These are not articlesWorld Economic Forum Releases 2010 Global Technology Ranking – Sweden Leads World The Geneva, Switzerland-based World Economic Forum has released its annual ranking of the most technologically advanced economies in the world. Sweden has jumped into the #1 spot, followed closely by Singapore, while last year’s #1, Denmark, has dropped to third. The United States fell two spots to #5, while Canada jumped three spots to #7. As has been the case for many years, Scandinavia dominates the “Top Ten” list, capturing the #1 (Sweden), #3 (Denmark), #6 (Finland) and #10 (Norway) spots. China (#37, up 9 spots) and India (#43, up 11 spots) are rising rapidly. The Forum’s survey – the 9th of its kind – examines 133 countries accounting for 98% of the world’s GDP. The survey considers three key issues: the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) regulatory and infrastructure environment, the country’s wider ability to use and benefit from ICT tools, and the actual levels of use of new and emerging ICT tools. The full report may be found here. Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Launches Select Ontario Site Selection Tool The Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade launched the Select Ontario online site selection tool at the February 2010 Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) conference. Select Ontario is billed on the ministry’s website as Canada’s first web-enabled, investment attraction-focused, geographic information system tool. The tool makes use of the Bing Maps interface to allow businesses and investors to access and map invaluable information, including available commercial and industrial real estate, region-specific wage data, business lists, transportation infrastructure, satellite imagery, up-to-date demographic information, and detailed overviews of Ontario’s industry clusters. The initiative is part of the Ontario government’s five point plan to grow jobs and the local economy. While much of the data is available in a range of different resources online, Select Ontario offers the information in a single site, as well as the capabilities to search and map communities and investment properties on a range of demographic or economic criteria. Select Ontario represents a good resource for Ontario communities and site selectors looking for information about Ontario and over 500 of the communities in the province, as well as an example of best practices for those communities looking to implement an online GIS portal. Recent Report Maps Artists in Canadian Cities Thanks to a recently released report, it is possible to get a clearer picture of the artistic and creative communities in large Canadian cities. The report, titled Mapping Artists and Cultural Workers in Canada’s Large Cities, was based on data from the 2006 census and is the result of collaboration between Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Based on an analysis of artists residing in postal regions, or “neighbourhoods”, in 2006, the report lists the ten neighbourhoods with the highest concentration of artists in each city. Some of the interesting findings in the report include that Vancouver had the highest overall percentage of artists at 2.3%, while Toronto had the largest artistic community and Montreal had perhaps the most densely located artistic community. According to the report, the creative sector of the Canadian workforce is located mainly in the country’s large urban centres, with the 53,500 artists in these five cities accounting for 38% of artists in Canada, a much higher proportion than the cities’ 21% share of the overall Canadian labour force. For a quick overview of the report, click here. Mapping Artists and Cultural Workers in Canada’s Large Cities was published by Hill Strategies and is available here. Sprouter: Social Media to Help Businesses Grow By now, most of us are familiar with the micro-blogging site Twitter and its potential role in social media marketing activities. Recently (through one of our Twitter contacts) we were introduced to a new social media tool aimed specifically at entrepreneurs: Sprouter. The website provides an opportunity for users to network and collaborate with other entrepreneurs around the world, join local events, participate in discussions and follow topics relevant to their business. Much like Twitter, which asks users “what’s happening”, Sprouter users answer the question “what are you working on?” in 140 characters or less. To find out more about how Sprouter came about, read this Financial Post article or check out a profile of the company on the Mashable social media blog. You can also follow Sprouter on Twitter here. Sprouter may or may not be the next big thing in social media, but it's certainly a great example of the potential uses of these tools to help businesses grow. 2010 Economic Developers Alberta Conference The annual Economic Developers Alberta conference and AGM takes place in Kananaskis, Alberta, from April 20th to 23rd. This conference is a great opportunity to meet others working in economic development and tourism in Alberta, as well as listen to some exceptional speakers. Keynote speakers include: Peter Hall, Vice-President & Chief Economist for Export Development Canada; Erin Ganju Room to Read Co-Founder and CEO; Chief Clarence Louie, CEO Osoyoos Indian Band Development Corporation, and many more. To view the conference agenda click here. To register online click here. |
Client Corner County of Elgin, OntarioThe County of Elgin received the Product Development, Strategic Plans award at the Ontario Economic Development Awards ceremony held during the EDCO Conference in Toronto last month for its Tourism Development Strategy and Marketing Plan, created in conjunction with the City of St. Thomas. The Tourism Development Strategy and Marketing Plan, and related brand and initiatives, were created by Yfactor Inc. and Millier Dickinson Blais Inc. This is the second consecutive year that Elgin has been honoured by EDCO for accomplishments arising from the creation of its brand “Progressive By Nature.” In 2009 Elgin County won two awards for the brand and its attraction package under the categories of Branding and Publications. To see more of Elgin County’s marketing strategy, visit www.progressivebynature.com. Resource ReviewSix Degrees is Hot! Many economic developers are struggling to find a niche on Facebook and YouTube. Mitch Joel, the founder of Montreal-based online marketing company Twist Image suggests that this is just soooo 2006. In his recent book Six Pixels of Separation, Joel describes where the digital economy is headed next, and how to ride the wave as it carries the next generation of web content forward. Unlike the old notion of six degrees of separation – that everyone on earth is connected by no more than six connections between acquaintances – Joel suggests that the new reality is not determined by separation, but by connectedness. In the emerging economy, all brands – corporate, community or personal – will be assessed on how quickly, how genuinely and how honestly they link to ongoing global conversations that occur between individuals in real time. Building on the equation “Trust + Community = Return on Investment”, Joel lays out a new marketing paradigm that relies on blogs, microsocial networks and web analytics that allows any community – and any individual – to generate enormous brand recognition and brand value. If you liked Wikinomics or other recent works on economic opportunities in the new economy, Six Pixels is the next step in your e-learning. But at the same time, if you’re just beginning to explore these issues, it’s a great jumping on point. Joel’s engaging and non-technical style is perfect for the economic developer looking to bring his community to the leading edge of online marketing. You can pick up a copy of Six Pixels and watch a promotional video for the book here. Out and aboutMembers of the Millier Dickinson Blais team will be participating in these upcoming events: April
Employment Development Index February 2010 Our Employment Development Index is a visual representation of changes in regional employment figures over time. For a Statistics Canada map of the economic regions highlighted in the Employment Development Index, click here. |
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Paul Blais is speaking at the