From May 17th to 21st, I was privileged to represent, along with two other members of the "Central Alberta: Access Prosperity" team, our region at an Internation Business-to-Business conference in Kanas City, Missouri, called "Futurallia".  While we missed the Joplin tornado by a day, our time at the conference was definitely a whirlwind of activity.

I'm not sure of the total tally, but with visitors to our booth, spontaneous networking opportunities and our 32 scheduled 30 minute meetings, the Access Prosperity Team covered a lot of ground. There were 630 businesses in attendance from over 35 countries, which made for a great cultural as well as business opportunity. Two Central Alberta businesses went with us, and both reported very positive connections. After the first morning, in fact, one of our business owners told me that after only two meetings, had she gone home then, the trip would have been worth it. That's what we like to hear!


For our "Turning Keys to Opportunity" project, which is the new phase we've moved into in our Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) initiative, we met with international companies from agri-food & agri-processing, transportation and manufacturing who are interested in expanding into Western Canada. There are so many innovative ideas out there; I met with companies from France, the U.S., Morocco, Burkina-Faso and Belgium that are hungry for growth. Although the U.S. economy does still appear relaatively depressed, the Futurallia Kansas City organizers went all out to showcase the resilience of their industries and the beauty of their community.


We've made tentative plans to attend the second "Centrallia" conference, slated for October 2012 in Winnipeg. Consider joining us! Meanwhile we're working fastidiously on follow up with the connections we made in Missouri. I'll keep you posted on progress.
 
    

Many of you will have seen the blog posts I wrote last October from Winnipeg, when I attended Centrallia. That conference, a business-to-business "speed dating"  powerhouse, was unlike anything I'd been to before and I was pretty "over the moon" about it. Between the 14 30-minute meetings, walk-ups at our trade show booth, lunches, receptions and impromptu elevator encounters, I left that conference with my feet barely touching the ground. Representing Central Alberta: Access Prosperity at that conference was a most meaningful experience that gained a great deal of exposure for the region and has gotten some really good traction for foreign direct investment.

Centrallia was and is a conference developed by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, modeled after Futurallia, a long-running B2B conference in France that is now being hosted around the world.

That brings me to this May 18-20 and Futurallia Kansas City. You should come! If you are a Small or Medium Enterprise that either wants to expand your business in Central Alberta by developing business relationships around the world or you are ready to branch out and start doing business in other countries, you can't beat this for "shooting fish in a barrel". In fact, even if you just want to expand your business across Canada, this is a golden opportunity.

There will be over 800 companies, also small and medium enterprises, from 40+ countries, all wanting to connect and see what kismet may develop. You'll have somewhere between 16 and 20 30 minute power-dating B2B meetings. We're taking a delegation from Alberta, which will include companies from Calgary, Edmonton and Central Alberta.

Give me a call at 403.347.4491 or drop me a line at dklooster@reddeerchamber.com to talk more about this. Deadline for registrations is April 23rd though, so I hope to hear from you soon.

This week, we hosted a free Fighting Fraud workshop, presented by the RCMP and the Bank of Canada. The presenters informed business reps how to identify counterfeit bills, new skimming scams with debit and credit cards, and new identity theft threats.

Businesses can actually control much of the fraudulent activity in and around their business; the trick, according to the Bank of Canada's Marc Trudel, is in being so familiar with the real thing, you can spot a fake immediately. Since $20 are the most commonly counterfeited bill, the presenters provided attendees with sample 20s to use for comparison.

Counterfeiting, and the newer debit/caredit card fraud schemes, can be quite spohisticated. Being alert and savvy are the two most critical components in deterring these crimes from having success in your business.

Here are some ways to avoid being victimized by counterfeit and transaction fraud:

-          Train your frontline staff: Unless the people engaged in transactions know what to look for, your business will be very vulnerable. Subtlety is foundational to all fraud scams; alert frontline staff that is attuned to potential counterfeit or fraud scams can save your business a lot of time, money and heartache.

-          Develop good relationships with neighbouring businesses: it’s easier to maintain a high level of vigilance if you’ve got others watching your back. Get to know your neighbour’s routines, have conversations about mutual challenges and keep police informed of issues in the area. Develop a reputation of being hard to target, since fraudsters in particular generally look for the “easy mark”.

-          Mark and record all of your transaction equipment:  Keeping accurate records of all serial numbers and model information helps police track your equipment if stolen.  A further good measure is branding all your equipment with a unique mark that leaves no question of ownership or tampering.

-          Trust your instincts: When something doesn’t feel right during a transaction, don’t shrug it off. There’s no harm in asking the customer a few extra questions, calling the credit card company for authorization or having a second set of eyes check over a bill. Most honest people appreciate a business that takes time to ensure security and do not mind a little respectful scrutiny.

Fraud is lucrative for criminals and costly to business and consumers. As we head into the “golden quarter” when stores are busy and time is at a premium, the Chamber encourages all businesses to remain watchful and prepared and thus avoid being targeted.

More information on fraud and scams is available at http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/index-eng.htm

Most businesses these days realize that something new is on the scene in the wide world of marketing, and that it's called social media, but many don't know where to start or what to do with it. Others have a general understanding of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but worry about how much time it may take up or how to manage the messages.

While the concerns are valid, the reality is undeniable: marketing through social media is experiencing explosive growth, and if you are not in it, you are missing some significant opportunities.

Why should you consider marketing your business through social media? Here are some points to ponder:

1) It's very low cost, often free, and you can have as large a presence as you choose

2) It's a great way to grow brand recognition, generate leads and build your business

3) It's a free way to do competitive research

4) You'll find out first-hand what your customers are saying about you and you can address customer complaints promptly and effectively, enhancing customer service

5) You can drive traffic to your website

It makes good sense from so many perspectives, and can actually save you a lot of time in the long run. Favourite sites for business marketing are Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, although it seems new social media sites pop up every day. One of the best things about using the most popular sites is that you can arrange your settings so that one entry updates all your sites simultaneously, a very convenient feature.

Don't know how to get started? There are a ton of "how to" articles and video clips online to help you along. You can also take a workshop or ask a friend with experience. People who know the value of social media are usually more than happy to share information.

Of course you can start by joining the Chamber's Facebook page and following us on Twitter. 

Tell us what you think about social media as a business marketing tool.

I know you're busy having summer, but you may want to grab your calendar and pencil in the Ambassadors Kick Off and Red Bedge Reception for August 31st. If you are already an Ambassador, you know what a good time this group has and what an important role you serve as part of this group. If not, here's the skinny on what Ambassadors do:

- Promote the benefits of Chamber membership

- Encourage members to actively participate in Chamber events

- Promote the Chamber and it's activities

- Represent the Chamber at luncheons, social functions and events

- Act as a resource for new and existing members

Your function includes welcoming people at events, being a friendly face or "ice-breaker" for new members, encouraging members to promote their businesses and network effectively, and, most importantly, to have fun!

The benefits for you include having the opportunity to promote your business and enhance your profile in the Red Deer business loop, to develop new relationships and strengthen existing ones by being an active part of Chamber events, and to connect member businesses to each other, strengthening the Red Deer business community as a whole. You also get to practice being a public speaker if you wish, bone up on your social skills and have a whole lot of fun! The time commitment can be as little as half an hour per month.

To find out more about the Ambassadors your can click on the Ambassadors link on the home page of the Chamber website or contact me at the Chamber 403.347.4491. You can also find out more about the kick off event on the right side of the home page, where it's listed under upcoming events.

I hope you'll join us! See you then, if not before. And now, back to your regularly scheduled sunshine...

On Tuesday, June 22nd, members of caucus from the Alberta Liberal Party met with members of the Board and staff of the Red Deer Chamber.They were in town to meet with key groups to discuss their new oil and gas policy, and they provided us with a brief overview of their positions.

We also had an opportunity to discuss some of our key policies with them, including Better Health Care, Innovative Thinking with Alberta's Energy, Incorporating Investment Advisors and Zero Waste.

It was very interesting to hear their perspectives on our policy positions and we appreciated the time that leader Dr. David Swann, Kevin Taft and Huey McDonald took to listen and dialogue.

This type of advocacy is important for our Chamber in that all elected representatives need to be made aware of issues that impact the Red Deer region. Even though the policy committees are taking their summer respite, the Chamber continues to advocate its policy positions whenever the opportunity arises.

To find out more or get involved in the policy and advocacy process this fall, contact me at dklooster@reddeerchamber.com