The Downtown New West BIA picked up a trio of awards of excellence for its response and recovery efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Business Improvement Areas of British Columbia presented the BIA with awards for three projects during a recent online awards ceremony. Awards are presented to BIAs throughout Western Canada for various marketing, advocacy and place-making projects.
“I’m incredibly proud of the BIA team for getting creative and responding to member needs so quickly during this time of uncertainty for us all,” BIA president Karima Jivraj said in a news release. “They deserve a big congratulations for making great things happen in Downtown New West under the most stressful circumstances.”
The Downtown New West BIA won awards of excellence for three projects:
*The #togethernewwest campaign was developed to emphasize togetherness, to support BIA members through reopening and recovery and to bring sparks of joy to the community. The campaign included: digital and print advertising, including video profiles of business owners; vinyl stickers installed in shop windows and on downtown sidewalks with messages of hope. The BIA also commissioned the We Are One mural, which thanked frontline workers and emphasized the message that we are all in this #togethernewwest
*Fridays #QuestNewWest. When the BIA knew it couldn’t produce its weekly Fridays of Front street socials in the summer because of COVID-19, it pivoted and produced Fridays #QuestNewWest, a free weekly scavenger hunt style experience where participants completed a series of challenges while exploring downtown New West.
*Beautification Program. For the past five years, the BIA has offered its members a matching grant for beautification projects, which encouraged improvements to be made to storefronts, such as updated signage, power washing, painting, lighting, etc. In response to COVID-19, the BIA changed this program and opted to provide grants to support members in making improvements to their businesses that would help them ensure physical distancing and abide by provincial health orders.
