Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Wins Big for Hamilton Day Initiative

· by c.dambrosio@hamiltonchamber.ca

Local Chamber Takes Home Two Festival & Events of Ontario Achievement Awards: Best Promotional Campaign and Best Social Media Campaign

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce we have received two 2023 Festival & Events of Ontario (FEO) Achievement Awards for our local Hamilton Day initiative. Hamilton Day was recognized as an award-winning event in the Best Promotional Campaign and Best Social Media Campaign categories. The awards were presented at the FEO “Celebrate” Awards Gala in Niagara Falls on March 8th.

The FEO Achievement Awards recognize the accomplishments and successes of festivals and events by honouring best practices over many different categories within the industry across the Province of Ontario. Submissions were received for consideration in the Fall of 2022 and were judged by an independent panel. Festivals and events of all kinds from every corner of Ontario were represented in the submissions – from community festivals to internationally recognized events.

“It’s an absolute honour to see our hard work and dedication to Hamilton businesses being acknowledged,” said Greg Dunnett, President & CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. “These awards are a testament to the hard work of our team and the power of collaboration with our partners and small business community. The Hamilton Chamber is committed to showcasing the best of what our city has to offer and continuing to drive economic growth and prosperity for all. We look forward to hosting Hamilton Day again this year on Saturday, November 4 and welcome our entire community to participate.”

Norm Schleehahn, the City of Hamilton’s Director of Economic Development joined the Hamilton Chamber last night at the awards gala. “The City of Hamilton is proud to be a partner of Hamilton Day, an event that is so important to our small business community,” said Schleehahn. “Congratulations to the hardworking team at the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce for taking home two awards that demonstrate the success of the Hamilton Day campaign and its significant role in inspiring community-wide support for local businesses.”

AWARD HIGHLIGHTS:
The Best Promotional Campaign Award was granted based on the effectiveness of traditional media marketing tactics used and quantifiable engagement metrics that are closely tied to the event’s attendance and overall success. The Hamilton Chamber’s promotional efforts for Hamilton Day generated an estimated 9 Million traditional media impressions and involved partnerships with 11 operating city BIAs, 8 artisan/farmers markets, 18 sponsors, and dozens of community partners.

The Hamilton Chamber was the sole winner of the Best Social Media Campaign Award based on our concerted efforts to create and roll out an extensive social media campaign with an engaged, local-loving following. Through a combination of organic and paid social media efforts, the Hamilton Day channels have amassed over 4,000 followers and reached nearly 200,000 individuals with its content. In both 2021 and 2022, the Hamilton Chamber engaged over 20 local influencers and community groups to help spread the word about Hamilton Day and encourage their networks to participate in the event.

ABOUT HAMILTON DAY:
The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce first held the event in 1931 during the depths of the Great Depression to boost spirits and the local economy. While it was only one day in an economic downturn that carried on for years, Hamilton Day was symbolic of a rallying spirit in the face of adversity. The Hamilton Chamber brought Hamilton Day back in 2021 in an effort to support local and small businesses through the financial hardship brought on by COVID-19. The Hamilton Day campaign is designed to support small businesses by rallying patrons to get outside or shop online for a one-day event to dine and buy local. Building on its tremendous revival, in 2022 the Hamilton Chamber declared Hamilton Day an annual event, returning each year on the first Saturday in November. It will be held again Saturday, November 4, 2023. Learn more at http://www.hamiltonday.ca

ABOUT FESTIVAL & EVENTS ONTARIO:
Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) was established in 1987 as an association devoted to the growth and stability of the festival and event industry in Ontario. FEO supports a lively, engaged and dedicated festival and events industry by sharing knowledge, enabling networking and providing leadership on education, advocacy and promotion. FEO operates Canada’s largest dedicated festival and event Conference, publishes and distributes an annual consumer guide, promotes its industry festival supplier goods and services and oversees an industry-leading awards recognition program. The festivals and events industry in Ontario is estimated to generate in excess of $2.3 billion annually in contribution to regional GDP, create/sustain approximately 50,000 full-year-equivalent jobs and foster approximately $1 billion dollars in taxes at all levels of government. Learn more at http://www.festivalsandeventsontario.com

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MEDIA CONTACT
Cassandra D’Ambrosio
Manager of Marketing & Communications
c.dambrosio@hamiltonchamber.ca