HALDIMAND COUNTY OBJECTIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: BACKGROUND:

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1 HALDIMAND COUNTY Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan For Consideration By Council in Committee on January 17, 2017 OBJECTIVE: To request Council s approval of the new Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and to present to Council the proposed 5 year implementation/action plan. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. THAT Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan be received; 2. AND THAT the draft Economic Development Strategy, included as Attachment #1 to Report PED- EDT , be approved in principle; 3. AND THAT the draft Tourism Development Strategy, included as Attachment #2 to Report PED- EDT , be approved in principle; 4. AND THAT new initiatives associated with the Economic Development and Tourism Strategies be brought forward for Council s consideration during the applicable annual tax supported budget deliberations. Prepared by: Lidy Romanuk, B.A., EcD, CEcD. Manager of Economic Development and Tourism Respectfully submitted: Craig Manley, MCIP, RPP, General Manager of Planning and Economic Development Approved: Karen General, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This report is to provide a summary of the key priorities and action items contained within the draft Economic Development and Tourism Strategies. The proposed draft 5 year implementation plan has also been attached as information and will be used as a resource for the development of annual work plans. BACKGROUND: Shortly after the last municipal election the current Council undertook a strategic planning exercise to establish key Term of Council priorities. One of the highest rated and most consistent discussion items was to continue with, grow and improve the County s economic development efforts. In order to provide a common perspective on what this objective would entail and how it would be implemented, Council identified the need to undertake an Economic Development and Tourism Strategic Plan developed with the input of Council, staff, business stakeholders and other organizations undertaking economic development work in the County. Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan Page 1 of 10

2 As an initial step, Council and Economic Development and Tourism staff participated in a workshop in February 2016 to review and discuss current efforts and focus areas for economic development, its organizational structure, partners the County works with and a high level assessment of opportunities to improve, as follows: 1. Creation of a more proactive business attraction strategy; 2. More effectively integrating Council and the business community into economic development efforts/activities; and 3. Strategic tourism marketing and development. On May 2, 2016, as part of the Operating Budget ratification, Council approved the funding resources for this initiative and also the scope of the initiative as follows: Scope of Work to include: 1. A High Level Service Review of the Economic Development and Tourism function in terms of current work priorities, methods, resources, organizational structure and processes, and the alignment to efforts conducted by other economic development agencies. 2. Development of a concise, pragmatic and immediately implementable Economic Development and Tourism Strategic Plan to include a detailed 5 year business plan to help guide County activities, resources and investments. 3. Establishment of a Governance Structure that will involve both members of Council and the business community in more direct oversight of the Economic Development and Tourism function. Subsequently, a competitive bidding process was completed and the Steering Committee approved by Council selected McSweeney and Associates of Ottawa to undertake the work. This firm has significant experience across Canada including in southwestern Ontario and with municipalities comparable to Haldimand County. On September 13, 2016, Eric McSweeney of McSweeney and Associates made a presentation to Council on their analysis, and recommendations associated with the High Level Service Review. In addition, Council received a staff memorandum PED-GM-M Economic Development & Tourism Strategy Phase 1 Consultant Report High Level Service Review Results as information. The key conclusions presented by McSweeney were that the County had appropriately skilled staff resources and were doing a variety of positive initiatives to promote business growth, but were not doing so in a focused manner. It suggested that some current responsibilities not directly aligned with this key objective be devolved, and that the forthcoming strategies should be used to ensure the Divisional resources are used as effectively as possible. Following the presentation of the high level service review to Council, McSweeney and Associates initiated the background work for the development of the Economic Development strategic planning which included: A review of Haldimand County s economic development strategic reports/studies. A detailed review of statistics and data analysis. A review of Haldimand County s competitiveness in investment attraction, foreign direct investment, industrial land development. A review of the existing business visitation program. Engaging in a comprehensive consultation program with over 130 stakeholders that consisted of: o A review of the 2015 Haldimand County Business Survey. o One-on-one interviews. Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan Page 2 of 10

3 o An online survey. o Several focus groups with business owners, elected officials, staff and economic development stakeholders and support agencies. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the final draft Economic Development Strategy and the Tourism Strategic Plan to Council and to recommend, in principle, the key priorities to be implemented over the next five years to Twenty31 Consulting was subcontracted by McSweeney and Associates to lead the development of the Tourism Strategy and implementation plan. The Tourism Strategy (Attachment 2) is a separate document from the Economic Development Strategy (Attachment 1). An overview of the final draft Tourism Strategy is also included as part of this report to Council. ANALYSIS: Overview and Key Priorities of the Economic Development Strategy Based on the input from key stakeholders, Council and staff and information gathered from the situational analysis (statistical data), it was identified that some great strides in economic development and tourism have been achieved over the past few years. The information also identified the critical key challenges that are having an impact on successful economic development activity as follows: 1. Current gaps in Haldimand County s economic environment and specifically: a. Lack of shovel ready employment lands and industrial buildings. b. Shortage of labour (skilled and unskilled). c. Inconsistent broadband. d. Perception that Haldimand County is a risky investment environment. 2. Weaknesses in Haldimand County s ability to support business growth, retention and attraction: a. A need for a detailed listing of shovel ready industrial land and buildings. b. Immediate access to key economic data and profile. c. A stand-alone economic development website. d. Economic development and investment readiness training for Staff, Council and Community Stakeholders. A number of key building blocks were identified within the draft strategy to ensure some basic requirements are in place to refocus the County s economic development efforts, to address as much as possible these issues, and thus, to improve the chances for economic development success. Overall, the Economic Development Strategic Plan is focused on the following: o Improving Haldimand County economic development and capacity to support business growth. o Refocusing to get Haldimand County s economic development house in order. The following is a brief overview of the key themes and priorities that are presented in the attached draft Economic Development Strategy (Attachment 1). Theme # 1. Becoming Investment Ready To be truly investment ready and competitive in today s business environment, Haldimand County needs to be able to respond to investment inquiries almost immediately by ensuring key information is easily accessible. o Gathering the basic required information to respond to investment inquiries. o Preparing to be investment ready. Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan Page 3 of 10

4 o Gathering the needed intelligence about Haldimand s business community. o Developing Haldimand County as an investment product. o Exposing Haldimand County to a world of investors. Budget for and purchase of key data annually and ensure it is presented in a format that is easy to review and obtain (online). Investing in Economic Development Training 101 for Council, Key Staff and Community Members. Continuing and enhancing the existing Business Retention and Expansion Program, targeting businesses positioned for growth and key sectors such as Manufacturing, Tourism and Agriculture. Working with key community partners including real estate professionals and developers to develop an online inventory of available land and buildings. Developing a new Economic Development website to showcase Haldimand County as a place to invest. Completing an investment ready assessment and investment land strategy and developing strategically located investment land product to be able to market. Theme # 2. Ensuring Haldimand County is a Great Place to Invest and to do Business There is a need to continue to create an environment that supports business growth and development. This will require continued efforts to align all staff across the Corporation, Council and in the community to work together to ensure Haldimand County has a business friendly environment and that this information is disseminated widely. o Continuous review of Haldimand County s business friendliness with respect to policies, processes and practices. o Developing the right partnerships with Haldimand County s business community. o Taking a coordinated approach to business development and ensuring that we are working closely with our partners including the local Chambers, Grand Erie Business Centre, Small Business Enterprise Centres, as well as neighbouring municipalities, etc. o Recognition of the importance of Haldimand County s businesses. Undertake a leading practices review of all County policies and procedures that may affect business development and growth. This will include a review of specific policies such as any related financial policies, the land sales process, infrastructure standards, as well as, an ongoing benchmarking of the development review and permitting process, agriculture and home-based business policies and, comparing these against similar sized or neighbouring communities to ensure Haldimand County s policies remain competitive. This will also include a regular review of key infrastructure such as water and wastewater capacity to ensure new development can be accommodated in priority areas. Continue with the implementation of Haldimand County s Community Improvement Plan programs and explore the benefits of expanding the geographic catchment areas. Work closely with local Chambers and other community organizations to promote joint marketing and business awareness programs to the entire County. Partner with the existing Small Business Enterprise Centres to expand services within Haldimand County and seeking support from the Province to facilitate this. Continue to pursue opportunities to support the Grand Erie Business Centre including co-location within County facilities and sharing support resources. Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan Page 4 of 10

5 Continue to promote and highlight business success through Haldimand County s Business Excellence Awards. Theme # 3. Creating a Unique Haldimand County Economic Development Identity During consultations with local stakeholders and business owners it became evident that Haldimand County lacks a clear identity both internally and externally. One of the key actions will be facilitating a brand development exercise that will address what makes Haldimand County unique, what is our value proposition and why businesses and residents should invest, live and do business in the County. o Creating the Why Invest in Haldimand County. o Using the Why Invest to create a new economic development identity. o Rejuvenate Haldimand s investment attraction efforts. o Begin telling foreign investors about Haldimand County. Create Haldimand County s Economic Development Value Proposition using key information from situational analysis. Undertake a branding exercise specific for Haldimand County s Economic Development identity. Using the information gathered in the Economic Development Branding Exercise to complete a new brand for Haldimand County. Development of a marketing plan to promote Haldimand County s new brand and value proposition. Work closely with Ontario s in-market network and investment attraction team to educate and support them in promoting Haldimand County as an ideal investment location. Establish a limited Foreign Direct Investment Program to market Haldimand County to potential investment opportunities. Theme # 4. Building Stronger Economic Development Partnerships The Economic Development and Tourism Division cannot do it alone. Economic Development is a corporate wide and community wide activity. We want to ensure the business community continues to stay actively engaged and that we receive input, direction and support from our key community partners. o Engaging Haldimand County s business community as partners in economic development. o Strengthening economic development partnerships with neighbouring communities. o Continue as the lead Tourism Destination Marketing Organization for Haldimand County. o Aligning economic development efforts with regional partners. Establish an Economic Development Advisory Committee that will include members from Council, the business community and other economic development stakeholders that will provide leadership, guidance and support for Haldimand County s Economic Development Program and will help develop an annual work program. Engage community groups, businesses and residents to participate and define a new visual identity for Haldimand County. Partner with the Chambers of Commerce and other stakeholders to create a Haldimand County Ambassadors program. Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan Page 5 of 10

6 Work with neighbouring communities to build working relationships and seek out joint economic development initiatives. Continue as the Tourism Destination Marketing Organization for Haldimand County through the implementation of the Tourism Strategy. Continue to build partnerships with key partner organizations such as Workforce Planning, Grand Erie Business Centre, etc. Theme # 5. Building a more Unified Haldimand County This theme is really looking at opportunities to take a more cohesive approach and creating a more unified community. Many residents do not currently identify with Haldimand County. o Creating a unified Haldimand County. o Addressing youth engagement in economic development and youth employment. Undertaking a County-based Community Strategy aimed at creating a greater sense of unity and sense of place. Addressing Haldimand County s aging demographic profile by implementing programs that will engage local youth and encourage them to stay in Haldimand County. Overview and Key Priorities of Tourism Strategy The Tourism Strategy was initiated in much the same way as the Economic Development Strategy and included a review of key studies and statistics, site tours and outreach to a number of key stakeholders. The draft Tourism Strategy is included as (Attachment 2). Through the background research the following key issues were identified related to tourism. o Not currently capitalizing on easy wins and biggest strengths which is the Grand River and Lake Erie waterfront. o Limited wayfinding and signage directing visitors within Haldimand County. o Lack of market ready product and experiences. o Lack of defined brand and coordinated marketing. o Secondary focus for tourism leadership and delivery and the need for increased engagement with tourism operators. o No clear tourism vision/brand for Haldimand County. o Limited commercial roofed accommodation. Pillar # 1. Tourism Leadership & Resourcing There is a direct correlation between providing clear and direct tourism leadership and realizing upward growth in tourism. The tourism sector in Haldimand County will benefit from having a central organizer and advocate that is strategic in its approach and overall vision. The County is the only organization within the municipal boundaries that has the capacity to take on the role as the Destination Management Organization (DMO) which unofficially has been done for many years now. The actions included below are a more formal recognition of these ongoing activities under the Tourism Haldimand brand. Furthermore, there is a need to improve communication and participation between Tourism Haldimand and our tourism partners, engage and encourage their participation and input in the yearly tourism marketing plan and collaboration of key initiatives. Increased communication will take place through a number of outreach activities including the establishment of the Tourism Advisory Board and the development of an annual Stakeholder Communications Plan. Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan Page 6 of 10

7 Pillar # 2. o Design and set up of Tourism Haldimand as a Destination Management Organization within the Economic Development and Tourism Division to provide a formal vehicle to advocate and market tourism in the County. o Outline the governance structure of Tourism Haldimand including formalizing an industry/county advisory board. o Build a simple Stakeholder Communications Plan for Haldimand s Tourism industry. o Implement a system to collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative metrics on Haldimand s tourism industry and impact. o Identify a budget for Tourism Haldimand focused on product development and marketing/promotion and vet these annual plans through our tourism industry partners. Ensure staff resources are available to facilitate Tourism activities. Develop and articulate the Vision and Mission for Tourism Haldimand. Develop and formalize a communications plan for Tourism Haldimand to industry stakeholders and partners. Develop a Terms of Reference and establish a Tourism Advisory Board (possibly a sub-committee of the Economic Development Advisory Board). Update and regularly maintain a database of all travel and tourism stakeholders and partners. Develop an annual Stakeholder Communications Plan including themes and topics. Develop a template for a regular industry outreach newsletter and other digital platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In to communicate with partners. Develop an annual meeting and thematic schedule for the Tourism Network quarterly meetings. Develop an industry survey and communicate out to key industry stakeholders to encourage the collection of statistics on an annual basis. Investigate funding opportunities to hire summer students to conduct consumer facing surveys at high traffic points throughout the key tourism season. Development of a budget for Tourism Haldimand for a) marketing, promotion and branding; and b) product development. Infrastructure & Support Investing in infrastructure and creating an environment that encourages the development of new and existing demand generators is imperative to grow tourism in Haldimand County. o Actively review existing assets (public and private) and look for opportunities to further develop the Grand River and Lake Erie Waterfront, specifically for tourism development and as the County s main and central demand generator. o Improve Signage and Wayfinding to encourage greater dispersal within the County. o Phase out the County funding for the current visitor information centres and improve the quality and access to tourism information via digital channels and a seasonal guide. Complete a water system development study to include a review of existing studies, as well as stakeholder engagements (i.e. conservation authorities, etc.). The outcome will determine how Haldimand s water system can be developed into the County s main demand generator for tourism. Development of a Tourism Signage Team to review existing inventory and development of a consistent design requirements for all County Signage and the creation of an ongoing signage budget. Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan Page 7 of 10

8 Pillar # 3. Pillar # 4. Phase out the County s funding (provided to the local business associations) for the current visitor/tourism information centres and implement improved access to tourism information via digital channels and an updated seasonal guide. Product Development Research unveiled a clear lack of tourism product/experiences that position Haldimand as the ideal place for exploring all that the Grand River and Lake Erie waterfront region has to offer. It s essential for the County to help create Haldimand tourism products visitors can buy. Budget, resources and the fact that destinations known for one or two things stand-out far stronger than those which try to be everything for everyone, means that the County needs to prioritize what product categories it should focus on. The recommended tourism product that should be the key areas of focus include: The Grand River and Lake Erie Waterfront and Boating. Touring Tourism cycling, motorcycling etc. History and Culture Tourism. Festival & Events. o Support the County businesses to participate in tourism product development. o Create Grand River and Lake Erie waterfront activities that are compelling for tourists. o Expand existing Touring (i.e. County discovery) tourism activities to encourage further exploration of the County. o Build History and Culture experiences that draw visitors to Haldimand County. o Build Festivals and Events packages that encourage visitors to stay a few more hours in Haldimand County. Identify and invite Ontario Travel Trade, packaging and itinerary experts to participate at the Tourism Network quarterly meetings as guest speakers. Develop market ready guidelines for tourism stakeholders specific to Haldimand County. With the support of the Regional Tourism Organization (RTO) implement product/packaging workshops ensuring effective industry participation. Conduct a review of Haldimand County s current waterfront policies to ensure they allow for local businesses to service potential tourists via a venue, providing activities, food and events. Identify a list of potential industry operators open to pilot an itinerary and packaging program. Develop itineraries and packages and seek industry comment and buy-in and explore options for point-of-sale. Promote the packages on a newly developed consumer facing website. Assess existing touring activities and those which could be converted to itineraries encouraging participants to engage in more than one activity and integrate a meal and/or night stay within the County. Develop a series of touring itineraries specific for cottagers and seasonal campers. Assess existing history and culture and festival and event activities and those which could be converted to itineraries to encourage participants to engage in more than one activity while visiting Haldimand County. Tourism Marketing and Communications Currently, there is limited marketing of Haldimand County both to prospective visitors and current cottagers and seasonal campers. The County needs to take charge in marketing itself directly. Another area of concern is that the County does not have a defined tourism Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan Page 8 of 10

9 brand, and the logo which is a visual representation of the Haldimand County municipal corporation is not necessarily effective for tourism marketing. o Undergo a Haldimand County Tourism brand positioning including the visual representation (logo, font, etc.) and brand promise. o Market Haldimand County as a tourism destination. Retain the services of an expert tourism brand facilitator to lead a tourism brand positioning exercise with staff, tourism partners and key community stakeholders including a multi-facilitated workshop. Using the outputs of the workshop to develop a brand tool-kit. Roll out a brand tool-kit to all tourism industry partners. Revamp the tourism section and assets on Haldimand County s main website with defined portals for the tourism industry and for visitors to the County. For the tourism industry portal include tools for stakeholders (i.e. an asset bank of written content and images), information on upcoming tourism events, tourism business information, a brand tool-kit, a product development tool-kit, tourism trends and resource section. For the visitors portal use simple and factual information on the County s key tourism product and experience offerings, including online versions of existing maps and guides, itineraries and packages with a clear call to action and how to book. Launch both sites via a communication campaign and actively manage on an ongoing basis ensuring updated content. Create a pro-active media engagement plan including targeting media based on prioritized product development themes and media utilized by Haldimand s audience targets. Explore the design and management of an active digital and social media marketing campaign governed by a thematic calendar and a content strategy including pushing content and courting media. Five Year Implementation Plan The key priorities and action items included in the attached draft economic development and tourism strategic plans are envisioned to be carried out over a five year period, depending on budget approval, staff capacity and other assigned priorities. The draft implementation plan (Attachment 3) has been included as information for Council s review. The draft implementation plan outlines the key actions for each pillar/theme and the estimated timeline that these projects will be carried out. As well, the lead, key partners and required resources have been identified. The implementation plan is considered a working document and will need to be flexible and fluctuate with changing priorities and opportunities which is why Council s approval is not being sought for this document. The timelines included within the implementation plan are ambitious and do not consider any challenges or obstacles that may be presented once the project/program is initiated. It is intended that the implementation plan will be used as a resource when Staff are developing their annual work programs. It is also important to realize that many of these items are not one-time projects but there will be ongoing human and financial resource requirements that will need to be considered relative to overall County needs/priorities through the budget processes. Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan Page 9 of 10

10 FINANCIAL/LEGAL IMPLICATIONS: The approval and implementation of both the Economic Development and Tourism Strategies will have ongoing operating budget requirements which may include the following: 1. Development of mini websites for Economic Development and Tourism (industry and visitors). 2. Investment in Business Retention and Expansion Software. 3. Development of a Community Profile and yearly purchase of key data. 4. Economic Development and Tourism Community Branding Exercise that may require outside expertise. 5. Investing in Economic Development Training for Council, Key Staff and Community Members. 6. Development of an online inventory of available land and buildings. 7. Completing an investment ready assessment and land strategy that may eventually include investment in industrial lands and key infrastructure. 8. Potential co-location of Grand Erie Business Centre within Haldimand County facilities. 9. Establishment of a limited Foreign Direct Investment Program and marketing plan to promote Haldimand County to potential investment opportunities. 10. Dedicated Tourism staff resources. 11. Increased annual Tourism Marketing ($50,000) and Product development operating budgets ($25,000). 12. Potential outside expertise to develop a specific implementation action plan to maximize the tourism potential of waterfront opportunities. 13. Increased Tourism Signage and development of an ongoing signage budget. 14. Workshops and professional development for businesses and tourism stakeholders to increase market potential and knowledge. All requests for an increase to the economic development and tourism budget will be presented for Council s approval through the annual budget review process. Any future costs will be ranked and evaluated against competing initiatives. Inclusion of new initiatives in the Tax Supported Operating Budget would result in a levy increase over and above the Council approved budget guidelines unless offsetting levy reductions are recommended to accommodate this program. REPORT IMPACTS: Agreement: No By-law: No Budget Amendment: No Policy: No ATTACHMENTS: 1. Draft Economic Development Strategy. 2. Draft Tourism Development Strategy. 3. Proposed Five Year Implementation Plan. Report PED-EDT Economic Development and Tourism Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan Page 10 of 10