Nanaimo has plenty of success stories and a group of business women have organized an event to share them.
On Tuesday (April 19), the Vancouver Island Conference Centre will host Nanaimo 2020, a free event that highlights innovation and employment opportunities within the city, particularly downtown.
Organized by Donna Hais, Susan Allen, Jolynn Green, Andrea Rosato-Taylor, Marianne Turley and Suzanne Samborski, Nanaimo 2020 will feature two guest speakers and a trade show, which will have more than 45 vendors from around the city including Real Estate Webmasters, Timber West and Innovation Island.
Hais, organizing chairwoman for Nanaimo 2020, said the event was created as a way to showcase and celebrate the success of the Harbour City.
“There are a lot of great things happening right now that our community doesn’t know about,” Hais said. “This is an opportunity for our community to come in and see what those successes are and celebrate with us.”
She said not long ago, downtown Nanaimo was a place many people often avoided as it was known as more of a hub for crime, prostitution and gangs than as a safe place to do business.
“Five or six years ago, people who lived in Nanaimo, nobody went downtown,” Hais said. “I can’t tell you what was down there five or six years ago, other than maybe the Coast Bastion Hotel.”
But in recent years, there has been significant investment and effort made into improving and cleaning up the downtown core. Today, there are vibrant restaurants and businesses that call the area home.
“It’s become a safe place to be,” Hais said. “You are comfortable dropping off your car and walking out for dinner and having a great time.”
Nanaimo 2020 will include two guest speakers, Kerry Slavens, managing editor of Douglas Magazine, and Ron Burnett, president and vice-chancellor of Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
Slavens will discuss the advantages that Nanaimo has in relation to economic growth and where the city fits into the overall growth of Vancouver Island, while Burnett will focus his talk on the cultural impact of the long-term economic development of a community. He will also share his thoughts on what future cities will look like and how they plan for development.
“People are going to be shocked by the things they find out about Nanaimo when they come down,” Hais said. “They are going to be shocked about the businesses and services that are offered in Nanaimo and I think they are going to get a little excited about the things planned for the growth for Nanaimo.”
Hais believes that downtown Nanaimo will become more urbanized and densely populated over the next five to 10 years, adding that she believes the downtown core will become a solid “hub” for the community.
Nanaimo 2020 takes place from 4-9 p.m. The trade show runs from 4-7 p.m. and the guest speaker portion runs from 7-9 p.m. For more information, please call 250-756-2707.