Media Release
Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. Receives Gold Award from the International Economic Development Council
October 24, 2014: Winnipeg, MB – Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. (EDW) received the lone gold Excellence in Economic Development Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) for its 2014 project in the category of general purpose website for communities with populations of greater than 500,000.
IEDC's Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials and the year’s most influential leaders. These awards showcase organizations and individuals for their efforts to create positive change in urban, suburban and rural communities. A gold award represents the highest recognition possible within each of IEDC’s various award categories.
This honour was presented to EDW at the official awards ceremony on Monday, October 20, 2014, during IEDC’s annual conference held in Fort Worth, Texas. Croft Petersmeyer, EDW’s director of marketing and communications—and project lead for the website revamp—accepted the award on behalf of the corporation.
“EDW’s new website is specifically designed to generate qualified economic development leads within the complementary realms of local and national investment, business expansion and foreign direct investment,” said Marina R. James, president and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. “Given the unparalleled importance a website plays in sharing information with applicable audiences in our industry, this top award validates the significant step forward EDW has taken within the international community of economic developers, site selectors and companies on the hunt for expansion opportunities.”
EDW’s new website features enhanced functionality, updated content, and fresh branding and design aesthetics. By incorporating logical dropdown menus, efficient navigation and responsive design for mobile users, EDW’s site boasts a clean landing page, while still giving users a clear indication of where to go to find everything they need. From an ‘invisible’ administrative standpoint, the biggest challenge involved creating intricate website modules that could be updated entirely in-house, so EDW wouldn’t need to routinely reach out to its external programmers to refresh the site. The end result? EDW now has a website that is almost entirely updatable and alterable by its own staff, with no specialized computer skills required, which saves the corporation time and money.
From newsletters and local news to sector profiles and data tables—and much more besides—those looking for development-related information about Winnipeg will immediately know they’ve come to the right place. Key deliverables of the project include a customized report builder that lets users easily compile applicable collateral; a document library; various archive systems; key downloads, related documents and related information blocks; an adjustable Google map; a site selector sitemap; pop-up information blurbs; and infographic components, etc.
Ultimately, EDW’s new website measurably enhances its marketing capabilities. As intended from the outset, the reimagined site serves as the foundation of EDW’s comprehensive digital marketing platform. The various innovations in both design and function offer tremendous advantages to targeted users who require up-to-date information and comparative data as quickly as possible to accurately assess Winnipeg’s potential for investment.
“Economic development efforts have long been a keystone in the quest to bolster the economy and improve quality of life in every locality across the country,” said Bill Sproull, IEDC chair. “As the nation continues to tackle challenges in the midst of global uncertainty, these efforts have taken on an even greater significance. With this award, we laud trendsetting organizations like Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. for leading the charge.”
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About the International Economic Development Council
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 4,400 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban, and local to international, IEDC’s members are engaged in the full range of economic development experience. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in a wide variety of settings, including local, state, provincial and federal governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities and a variety of other institutions. When we succeed, our members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities and improve the quality of life in their regions.
About Economic Development Winnipeg Inc.
Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. (EDW) is the lead economic development agency for Winnipeg. EDW facilitates investment promotion and attraction, capacity building, tourism development, marketing and the management of market information. By applying competitive intelligence and by fostering relationships with industry leaders, government officials and community stakeholders, potential opportunities and innovation drivers are evaluated to develop key industries and define future economic growth. EDW supports targeted sector, community and social development, and promotes Winnipeg’s diverse economy and high quality of life.
EDW leads global investment attraction, and local business retention and expansion, with its YES! Winnipeg initiative. YES! Winnipeg’s business development team assists in the creation and retention of jobs, identifies opportunities that attract new investment, focuses on expansion and helps local entrepreneurs launch new commercial ventures.
Tourism Winnipeg is the city’s official destination marketing organization tasked with increasing visitation and delivering the best possible visitor experience. A division of Economic Development Winnipeg Inc., Tourism Winnipeg’s mission is to facilitate a healthy, prosperous, responsible and fully integrated tourism industry that enhances Winnipeg’s economic growth through the acquisition of meetings, conventions, sports and events, group travel and leisure tourism.
www.economicdevelopmentwinnipeg.com
For further information, please contact:
Croft Petersmeyer
Director, Marketing & Communications
Economic Development Winnipeg Inc.
Phone: 204.954.1961 Cell: 204.898.4866
croft@economicdevelopmentwinnipeg.com
