Looking for ways to improve your business or for professional growth? Whether it’s marketing, business planning, skills training, customer service, or any of the above, there are workshops, training opportunities and resources offered throughout the year by Hastings County and business resource organizations.
Escape the Indoors on our Monthly Hastings Networking Hikes Join together with local business owners to network and foster creative discussions during a peaceful hike on the beautiful trails of Hastings County. Meet like-minded individuals Discover collaboration opportunities Give your eyes a screen break Generate new business ideas Last week of each month: Mondays @ 10:00am …
The Starter Company Plus grant is once again accepting applications.
Up to $100,000 in non-repayable contributions for incorporated tourism businesses and organizations!
The Planning and Development Department of Hastings County is pleased to announce its new Small Business Coordinator, Christine McLean.
If you are a business owner seeking the most profit for the least effort, then planning is the answer. Plan to attend this upcoming “Bridges to Better Business” event happening on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 9am. The following is the agenda: 9:00am to 10:00am – Module 1 – The Big Picture Building Your Foundation …
Discover how to deliver memorable experiences that focus beyond what the visitor can see and do, by harnessing the unique assets of the community in its people, culture, and regional identity.
Come together with other operators to celebrate the unique skills, talents and abilities of each individual, each organization, and work with your tourism industry allies to achieve extraordinary things that no one can compete with.
Print, Radio and TV were once the only options for advertisers. Each required a significant upfront budget that was out of reach for many small businesses. With the dawn of digital marketing – a whole new world of affordable possibilities has since opened up to small businesses to reach potential customers. But just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should…
Since the start of this pandemic, it has become clear how important having a digital presence is for small businesses. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be expensive or complicated. Join Andrew & Katrina of Kasama Marketing in this FREE interactive webinar as they simply and clearly walk through some digital marketing tools and strategies that you can immediately apply to your business.
Thinking about expanding your businesses to go virtual, but aren’t sure where to start? Be prepared to enter the e-commerce world during the pandemic. This FREE eCommerce 101 workshop is designed to help you start selling online and different offerings you could consider for your customers that ensures a safe and positive purchasing experience.
2020 has certainly been a year of unprecedented times, especially if you’re in the business of tourism. Having lost the first few months of the season, many tourism businesses are faced with the decision of if and how they should extend their business season into the fall and winter months.
Here are five ways to build and market into the fall and winter seasons that can help to extend your business season.
Let us help you get set-up with a Google My Business Listing. If you need help with a) creating a new Google My Business Listing, or b) updating your listing, our Tourism Development Coordinator can assist you with both.
Hastings County has joined the partnership with the Culinary Tourism Alliance’s recently launched recovery program for the food tourism sector, called The Great Taste of Ontario (GTOO). This program is a provincial recovery program involving +80 partners (including DMOs, RTOs, Sector Organizations, media and charities).
The new Safe Travels Stamp developed by the World Travel & Tourism Council is being administered by the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) for Ontario businesses. Learn more about the program and how to apply for the stamp.
Many of our tourism businesses in Hastings County have now reopened as we continue in Stage 3 of the Province’s Reopening Plan. Opening our doors meant many changes and adaptations to regular services, and rethinking how best to serve visitors. Now that the shift has taken place and we’ve got our feet wet with what the “new normal” may be like, it’s a good opportunity to begin preparing for long-term recovery.
If you’d like help with a quick, easy and no-cost way to get selling online right away, take a look at the new ShopHERE program. Digital Main Street has collaborated with Google, Shopify, Mastercard and Microsoft to build and optimize online stores for small independent businesses and artists in just a matter of days. More …
