Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board is our weekly e-newsletter, designed to provide
members with up-to-the-minute information on Board of Trade policy and
advocacy activities, events, events, products, services and
promotions. Bulletin Board is emailed to members every
Monday.
View the latest feature articles
below
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This Week's News
November 12, 2012
Toronto Regions' Infrastructure Conversations
Continue
Toronto Board of Trade continues to advance the conversation on key
topics contributing to the economic growth and vitality of the Toronto
Region business community.
On November 9, 2012 Toronto Board of Trade and Toronto Port
Authority
jointly released a new report outlining the significant contributions
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is making to the Toronto Region's
economy. The airport is generates nearly $2-billion in annual economic
output and 5,700 jobs, which includes 1,700 directly associated with the
airport.
The event also unveiled the new tunnel boring machines that within days
will begin working on the state of the art pedestrian tunnel linking the
airport to the mainland. It will provide a reliable, efficient and
convenient access route.
Not surprisingly, the airport is well supported by Toronto Board of
Trade members. According to a recent survey, more than 70 percent make
at least one trip per year through Billy Bishop and more than 90 percent
believe the airport improves the economic vitality of the Toronto
Region.
As President Carol Wilding said at the launch event, "The Billy Bishop
Toronto City Airport is more than a convenient transportation link in
and out of the Toronto Region. It is an economic driver vital to
ensuring our economy remains globally competitive. Access to a variety
of transportation services is important to facilitating economic growth
and the airport will play a central role in the development of our
region's growing economic clusters."
On November 8, 2012 the Municipal Infrastructure Forum, a
national
coalition representing business, local governments, and professional
associations joined the Board to emphasize the importance of a federal
infrastructure plan to protect Canada's local economic foundations.
"Reliable infrastructure and modern transportation networks are
critical to business competitiveness and the success of our national and
urban economies," said Carol Wilding, President & CEO, Toronto Board of
Trade. "We're calling on the federal government to build on its historic
contributions to municipal infrastructure and ensure its new long term
infrastructure plan is reliable, sustainable, and has the flexibility to
address local needs."
The group was gathered in Toronto to endorse shared principles for the
new long-term infrastructure plan currently being developed by the
federal government. The plan must be part of the next federal budget so
new programs can be up and running before current ones expire. Federal
investments worth two billion dollars per year are set to end in 2014.
For more information about these initiatives and the press releases
please click here.
This Week's News
September 24, 2012 - Click here to view Bulletin Board from September 24,
2012
Building a Workplace Inclusive of Skilled Immigrants Just Got
Easier
With over 50 percent of Toronto residents born abroad, the need for
and the potential - in terms of innovation and access to markets - of
culturally diverse workplaces inclusive of skilled immigrants are clear.
Recently, building that workplace has become even easier with the launch
of the TRIEC
Campus.
The Campus is a new online learning hub offering complimentary,
self-paced resources designed to increase the effectiveness of leaders
and employees in today’s culturally diverse workplace. It contains tools
to help business and human resource leaders create and implement human
resources practices to be better able to recruit and retain skilled
immigrants. These tools can help promote systemic change and measure
progress towards developing culturally inclusive workplaces.
For example, the Campus provides tools to evaluate your
organization’s immigrant readiness and develop a plan to achieve real
change. The Campus then contains the resources you need to effectively
implement that plan. Resources cover effective communication and team
work as well as recruitment, selection and talent management practices.
In addition to advancing overall organizational diversity, the Campus is
a learning and development tool for all those working or looking to work
on diverse teams, including skilled immigrants.
Businesses throughout Toronto are increasingly recognizing that the
ability to effectively work with culturally-diverse teams is an
important skill-set for any manager or would-be manager in the region.
Toronto Board of Trade is partnering with TRIEC, as a part of the Global
Experience at Work Initiative funded by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce,
to bring the TRIEC Campus to life in downtown Toronto. On October 24,
2012, this event will bring employers and new immigrants together to
discover the Campus and develop cross cultural communication so
important in today’s diverse workplaces.
To take your first step towards a workplace inclusive of skilled
immigrants, please visit www.trieccampus.ca. To participate in this exciting
event, click here or to learn more please call Alison at
416-982-4522.
This Week's News
September 10, 2012 - Click here to view Bulletin Board from September 10,
2012
Connecting New Canadians to Toronto's Business
Community
On September 6th Toronto Board of Trade, Toronto Region Immigrant
Employment Council (TRIEC) and ACCES Employment partnered to help new
Canadians find employment in the Toronto Region. Approximately forty new
Canadians and forty experienced professionals participated in the first
Speed Mentoring® event at the Board as part of the Ontario Chamber
of Commerce's Global Experience at Work initiative.
Speed Mentoring®, developed by ACCES Employment, offers new
Canadians an opportunity to meet and network with professionals in their
field who provide sector-specific and occupation-specific information
and advice.
"Toronto Board of Trade is a leader in connecting people in and
around the Toronto Region," said Carol Wilding, President & CEO, Toronto
Board of Trade. "Events like this allow our Members to become leaders by
participating as mentors, helping new Canadians find employment, while
contributing to our Region's economic vitality.”
New Canadians with experience in the IT and Financial & Accounting
sectors met with seasoned Toronto area business leaders. They received
industry specific feedback about resumes and interview techniques,
valuable tips on how to advance their careers in Canada, knowledge of
the Canadian workplace culture, and information on what Canadian
Employers are looking for in an employee.
"For over 25 years, ACCES has focused on opening doors and making
connections between qualified new Canadians and prospective employers,”
said Allison Pond, Executive Director, ACCES Employment. "But there's
still a lot of work to do… innovative solutions are critical. To that
end, we have developed a dynamic strategy to connect our talented
clients with leading Canadian companies in a more targeted and expedited
way — Speed Mentoring.”
"We're pleased to be introducing the professional immigrant networks
we work with to this innovative mentoring format," said Joan Atlin,
Interim Executive Director, TRIEC. "Speed mentoring is a valuable way
for the members of the networks who are new to Canada to connect with
established professionals in their fields."
Through this partnership each organization was able to utilize their
strengths as an organization and execute a great event. One mentee
provided comments to the rest of the group and went as far as saying
"This was the best day of my last two years in Canada, I now have a
direction to go forward in…thank you for that". Overall, it was a
great time had by all and something many will not forget in the near
future.
If you would like to learn more or participate in future Speed
Mentoring events click here
This Week's News
September 4, 2012 - Click here to view Bulletin Board from September 4,
2012
Improving Your B2B Email Marketing
Business to Business (B2B) email marketing should be approached
differently than Business to Consumer (B2C) email. However, many B2B
marketers find difficulty in creating successful B2B campaigns. For
many, the problems are mostly due to two misconceptions:
First, many people assume that a B2B email needs to be full of
corporate speak and approached with a business-like mentality.
Second, most of us, even marketers, see more B2C messages than B2B
ones, so we unsuccessfully try to implement B2C style tactics in our
approach (design, layout, copy, etc.).
So, to get back on track with your B2B email campaigns, here are a
few tips:
1. Be human. Consider writing your B2B email in the
same way you'd approach a personal communication. Show some personality.
Write it like it's a conversation. Be upbeat. A lively writing style
from a person and not a brand can be a game-changer. At worst you'll be
remembered for being unique.
2. Have an objective. Too many messages are sent
simply because people feel the need to 'get something out there'. You
need to have a reason for sending your email. If you don't know what it
is, don't send it.
3. Consider the recipient's goals. Most likely, your
B2B email isn't about branding or a special offer. It's there to help
recipients with a vital function of their job. Put yourself in the
recipient's shoes and create a communication that benefits the recipient
by providing valuable information, saving time or saving money.
4. Segment/ Target. If you're trying to reach
multiple audiences, you may want to do it with multiple iterations of
the email, allowing each to be short, focused and goal-oriented.
5. Be consistent with delivery. When recipients see
your emails arriving consistently at the same time each day, week or
month you'll get a higher open rate. Why? Because it makes you look like
you know what you're doing. And if you give off that impression people
will notice and react.
6. Offer solutions. Business professionals are
presented with challenges on a daily basis. If you can help solve them,
you become valuable. In your emails, show you your product or service
can solve common business problems.
7. Include social content. If you have quality
content from your social media channels, highlight your most commented
post, most watched video or most re-tweeted Tweet in your email. If your
social contacts find it interesting, your email audience probably will
too.
8. Encourage feedback. If all else fails, ask the
recipients what they want or allow them to select it themselves. Surveys
are also a good idea. Ask users how much content they want and when they
want it. Just be prepared to implement or act upon the feedback you
receive.
B2B email marketing isn't rocket science. So take the initiative to
adjust your B2B approach- you'll likely see the effort in your improved
campaign results.
This Week's News
August 27, 2012 - Click here to view Bulletin Board from August 27,
2012
A day to work ON your business, not just IN it
October 9th
2012
www.SMBexchange.ca
As the small business community continues to demonstrate resilience
during these uncertain economic times, Toronto Board of Trade recognizes
that now, more than ever, small business owners are looking for unique
ways to optimize their business and learn from the experts - the
entrepreneurs who've already done it - how best to grow their business.
With two-thirds of our Members being Small/ Medium Businesses (SMB's) we
listened to your feedback and created an innovative and exciting NEW
event...the SMB Exchange! This event promises to be the most valuable
day of the year for your business. It will be unlike any other
conference or event you have ever attended.
What is the SMB Exchange?
This one-day event will address the unique needs of SMB's and be an
opportunity to exchange ideas, share experiences and learn from your
peers.
The day will include a prominent keynote address, facilitated
networking, case study discussions and problem solving.
What does it mean to your business?
At this event you will:
- Learn from leading SMB entrepreneurs
- Build contacts through innovative interactive sessions
- Get practical advice about your business challenges
This day is not just about listening, it is about interacting! All
attendees will develop and share a 30 second elevator pitch and a
two-minute business case study. Sharing your story will provide a more
valuable networking experience and help you connect to relevant
peers.
Providing over half of the private sector jobs and a significant
contributor to GDP, the small business community plays a vital role to
the stability of the Canadian economy and Toronto Board of Trade wants
to help foster the growth through the SMB Exchange. Join us
Tuesday October 9th, 2012 from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Board’s
Downtown Centre. For more information and to register, visit www.smbexchange.ca
