Washington DC – We heard from Bob Peters of Economic Development here in Cornwall Ontario where he is sharing some of the amazing opportunities and advantages of setting up shop in our City by the River.
I am in Washington on behalf of the City to exhibit at the Fancy Food Show.
The food sector is an important sector for us as our location between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa makes it a good location for food manufacturers. This show is geared towards the “fancy food” sector, which includes organic, new and higher-end products, which is growing at a faster rate than other sectors. Ontario East is a regional marketing effort, and we are here as part of the Canada pavillion at the request of the Consulate and AgFood Canada.
More on the mission:
Ontario East Economic Development’s Food Sector Marketing Team will once again be exhibiting at the international, Summer Fancy Food Show being held this year in Washington, DC. The effort is aimed at raising the profile of Eastern Ontario to food company executives from around the world attending this major exhibition.
The 57th Summer Fancy Food Show is taking place at the Washington Convention Centre in Washington, DC from July 10 – 12, 2011. The Fancy Food Show is expected to attract 25,000+ attendees from the specialty food sector, wine, gift and department stores, supermarkets, restaurants, mail-order and other, food-related businesses. Attendees come to see more than 2000 exhibitors, from over 80 countries around the world, presenting more than 180,000 specialty foods. Business booms at these ‘trade-only’ shows, as an impressive 87% of all attendees either authorize or recommend purchasing decisions.
Ontario East will be joining several Canadian manufacturers and food processors to make up the popular Canada Pavilion at the three-day show.
The Ontario East, Food Sector Marketing Team is made up of the following municipalities:
- City of Brockville
- City of Cornwall
- County of Lennox and Addington
- County of Northumberland
- Greater Peterborough Area
- City of Kingston
- Bay of Quinte Region
- Quinte West Economic Development
- Town of Smiths Falls
- Counties of Prescott and Russell
- United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry CFDC
The effort will be multi-faceted and will involve exhibiting, as part of the Canada Pavilion at the show, meeting with companies in attendance at the show and attending special events as a part of the Canadian delegation. As part of this effort, a comprehensive directory of food-related companies in Eastern Ontario will be distributed at the show. This directory is a unique, resource tool exclusive to our region – and is updated annually. This year the Ontario East Food Sector team will be armed with food processing – Eastern Ontario opportunity flyers promoting prospective investment opportunities for attendees.
The Food Team is attempting to leverage existing activities in the region in the food sector in Eastern Ontario to attract new investment. Ontario East has strong competitive advantages in the food processing industry including our close proximity to consumers (Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal). Ontario East’s strong competitive advantages are outlined in a two page brochure distributed at the show.
The Ontario East Food Sector Marketing Team is funded in part by the Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF) and the Eastern Ontario Development Program (EODP). Additional funding comes from the sector municipal partners.
The Fancy Food sector has been identified by experts as a growth market. The specialty food and natural food sectors are converging and these sectors are providing growth opportunities in the grocery sector. The Fancy Food Show has been identified as a key gathering spot for influential decision makers!
The Ontario East Economic Development Commission (OEEDC) is a group of over 125 Ontario East economic development professionals and business leaders working co-operatively to promote Eastern Ontario as a premiere business location. Together, the Commission represents more than 200 communities, thousands of businesses and nearly two million residents.
Ontario East Economic Development represents the region: from Kawartha Lakes to Haliburton on the west to Prescott-Russell on the east, and from the Ottawa River in the north to the St. Lawrence River in the south.
It’s great to see our city, people and businesses highlighted! Mark Boileau and Bob Peters are great ambassadors but are still only two people trying to make major strides! They need our help!
We need plenty of exposure and from what I hear our Economic Development Department is Swamped! I encourage anyone and everyone to help promote our city and get involved with any topic or item that they feel passionate about!
We all need to encourage each other to promote our own interests, even if we personally aren’t that interested in their adventure, we still must support them! It’s the only we way we can grow into a nurturing community!
Mike Bedard