Part 9: Staying Updated
Even though it may feel as if 2023 has just started, we are very quickly approaching the end of April and the beginning of May. As we move away from the cold winter months and into the better weather of the spring and summer, there will be more activities and fun things to do in the coming months. Businesses will be hosting more events and activations, both within the downtown core and Hamilton at large. While these events and changes are guaranteed to be exciting, it can be hard to keep track of everything that is happening, and these multiple streams of information could prove to be confusing or overwhelming. Thankfully, the Downtown Hamilton BIA has a variety of ways to keep you updated to changes and events in the downtown core, and this blog post will be dedicated to exploring some of them.
One of the resources that we utilize to keep people updated with what is happening within the Downtown Hamilton BIA will be fairly obvious, as they are the blog posts that you are currently reading now. These bi-weekly blog posts are designed to both share information about the downtown core and highlight the businesses within our boundary for readers. They normally revolve around a central theme, idea or way of experiencing the downtown core, instead of multiple events or changes happening in the area. For example, our last blog post was full of suggestions on how to have a great spring day in downtown Hamilton, and included recommendations of multiple businesses to visit. We want these blog posts to be beneficial to both everyday readers and business owners alike, as they highlight different businesses and what they have to offer before encouraging readers to visit and experience it for themselves. You can find these bi-weekly blog posts, both new and archived ones, through our website here.
Another resource that we have available to keep people updated about things happening in the downtown core is our bi-weekly e-newsletters. These are dedicated to sharing events and resources with readers, including information that is relevant to both the general public and business owners. These newsletters are released on the same week as our blog posts, and are delivered to you through email. The content of these newsletters changes with each edition, consistently being updated with relevant information and fun events that are happening in the coming weeks or months. In our recent newsletters we have been able to share information about our outdoor dining grant for restaurant owners within our boundary, information about the e-scooter pilot program, events that are being hosted by our business members and new businesses that have recently opened up within our boundary. You can sign up for our emails through our website here.
The easiest and most accessible way to stay updated on events and changes that are happening within the Downtown Hamilton BIA area is to follow us on social media, as we are consistently updating these profiles with any events that we are implementing and sharing resources from business members. The most active of our social media profiles is Instagram, as we update our stories on a daily basis during the week, sharing posts from our business members to keep our followers updated and informed about the businesses in the downtown core and the initiatives that they are implementing. We also have a social media initiative called “Feature Friday”, a post released on Fridays each week that highlights a different Downtown Hamilton BIA business member and the services they provide their customers. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
If you are a business member of the Downtown Hamilton BIA and would like to be included in any of the above resources, you can contact Emily Gilruth, Operations Manager at operations@downtownhamilton.org. We are always more than happy to share resources from our business members and highlight the incredible work that makes our area so great! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you would like your business to be featured, and we can work together to share the information in the most fitting publication.
One of the things that makes downtown Hamilton so exciting is the constant state of flux, as there are constantly new things happening in the area. However, this can also mean that you are inundated with information from multiple sources, and some can become lost in the shuffle. In addition to our website and the websites and social media pages of our business members, the BIA has multiple resources dedicated to keeping people updated as to what is happening in the area, and they are consistently being updated with new information. These resources are helpful to both businesses owners and the general public alike, so make sure to take a look at them the next time you have a chance!
If you are a Downtown Hamilton BIA member business and would like to be featured in a blog post, please email Emily Gilruth at emily@downtownhamilton.org.