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Statements & Board Members
Downtown Lethbridge & Staff
Downtown in Numbers
Advocacy
Ambassador Program
Downtown Events
Festival Square
Marketing & Promotions
Clean Sweep Program
Looking Forward
Partners
The Board of the Downtown Lethbridge Business Revitalization Zone governs the DBRZ through established policies and protocols The board provides strategic leadership, sets future goals, approves policies, selects its members, provides services on committees, hires and evaluates the Executive Director, and provides an active link between the DBRZ and community
Sheri Kain Chair RBC Vice-Chair
Kim Overes Naturistas
Heather Woods Treasurer ExecuServ Plus Inc
Steven Foord Director Owl Acoustic Lounge
Kendal Hachkowski Director Sumus
Hunter Heggie Director King of Trade
Amin Iqbal Director Realtor/Property Owner
Mckayla Rebalkin Director
Tiger Bee Boutique
Carrie-Ann Worden Director
Vista Radio - CJOC & CKBD FM Lethbridge
What is a BRZ?
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.
Sarah Amies Executive Director
Emily Chong Marketing & Communications Manager
Glenn Elgersma CSP Manager
Downtown Lethbridge by numbers:
570 570
In 2023, the BRZ leveraged the annual tax levy of
$887,250
worth of services, events, marketing, and community building initiatives for the downtown and its members.
Fires Destroy Historic Buildings
On January 31, a fire destroyed the historic Bow On Tong building (2nd Ave S). The building was originally constructed in 1919 and had a rich connection to the first roots of Chinatown in downtown Lethbridge. Nearly a month later, on February 24, the historic Lethbridge Hotel (2nd Ave & 5 St) was destroyed by a fire. The building was originally constructed in 1885 and had a rich local history.
4th Ave & 7 St Cycling Project Comes to Life
After years of planning and strategy (Cycling Master Plan), this City of Lethbridge bike lane project was realized in downtown Lethbridge. Over the fall of 2023, construction took place to reduce traffic lanes and implement protected bike lanes. The project connected to existing lane infrastructure. This project will introduce safe alternatives to transportation into and around the downtown core.
The Downtown Lethbridge BRZ helps to ensure downtown is an attractive area for business and our community, advocates to the municipality, other organizations, and higher governments about issues affecting business, and promotes downtown Lethbridge as a destination to all of Lethbridge and beyond.
International Downtown Association Annual Conference
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 2023, the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ presented to conference attendees about our Clean Sweep Program (sharing our unique approach to downtown cleanliness). 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
Committees & Meetings
Employees and Board Members sit on various committees and meetings on behalf of the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ. This includes the Heart of our City Committee, Tourism Lethbridge Attractions Advisory Committee and Business Events Committee, Social Health Equity Network of Southern Alberta (SHENLA), Integrated Encampment Response Team (IERT), Finding Solutions/Outreach Committee, and Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force.
Parking
The Downtown Lethbridge BRZ worked with the City of Lethbridge and Heart of Our City Committee to renegotiate the proposed fine hikes to make changes that will minimize negative impacts to business. This includes replacing Zone 2 with Zone 3, extending the grace period after parking expiration, and shortening enforcement hours.
The Ambassador Program is a fee-for-service contract funded by the City of Lethbridge that allows the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ to faciliate engagement activities that promote downtown Lethbridge and its businesses. The Ambassadors work year-round to promote downtown by attending events, creating content, executing events, supporting advocacy and promotional efforts, and engaging with the downtown community.
50 50 videos created
Ambassador Statistics
blog posts 57 57 57
55,721
total blog views
Highlights
Community Conversation
The Ambassadors attended the Community Conversation at the Enmax Centre where they engaged with over 200 community members about downtown
Events Focused
2023 was a year focused on events for our Ambassador team! They visited a variety of events both inside and outside of downtown to represent and promote downtown Lethbridge Some events included Lethbridge Pride, Grand Openings, touring the Waste & Recycling Centre, Farmers’ Markets, Awards events, Glow Lethbridge, and more! Events play a key role in the day to day lives of our Ambassadors Events offer a unique opportunity to engage the public about downtown while tackling negative perceptions and creating positive interactions
The Downtown Lethbridge BRZ plans, executes, and hosts events and campaigns throughout the year This includes both annual and one-time events Events are held in various locations downtown with an emphasis on engaging the Festival Square space
30 30 BRZ events in 2023
Celebrate Downtown Awards
We work with other local organizations to execute our events. These includes the City of Lethbridge, Tourism Lethbridge, the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce, and more!
25,000 25,000 attendees
Most events we host are annual events that happen every year. This creates excitement, builds retention and awareness, and helps us create a defined brand that our community knows and expects.
Hot Beverage Week
Foodie Fest
Festival Square is a public plaza designed for hosting community gatherings, events, and festivals. The intention is to create a vibrant, active, and communal space where residents and visitors can come together to celebrate various occasions, cultural events, and more. Currently, the space is home to year-round activities like markets, patios, and even an outdoor ice rink in the winter.
93 93
26% 26%
Days of events Days of 2023 had a booking
316 316
Hours of activity in 2023
We introduced our outdoor piano in 2023. Placemaking initiatives are built around creating spaces people want to spend time in. We are focusing on low cost with quick turnaround opportunities that require no staff supervision. Along with our downtownBox project launched in 2023, you can stay tuned for more small scale placemaking initiatives in 2024. @festivalsquareyql
The Downtown Lethbridge BRZ focuses its marketing and promotional efforts heavily 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
612,309 612,309
Total Profile Views
Average Views Per Profile 961 961 313,154 313,154 114,445 114,445 545,125 545,125 193,214 193,214
Website Referrals
Calls Initiated
Total Visits to the BRZ
Website
Unique Visits
Our content we post ranges from business features, upcoming events, to new additions to the downtown, positive news stories, People of Downtown Features, and more!
erage Week
age Week takes place in January/February ear and showcases various hot beverages owntown and voters pick their favourites Saturday of the promo includes a familyy ee sample day
Subscribers 705 705
26 26 Newsletters sent
22.08% 22.08% Open rate
wn Easter Egg Hunt
ntown Easter Egg hunt takes participants ut downtown in search of all of the eggs eggs they find, the more entries into a w of downtown goodies
Small Business Month
Small Business Month takes place in October and promotes supporting local in downtown Shoppers shop, dine or use a service 3 times in downtown during the month, then submit a picture of their completed punch card to our online portal to win prizes (including the grand prize of a $500 downtown shopping spree)
Downtown Support Local Radio Campaign
This year-long promotion focused on promoting supporting local in downtown. The ads were voiced by downtown businesses and ads ran during various times of the day.
Statistics:
downtownBox is a project to encourage visitors to use Festival Square when BRZ staff are not around while safeguarding equipment from theft and misuse. The box typically includes games, chalk, basketballs, paddles for pingpong, and more. Users fill out an online form and receive a code via email to unlock the box. Users put objects away after use and re-lock the box. We saw 135 uses in 2 months.
ADSMedia Hotel Ads
We placed downtown ads in 5 high traffic hotels in Lethbridge. These ads encouraged visitors to explore downtown and directed them to our website to find places to eat, shop, and visit.
We added an additional 100 radio ads to the campaign between November 15 and December 15 with a focus on supporting local during the holiday season.
During Foodie Fest, we included radio as a key part of our promotional efforts. This included pre-event ads on multiple stations, live cut-ins during the event, and cross-promotional social media posts.
Statistics:
57 57 media interactions
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.
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.
The Crew
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.
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
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
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For hotspotting, Needle Debris Hotline, Shelter Expansion & Encampment & Biohazard. (Encampment&BiohazardProgram)
Galt Gardens Expansion Project
The Galt Gardens Expansion Project created the addition of a temporary crew over the summer months in 2023 This crew of a Foreperson and 5 team members specifically focused on cleaning Galt Gardens several times a day, 5 days a week. This project began due to an increased need for cleanings in the park, working to ensure cleanliness and public safety.
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Read what we are excited about in 2024:
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.
Herearejustafewofourpartners:
Allied Arts Council
Analog Books
Andrew Hilton Wine & Spirits
ATB
Avail CPA
Bloomdiggity
B93 & 95.5
Casa
Century 21 Foothills South Real Estate
City of Lethbridge
CJOC & 2Day FM
Community Futures - Lethbridge Region
Cookie Crimes
Economic Development Lethbridge
Enmax Centre
ExecuServ Plus Inc
Fee Simple Law
FKA (Post) Developments
Gather & Graze
Heart Of Our City Committee
Herbal Apothecary
How Sweet Inc
KB Heating & Air Conditioning
Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce
Lethbridge College
Lethbridge & District Exhibition
Lethbridge Historical Society
Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club
North & Company LLP
Peak Physical Therapy
Prime Catering
Southern Alberta Art Gallery
Stafford Family Dental
Sumus Property Group
Sunlife Financial
Telegraph Taphouse
The Wooden Shoe
Tompkins Jewellry
Toys R Us Lethbridge
Tourism Lethbridge
University of Lethbridge
Warwick Printing
Wingate by Wyndham & More
