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THE BRANDON SUN • WESTMAN BUSINESS • OCTOBER 26, 2023
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and Buckcherry: The Gang’s All Here Tour (March 17, 2024), as well as local favourites Manitoba Ag Ex, Royal Man- itoba Winter Fair, and Manitoba Ag Days in 2024. “I think this season, more than any other, we’re really focusing on trying to do some new things, [but] some of them aren’t announced yet,” McKenzie said. Although the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, and the Key- stone Centre’s events schedule is fuller than it was a couple years ago, McK- enzie says it’s still unclear whether the venue has fully bounced back from the effects of the health crisis, or if it has simply reached a “new baseline norm,” as it has struggled to consistent- ly match pre-pandemic attendance numbers at some events. “Our hope is certainly that recovery is still ongoing and more people are going to be getting out, on their time- line of course. People are only going to come out when they’re comfortable coming out to events,” he said. But the venue isn’t deterred, with plans to upgrade the facility and grounds underway in hopes of boost- ing the experience of all who engage with the centre. The outdoor stage, for example, is widely underused, but McKenzie hopes adding a new weath- er-friendly stage cover will bring more events outside, onto the grounds. “Not a lot of people know about the
outdoor stage, it’s been mostly out of use for at least the last decade. Here and there we’ll have events outside that use it for … traditional dancing, or a small music [performance], or some sort of award presentation. But it hasn’t really been used.” Another exciting change coming to the Keystone Centre is brand-new seats equipped with cupholders in Westoba Place, to be installed by this time next year. The current seats were pulled from the former Winnipeg Are- na. McKenzie also says the centre is ex- ploring the possibility of commercial- ized developments on the grounds and a study is already underway; however, he couldn’t provide any further details. While many “visual changes” are ex- pected across the Keystone Centre and Brothers Aiden and David Song feed goats at the petting zoo on Tuesday morning during the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair at The Keystone Centre. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)
Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje perform during the Stars On Ice 2022 Holiday Tour stop at Westoba Place in Brandon. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)
grounds, McKenzie says the centre is as focused on making adjustments be- hind the scenes to improve things like customer service. With the previously announced $15.9-million, five-year operating agreement between the City of Bran- don and the provincial government, along with a $3-million grant from the province, McKenzie says there are more opportunities to build on the venue’s capital projects like these. “Any time that we have stable and
predictable funding, it makes oper- ating the centre … so much easier. Knowing what to expect, when to ex- pect it, helps us plan for what types of new events we can go after, what types of improvements to the facilities we can undertake, and to what degree we can undertake them.” For more information about the Key- stone Centre and its events calendar, visit keystonecentre.com. — with files from The Brandon Sun
Benefits of a go-to-market (GTM) strategy for your small business
• Identify your target market. Who are you trying to reach with your products or services? What are their pain points, and what are the solu- tions? • Develop a marketing and sales strategy. How will you reach your target market and generate leads? How will you close sales? • Create a budget. How much mon- ey will you need to implement your strategy? • Get feedback. Get feedback from your team, customers and oth- er stakeholders. This will help you identify potential weaknesses and make improvements. • Measure your results. How will you measure the success of your GTM strategy? Track your results so you can see what’s working and what’s not.
If you’re launching a new product or service, implementing a go-to-market (GTM) strategy can be the difference between thriving and barely staying afloat. A well-crafted GTM strategy can improve brand awareness and in- crease your sales. It can also improve the efficiency of your roll-out and re- duce overall costs, resulting in higher profits. How to create a GTM strategy Your GTM strategy outlines your company’s goals, budget, target mar- ket and approach to marketing and sales. Take the following steps to create an effective GTM strategy: • Define your goals. What do you want to achieve with your new product? Do you want to increase sales, improve brand awareness or something else?
BDC Small Business Week takes place from October 15 to 21, an excellent oc- casion to learn more about developing a GTM strategy to make your small business sustainable and successful.
• Be flexible. The market is constant- ly changing, so it’s important to be flexible. Be willing to adjust your plans as needed.
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