EDA Ministry Meet Ups  & 2021 EDA Ministry Dinner Our first EDA Ministry Meet Up is being held this Wednesday, October 28 noon sharp! The topic: Small Business Supports. You will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from: Business Link, BDC, WD and Office of Small and Medium Enterprises. Here's another perk to EDA membership; the EDA Ministry Meetups are FREE for EDA members!  Ministry Meet Up: Small Business Supports Wednesday, October 28 12:00 - 1:00 PM MST Register for the October 28 Ministry Meet Up Here  The COVID-19 pandemic, limiting our ability to meet in person safely, as thrown a wrench in our 2020 Ministry Dinner in October. EDA's creative solution is developing a series of virtual EDA Ministry Meet Ups. You will still be able to network, share information and discuss potential partnerships with key government officials and each other, while at the same time maintaining social distancing. Beginning Wednesday and leading up to our in-person 2021 EDA Ministry Dinner, we are hosting a series of noon hour virtual EDA Ministry Meet Ups with key government officials discussing specific topics.  Thank you to AUMA for being a Gold Sponsor for the 2020-21 Ministry Meet Ups and Ministry Dinner. Read about and register for all sessions below:  EDA Ministry Meet Ups and 2021 EDA Ministry Dinner  Support this creative idea by becoming a sponsor of the EDA Ministry Meet Ups and our 2021 EDA Ministry Dinner.  Check out our Sponsorship Package. We are looking forward to this virtual series culminating in an in-person EDA Ministry Dinner in 2021.

Upcoming EDA Events  Community Economic Development Training Program (CEDTP) Economic Development Establishing the Foundation *Nov. 10 - Dec. 14 Register here Online through the University of Calgary Economic development is complex. This course will help you understand your role; key to the success of your career, and to the overall success of economic development in your community. These courses earn you points toward your professional certification Don't forget, if you're an EDA Member, you qualify to apply for an EDA Scholarship *new date    Ministry Meet Ups Our First Meet Up October 28 12:00 - 1:00 PM Register here EDA has created a series of virtual Ministry Meet Ups! Our creative solution to the cancellation of our in-person annual Ministry Dinner.   Beginning October 28 and leading up to our in-person 2021 EDA Ministry Dinner, we are hosting a series of noon hour virtual EDA Ministry Meet Ups with key government officials discussing specific topics.   You will be able to network, share information and discuss potential partnerships with key government officials and each other, while at the same time maintaining social distancing.    AlbertaBusinessCounts FREE Webinar Dashboarding Feature *Tomorrow! October 20 11:00 - 11:30 AM Register here If you are a user of our AlbertaBuisnessCounts CRM or you are thinking about signing up; join us a FREE webinar that explains the new Dashboarding feature. Dashboarding provides an easy way to show “at a glance” data trends, goal attainment and more. Whether your focus is business retention/expansion, business recruitment, COVID-19 resiliency, community or workforce development, this feature is essential.     EDA's Annual (virtual) Conference Xperience#EDA2020 November 25 - 26 Are you "Zoomed-out?" Then, you'll want to attend our virtual annual conference. It will be a unique "Xperience!" Stream first-rate professional development; attend live networking events; and get ready to receive a special delivery, right to your doorstep. Our Xperience#EDA2020 Annual Conference is much more than a Zoom, so, join us! Visit www.XperienceEDA.ca and register See the complete EDA Event Calendar here

EDA News Today, EDA received the prestigious Silver Award for Innovation in Economic Development Week at the 2020 IEDC Annual Conference. The award was presented via Zoom this morning.  We are thrilled and grateful to the EDA team and EDA Board of Directors who together created an award worthy series of events! Visit our 2020 International Economic Development Week webpage to see the various events we initiated.

EDA Professional Development Economic Development Tools This is a quick reminder to take a minute to enrol for a couple of our online offerings designed to equip you with the tools you need to help your community thrive. The first one begins tomorrow.  #1  Join us for a free webinar and learn the new Dashboarding feature in our AlbertaBuisnessCounts CRM.   You'll want to learn about Dashboarding; a tool that provides an easy way to show “at a glance” data trends, goal attainment and more. Join us October 13 or 20. These sessions are free but you must register to receive call in information. Register by clicking the link below:   October 13 at 1:00 - 1:30 PM MST October 20 at  11:00 - 11:30 AM MST The 30 minute session includes Q&A. #2 Our next online course in our Community Economic Development Training program, Economic Development Establishing the Foundation, begins October 20. This world class training is one of our most popular as it provides the foundational information you need: Economic Development Establishing the Foundation October 20 - November 23 Register Here

EDA Professional Development AlbertaBusinessCounts  FREE Dashboarding Webinars Begin Tuesday If you are a user of our AlbertaBuisnessCounts CRM or you are thinking about signing up; join us for FREE webinars that explain the new Dashboarding feature. You'll want to learn about Dashboarding because it provides an easy way to show “at a glance” data trends, goal attainment and more. Whether your focus is business retention/expansion, business recruitment, COVID-19 resiliency, community or workforce development, this feature is essential.   Join us October 13 or 20. These sessions are free but you must register to receive call in information. Regiser by clicking the link below:   October 13 at 1:00 - 1:30 PM MST October 20 at  11:00 - 11:30 AM MST The 30 minute session includes Q&A. The  AlbertaBusinessCounts (ABC) Program gives your community a consistent method for gathering the data needed to identify and analyze business needs at the local, regional and provincial level.     EDA holds the provincial master license for Executive Pulse, a software designed to collect and analyze data on existing industries in Alberta. A special licensing agreement enables EDA to make this software available to economic development organizations at a reduced price.

EDA Professional Development Economic Development Tools Before you carve the Thanksgiving turkey, take a minute to enrol for a couple of our online offerings designed to equip you with the tools to help your community thrive. #1 Our next online course in our Community Economic Development Training program, Economic Development Establishing the Foundation, begins October 20. You'll get the foundational information you need: Economic Development Establishing the Foundation October 20 - November 23 Register Here AND #2 If you like FREE webinars then join us and learn the new Dashboarding feature in our AlbertaBuisnessCounts CRM.   You'll want to learn about Dashboarding; a tool that provides an easy way to show “at a glance” data trends, goal attainment and more. Join us October 13 or 20. These sessions are free but you must register to receive call in information. Register by clicking the link below:   October 13 at 1:00 - 1:30 PM MST October 20 at  11:00 - 11:30 AM MST The 30 minute session includes Q&A.

EDA Professional Development  Economic Development Establishing the Foundation   ONLINE Course Begins October 20  Dear Nancy Toombs, We don't have to tell you that economic development is complex. Our Economic Development Establishing the Foundation online course  is necessary if you want to fully understand how economic development positively impacts your community; and how you can maximize your role as an economic development professional. Register now and suggest this course to your colleagues; it builds an excellent foundation.  Economic Development Establishing the Foundation October 20 - November 23 online through the University of Calgary Register Here  All of our online Community Economic Development Training program (CEDTP) courses are open for registration; read our schedule of online CEDTP courses here and register. By successfully completing the courses in our CEDTP program, you qualify for points toward your Ec.D Certification.  You can also earn points toward the Professional Management Certificate - Economic Developers through the University of Calgary.

The EDA LINK October 2020.pdf

EDA Professional Development  Business & Investment Attraction (BIA)  ONLINE Course Begins Tomorrow Dear Nancy Toombs, A quick reminder that tomorrow is the day your Business and Investment Attraction journey begins. Register for our online course and learn how to develop strategies that will have a positive impact on your community. Important information, especially now.   Business and Investment Attraction (BIA) October 6 - November 9 online through the University of Calgary Register Here  All of our online Community Economic Development Training program (CEDTP) courses are open for registration; read our schedule of online CEDTP courses here and register. By successfully completing the courses in our CEDTP program, you qualify for points toward your Ec.D Certification.  You can also earn points toward the Professional Management Certificate - Economic Developers through the University of Calgary.

For Immediate Release Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) Enables Alberta Communities to Shine a Spotlight on Local Businesses and Attractions EDA becomes exclusive provider of the Xperience Alberta app platform, the result of an agreement with developer 468 Communications Calgary, AB (September 21, 2020) – Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) Alberta’s leading professional organization for economic developers, is now the exclusive provider of a platform enabling Alberta communities to create their own branded mobile app. This app encourages users to shop at local businesses and to visit local attractions. Called the Xperience Alberta app, it is available to all Alberta communities. This offering is made possible through a licensing agreement with 468 Communications.  “Because of restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more communities are looking for ways to inspire residents to shop locally and to direct visitors to local destinations encouraging them to spend more time and money at home,” said Leann Hackman Carty, EDA CEO. “This resource is a powerful tool for engaging residents and visitors in a way that drives them to local businesses, events and attractions.” Built using 468 Insider technology from 468 Communications, the Xperience Alberta app rewards people for visiting places, creating incentives for in-person engagement and commerce at the local level. Communities that purchase an Xperience Alberta license create their own branded app and can easily customize the look and feel, locations and content. It can be managed and dynamically updated with an easy-to-use online control panel. Easy to read reports also provide valuable data so communities understand the local establishments that are popular; and the part of the world app users are from. “Economic Developers Alberta is clearly demonstrating its leadership in economic development with this commitment to helping Albertans create a presence economy,” said Tim Fry, Founder of 468 Communications. “We are pleased to have a licensing agreement with EDA to help bring this valuable tool to EDA members and to all Alberta communities.” To learn how to create an Xperience Alberta app, visit www.edaalberta.ca/app.  ### About EDA Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) is Alberta's leading economic development network. For almost 50 years, it has been committed to advancing the economic development profession by providing resources, professional development and networking opportunities. As a non-profit organization, it is governed by a volunteer board of directors that represent the interests of its membership. Visit www.edaalberta.ca For more information please contact: Leann Hackman Carty, EDA CEO Phone: 403-807-7746    Tim Fry, Founder 468 Communications  Phone: 206-660-4321