Downtown BIZ seeks to accentuate the positive Advocate group’s newest marketing campaign ‘sharing those stories and amplifying their voices’ By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 6:04 PM CDT Wednesday, Sep. 25, 2024 Last Modified: 6:16 PM CDT Wednesday, Sep. 25, 2024 Updates

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After years of negative headlines and sentiment toward downtown Winnipeg, its local business improvement zone is aiming its marketing at the opposite: positivity.

“Every time we share a positive story about downtown, we’re actively flipping that narrative,” Kate Fenske, chief executive of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, told a crowd Wednesday at the launch of its latest marketing campaign: “Choose Downtown Winnipeg.”

It’s looking to collect upbeat stories about core area. People who share with the BIZ a recent positive experience — in-person at nine different events or via an online submission — are entered into a contest to win $5,000 and gift cards.

Manitobans can also send a one-minute video or short write-up to a forum on the organization’s website by Oct. 30.

“We want to, moving forward, (make) sure we’re sharing those stories and amplifying their voices,” Fenske said in an interview, adding further details are being ironed out.

The announcement comes a week after an extensive report by the Canada West Foundation found perception of Manitoba is lacking.

Perception contributes to the province’s consistent loss of residents to interprovincial migration and many non-Manitobans conflate the province with Winnipeg, which has a reputation for being crime-ridden, the report says.

“When people are looking to stay in a city or move to a city, they’re looking at what the downtown is like,” Fenske said. “Grandparents or parents want their kids to stay close to home — there’s a need to support downtown.”

The BIZ has a relatively small advertising budget, Fenske noted. A $5,000 prize is a way to “stretch a little bit of money” while igniting a conversation.

There will be radio, social media and print advertisements encouraging people to visit the provincial capital’s downtown. Premier Wab Kinew, deputy premier Uzoma Asagwara, Mayor Scott Gillingham and a number of small-business owners share their reasons for loving downtown in a promotional video.

Gillingham applauded the initiative Wednesday. “Downtown is the heart of Winnipeg,” he said in a speech.

He pointed to the Goldeyes and Sea Bears sports teams and a busy food hall at The Forks — all are good experiences downtown, the mayor said. He acknowledged downtown revitalization takes time, adding it’s “a series of investments.”

This year, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIZ has clocked more companies opening than closing. The local population has grown by at least 2,000 residents between 2016 and 2021.

Elected officials and the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ have repeatedly stated more people downtown leads to greater safety and economic viability for small businesses.

The core has changed from a pandemic “ghost town” to something more dynamic, Brad McMillan observed. The Ontarian first visited Winnipeg on a work trip in 2023; he’d returned again Wednesday.

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“It’s a good sign,” McMillan said, highlighting longer lines for coffee. “It feels, each time I’ve come here, there’s more people.”

Still, the calls for office workers to return to towers and spend money at lunch has worn on some.

John Wallis, president of human resources consultancy firm Braithwaite Wallis & Associates, said he’s heard the sentiment from office workers: “It’s not our responsibility to support downtown businesses.”

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Several workers shared a similar view with the Free Press. The cost of living — including dining — has risen; workers are now commuting longer and paying more for gas and parking. One government employee said he gets to the office then sits there for video calls.

“There’s a little bit of resentment there,” the worker said of the office culture, adding he doesn’t always feel safe downtown.

A handful of other downtown workers said Wednesday they buy lunch less now than pre-pandemic, mainly because of their budgets.

Wallis believes it will take another year or two before companies “fully smooth out” in-office and hybrid policies.

“Work has definitely changed,” Fenske said. “We’re looking at, ‘How do we adapt, and how do we meet the needs of people who want to be downtown?’

“It’s really about building a neighbourhood and a community where people want to be.”

Plenty of businesses have seen more foot traffic from workers, Fenske added. Meanwhile, the BIZ has advocated for more housing in the area and is focused on events to attract residents.

“Work has definitely changed. We’re looking at, ‘How do we adapt, and how do we meet the needs of people who want to be downtown?’”–Kate Fenske

The organization’s farmers market reached new attendance highs this year; its two movie nights in August drew more than 1,700 people, Fenske relayed.

Demand is hot for a BIZ grant offering money for downtown events, Fenske said.

Lindsay Cabato grabbed a Host It Downtown grant this year. The entrepreneur, who owns the Made Here MB gift shop, is running a two-day holiday market in the lower concourse of the Richardson Building and Fairmont Hotel on Dec. 3-4.

“I think the marketing campaign is great,” Caboto said at the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ’s launch. “It’s important for people to hear … from people that are either working or living downtown.”

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.