BLD Western Conference a Success

On Thursday, May 30, 2019, B-Corps from across western Canada came together for the BLD Western Conference.

The event was several months in the making, lead by a team of volunteers that were passionate about making the conference a success. When the request was released for marketing support for the conference, the team at Relish was eager to help.

Suzanne Braun, Principal & Managing Director and Robyn Woodcock, Senior Brand Manager, were the marketing chairs for the conference. Relish was responsible for everything from website updates, email promotions, social media support and event signage. The concept for the conference marketing was taken from an existing campaign used by B-Corp in the U.S called, ‘Vote Every Day’. “We used illustrations to represent the different ways people’s everyday choices make an impact,” explains Robyn Woodcock. “These choices allow people to make their voice heard. We took the campaign that was a success in the U.S and created a few new iterations that spoke to the conference specifically.”

The days leading up to the conference were busy, last-minute updates to the website, final email promotions and correspondence with the rest of the volunteer team. On Wednesday, May 29, Suzanne, Robyn and Tammy Barton, Office Manager made their way to Vancouver to attend on behalf of Relish.

Opening statements for the conference started at 9 a.m., followed by a full day of speakers, break out sessions and a closing keynote from Carol Newell, O.C. Renewal Partners.

“I found the conference to be very inspiring,” recalls Robyn, “There were so many wonderful people eager to share their passion and experiences The sessions were very team driven and allowed us to discuss and collaborate with individuals to get a sense of their perspective as individuals and as a B-Corp.”

“It was wonderful to meet other like-minded individuals and businesses to align with,” adds Tammy, “I learned that we can be more involved in our local community to help promote B-Corp.”

The BLD Western Conference was chock-full of information, ideas and advice, all with the intention of inspiring attendees to take what they learned and incorporate it into their everyday life.

“Small changes can make a powerful difference,” says Robyn. “Thinking about my choices, from the things I buy to the way I interact with the world around me, can make a positive impact. I was motivated by the way individuals were looking at their role and power for change.”
“It was very energizing to be with a group of like-minded businesses,” adds Suzanne. “We often feel isolated in Manitoba, being only one of three B-Corp’s, it was great to connect, collaborate and learn.”

Since returning from the conference, Relish has enrolled in the B-Hive, “it provides resources, discussions, products and services and enables us to have more guidance with B-Corp and the online community,” explains Tammy. “We have also made inquiries about being the leaders in Winnipeg to bring other certified B-Corp businesses together to discuss best practices and determine ways to align ourselves collectively.”

The BLD Western Conference was an absolute success and the team at Relish is looking forward to putting the takeaways from the conference into action.