Member, here's the latest local business news you can use

Welcome to October - Small Business Month. A month dedicated to celebrating and supporting our local small businesses. We are thrilled that our new shop local campaign, Dufferin Days, does that in a big way! Dufferin Days promotes all businesses in the County by encouraging consumers to play local, eat local, and love local. Every time a customer shops in your store, eats at your restaurant, uses your services, or buys online at your local website, they can enter to win a $500 grand prize, or one of several smaller prizes. Read below for more details on Dufferin Days and how you can be involved!

The Dufferin Days soft launch was at the Think Local Market on September 21st. We would like to thank all 50 vendors who braved the cooler temps and not-always gentle breezes to make this event a success. Stay tuned to our social media for videos and photos from the event and features on local businesses for Dufferin Days.

Take good care and stay well,

Diana Morris, DBOT Executive Director

p.s. Remember to reorder your rapid testing kits if you are running low, or sign up for this free program if you haven't already!

Rewarding Consumers for Shopping Local

Click "Get Involved" on the Dufferin Days webpage to access the full benefits of this campaign!

Social media feature* - provide us your photo/logo and content and we will do a social media feature on you
Videography* – we will be creating multiple videos throughout the campaign - let us know you want in on one!
Road Signage – if you have a highly-traveled location you would consider putting a mobile Dufferin Days sign on, please let us know. The sign can be up for 4 weeks, or for the full campaign.
Prizes – We are looking for donations or discounted purchase prices on three grand prizes ($500-value) and multiple smaller prizes. This is a great way to promote your products!
Promote and share – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and share our posts on your social media, use the hashtags #DufferinDays and #ThinkLocal #ThinkDufferin
Store Signage – print and display a copy of the Dufferin Days poster and remind your customers that every purchase they make at your store, or any picture they post while shopping, can get them entered in the prize draws!

*These are exclusive opportunities only for DBOT members in good standing

Dufferin Days

Free Rapid Tests

Your Board of Trade has distributed over 15,000 rapid testing kits to more than 130 local businesses in the past five months! And we have an agreement with the Ministry to continue providing this service until March of 2022.

Public Health recommends every business creates a vaccination policy requiring unvaccinated employees to be routinely rapid tested.

Help spread the word that any local small business or non-profit can rapid test their employees or volunteers for free through this program!

Appointments are required to pick up kits - learn more and sign up on our website today!

Join the Program

Digital Transformation Grant 2021

The Digital Transformation Grant has been expanded! Bricks and mortar businesses with 1-50 employees might be eligible for a $2,500 grant to adopt their technologies. Some uses of the grant include: digital marketing, website, software, digital training, or hardware.

Locally, this grant is managed through the Orangeville & Area SBEC, Christine Hann, Digital Services Co-ordinator chann@orangeville.ca or phone 519-939-8106.

More info

Tourism Sector Support

The Ontario Tourism Recovery Program (OTRP) will support eligible tourism businesses that have been hardest hit by COVID-19. OTRP is a competitive, application-based program supporting private-sector tourism businesses that are significant drivers for their regional tourism economies.