Port Perry BIA
Marketing and Special Events Manager
My job was to promote and market Downtown Port Perry as a desirable destination to visitors and locals alike, while highlighting the USPs of the individual businesses. My responsibilities included maintaining and managing all communication channels including phone, general email, newsletter, website, and social media. The role required me to understand how to keep the media and messages rolling from a community organization, while regularly devising and re-evaluating content strategies to ensure we reached the right audience with an appropriate message.
I developed content calendars, coordinated content creation, created/edited content, and published to the various BIA digital channels, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and a WordPress website. I also coordinated and booked print placements, designed the graphics, and dealt with any errors in the proofs. My print designs have been featured in news and tourism-focused publications that are distributed through Southern Ontario.
I designed and developed the current BIA website (discoverportperry.ca), including all member pages and the event directory. I’m routinely updating both directories, as events take place and members come and go.
I also coordinated all special event plans, oversaw the project management, and coordinated many aspects of BIA events such as the Songs of the Summer music program and the Port Perry Street Party. This layer of the role required booking talent and rentals, keeping a budget, marketing (traditional and digital); along with tracking and monitoring for partner agreements. Additionally, I created post-event and marketing campaign reports to assess and adjust future strategies.
Additionally, I wrote and assisted in writing multiple grant proposals to various tourism DMOs and the Ontario Government. I was successful in many Central Counties Tourism partnership grants, as well as received $60,000 through the Tourism Relief Fund program administered by FedDev Ontario.
SUBPROJECTS:
GIFT CARD PROGRAM, 2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I developed my crisis management skills to push messages that reminded people of the importance of small business, while still acknowledging the reality.
To further help the downtown small businesses I built an online shop using Shopify to sell gift cards from local businesses. We sold over $12,000 in gift cards in the first five days. The launch included designing graphics for social media and the website and then executing a thorough strategy on all channels. Finally, I tracked and monitored all sales in spreadsheets and delivered them to the individual businesses daily.
SONGS OF THE SUMMER, 2021
In 2021 I wrote a successful Central Counties Tourism partnership proposal that allowed the Port Perry BIA to extend its traditional music program to 18 dates. Organizing the music program involved booking talent, keeping a thorough budget, creating and executing all marketing initiatives (social media, website, newsletters, print), along with tracking and monitoring partner agreements.
SONGS OF THE SUMMER, 2022
Continuing the Songs of the Summer music program for another year, I booked talent for 10 dates, kept a budget, and marketed the program digitally (landing page, social, and newsletters) and traditionally (newspapers, magazines, and radio).
SUBPROJECT:
MOONLIGHT MADNESS, 2022
Moonlight Madness is an annual shopping event held in Downtown Port Perry. In 2022, I brought this exciting event back to main street Port Perry. My role involved obtaining all applicable permissions from the township, hiring the music, sending press releases, keeping a thorough budget, organizing member promotions, designing the print materials, and all of the digital marketing aspects (website, social, and newsletter).
PORT PERRY STREET PARTY, 2022
In 2022, I wrote a successful FedDev Tourism Relief Fund grant proposal that was distributed by Central Counties Tourism and allowed the Port Perry BIA to organize the first-ever Port Perry Street Party. This new concept was meant to get the community and visitors dancing in the streets and position Downtown Port Perry as a desirable destination for all ages and cultures.
For this project, I researched and booked the talent, coordinated all rentals (stage, fence, etc.), created numerous site maps, initiated digital and traditional marketing endeavors (landing page, social, newsletter, print ads, social ads, radio, etc.), kept a thorough budget, acquired sponsors, recruited and organized volunteers, worked with local township to ensure all required permits were obtained (ROP, SOP, SEP, etc), and tracked and monitored partner agreements.