Red Deer Regional Economic Development (RDRED) and Central Alberta Economic Partnership (CAEP) were presented with two marketing awards from a national economic development organization.
The Economic Developers Association of Canada announced during its annual conference that RDRED and CAEP received two 2011 Marketing Canada Awards for the printed collateral suite and the electronic newsletter. Both are part of a multi-phase investment attraction campaign to diversify and strengthen the regional economy by attracting foreign businesses, called the “Foreign Direct Investment” (FDI) project.
Through the FDI Project, RDRED and CAEP created the Central Alberta: Access Prosperity brand, a strong, unifying identity representing over 40 communities in central Alberta.
The Central Alberta: Access Prosperity printed collateral suite was designed to be a strong, unifying identity for a region that is largely absent from an international stage. These marketing pieces create a regional identity which captures attention and increases awareness of central Alberta’s location, resources and supply chains, unique selling features, and how central Alberta is a profitable site for expanding companies.
Launched in the spring of 2011, “The Central Alberta Exchange” is the central Alberta region’s quarterly economic development newsletter that circulates to over 300 international businesses. Regular features include articles on target industries, announcements of new and expanding companies, and upcoming opportunities to connect with us at upcoming trade shows. The newsletter is a mechanism to inform investment leads with development activities and partnership opportunities that are currently present in central Alberta.
“Providing international companies and site selectors making investment decisions, and local companies with full-service access to resources and information is critical to the growth of the region,” said Cyril Cooper, spokesperson for the FDI project. “Receiving not one, but two Marketing Canada Awards is an important third-party validation for our region to continue to deliver the critical information that companies need to make business development decisions”.
Since the completion of the FDI Project in April 2011, the regional collaboration between RDRED and CAEP has formalized into a not-for-profit organization, Central Alberta Access Prosperity. The successful completion of the FDI Project leaves a solid base to move forward with the next vital phase.
More than 205 submissions were received from across Canada for the 2011 Marketing Canada Awards, organized by the Economic Developers Association of Canada, Canada’s national organization of economic developers representing over 700 members.
The FDI Project was funded in part by Community Futures Central Alberta, supported by Western Economic Diversification Canada.