BARRHEAD - The County of Barrhead hopes to host a sequel to its Learn, Inspire, Focus and Thrive business conference.
The one-day conference and tradeshow was held in October at the Barrhead and District Agricultural Society facility. Over 100 local businesses and support agencies attended.
However, whether they do or not may depend on whether the municipality can get another Small Community Opportunity Program (SCOP) grant.
SCOP is a provincial program that grants from $20,000 to $100,000 to Indigenous and small communities and the not-for-profit organizations they work with to host projects that build capacity in the agriculture industry and small business community and increase their economic footprint in rural communities.
Successful applicants can receive up to 90 per cent of a project's estimated cost.
On Dec. 3, councillors unanimously threw their support behind administration's attempt to secure more than
Last year, the municipality received $44,115, which it used to fund the first-ever LIFT conference.
Development and communications coordinator Adam Vanderwekken said council's economic and community development committee recommended that the municipality host another conference/tradeshow, adding the vast majority of LIFT attendees also requested a return performance.
He noted the next event would include an educational component focusing on motivational and specific training on elevator pitches (a short introductory statement to introduce yourself and your business) and branding, along with resource, collaboration and tradeshow components.
Coun. Walter Preugschas wanted clarification on the resource component and asked how they achieved it at the October LIFT conference.
"[We did] a lot of it through the business support agencies to help build those relationships, provide support and education about what resources are available in our community, Vanderwekken said, using the Barrhead and District Chamber of Commerce and Invest Alberta as examples.
Recapping LIFT
Other support agencies included Travel Alberta, Barrhead Employment Services, Business Link and Community Futures: Yellowhead East.
He noted that 115 attendees participated in the initial LIFT conference and tradeshow, of which 109 were businesses.
"Going into the conference, we wanted to have a wide variety of business types and stages of evolution and looking at the numbers, we mostly achieved that," Vanderwekken said.
Of those businesses, 16 per cent were involved in providing miscellaneous services, 15 per cent were in construction and contracting, 13 per cent were community support and resource agencies, 12 per cent were in tourism, 10 per cent were involved in agriculture, while eight per cent either in retail, health and wellness, or processing and manufacturing.
The conference featured two keynote speakers: Keka DaGupta, who focused on branding and marketing strategies, and Michelle Cederberg, who presented more generally and emphasized re-energizing business owners.
"Both keynote speakers were really well received," he said.
Vanderwekken added that the county received excellent feedback from the event, with 94 per cent saying they were satisfied with the conference, 84 per cent saying the tradeshow was beneficial, and 100 per cent stating they could use the knowledge they gained from the event.
Vanderwekken also said they are tentatively planning a similar event for next year because of the positive feedback.
Coun. Ron Kleinfeldt asked if they planned to proceed if the municipality failed to get the SCOP funding.
"If we don't get the grant," Vanderwekken replied. "We would need to come back to council for further direction."
County manager Debbie Oyarzun interjected that currently, $4,000 is allocated in the tentative 2025 interim budget.
"If we don't get the grant, we may have to revisit the scope and scale of the project, but we could also look at other funding sources, such as sponsorships and partnerships," she said.
Preugschas suggested that if they did not get the grant, the Town of Barrhead might decide to cover some of the shortfall.
Oyarzun agreed that was a possibility, adding that she hopes to have a conversation with her counterpart about how much the town would like to be involved in the conference.
Deputy reeve Marvin Schatz asked if administration planned to apply for more money.
Vanderwekken said no, adding they would once again apply for a grant in the $44,000 range.
"There are efficiencies we now know about and some items we can reuse, but ideally, we hope to open it up to more businesses," he said. "Looking at the budget so far, everything seems to be balancing out."
Preugschas suggested the municipality could look at charging attending businesses a feel.
In the inaugural year, the county asked businesses for a deposit, which they received backing upon attending the tradeshow and having a booth.
"The deposit went over well. Businesses had no problem putting some money down, especially those which have attended similar events, where it is common to have to pay for a booth," he said.
However, suggested for start-up businesses, not getting the deposit back could be a hindrance.
Reeve Doug Drozd agreed.
"Small businesses and start-ups are often just making it as it is,"
he said. "If it is free, it will increase the odds of them attending and having them there in a professional setting will increase their business accruement."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
