Businesses and non-profit organizations in southwestern Saskatchewan looking to elevate their game are in for an exciting opportunity.
Tourism Swift Current's 49° X 110° Regional Conference, which includes breakfasts and lunches, will run April 23rd to 24th at the Living Sky Casino Event Centre in Swift Current.
You can choose to participate in one or both days.
Day one will feature a town hall hosted by Tourism Saskatchewan. The range of talking points will include workforce development, destination development, and marketing to niche markets.
Golden West Broadcasting will also deliver a presentation on how to market your business, and Tourism Swift Current’s annual general meeting will cap the day off.
Day two will have more of a focus on the non-profit sector, with training sessions from Community Futures Southwest on board development, performance, and legal responsibilities of boards.
This is the second year back for the event named after Swift Current’s coordinates, an event that was a staple prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mitchel Cook, who took over as Tourism Swift Current’s executive director in January, said they're looking forward to building off of last year’s edition.
"Last year, they brought it back and saw quite a bit of success in getting people registered and addressing some of the topics attendees were eager to learn about.”
Cook said the non-profit aspect was a response to survey results on how the conference could better serve the region.
“A lot of it is going to be how to manage your meetings properly, how to run things cost-efficiently, and how to maybe make some money and get some sponsorships.”
Cook said the Tourism Saskatchewan portion will include 20-minute presentations that will be beneficial to many people in leadership roles across the southwest.
Some of the material pertains to tourism, but there’s much more than that.
“Workforce development is something that any manager can learn a lot about and take back to their business," Cook said.
Swift Current Mayor Al Bridal will kick off day one with a breakfast greeting, followed by presentations from Tourism Saskatchewan representatives, including: Jonathon Potts (CEO); Denise Hauta (Executive Director of Workforce Development); Nathan Morrison (Director of Events and Partnership Programs); Jeannette Lye (Strategic Planning/Research and Analysis); Brooke Lochbaum (Executive Director of Marketing); Brendan Manz (Industry Development Consultant); and Amy McInnis (Vice President of Marketing and Communications).
Golden West Broadcasting’s Clint Hartog (Sales Manager) and Cyril Amoyen (Homefield Account Manager) will then dive into marketing in the southwest.
The registration fees are as follows:
April 23 Conference Day Registration: $99 ($75 for members, $65 for students);
April 24 Training Day Registration: $99 ($75 for members, $65 for students);
April 23-24 Conference and Training Day Bundle: $189 ($139 for members, $99 for students).
Register online today. Annual Tourism Swift Current membership is $125, and [http://new members] new members are eligible for discounted rates.
Tourism Swift Current gives a huge thank you to their sponsors for making the event possible: Tourism Saskatchewan, Living Sky Casino, Winmar, Community Futures Southwest, and Bumper to Bumper.
You can find Tourism Swift Current on Facebook and Instagram. And when you’re looking to further experience what the region has to offer, or have friends or family coming to the area, be sure to stop by their location in the Swift Current Mall, call their office at (306) 778-9174, or check out their website.