2024 Annual Report by downtownlethBRZ

2024

Introduction, Board Members & Staff

Board Chair & Mission

Downtown in Numbers

Executive Director & Advocacy

Ambassador Program

Downtown Events

Festival Square

Marketing & Promotions

Clean Sweep Program

Looking Forward Partners

Sheri Kain Chair RBC

Kendal Hachkowski Vice-chair Sumus Property Group

Kim Overes Treasurer Naturistas

Amin Iqbal Director Realtor/Property Owner

Carrie McDermott Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Carrie-Ann Worden Vista Radio - CJOC & CKBD Heather Woods

Mckayla Rebalkin

What is a BRZ?

Payton Grindle Downtown Ambassador

Grace Hartman Festival Square Coordinator

Garet Burton Admin Coordinator

Mick Jacobs

Nathan Scarrow

Callum Campbell Summer Ambassador

Board Chair

Our Mission

Support Support

provide value-added services to support business.

Educate Educate

educate businesses on resources, tools and services.

Promote Promote champion the downtown as a place to live, visit, shop, invest & work.

Advocate Advocate

advocate with a strong voice on policy, issues, and concerns.

Downtown Lethbridge compared to other BIAs:

$903,465 $903,465 $250,215 $250,215

Beautification of Galt Gardens

Pictured: Galt Gardens pergola before upgrades.

Executive Director

International Downtown Association

The International Downtown Association (IDA) Annual Conference gathers those who work in the downtown industry to discuss downtown-related issues and initiatives each year. In 2024, the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ went to Seattle to learn and discuss various topics relevant to Downtown Additionally, being a part of IDA connects us with downtowns throughout Canada who are working to advocate at a provincial and federal level for all downtowns

Downtown Safety Education Sessions

Through funding from the city, the BRZ organized monthly Safety Education sessions, each one covering a different topic relevant to downtown business owners Topics ranged from fire safety, exploring options for securing your business, and state of downtown updates from Lethbridge Police Service These sessions were designed to keep downtown business owners up-to-date on the latest data and information.

Team

Lethbridge

The Downtown Lethbridge BRZ team joined 18 other Lethbridge organizations in the journey to Edmonton to bring awareness about Lethbridge The mission took place in November and the goal was to speak to elected officials about our community and the issues we are facing The members discussed public safety, housing, jobs, economy, tourism, affordability, and more. The goal is to not only advocate for our organization but for the entirety of Lethbridge

The fee for service contract, Ambassador Program, is funded by the City of Lethbridge and the assists the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ in facilitating engagement activities that promote downtown Lethbridge and its businesses. The Ambassadors work year-round to promote downtown by attending and executing events, creating content, supporting advocacy, and engaging with the downtown community.

Pop-Ups

The Ambassadors visited 10 businesses throughout the summer with our Pop-Up Downtown Booth! We promoted the business on social media and hosted a giveaway to shoppers to encourage supporting local businesses

Events

Our team spent many hours at 134 events throughout the City of Lethbridge in 2024! We participated at various street wheelers events, multiple parades, volunteered at local organizations, attended pancake breakfasts, and so much more! Our goal is to promote downtown and engage attendees at events while providing information and knowledge.

The Blog

53 53 videoscreated

The Ambassadors write and maintain the downtownlethbridge com blog with original, hand written content! From classic “Date Night” blogs to People of Downtown Features to exciting news, the Ambassadors are downtown experts. We have seen a steady increase in blog views year over year. In 2024, the average views per blog was 1,033 compared to 977 average views per blog in 2023 and 617 average views per blog in 2022

69 69 69 blogposts totalblogviews

This year saw the return of several events, along with the introduction of new ones, such as our 'Rhythm and Brews' summer music series The Downtown Lethbridge BRZ is committed to offering a diverse range of activities and events

Downtown Farmers' Market & Night Markets

Together with Lethbridge & District Exhibition, we hosted Downtown Farmers Markets every Wednesday from July to early September. These markets present a great opportunity for people to support local vendors The Night Markets held in September showcased local vendors in a cozy, welcoming environment

Foodie Fest

This year, we switched up the formula for Foodie Fest, hosting a week long festival featuring events on each day of the week (Latin Street Party, Pancake Breakfast, and more). Overall, it was a success, but for 2025, we will be returning to the old format of hosting monthly events.

Celebrate Downtown Awards

Hosted in Festival Square, the Celebrate Downtown awards included a sit-down dinner, drinks, and a celebration of the achievements of the downtown business community.

Christmas Tree Lighting

A yearly tradition! The Lighting up of Festival Square is now a highly anticipated event which included free hot chocolate, horse pulled sleigh rides, visits with Santa, cookie decorating, and much more!

Rhythm & Brews: Summer Music Series

28 28

BRZ events in 2024

The summer of 2024 saw the introduction of a new series of events put on by the BRZ. Rhythm & Brews was a combination of live music, food, and a beer garden, all set up in Festival Square

Festival Square is a public plaza used to host community gatherings, events, and festivals. Our goal in managing Festival Square is to foster a lively, inclusive space where residents and visitors can connect and celebrate. The square is used year-round, with activities such as markets, concerts, a patio, and an outdoor ice rink during the winter months.

Pedestrian Counts

In 2024, the City of Lethbridge installed pedestrian counters at various locations throughout downtown Lethbridge, including in Festival Square. From January to December 2024, a 15% increase in pedestrian traffic was observed from May to August and again in November, compared to all other months. Pedestrian counters are sensor based so they may catch a single person multiple times. The idea is to get a rough estimate of pedestrian activity in downtown.

The Downtown Lethbridge BRZ focuses its marketing and promotional efforts on social media and online engagement. This is achieved by having a strong website and unique and diverse social media platforms. Our goal is to grow the downtown Lethbridge profile and turn online searchers into real life visitors.

Statistics

952,189 952,189 Total Profile Views

1,553 1,553

818,185 818,185 Website Referrals 414,936 414,936 Calls Initiated 735,864 735,864 277,965 277,965 Total Visits to the BRZ Website Unique Visits

Hot Beverage Week

Taking place in January, Hot Beverage Week showcases various hot beverages around downtown. Participants vote for their favourite drinks and can taste-test the drinks during free sample day.

Downtown Easter Egg Hunt

The Downtown Easter Egg hunt takes participants throughout downtown in search of all the eggs! The more eggs they find, the more entries into a prize draw of downtown goodies

Radio Support Downtown Radio Campaign (B93)

Snow Much Love Campaign

A collaboration between the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ and Tourism Lethbridge, participants could find QR codes at participating businesses and enter to win prizes The goal was to encourage shopping local during the holidays

ADSMedia Hotel Ads

Downtown ads were placed in 5 high traffic hotels in Lethbridge They encouraged visitors to dine, shop, and explore downtown

We focused this radio ad campaign on encouraging listeners to support downtown. Ads were voiced by downtown business owners. With ads playing more than once a day, the goal was to remind listeners to support local business whenever they could.

The Clean Sweep Program (CSP) is part of the core operations of the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ. The CSP teams operates 7 days per week and takes care of our downtown with daily cleanings, leaf removal, snow removal in key areas, ice rink maintenance, graffiti removal, watering flower planters, and more They also operate the Needle Debris Hotline and help clean hotspots throughout the city

Downtown Lethbridge

This program maintains downtown Lethbridge and includes leaf removal, snow removal, graffiti removal, flower maintenance, garbage and debris pick up, and general downtown cleanliness.

Rob Lippa CSP Foreman

Louis Badoun CSP Foreman

The Crew

Jett Pedersen CSP Foreman

Needle Debris Hotline

The Needle Debris Hotline is a dedicated phone number that citizens can call to report needles and needle debris A Foreman will attend the site and clean up the debris

(403)332-0722

Shelter Expansion

This project centres on the Lethbridge Homeless Shelter and Resource Centre and the surrounding businesses. We pick up garbage and collect needles to keep the area safe and clean.

Encampment & Biohazard

Galt Gardens Expansion

This crew runs throughout the summer to assist the City of Lethbridge in keeping Galt Gardens clean There are 2 shifts per day, 5 days a week

Hotspotting

For hotspotting, Needle Debris Hotline, Shelter Expansion, Galt Gardens Expansion, & Encampment & Biohazard:

This crew removes unoccupied encampments and cleans up biohazards. They work in collaboration with community organizations, the City of Lethbridge, and Lethbridge Police Service to improve public safety and cleanliness. In addition to attending to calls, they actively clean up debris and hazards left behind by encampment activity 443

The hotspotting program sweeps areas within the community for needles and debris. There are four zones that the city has designated as areas of high concern which the CSP sweeps multiple times per week.

What

we are excited about in 2025:

The Downtown Lethbridge BRZ works with a wide range of community partners who support our efforts in safety, marketing, events, beautification, and more. Our organization thrives on the expertise, knowledge, hard work, and creativity of our community. Partnerships strengthen our organization and our connection with the community.