Are We Smart Enough?

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Brad Ferguson

Complacency is a dangerous disease. It’s forever affected General Motors, Kodak, Microsoft and Blockbuster. And it is a widespread addiction amongst Alberta companies.

Why?

Because things are good. Why change? Why invest? Why try harder … when you can just sit back and enjoy the prosperity that comes from underlying economic growth?

Look at your own organization. Look at yourself. What are you investing in today that will allow you to reap dividends in 2-3 years or 5-7 years?

These are important questions, and they are the questions every Albertan should be asking every day. They are the questions that we will explore at E-Town (www.e-town.ca) next week, and it is important that you invite yourself to the conversation. Here’s why (true stories from the past week):

Me: Is your team coming to e-town this year?
CEO: It looks fabulous, but we’re too busy working too hard.
Me: Is working harder your competitive advantage?
CEO: Ummm … shut up.

Employee: I’d like to attend e-town this year. It only costs only $399.
Boss: What will you learn?
Employee: Technology, leadership and creativity trends affecting our business.
Boss: I don’t think those are our priorities right now.

Do these stories sound familiar? Are we simply trying to win by working harder? Or is it time we start thinking about competing by being smarter than your competition? One of our speakers, Estelle Metayer, focuses solely on this topic, and I’m probably looking forward to her session the most.

Why?

Because it strikes at the heart of our economic future. And you can’t afford to miss it.

Thank you.

Chief Curator, E-Town Festival

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Brad Ferguson

If you could invite eight incredible people for dinner, who would they be?

That’s the magical question we always ask as we begin planning our annual E-Town Festival (www.e-town.ca) at the Shaw Conference Centre … held this year on September 11th & 12th.

Futurist? Coach? Artist? Astronaut? Athlete? Entrepreneur? Musician? Poet?

What a mix. What a conversation. What ideas. What motivation. And we work hard to set the dinner table specifically for you … the entrepreneurial thinkers, the people building our city, the people taking risks or wanting to take risks … the people that are helping move our city, every day, away from “good enough” and towards “remarkable.”

E-Town is an event designed specifically for you. And just as Chris Hadfield and The Barenaked Ladies blew away everyone’s expectations, E-Town 2014 has been designed and curated to be a life experience, right here in Edmonton.

Let’s take peak inside this year’s event:

Peter Diamandis, Founder & Chairman of X-Prize, who slapped $10 million on the table for the first private spaceflight, will chat about the biggest technology trends that are reaching their tipping points;

Estelle Metayer, an expert in competitive and strategic intelligence, is my hidden secret of E-Town 2014, as she blew me away in Montreal in May and promises to deliver insights as to how our companies need to be less competitive and more intelligent;

Shane Koyczan, Canada’s greatest slam poet, who shook the Vancouver Olympics and is excited to share his commissioned story of Edmonton with our audience;

Tom Peters, the timeless leadership guru, who will change the way we prioritize culture and innovation in the workplace and who will leave you with a redefined understanding of your potential;

Haley Wickenheiser, our 4x Olympic gold medalist and captain of our women’s national team, will share stories of dedication and sacrifice and will talk about how pride can be an incredible motivator for success;

Bob Nicholson, the new Vice-Chairman of the Oilers Entertainment Group, will share how he transformed Hockey Canada into an international sports marketing powerhouse;

Raine Maida, the two-time JUNO Award Winner, Founder and Lead Singer for Our Lady Peace has created a customized session on creativity for all attendees which will have people leaping out of their seats and keen to hear him play live with his wife Chantel Kreviazuk on stage in a private event for all participants.

This year’s E-Town will simply be magical and memorable … and of huge value to everyone that attends. Last year we were inundated with people who missed out or simply didn’t know what was happening. This year, there is no excuse. Consider this your invitation.

The eighth (8th) seat is reserved for you.

It is unfortunate that Daryl Katz had to miss out this year, as his story is truly spectacular and his vision will forever change our city. We welcome him back next year and thank the Edmonton Oiler organization for everything they have done to assist as an inescapable situation presented itself.

September comes fast, so get your tickets today. It starts 4:30pm on Thursday (Sept 11th) after work and goes all day Friday (Sept 12th). Anywhere else this is $1500-$2000 plus flights and hotels. So the value to you and your organization at $399.00 is tremendous.

The dinner table is set.
We look forward to having you there.
E-Town is one of the Top Events of the year.
And you won’t be able to stop talking about it.
Register at www.e-town.ca

Strength Become Weakness

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Brad Ferguson

Great companies evolve. Great people evolve. Great institutions evolve. Apple Computer has evolved. James Bond has evolved. LEGO has evolved. Bill Clinton has evolved. Hell, even Earls Restaurant has evolved.

Good organizations are built on strengths, but great organizations understand that those very strengths soon become their weakness, and they need to evolve in order to get to the next stage of growth.

Are cities any different? Let’s look at Edmonton.

Strength: a humble city of entrepreneurially thinking people and quietly profitable businesses that rally around any community initiative and provide anonymous donations to capital campaigns.

And …

Weakness: a humble city of entrepreneurially thinking people and quietly profitable businesses that rally around any community initiative and provide anonymous donations to capital campaigns … that doesn’t like to bring about any overt attention to its successes, yet wants to change its external image and become a destination for new businesses, residents, tourists and investment.

Yikes!! Could Edmonton’s humility be getting in the way of achieving its next stage of success? Does Edmonton and Edmonton-based firms truly understand marketing? Are Edmontonians ready to move from introvert to extrovert?

I suggest that we collectively need to invest in marketing in order to jump to the next curve … and by collectively invest, I mean starting with a serious look at our individual marketing budgets and ask the following questions:

• Are you spending a minimum of 1% of revenues on marketing (marketing, not sales)?
• Are your events held in public places and considered remarkable (worth remarking about)?
• How many stories in the press/media do you get every year (telling your story)?
• How much, and in what, are you investing to recruit new employees (and how many)?
• How do you celebrate your philanthropy to build your brand (community marketing)?

These questions are tough to answer for many Edmonton-based organizations, and will be the topic for subsequent blogs over the next month. This is a topic that is critical to our collective success, as the Edmonton story is simply an aggregate of our individual stories … corporate, institutional, personal, community or charitable. There are many things that we can do individual level, and there are many things we can do in the collective.

But be prepared to become more extroverted. We all need you to be.

Hey, How Can I Help?

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Brad Ferguson

Almost two years has passed since I started this fanatical journey of civic promotion, and I have been astounded by the escalating pride that Edmontonians continue to emote. What once was a city struggling with identity and self-esteem is transforming quickly into one filled with aspiration and conviction. It’s a transformation that has caught the attention of the rest of Canada, and it’s a transformation that could use the help of all 1.2 million people in the Edmonton Region.

Here are 10 really simple ways that everyone can help:

1. Learn the Language: Many of us don’t know how to describe our city or feel armed with the language and stories to answer the question “Why Edmonton?” So I encourage everyone to go to www.makesomethingedmonton.com and explore the Why Edmonton section … and suddenly you will find yourself part of our 1.2 million person marketing department that has a responsibility to be out there talking up our great city.

2. Become a Tourist: Aunt Susan from Saskatoon is coming for three days? What on earth are we going do with her? It is time to become a tourist and a tour guide in your own city by using www.exploreedmonton.com and learn how to build itineraries such that when Aunt Susan calls and asks that dreaded question, “So what are we going to do?” you know exactly how to respond.

3. Convene a Meeting: We all belong to something … a professional organization, a religious group, and association or a bird watching club … it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we start hosting these groups here for their annual conventions, conferences, training programs and celebrations. You want to do something big for your city? At your next meeting ask, “How can we start the process for Edmonton to become the host city for GlobalHQ Conference2018?” Then connect with us at EEDC, as we can help you pursue that big win.

4. Support Local Entrepreneurs: Money spent with local entrepreneurs contributes 8x the value to our local economy. Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood to our growth and prosperity, and we all can help by thinking about what business we can do with them. Local restaurants, bars, meat & vegetables, furniture, clothing, pipes, values, gardening plants … the list goes on and on … all you have to do is think about what you spend money on, and figure out how we do that locally.

5. Send an Invitation: Take a beautiful picture somewhere in the city … one of your favorites … and send it along with an invitation to a friend or relative you haven’t seen for way too long. Invite them to Edmonton for one of our festivals or events or just to dine around. The city has changed and you have the opportunity to take the lead and show it off. Find an event, issue your invitation and reconnect with someone from your past.

6. Become a Volunteer: One of the best ways to experience the Edmonton culture is to volunteer for a major event … and it’s free. Volunteer experiences not only connects you with hundreds of likeminded people in pursuit of a cause, but you become an immediate ambassador for your event and our great City. The more you get involved, the more you get connected, the bigger your network and the faster ideas can travel. That’s the magic of volunteering and the magic of Edmonton.

7. Smile A Lot: Walking down the street, running in the trails, opening a building door … in an elevator (gasp!) … you never know who you come across, and you never know who is forming their first impression of Edmonton. So simple … but so easily forgotten … and it’s one of those free gifts that you can give to every visitor to our city.

8. Make a Connection: Meeting someone new to Edmonton? Then introduce them to one more person. Nothing is more impressive to a newcomer than getting them connected to the community. So think of someone that the newcomer should know, and make the promise to connect them right there and then. Make the phone call or send a three-way email right there in front of them … your generosity will blow them away … and they become better and better connected in our city. Take a risk and do it for their spouse as well, and they will thank you by talking about what you did for them forever.

9. Invite People Back: As tourists and business visitors connect with you … which they will … because you smile a lot … ask them, “When are you coming back next?” before they depart. It’s a fantastic question to ask that really leaves them with a sense that the community cares and that we want them here … which we do. In retail it is called customer service. In the economic development business, we call it stickiness. So simple, but so effective. Try it … ask it genuinely … and then watch the reaction … they’ll be back.

10. Go See the World: Go. Go travel. See the world. See as far as you can. Meet people. Break bread. Share with them our story … your story. Invite them to visit. Be alert to new ideas. Share those ideas. And come back and Make Something Edmonton.

Welcome to our marketing department … soon to be 1.2 million people strong … with a unified voice. I encourage each of you to be a part of it … in your own simple ways … because the success that the Edmonton Region is having, and will continue to have, needs to be shared … and I’d like you to be a part of it.

Smile.

Dare to re Discover

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Brad Ferguson

Eras are often defined by the visions of leaders: the Carnegie era defined the important connection between industrialist and philanthropist; the Kennedy era defined the culture of US risk-taking by charting a path to the moon; and the Jobs era defined unlimited innovation with the interdependence of technology and humanity.

Whether those leaders are local, global, political, industrial, dictatorial or libertarian, leaders with commanding visions define their eras.

On a local level, we had the Stephen Mandel era, the Cal Nichols era, the Don Lowry era, the Tony Franceschini era, the Dave Mowat era, the Indira Samarasekera era, the Shelia Weatherill era and the Ross Grieve era … all different leaders that left their mark in different ways.

What is important to note is that they all progressed their causes and left their mark. Leaders have to leave a mark … have to move their organizations forward … or they are often forgotten as part of “a lost decade” era … and that is a tragedy of leadership, especially when that leader was brought in specifically to steward a public-facing organization in a defined direction.

The University of Alberta is in need of an era … and it has the opportunity to define its next decade with the selection of a leader that heightens the vision, determination and relevance of this amazing institution. Our university has the opportunity to select a President that has the following:

– Clear vision for campus development focused on enhancing the student experience;
– Understanding of our industrial and societal needs for entrepreneurial graduates;
– Capability to engage alumni, to build pride in the community and to raise capital;
– Clarity of expectations for research & teaching excellence across core faculties; and
– Ability to align all Deans to one vision, one voice, one goal … of being the best.

If we get it right, that leader will not only define the next era for the University of Alberta, but also for the City of Edmonton and the Province of Alberta. If we dare .. strive … and take risks … it will be a defining decade for all. The combination of our K-12 System, NAIT, MacEwen, NorQuest and University of Alberta has the ability to position Edmonton as the place with “the Brightest Kids in the World” and the University of Alberta is a critical cornerstone of that reputation.

So let’s Be Bold. Dare to Discover. Be Indisputably Recognized. Be a Leader.

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