Brandon works on tourism strategy

BRANDON — The City of Brandon wants to rebrand itself in a bid to entice tourists.

Brandon Tourism says it selected UpHouse, a creative marketing agency in Winnipeg, to help build the city’s first comprehensive tourism strategy, which will be unveiled in the fall.

“We hope that it’s going to develop a strategy to not only sell this city to visitors regionally, but hopefully start to develop a plan where we can kind of think outside the box a little bit,” said marketing and communications director Lanny Stewart.

The rebrand will include changing the city’s slogan, “Brandon brings you back,” which is from 2019.

“It’s served the city well, but in saying that, we feel like we can do better,” he said.

Brandon Tourism put out a request for proposals last month and received 17 bids from firms across the country. Work on the strategy will start in the coming weeks and include consultations with the Keystone Centre, the aviation museum and the Riverbank Discovery Centre, Stewart said.

“The key is getting alignment and making sure everyone’s on the same page (on) what we see as a vision for the city,” he said. “It’s an exciting time for the city, and you know, I’m really looking forward to this process and seeing what comes out of it.”

The city is spending $60,000 from the accommodation tax reserve on the initiative, which includes $40,000 outlined in this year’s budget, said Gerald Cathcart, the city’s economic development director.

“From an economic development lens, tourism dollars are absolutely crucial to the well-being in your community,” he said.

Cathcart said he wants the strategy to help residents across Westman become more informed about Brandon’s attractions, including sports tournaments, shopping, festivals, events, conferences, recreation and agriculture shows.

“It’s always kind of been that hub from a Westman perspective,” Stewart said.

He said he’s cognizant that Brandon will always be event-centric, but he wants to promote hidden gems in the city.

“When people come here for events, they can also, you know, go to the Brandon Riverbank, and spend a day or two experiencing the grounds and the green space there,” he said, noting hiking in the Brandon hills or experiencing the authentic atmosphere at Crow’s General Store as other options.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brandon Tourism pivoted its focus to guiding residents to get more involved with their community and book hotel staycations as travel restrictions were in place.

The organization wants to use this approach while targeting travellers across Manitoba, Canada and the U.S., he said.

Kiirsten May, president and co-founder of UpHouse, said the new strategy will focus on defining what makes Brandon a distinct tourist destination.

“In our proposal, we really focused on our ability to build on that momentum that we’re seeing across the province and bring our insight into something that can really support Brandon as they look to sort of expand beyond the conference and event audience,” she said.

UpHouse plans to begin with a “locals first” approach to ensure that what’s advertised mirrors people’s experiences before rolling out future campaigns to a wider audience, May said.

— Brandon Sun