Tourism Winnipeg

YES! WINNIPEG 9 Much of the rationale for restructuring Economic Development Winnipeg in late 2016 involved streamlining the corporation into one unified team that would allow its various groups—market intelligence, marketing and branding, and sales (i.e., YES! Winnipeg and Tourism Winnipeg)—to work more collaboratively to improve results. YES! Winnipeg's proactive subsector sales campaigns are part of a new strategy to grow key industries that takes full advantage of this cooperative model. Three clusters have been identified to date: protein processing, additive manufacturing and interactive digital media (IDM). For over 140 years, Winnipeg has served as the gateway to Western Canada and a hub for agricultural investments of all kinds. Now boasting 2,200 agribusinesses employing 13,700 people citywide, it's a world leader in commodities trading, health- and functional-food research, advanced crop research, precision agriculture and agri-food processing. With respect to agri- food processing, Manitoba has attracted over $1 billion in recent investments, including Roquette's $400-million pea-processing facility in Portage la Prairie (the world's largest) and Maple Leaf Foods' $94-million Winnipeg expansion, which houses Canada's biggest bacon-production facility. YES! Winnipeg has targeted 30 national and international protein-processing companies, and it's working in partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Global Affairs Canada, the Consider Canada City Alliance and appropriate industry groups to build momentum. Outcomes to date are encouraging: an agri-food processing fly sheet was sent to more than 200 collaborating entities (investors, trade commissioners, site selectors, friendly companies, etc.), and an accompanying Twitter campaign generated 5,800+ impressions and over 300 engagements. If you can help get the word out to your networks about these three clusters, please contact YES! Winnipeg for copies of the applicable fly sheets, each of which includes a high-level overview of our city's unique benefits. Although the results achieved so far are promising, campaigns of this sort can yield even more substantial windfalls if we work together to showcase industry-specific advantages to leading companies considering a Canadian expansion. Targeted Subsector Campaigns Attract International Attention stay facilities; short-term or permanent work spaces; connections to specialized staffing firms or post-secondary institutions; and introductions to potential partners, collaborators and suppliers. Every company's needs are unique, and YES! Winnipeg adapts each tour to accommodate these specific requirements. Local partners are prepped regarding what to expect in advance of all scheduled meetings (and what takeaways the visiting participants hope to secure), ensuring smooth, purposeful discussions. Typically, a YES! Winnipeg representative attends to help expedite desired outcomes. After a FAM tour is complete, YES! Winnipeg continues to engage with the client to determine next steps (e.g., another visit, conference calls, liaising with government, required documentation). The goal is simple: to ensure Winnipeg moves to the top of the company's short list. Individualized attention of this sort has proven effective on multiple occasions, with investors, collaborators and clients routinely offering favourable feedback about the value these FAM tours add to a company's site selection deliberations. Well-received FAM tours orchestrated to date have included the following participants: Site Selectors Guild members, Roquette (during its exploratory visits to Manitoba), Canadian Tire (to establish its data centre operations), Project Hip, Blume Distillation (it requires a local partner to proceed), c2renew (in anticipation of a Canadian expansion), TERRAÇO (a Brazilian company that has since registered a Manitoba business), a delegation from France consisting of 12 agribusiness companies (investigating partnerships and future investment possibilities), select trade commissioners, Eneus, Magnovate, Great-West Lifeco, Unison (a GE Aviation company), VRC Metal Systems Canada and many more. From every vantage, YES! Winnipeg's FAM tours are an integral aspect of its ongoing success. FOR OVER 140 YEARS, Winnipeg, Manitoba, has served as the gateway to Western Canada and a hub for agricultural activities of all kinds. The centre of Canada is the world leader in commodities trading, food processing, health and functional food research, advanced crop research and precision agriculture. Winnipeg is a compelling choice for agricultural investment. Recent Protein Attractions and Expansions in Manitoba Why Winnipeg? Invest in Manitoba Proteins Water Resource Abundant and high-quality water supply Number One Most cost competitive city in the U.S. and Western Canada Hydroelectric Rates Among the lowest published hydroelectric rates in North America Central Location North America's largest trimodal inland port with national and international freight options Agribusiness Companies Agribusiness Employees in Winnipeg 2,200 13,700 Manitoba's agribusiness sector earned revenue of: in 2015 and growing Roquette $400 million Largest pea-processing facility in the world Parmalat Canada $50 million New dairy-processing facility Manitoba: The Heart of Value-Added Agriculture Post-Secondary Strength 60,000+ annual post-secondary students enrolled GRADUATES EVERY YEAR $13.2 billion Alive with opportunity WINNIPEG, MANITOBA Find out why we've attracted $1 billion of agribusiness investment in two years. Is your project next? Maple Leaf Foods $94 million Largest bacon-production facility in Canada Competing to Win

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