Summer is coming to a close and although I’m sad to see the hot weather leave us, I’m very excited to talk about some of the victories we have had these last few months.
To help keep us motivated as we get Halifax kicked into high gear, we’ve highlighted some initiatives that showcase our resiliency and accomplishments.
In August, Statistics Canada released soaring retail numbers: an increase of 23.7 per cent to $53 billion for June sales and revenues. They also revised the numbers for May and showed a gain of 21.2 per cent instead of the originally reported 18.7. This is a tremendous feat for retail in the midst of the pandemic.
Also in August, the Halifax Chamber held its very first in-person event since February. Business After Hours at the Residence Inn by Marriott Halifax Downtown rooftop was a huge success, boasting an attendance of 40 members plus our special guests Mayor Mike Savage and MP Andy Fillmore.
Everyone at the event wore masks, social distanced and followed all public health guidelines. We even had a contest for the best mask, and our lucky winner received a two-night stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott Halifax Downtown for sporting a fun mask with a strawberry print.
Now that we have our feet wet, we are looking forward to hosting another outdoor Business After Hours this month with BNI at the Pondside Amphitheatre in Dartmouth Crossing. Bring your best mask!
There are also more events to look forward to: Wine on the Waves, Power Lunch and the 2020 Chamber Golf Challenge. I can’t wait to see more of our members after so many months. We hope you can join us for some outdoor networking on a boat, on the golf course, or at the amphitheatre.
To continue supporting our members, the Halifax Chamber is launching a marketing and digitization project with our partners at SimplyCast. We will be offering this new service to our members without subscription costs!
Through this new service, they can create simple and sophisticated campaigns to drive engagement by appealing to their audience's needs with personalized, special content. We will be launching this month and will share further details with you soon.
Halifax is holding a municipal election this fall and to kickstart our usual ‘get out and vote’ campaign, our cover story for this issue focuses on the mayoral candidates. We encourage you to register to vote, and when October arrives, fill out your ballot and vote for your district representative and your mayor.
To help you get to know your candidates, the Halifax Chamber will be hosting webinars with the HRM district candidates leading up to the election. Stay tuned!
This issue also highlights accessibility and the related trends stemming out of 2020’s developments. We talked to the Black Business Initiative as well, to get their perspective on the BLM movement protests and the need for racism and Black issues to be front and centre. Don’t forget to support local and Black-owned businesses – Read about Black Business Initiative.
Happy reading and, as always, we’re in your corner.
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