Electric Summer Social Tour Celebrates Small N.B. Businesses
MONCTON–The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Moncton wants to reinvigorate downtown Moncton with its Electric Summer Social Tour.
As part of the Love For Local campaign, five social ambassadors will hit the streets from July 15 to Sept. 30 to tour different areas of New Brunswick.
It will bring more awareness to local businesses, including Moncton, through a rigorous social media campaign.
“Their job will be to work with as many small, independent, downtown businesses as possible,” said John Wishart, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Moncton.
“Doing pop-up activations, doing social media hits and point-of-sale kits, so just trying to provide [them with] some more awareness.”
The chamber announced Monday it received $350,000 for the campaign through the “Rediscover Main Street initiative,” offered by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). The initiative aims to “rediscover what the region’s communities have to offer.”
“Our main streets, downtowns, and neighbourhoods are at the heart of our vibrant rural and urban communities here in Atlantic Canada,” said Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe Member of Parliament Ginette Petitpas Taylor, who is also the minister responsible for ACOA.
“The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton’s Electric Summer Social Tour will help breathe new life in our communities big and small, re-energize our downtown areas, and motivate residents and visitors to come out and enjoy everything our businesses have to offer.”
In addition, a partnership with Brainworks Marketing, which began during the Love For Local campaign in 2021, will incorporate electric vehicles to show New Brunswickers that it is possible to visit every corner of the province in an EV.
Wishart said he wanted to tie in that green initiative with the Electric Summer Social Tour on top of celebrating local businesses, many of which are still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“About 65 percent of our 800 members are small independents with fewer than 20 employees, so these tend to be the businesses that probably suffered the most,” said Wishart, adding that it “fits perfectly” in the chamber’s goals.
“If we can help build some awareness and some momentum for them and introduce them to a wider audience, then we’ve achieved one of our goals.”
Towards the end of the campaign in mid-September, the chamber will host “Local-Fest,” a day-long event of local vendors, food and music in downtown Moncton.
Aaron Sousa is a summer intern in Saint John with Country 94 and 97.3 The Wave, Huddle content partners.