Farmers Market Metro

St. Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

Issue 9

August 10, 2013

Farmers Market Metro

August 10, 2013 Inside this Issue:
Good Morning, Social Media Contest Page 2 Growing a Business/ Building Your Brand Page 3 Reminders Page 4 Events, Contact Us, Emergency Information, Park Your Parcel Page 5 Advertising Page 6

Happy Sunny Afternoon Everyone!

Welcome to another week at the farmers market. We hope you all had a wonderful market day last week. Even though many were away during this past weekend, for holidays or camping, we still had many visitors who came. It was so great to see everyone back for another full market. Dont forget, today is the last day of Rockn August. Enjoy your day admiring the fancy cars along the river in Lions Park. Just a quick reminder for everyone to clean up their garbage and dispose of it properly. Also, dont forget to check out the St. Albert Botanic Bus! The Botanical Loop Bus will run 6 Saturdays from August 3rd until September 14th, taking patrons from the St. Albert Botanic Park to the St. Albert Centre to the St. Albert Farmers Market to the Enjoy Centre and back again! And best of all its free! Wishing you all a pleasant Saturday.

Debbie & James

Social Media Contest

Here is your chance to win a lovely gift basket filled with items from an assortment of vendors from the 2013 St. Albert Farmers Market!
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stalbertchamber Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stalbertmarket (@stalbertmarket) Follow us on Instagram (@StAlbertFarmersMkt) Take a photo of you and your booth on a market day Share your photo on our Facebook wall, Tweet the photo and mention @stalbertmarket, and post the photo on your Instagram account and mention @stalbertfarmersmkt The photo with the most Facebook Likes, Twitter Retweets and/or Likes on Instagram will win the gift basket!

Winner to be announced in the August 31st issue of the St. Albert Farmers Market Metro! Good luck! Also, if you would like to donate items to our gift basket, please visit us in our Chamber booth (Stall 89C) for more information! *Please note: You do not have to post on all 3 outlets (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to win! However, it is highly encouraged to increase your chances of winning!

St. Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

Issue 9

August 10, 2013

Growing a Business/Building Your Brand

In todays marketing world, branding is an always -on activity. With so many points of contact, online and offline, a strong brand must be seen as active and vibrant; otherwise, it stagnates and loses ground. Heres a simple set of rules you can count on the fingers of one hand. To be a successful modern marketer, make them part of your daily routine. 1. 2. Be Authentic. The most valuable asset a brand can have today is integrity. What that means is that your brand stands for something and doesnt waver. No one wants to align themselves with a brand that expresses one thing today and something else tomorrow, tagging along after every passing trend. Know the values that your brand represents and stay true to them! Be Relevant. No brand is an island. A brand becomes meaningful when it is discovered by people who associate it with a set of values they share, thus creating a brand community. You must understand what is important to them. Stay in touch with your community so you are constantly aware of their shifting priorities over time. With this solid perspective, youll be abl e to develop messaging that continues to reflect the value that drew them to the brand in the first place. Understand why customers were attracted to your stall over others at the farmers market and capitalize upon that advantage. Be Interesting. Everyones attention is fragmented and distracted these days. To avoid getting lost in the shuffle, find creative ways to express your message. This does not mean going off-topic. Its more like giving your audience a different angle of perspective, a different way of viewing the values that give meaning to your brand. The important thing is ensuring that your voice remains consistent. Differentiate yourself from other vendors in the farmers market, from social media to mobile payment technology such as Square. Be Engaging. One of the best ways to strengthen your brand is to let your brand community feel involved with it. Give them opportunities to interact with you. This can be a contest, a learning experience or something as simple as an online poll. Ideally, it should be something that members of your brand community want to share with other people they know creating the potential of bring new members into the fold. Find out what products your customers would like you to sell at the farmers market and include them in discussion. Be Present. An important part of knowing your brand community is knowing where to reach them. Are they active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.? Or, are they more inclined to focus their attention on your brand when they encounter it in traditional print media? You don't have to everywhere. Smart marketers find a position of common ground with their brand communities and establish a consistent presence there.

3.

4.

5.

For more information, visit http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/bdv11347 (image below; left). This link, provided by Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, gives you a step-by-step approach to launching and operating a successful business. From market planning to execution of business principles, all the information you need to start your own business is right there. The objective of this website is to assist prospective and emerging entrepreneurs by providing helpful business and marketing information essential to planning, operating and growing a successful business.

St. Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

Issue 9

August 10, 2013

PARKING

STALL LAYOUT

For any new vendors, or those that arent A minor but important detail is to ensure that booths aware, there are some stalls that do not have are flush with the curb. This guarantees that you take parking. advantage of the MAXIMUM 10-foot distance from We recommend that you park in the lot be- the curb. Please note, that everything must be inside hind the Hemingway Centre (formerly old your tent at all times. For example, no signs can be RCMP Station), northwest of the market or in outside of your tent. the St. Albert Curling Club Parking Lot. There Many of the vendors who have been here in previous are a large number of stalls reserved just for us. years may remember that the weather is unpredictIf you have parking with your booth, please do able. We are subject to not only rain, but also wind. not forget to bring lattice or a similar material We have learned that in extreme winds, tents can to place under your tires. This helps protect the turn into kites! beautiful St. Albert grass, and it saves us all money as the City of St. Albert must be reim- Please bring some sort of weight to hold your tent down in the event of extreme winds. bursed for any damages. There is NO VENDOR PARKING allowed in the big city parking lot. This area is reserved for shoppers and will be monitored closely.
If winds do become severe enough that you feel safety is a concern, please put as much of your product in bins as possible, keeping just what is needed to continue selling on the tables. Dropping your tent may be the best option.

VENDING HOURS VENDING HOURS

Shopping for the public begins only at 10:00AM when the horn signals the open of the market. Please do not sell anything to the general public before this time. From 9:30-10:00AM vendors can do their shopping, though they must be wearing their purple vendors button in order to make a purchase during this time. Please do not sell anything to customers not wearing a vendor button prior to 10:00AM.

CANCELLATIONS CANCELLATIONS
The market is every Saturday, rain or shine, and we would like everyone to show up every week to make the market complete. However, we understand that there are some dire emergencies where a cancellation must be made. As stated in the contract, there are no refunds for missed days, and we require a notice of at least 48 hours so that we can find someone to fill your stall and keep it warm in your absence.

STALL NUMBERS STALL NUMBERS

Remember to stop by the Chamber booth before market start to get this years vendor buttons and stall numbers. Numbers must be displayed prominently in your booth at all times. On the back of every number is an emergency zone number. This is extremely important because in the case of an emergency you must tell the emergency services which zone you are located in. They have different entries into the market depending on the zone.

BYLAWS BYLAWS
The St. Albert Chamber of Commerce Farmers Market is classified by Alberta Health Services as a Food Establishment.

The Market is a NON-SMOKING environment at all times. NO ANIMALS ARE ALLOWED. Your pet will have to be removed from the Market area. Failure to comply will be deemed in contravention of the Trespass to Premise Act, and may result in a $230.00 fine.

St. Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

Issue 9

August 10, 2013

EVENTS
Rock N August August 6-10
StARTS Festival September 27-29

StARTS Festival September 27-29

CONTACT US CONTACT

US
Farmers Market Assistant James Lo assistant@stalbertchamber.com St. Albert & District Chamber of Commerce 71 St. Albert Trail St. Albert, AB T8N 6L5 Phone: (780) 458-2833 Cell: (780) 977-1272 (Only for Emergencies) Fax: (780) 458-6515 www.stalbertfarmersmarket.com www.stalbertchamber.com

Farmers Market Manager Debbie Grant manager@stalbertmarket.com

EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

Emergency (Fire/RCMP/Ambulance) RCMP (Non-Emergency) Bylaw Enforcement Sturgeon Community Hospital Chamber Office Debbie Grant (Events Manager) Lynda Moffat (President & CEO) St. Albert Place Security Guard 911 (780) 458-7700 (780) 458-4300 (780) 418-8200 (780) 458-2833 (780) 977-1272 (780) 984-1966 (780) 459-1577

St. Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

Issue 9

August 10, 2013

Farmers Farmers Market Market Metro Metro

St. Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

Issue 9

August 10, 2013