Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey

Body: Council Type: Document Meeting: Committee Date: 2019 Collection: Agenda Attachments Municipality: Frontenac County

[View Document (PDF)](/docs/frontenac-county/Item Attachments/Agenda Item/2019/July/2019-076 Community Development Advisory Committee Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey/Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey.pdf)

Document Text

Report 2019-076 Committee Information Report To:

Chair and Members of the Community Development Advisory Committee

From:

Alison Vandervelde, Community Development Officer

Date of meeting:

July 11, 2019

Re:

Community Development Advisory Committee – Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey

Recommendation This report is for information only. It is intended to solicit advice from the Committee on the draft questions for the annual Frontenac Ambassador Program Survey. Background Since September 2016, the Frontenac Ambassador Network has grown to include 160 businesses and has been the driving force behind the successful implementation of the Frontenac regional brand. In 2017, the first annual Ambassador Survey was circulated to members to evaluate the program and to establish some guiding directions for the following year. The 2017 survey results helped staff develop five goals for the program, and the 2018 survey re-confirmed those goals:

1. Increase tourism by promoting Frontenac as a visitor destination to audiences outside the region.
2. Help local businesses achieve success by connecting them to resources they need.
3. Increase resident support of local businesses by developing and executing an innovative shop local campaign.
4. Improve the relationship between local municipalities and local businesses by focusing on improved communications.

5. Grow Frontenac’s reputation as a desirable place to do business by leveraging local business success stories. With ongoing Ambassador collaboration and support, staff continue to execute projects in alignment with these goals. We are seeing successes in: a. Well attended Ambassador networking events – on average, 55 people have attended these events held each spring and fall. b. Continued high open and click-through rates in email newsletters. Since January 1, 2019: i. Average Open Rate: 61.08% ii. Average Click-Through Rate: 11.52% c. Growth and evolution of the Frontenac merchandise program i. 2019: $2342 (Year to Date) ii. 2018: $7380 d. Continued interest in Frontenac Five e. Increased Frontenac social media presence: i. Facebook:

1. 3,501 likes; 3,679 followers
2. Last 28 days: 14,021 reach, 4,611 engagement, 62 new likes ii. Instagram:
3. 769 followers
4. June 27 – July 3, 2019: 76 Actions taken; 4,506 Impressions
5. #infrontenac hashtag: 12.3k posts f. Increased use of “Proudly Made in Frontenac” product tags. Tags have been distributed to more than 24 businesses, with others incorporating “Proudly Made #inFrontenac” directly on product labels g. Increase in participating locations for second year of Open Farms in Frontenac from seven to 10 (event date: September 8, 2019) h. Publication of first ever Frontenac Visitor Guide – with 29 ads and nine business listings sold, and nine editorial pieces contributed by Frontenac Ambassadors. Currently great interest in distributing the 12,500 copies across Frontenac and beyond. Information Report to Community Development Advisory Committee Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey July 11, 2019

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i.

Wolfe Island Farm Tour Event (coming October 2019)

j.

Royal Winter Fair – Spotlight on Local - seven local food producers have expressed interest in participating in this opportunity to sample and sell products within a Frontenac branded space at the 2019 Royal.

The Ambassador program has proven to be a powerful connection to the business community in Frontenac, resulting in efforts that are well aligned with the economic climate. We have also developed an effective system for gathering specific feedback from Ambassadors to inform projects in real time. Ambassadors continue to engage regularly in program initiatives and turn to Frontenac County staff as a resource for progressing their own projects. They refer other new businesses to the program as well, which continues to add value to the network and improves staff capacity to support new local businesses. Staff will continue to survey Ambassadors annually to ensure continued program success. To maintain a consistent reporting schedule, the survey will be open for responses during the month of September. Comment In both 2017 and 2018, the Frontenac Ambassador survey was open for feedback during the month of September, to coincide with the original launch of the program. This year the survey will be published for the month of November to align with a slower season for Frontenac businesses and staff, and to allow for a more fulsome snapshot of the calendar year. It is proposed that the survey be expanded to include a handful of more general questions, and open to all businesses in Frontenac, rather than just to Ambassadors. Using survey logic, respondents who identify as being Ambassadors would be directed to the full set of program-related questions. Respondents who identify as not already being Ambassadors would only answer the more general questions. Expanding the survey in this way provides us with better data about the economic climate in Frontenac and creates more awareness about the Ambassador program. Below are the draft questions for the 2019 Frontenac Ambassador survey. Staff are seeking input and advice from the committee in regard to the content of the questions. Strategic Priorities At its June meeting, County Council approved Frontenac County Strategic Plan 20192022: Priority 1: Get behind plans that build community vitality and resilience in times of growth and change.

Information Report to Community Development Advisory Committee Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey July 11, 2019

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The direction for development of operational plans associated with this priority indicates that the Ambassador program should continue to operate and grow during this term of Council. The Frontenac Ambassador program is an invaluable tool that guides the direction of our economic development efforts, ensuring the work we do aligns with the goals of the business community. The network’s desire for an increased focus on building tourism awareness continues to influence staff projects in that direction. The program fosters creative collaborations among businesses, which in turn strengthen the resilience of our communities. Financial Implications Costs for the Frontenac Ambassador program are included in the 2019 Operating Budget for Economic Development. Organizations, Departments and Individuals Consulted and/or Affected Members of Community Development Advisory Committee Frontenac County Council & staff Township of Frontenac Islands Township of South Frontenac Township of Central Frontenac Township of North Frontenac Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation Local Businesses Frontenac County Residents

Information Report to Community Development Advisory Committee Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey July 11, 2019

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Appendix A: Draft Questions for the 2019 Frontenac Ambassador Survey

1. Since September 2016, the Frontenac Ambassador Program has grown to include 160+ businesses and organizations. It has also driven a number of specific initiatives. Please rate the value of each of the following: a. Ambassador networking events. To jog your memory, we’ve gathered five times so far: i. April 2019 – Elements Fitness & Wellness, Sydenham ii. October 2018 – Rivendell Golf Course, Verona (CFDC partnership) iii. April 2018 - Mill Street Café, Sydenham iv. November 2017 - Holiday Country Manor, Battersea v. March 2017 - Crossing Pub, Sharbot Lake b. Frontenac County staff response to Ambassador requests for support c. Frontenac Visitor Guide d. Wolfe Island Visitor Guide e. Frontenac Merchandise (t-shirts, hats, hoodies, etc) f. Frontenac Five g. Email Newsletter Program h. Frontenac social media presence i.

“Proudly Made in Frontenac” Product Tags

j.

Open Farms in Frontenac

k. Co-work in Frontenac Initiative 2. In general, how valuable do you think the Ambassador program has been to date? (Acknowledging that we all define “value” differently). 3. Has the Frontenac Ambassador Program facilitated new relationships for you and your business? 4. Has the Frontenac Ambassador Program positively impacted your business in some way? 5. Five goals were developed in 2017 and reconfirmed in 2018. We plan to continue working on these goals in 2020. Please rank them in order of importance to help us make decisions around prioritizing projects. Information Report to Community Development Advisory Committee Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey July 11, 2019

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a. Goal 1: Increase resident support of local businesses b. Goal 2: Help local businesses achieve success by connecting them to resources they need. c. Goal 3: Increase tourism by promoting Frontenac as a visitor destination d. Goal 4: Grow Frontenac’s reputation as a desirable place to do business. e. Goal 5: Improve the relationship between municipalities and businesses 6. How involved have you been in projects that help to achieve these goals? (rating scale with room for comments) 7. Are there alternative or additional goals that you think the Frontenac Ambassador network should start working toward? 8. Are there other ways the Frontenac Ambassador Program could be enhanced to benefit your business and Frontenac? 9. Please indicate the sector your business most identifies with: a. Accommodation and Food Services b. Food Production and Processing c. Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing d. Arts, Entertainment & Recreation e. Construction & Trades f. Light Manufacturing g. Mining, Quarrying and Aggregates h. Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services i.

Real Estate, Rental & Leasing

j.

Retail Trade & Tourism

10. How long has your business been in operation? a. 1 year b. 2 years c. 3 years d. 4 years Information Report to Community Development Advisory Committee Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey July 11, 2019

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e. 5 years f. 5 – 10 years g. 10 – 15 years h. 25 + years i.

50 + years

11. We’d like to know how you reach your potential customers. Please rank the following marketing tools in order of importance to your business. a. Social Media b. Other Online (website, email newsletter, referral sites, etc) c. Paid Advertising d. Trade shows e. Signage
12. Where are most of your customers from? Please select all the markets that best identify the majority of your customer base. a. Frontenac b. Kingston c. Eastern Ontario (outside of Frontenac & Kingston) d. Ontario (Outside of Eastern Ontario) e. Canada (Outside of Ontario) f. USA g. International
13. In addition to yourself, how many workers do you employ? a. 0 b. 1-2 c. 3-5 d. 6-10 e. 11-15 Information Report to Community Development Advisory Committee Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey July 11, 2019

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f. 16-20 g. 21-30 h. 31-40 i.

41-60

j.

60+

14. Have you added to your workforce in 2019? a. Yes! Jobs were created b. No, no new jobs were created c. We actually had to reduce our employee count d.
15. Are you planning to grow your workforce in the next year? a. Yes b. No
16. Do you have challenges with employee recruitment and/or retention? a. Yes, my business has challenges with employee recruitment b. Yes, my business has challenges with employee retention c. Yes, with both recruitment and retention d. No, no challenges with recruitment or retention e. This question doesn’t apply to me, as I don’t employ staff f.
17. Tell us about the physical space your business operates from a. My business is based from my home b. My business leases commercial space c. My business owns commercial space d. Other
18. Have you expanded floor space of your business in 2019? Information Report to Community Development Advisory Committee Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey July 11, 2019

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19. Have you made physical improvements to your space or property in 2019? 20. Have you purchased equipment in 2019? 21. Have you expanded or changed product lines in 2019? 22. Has your business been profitable in 2019? a. My business has seen an increase of profits in 2019 b. My business has seen a decrease in profits this year c. There has been no change in profits for us this year d. I prefer not to say 23. Overall, are you satisfied with the business climate in Frontenac County? a. Very Satisfied b. Satisfied c. Neutral d. Dissatisfied e. Very Dissatisfied 24. Please provide some context for the way you answered the last question – why are you feeling satisfied or dissatisfied? 25. If you have any other comments or concerns that haven’t been captured in the survey already, please let us know here:

Information Report to Community Development Advisory Committee Ambassador Program Review & Annual Survey July 11, 2019

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