Discover top artisans, crafters, chefs and bakers at Toronto’s own Waterfront open-air market!

Presented by: In partnership with:

It’s better by the water. HTO Park 339 Queens Quay West

Introduction & Attendance

The Waterfront Artisan Market (WAM), presented by The Waterfront BIA in partnership with Scadding

Court Community Centre (SCCC), returned for a second season at HTO park. Due to popular demand, WAM

was a weekly event this year, open Saturdays 11 am – 8 pm from May 20 - Oct 7, rain or shine. A

destination for local residents and visitors across the city, WAM brought together a carefully curated mix of

top artisans, crafters, chefs and bakers.

The open-air market gives visitors the opportunity to discover new foods and artisanal crafts from up-and-

coming local businesses. Vendors offered wonderful delights including unique art, upcycled handmade

sterling jewelry by Sprit of Vera and shade-grown ethnical artisan coffee by Firbat Coffee. WAM offers a

perfect place to shop and dine while supporting local businesses and artisans. For full market details, visit

waterfrontartisanmarket.com.

Attendance: There were an average of 37 vendors weekly (771 vendors total/21 market days), with over 110 different vendors participating through the season.

Attendance decline beginning July 8 speculated due to inclement weather and potential visitors leaving the city for the weekends.

2016 attendance: 160,000 (14 market days)

2017 market attendance increase: 245%

Operations• Three SCCC staff worked on-site at the branded info tent handling daily operations including garbage

collection and utilizing Paid Duty police officers. Staff were also available to answer visitor questions and support vendors.

• We worked closely with the City of Toronto Parks and Transportation departments to develop the layout and meet city requirements, submitting a vendor list and layout.

• Amenities were provided for the comfort of patrons including port-o-lets and extra waste receptacles.• Feedback was requested after each market to ensure resident, stakeholder, and city department satisfaction.• Five SCCC staff worked behind the scenes on administrative tasks including vendor recruitment, relations,

contracts, and insurance collection.• Vendor recruitment (and database building) started in November 2016 using online resources/existing

market lists, SCCC and WBIA social media and e-blast outreach, attending existing markets, and word-of-mouth leads. We also hired a summer student to create a fall-themed database.

Marketing

TTC Subway Campaign (20x28”): For 6 months, April 24 – October 7, 100 large posters were on display in 50 subway trains and 15 high traffic subway stations. Impressions: 12.4 million

TTC Bus Shelter Campaign (6x4’): located at Yonge/Queens Quaydisplayed May – October. Impressions: 1.4 million

T-Connect (TTC wi-fi service): Banner ads ran May 18-Oct 7 at Union and Spadina Stations – Impressions: 1.25 million

Jack Layton Ferry Terminal Posters (20x28”): TTC posters for WAM were displayed in frames throughout the terminal (7) and on board ferries (3). Impressions: 450k (based on July 31-Oct 7)

Queen’s Quay Terminal & Oxford Properties: 2 large (27x40”) posters displayed off & on for 6 months – Impressions: 90k

Large and Small Posters in Member Businesses: (20x28” & 8.5x11”) Members displayed posters in storefronts.

Mini-cards: Wallet size WAM info cards displayed at hotels, major tourist attractions & info booths throughout the city. Impressions: 10k

Marketing (cont’d)

Website (waterfrontbia.com): Our WAM Event page featured the promotional video, images and lists of vendors, and the press release. Impressions/visits: 42k

Social Media: Regular and boosted posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter promoted WAM. Impressions: 450k

WAM eblasts (x4): Sent to our database of 8,500+ subscribers. Impressions: 34K

Video & Photography: Professional photos and video of WAM and its vendors were used for PR, website and social media.

Toronto Waterfront Magazine: Full-page back cover ad and feature article. 100,000 copies distributed to people living and working in the Waterfront and Downtown area. Impressions: 100k

Bridge Banner (x2): 40’ wide x 3’ wide Lake Shore Blvd Bridge banners facing East/West on display July 20-Oct 7. Impressions: 8.8 million

HTO Park Signage: Large signpost in HTO Park promoting the location of the market May - Oct. Impressions: 300k

Marketing (cont’d)

WAM Journals: Journals with WAM artwork on the cover were created to distribute to members, friends of the Waterfront and at community events.

Monthly eNewsletter 'The Ripple’: The May-Oct eNewsletter was dedicated to WAM including vendor images and articles. It was sent to 8,500+ contacts made up of our members, local residents and the general public. All newsletter articles were shared on our Facebook and our website. Impressions: 51k

Event Listings: WAM was featured in Festivals and Events Ontario guide, DO416 website, All Events In the City website, Torontoist, NOW Magazine and Blog TO. Impressions: 105 million

WAM Partnerships: Partners and sponsors supported WAM by promoting us via social media, sharing event information on websites and eNews, displayed posters and banners and other promotional materials. These partners included Scadding Court Community Centre, Indie88, The Move 93.5, Redpath Waterfront Festival, Word on the Street, Ontario Place and more.

Waterfront Artisan Market | 230M Media Impressions (15% increase vs 2016)

Social Media Campaign – April 29 to Oct 7

Facebook Total spend: $2,000

Boosted PostsTotal Impressions: 194,877523 new followers (from 5815 to 6338)

11% growth

Facebook Ads Total Impressions: 116,407Clicks to Website: 1,751

InstagramImpressions: 37,80098 new followers(from 1,022 to 1,120)

10.9% growth

Twitter100,212 impressions 285 new followers(from 3,158 to 3,443)

10.8% growth

$2,000 spent on Facebook was a more effective way to gain impressions and increase our followers while ads were beneficial for receiving website clicks.

Grand Total Social Media Impressions: 449,296 plus 906 new followers

Articles by popular sites such as BlogTO, toronto.com, and Toronto Life received the most reach, Shares and Likes for engaging a wide audience. 20% of people surveyed said they heard about WAM through social media.

The above post, featuring a BlogTOarticle featuring WAM and Slopes of Vesuvius, received 21,117impressions (700% more than an average post of 2,988 impressions).

Boreal Gelato: May 26 8,260 impressions

Oyster Boy: June 287,069 impressions

Spirit of Vera: July 158,609 impressions

Most Popular WAM Social Media Posts

Other successful posts & photos with high engagement featured food images, photos with the CN Tower, video content and articles including the Redpath Waterfront Festival duck.

BlogTO: July 4 13,701 impressions

BlogTO: May 112,609 impressions

The average WAM attendee is:

• Predominantly female (75%) – (up 5% from 2016)

• Primarily between 25 and 44 years of age, with no young children (<4 yrs)

• 80% have a household income of $50K – $200K+ 27% between 80 -100k35% between 100 -200k+

• 56% were visitors to the Waterfront

• 64% of visitors live within 5KM of the Waterfront

• The majority of market attendees spent an average of $55 at local shops or restaurants (outside of their market spend)

• 80% of market attendees will spend <3 hours on the Waterfront

Staff Recommendation: increase focus on household incomes of $80K – $200K+ with an emphasis on females between the ages of 25 – 44, who live on the Waterfront.

Post-Event Survey Results

Awareness & Accessibility

Car

11%

Cycle

7%

Walk

54%

TTC

27%

Other

1%

Staff Recommendation: Focus marketing dollars on social media and digital communications for more effective reach. Ensure ample signage and wayfinding to clearly direct visitors to WAM.

How Did You Get Here?How Did You Hear About Us?

• 50% of attendees heard about WAM via social media or other digital channels

• 20% of attendees heard about WAM via walking-by or signage on-site or in the community

• Walking to WAM increased 8% vs 2016 while TTC and car declined by 5%

WAM Visitor Feedback

o 87% have previously heard of WAM (10% increase from 2016)

o 96% were satisfied with WAM location (6% increase from 2016)

o 90% would recommend WAM to friends and family (5% increase from 2016)

o 92% satisfied with craft vendors (20%increase from 2016)Improvement due to increased variety of craft vendors

o 91% satisfied with food vendors (10% increase from 2016)

o Improvement due to increased vendors with healthy food optionso Request for baked goods, fruits & vegetables, cheese, meat, vegetarian/vegan

Staff Recommendation: increase variety of vendors week-over-week, expand food vendors (veg/vegan, baked goods, fruits & vegetables, cheese, meat).

o 62% satisfied with the hours of operation(15% increase from 2016)

o 41% would prefer more vendor variety(change week-over-week)

o 59% would like the market to run Saturday & Sunday

Attendees have strong knowledge & positive association with WAM:

Local Business Impact

Local business owners reported positive results via WAM traffic (961,000 total market attendees).

• 70% of market attendees (672,700) reported visiting local shops and/or restaurants while on the Waterfront.

• These 672,700 visitors spent an average of $55 at local shops and/or restaurants, outside of their spend at the market.

• This spend outside WAM resulted in a local impact of $36,998,500.

• Scadding Court Community Centre successfully managed the program to ensure market days ran smoothly without the need for WBIA staff onsite.

• With an increased marketing budget, we were able to draw 10% more market patrons living outside the BIA radius than the previous year. (2016: 44% vs 2017: 54%)

• WAM successfully increased traffic to businesses within The Waterfront BIA. 70% of WAM patrons visited a restaurant, shop (or both) during their time on the Waterfront. (2016: 63%) +7% increase

• The extended 3-day market on Canada Day weekend (The Redpath Waterfront Festival) resulted in the highest amount of visitors (800k over 3 days).

Successes

• Indie88 & The Move 93.5 sponsored WAM providing in-kind live on-air mentions, social posts, websitemarket posting and added on-site animation to the Waterfront.

• A tracking document was developed for SCCC to streamline insurance certificate review, tracking expiration dates and necessary revisions to ensure all requirements were met.

Successes (cont’d)

• Partnerships with Redpath Waterfront Festival and Word on the Street continued, plus new partnerships were formed; including Ontario Place.

• Positive feedback from the community was received via the WBIA branded info tent. Vendors were happy with the administration (noting staff were the most helpful of all their market experiences).

• Successful protocol applied for managing vendor infractions to avoid further issues.

• City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff were instrumental to the success of the market by providing access to power and potable water, as well as permanent occupancy for port-o-lets and water bins (granted mid-way through the season).

Operational Challenges & Staff Recommendations

• WAM attendance and vendor numbers decreased mid-July and even further in mid-August. Poor weather (rainy Saturdays), flooding and the Toronto Island closure negatively affected foot traffic. Recommendations: vary the vendors throughout to have new content to promote and entice visitors; continue active vendor recruitment throughout the program.

• Many vendors did not provide adequate insurance resulting in extensive vendor follow-ups and in some cases, loss of vendors (for those that did not expect to need coverage).Recommendations: hire additional staff (operators) and remain proactive when incomplete certificates are submitted. Discuss insurance from recruitment onset and ensure receipt prior to confirmation as a vendor. Those with monthly coverage to submit a minimum of 1 week prior to market day. Insurance requirements to be provided and signed separately from the contract. Offer a checklist for vendors.

• New vendor layout (to avoid grass damage) proved difficult for some vendors and visitors as the steeper hills were restrictive to those with mobility issues.Recommendations: Maintain up to 50 vendors (can be accommodated in the relatively flat park spaces, even if a new layout is required).

• Participation of on-site entertainers was low due to weather and previous bookings. Also noted that incentive program did not work.Recommendations: Discontinue program and schedule Singing Ambassadors.

• On Canada Day weekend (RWF), garbage piled up behind vendor tentsdue to no protocol on how to handle overflowing garbage.Recommendations: Develop clear protocol with event producers beforehand.

Key Learnings & General Staff Recommendations

• Begin vendor recruitment earlier in the year (November/December) to achieve an increased number and variety of vendors throughout the duration of WAM.

• Focus on curating artisanal products and staying true to our theme. Quality vs. quantity.

• Continue to increase general public awareness with a focus on targeting Waterfront residents and those who live within 5km of the Waterfront.

• Allocate a larger portion of the budget towards social media and digital communications as 50% of attendees heard about WAM via social media & digital channels.

• Encourage local business involvement with WAM to ensure they capitalize on the increased traffic on the Waterfront during the markets.

• Operators discovered food vendors can generate more profit by adding a second day. Explore Saturday/Sunday market.

• Re survey, ask respondents: How many times did you attend WAM? Offer multiple choice answers (i.e. 1 – 21).

• Re survey, edit question/response: How did you hear about the event? Repeat/return visitor (explain our definition of a repeat visitor, i.e. last year vs. this year).