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Edmonton Branding and Tourism strategy

IanO said:
Character, identity, fun.
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It was a weird identity considering we had extremely little to do with the Klondike, but it was thought a kitsch theme would replicate the success of Stampede. And even if the exhibition grew in attendance, parade participation and all of the gold rush cosplay stuff fell off over the years, especially after we started to grow other things to do in the summers.
 
A better approach might have revolved around a Bush Pilot Theme and the North (including the overland route to the Klondike)... parades could have featured myriad aircraft used in Northern Exploration - - floats that honored First Nations themes, the Fur Trade, Hunting and Fishing, Exploration, Settlement and the Pioneer Spirit that Built Alberta. Rides could have been custom and permanent -- rolo-plane, parachute drop, bear-chase, etc. -- thematic and original.
 
archited said:
A better approach might have revolved around a Bush Pilot Theme and the North (including the overland route to the Klondike)... parades could have featured myriad aircraft used in Northern Exploration - - floats that honored First Nations themes, the Fur Trade, Hunting and Fishing, Exploration, Settlement and the Pioneer Spirit that Built Alberta. Rides could have been custom and permanent -- rolo-plane, parachute drop, bear-chase, etc. -- thematic and original.
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Yes. There already is a Pacific National Exhibition and a (Central) Canadian National Exhibition, so why can't we have a Northern National Exhibition here? We are more connected to the north more than most other Canadian cities. Our historical connection with the Klondike is part of that, but there is more to it than that.
 
^. ^^

I don’t quite understand this need to find something to celebrate.

Hell, New York City’s famous parade celebrates a national holiday and is sponsored by a department store who gets equal billing.

A celebration is successful based on how well It’s executed more than on what’s being celebrated.

Our neighbours to south get this. Calgary’s population only 60 years ago was barely 300,000. Their connection of most of their population to the Wild West today is distant and tentative to non-existent. That didn’t stop them from staying a celebration that is world renowned not for the connection but for the party.

Our failures as this area aren’t for a lack of finding things, they’re for a lack of long term commitment and support.
 
David A said:
Yes. There already is a Pacific National Exhibition and a (Central) Canadian National Exhibition, so why can't we have a Northern National Exhibition here? We are more connected to the north more than most other Canadian cities. Our historical connection with the Klondike is part of that, but there is more to it than that.
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I think something like this would have to be approached carefully. As much as we like to call ourselves the Gateway to the North, and act like we're the northiest north that ever northed, but I've been north and we're notably not north geographically or culturally. We're as geographically north as Hamburg, and we're surrounded by trees and cows. We rarely see an actual -40C in any given winter, and see more above zeros in January than -20Cs. We're somewhere with flights to the North, but so are a lot of places; if you're in one of the major centres of the actual North like Whitehorse, Yellowknife or Iqaluit, you're going to find more flights to places like Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Some kind of inquiring as to if folks up there actually see themselves as significantly connected to us might be in order before we go telling them that we are.
 
The connection there is not as distant. It probably helps that you actually can travel a half hour or so outside Calgary and still find a number of cattle ranches.

However no Klondike gold mines or saloons anywhere close to Edmonton except on the exhibition grounds. And sorry I don't think many made millions panning in the North Saskatchewan.

We are not the Yukon however, we can quite legitimately claim to be an entrepot between the north and south. Its not a problem with effort. We don't even need to find this thing, it is already there waiting for us to get it and convey it in a way less confusing to people not caught up in a part of our local history which while important is tenuous to what mainly happened elsewhere.
 
Edmonton recognized for affordable housing and robust economy​
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August 12, 2024

It’s official: Edmonton is having a moment.

Canadian news magazine Maclean’s named Edmonton in its “Best Affordable Places to Live in Canada” list, along with nine other municipalities across the country.

"It’s exciting to see Edmonton being recognized as one of Canada's best affordable cities,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. “In 2022 alone, we welcomed more than 45,000 new residents, who chose to move here for reasons including affordability, access to services, a thriving economy and more. They stayed for the community, the warm and welcoming people and a quality of life enriched by festivals, arts and culture and the beautiful scenery that surrounds us."

Affordability matters. Edmonton is the most affordable major city in Canada and fifth most affordable city in the world (source). But that’s not the whole story of why people are choosing to make Edmonton home.

Here’s a sampling of reasons why people are choosing Edmonton:
  • The region is the fastest growing in Canada, with more than double the national average in export growth, generating more than $110 billion in GDP (source).
  • The city is home to a young, educated talent pool with seven post-secondary institutions with more than 130,000 students.
  • Edmonton is the envy of urban planners. The city was the first major Canadian municipality to remove minimum parking requirements, and the city’s zoning bylaw is the most ambitious in the country.
  • Edmonton’s river valley is North America’s largest urban forest (22 times bigger than Central Park), and the North Saskatchewan River that runs through it has been designated a Canadian Heritage River.
  • Dubbed Canada’s ‘Festival City,’ Edmonton is packed with cultural events and celebrations. For example, Edmonton was the first North American city to launch a Fringe festival; coincidentally, the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festivalopens this weekend for its 43rd installment.
  • Among the city’s many firsts for a Canadian city are the first food bank, the first mosque and the first Hydrogen HUB. Pride Tape was also invented in Edmonton.

Embracing newcomers and new ideas while helping neighbours in times of need has always been the Edmonton way.

“Edmontonians are known for their innovative spirit and love for building community,” said Eddie Robar, Interim City Manager. “We have a saying: ‘five minutes here and you’re one of us,’ and we really feel that way. This welcoming environment, combined with our strategic location and growing infrastructure, are why businesses and industries are increasingly drawn to Edmonton. This influx of investment, talent, and growth raises the profile and momentum of our city.”

Edmonton is also home to thousands of small businesses, including Mother Earth Essentials. Founded by Métis entrepreneur Carrie Armstrong, the company specializes in products created with natural ingredients and Indigenous recipes.

“Edmonton is vibrant, abundant and giving,” Armstrong says. “I love the vibe here, I love the people, I love that we have an interest, spark and reverence for Indigenous culture and I’ve seen that grow. People are super supportive of buying local and now buying Indigenous.”

The September 2024 issue of Maclean’s profiles 10 municipalities where “buyers can find good-sized, high-value . . . family homes without breaking the bank.” Maclean’s highlights Edmonton’s real-estate prices, which “remain well below the national average, with a benchmark sale price of $392,700.” The magazine singles out booming neighbourhoods, including a resurgent downtown, as well as Edmonton’s ambitious city planning, citing “recent zoning changes [that] mean that just about any residential area can soon be used for denser blocks of duplexes, townhouses and apartment buildings.” Alongside housing affordability, Maclean’s observes that Edmonton’s local economy “is outpacing national trends and upending expectations.”​
For more information:
why.edmonton.ca
Video: Welcome to Edmonton

Media contact:
Scott Campbell
Communications Advisor
Urban Planning and Economy
780-818-3560​
 
I can tell you firsthand that many residents and newcomers to Canmore continue to have a very poor perception of Edmonton and do not head north of Calgary unless a concert is happening; this needs to change.
 
I suspect many people in Canmore are attracted by the outdoors and proximity of the mountains. So unless we can build some mountains here, that will be hard to change.

There is also another large city much closer to them, so I doubt the residents of Canmore are really a big target market for Edmonton Tourism.
 
Gronk! said:
edmonton.taproot.news

Panel suggests Edmonton struggles to promote itself

Edmonton has fallen behind other cities when it comes to how it promotes and talks about itself to the outside world, the speakers on a panel focused on identifying ways to speak more positively about the city said recently.
edmonton.taproot.news edmonton.taproot.news
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There is a lot of negativity here, that is nothing new. It is sort of the default and has been like that for most of the last several decades, except for a brief period from about 2005 to 2015.

We don't have much positive leadership from the business community now, and city council doesn't seem very interested in reaching out to or engaging with them in a positive way either.
 
"McBryan said the data shows the score is high for Edmontonians when talking about their satisfaction with life here and also from visitors when sharing impressions of the city. Where the score is low, however, is for residents when they talk to outsiders about Edmonton."

It's clear people like living here, even visitors have a reasonably positive experience. It's really a perception issue. The reality of some of our struggles in the core can not be understated, however the issue from these metrics is more of a branding/perception issue than anything. We just don't pump up Edmonton as much as we should. I felt a change in the last boom and before Covid, there was a steady rise in confidence. And we went through some hard times. But I think sometimes we're our own worst enemies. The culture here sometimes is to not be a booster, it doesn't seem authentic and you can easily be criticized for it. We can do it in a way I think that isn't cringy, and not get in our own way realizing what we already got.

Also, what are our collective dreams? It would be hard for me to tell you beyond petrochemicals and random words like 'AI' and 'health cities'. We need a better sense of what we want the future of our city to be, especially the core has a lot of room for growth and opportunity. Imagine we actually were bullish about business development Downtown, something I know a lot of you here have talked about before.
 
Perceptions about downtown do feed a lot of the negativity, both from residents here many who seldom venture downtown, are comfortable with a very suburban life and visitors who come here expecting much more downtown given the size of our city.

Its not that our downtown is especially unsafe compared to other cities, but it is not very lively. There is very limited retail and shopping downtown now which I am certain most visitors notice and is very different from other cities our size and larger. A lot of empty storefronts do not provide a positive image or a perception of economic growth.

Again, I feel our business community needs to do more, but many of our larger businesses are either suburban based or branch offices of companies headquartered elsewhere, so they do not have much invested in improving our downtown. And our city council doesn't seem to be taking a strong leadership role to promote downtown more either. While we do have some downtown councilors, the current ones seem very quiet and our mayor is from a suburban area, I don't sense downtown is a big priority for him either.
 
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