this year. This event is envisioned as a family event and will highlight the opportunities and lifestyle that is unique to Clarington. Local entertainment and community participation will be the foundation of this event. A detailed report will be submitted to Council for review and consideration at a subsequent General Purpose & Administration Committee Meeting in early April. ../10 1 � rl 9 REPORT ADMIN-07-99 _ 10- MARCH 1, 1999 10.0 SPECIAL PROJECTS: 10.1 The Marketing, Tourism & Economic Development Office is a "corporate" operation as it has worked with various municipal Departments on special projects and events. This Office also works with a number of external organizations and agencies. The focus in this effort is to establish and maintain a consistent and professional image of the Municipality of Clarington. Special projects range from print publications to actual events. The following lists some of the special projects that have either been completed or are in process. • Durham 2000 Games Media Relations Plan -submitted in partnership with the Community Services Department for inclusion in the Durham Region's (successful) proposal for hosting the Provincial Summer Games. • Volunteer Recognition Program - in partnership with the Clerk's Department and Clarington Council. The program is scheduled for Thursday April 22, 1999 at the Clarington Beech Centre. This event focuses on and recognizes the many contributions that Clarington's volunteer community makes to our community life. • The "Clarington Today" newsletter is in the process of conceptual design. This project, suggested by the Chief Administrative Officer, will not duplicate information or articles that can be read in local and/or regional publications. The newsletter will focus on the Municipality of Clarington and will help us keep our community (both business and residential) advised and informed on issues and activities that may have an impact to them. Regular features are planned and could include (but are not necessarily limited to): Clarington at the Greater Toronto Services Board (GTSB); Department Highlights; Special Projects (e.g. the Y2K Committee); Tourism; and, Municipal Events. At this time, it is thought that the publication will be produced two or three times per year and will be distributed to all Clarington households. The first issue is planned for release in late May. Before this, Council will receive a detailed report providing information on the editorial process and overall focus of this publication. 11.0 COMMITTEES: 11.1 The Marketing, &Tourism Officer is the municipal liaison to a number of committees both local and regional. These include: • Clarington Business Group • Clarington Board of Trade • Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership - GTA Committee • Durham Countryside Adventure ../11 1210 REPORT ADMIN-07-99 - 11 - MARCH 1, 1999 • Taste of Clarington • Durham Region Economic Development Liaison • Tourist Association of Durham Region (TADR) • Durham Region Film Commission • Clarington Tourism Partnership 12.0 CONCLUSION: 12.1 The purpose of this report is to provide Members of Council a status updated with respect to the activities and projects undertaken by the Marketing, Tourism & Economic Development Office. It is staffs intention to provide such information reports on a regular basis. Respectfully submitted, Reviewed by, Je ifer;