It took some time but Thunder Bay’s five business improvement areas are working together and learning from each other.
“We’re helping each other. We’re trying to have continuity. We’re trying to dress up the areas so then the consumers will come,” said Jack Moro, member of the Westfort Village Association.
Moro, owner of J.B. Evans, will be one of many of the local BIA representatives attending the BIA National Conference set to open Monday at the Valhalla Inn.
The event will be hosted by the city’s five BIAs – Westfort Village Association, Simpson Street BIA, Waterfront District BIA, Victoria Avenue BIA and the Bay-Algoma BIA.
This is the first time the conference will be held outside of the Greater Toronto Area and about 200 delegates will be visiting the city.
Moro said there will be a variety of seminars and workshops relating to business districts from experts in the field. Participants will be able to see how other business areas operate and gather some insights.
“We all have the same dilemmas,” he said, noting the BIAs are always emailing each other asking for help and advice.
“I think it’s going to open up a lot of doors for us. We’re going to be able to collaborate and really help each other,” he said.
He’s particularly interested in hearing about how to market and organize the business areas, to bring people together.
Most of the development in the area has gone through the middle of the city and there hasn’t been much focus on the five mixed-use areas, said Moro.
But that is changing.
“I think our city is realizing the value in these areas. I think those areas have a vibrancy…it will be valuable to the city as a whole,” he said.
He added the BIAs give consumers more choices and gives small entrepreneurial spirit a fighting chance.
Coun. Rebecca Johnson, chair of the local organizing committee for the conference, said the economic impact of the conference will be significant and what’s surprised her is how long many of the delegates plan to stay in the city and take some of the post-conference tours of Thunder Bay’s business areas.
“Most people would come to something like this really on Monday morning, do their thing and then go home Tuesday night. We’re having people coming in on Saturday and staying until Wednesday afternoon,” she said.
