Naturallia 2013 FINAL REPORT Summary: Presentation p. 2 Co-organizing bodies p. 3 Recruitment of heads of delegation and participants p. 4 Funding and Sponsorship p. 5 Forum: 28, 29 and 30 October 2013 p. 5 Industrial tours p. 6, 7 Participant profiles p. 7 Assessment of participants satisfaction p. 8, 9 Testimonials p. 10, 11 Media coverage p. 12 Conclusion p. 13 Appendices: Appendix A final budget Appendix B program Appendix C list of participants Appendix D consolidated survey Appendix E sponsors Appendix F round tables program Appendix G panellists presentation at the round tables Appendix H RTMQ s mission report Appendix I Media coverage Naturallia 2013 Final report 1
1. Presentation: Naturallia 2013 is Canada s leading business alliances on natural resources. This 3rd international edition was held in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, October 28, 29 and 30, 2013. A business matchmaking forum is a powerful tool for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) to facilitate their search for local, regional, national or international alliances in the natural resources sectors. This year, Naturallia brought together 200 SMEs and organizations from 7 different countries and working in the following sectors: Advanced manufacturing; Value-added forest products; Mining supply and services; Smart energy development, supply and services. Initiated by the Economic Development and Employability Network (RDÉE Ontario) through its program RDEE Ontario alliances and proudly supported by FedNor and NOHFC, Naturallia was hosted by by the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) and the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation (SSMEDC) to offer a unique business-to-business matchmaking event that has enabled companies to establish relationships and pursue collaboration opportunities making their company more competitive. Naturallia 2013 concluded the first part of the RDÉE Ontario Alliances program, a 2 year program of activities on alliances and business partnerships, for which the guideline boils down to this: "B2B networking and business alliances to reduce the distances between people and opportunities". Naturallia 2013 Final report 2
2. Co-organizing bodies: Naturallia 2013 was jointly organized by 3 organizations in economic development: RDÉE Ontario, initiator of the event, Sault Ste Marie Innovation Center (SSMIC) and Sault Ste Marie Economic Development Corporation (SSMEDC). RDÉE Ontario is an employability and economic development organization whose mission is to ensure the vitality and sustainability of all francophone communities in Ontario. RDEE Ontario is a member of the RDÉE Canada network. We offer various products and services to Francophones and Francophone immigrants in Ontario: RDÉE Ontario alliances: program for Francophone entrepreneurs to assist them in their business expansion. Réseau M: Mentoring cells supporting businesses. Training modules for entrepreneurs. La Bonne affaire: program offered to francophone immigrants to help them finding work or starting their own business. Emploi Toronto: whose mission is to support French citizens in their job search in Ontario and Toronto in particular. Places aux jeunes en Ontario: program of professional networking and regional discovery for young people in age 14 to 35 years old in order to recruit and retain the skilled workforce in rural areas of the province. Les Sociétés Vice Versa: translation services and simultaneous interpretation (French - English - French), graphic design. In addition to highlighting the Canadian francophone community and having positioned it as an indispensable partner in the national economy development, Naturallia 2013 fits perfectly with the roadmap of the new RDÉE Ontario, which is more focused on economic development and support to francophone businesses in Ontario. Sault Ste Marie Innovation Center (SSMIC) is a research and innovation centre serving as a catalyst for economic development and diversification in the information technology and knowledge-based sectors. Their vision is to build and actively develop an innovative science and technology hub: a perpetual generator of knowledge and prosperity for companies of Sault Ste Marie region. Sault Ste Marie Economic Development Corporation (SSMEDC) is an independent community organization, which contributes to sustainable employment, wealth and expansion of the community of Sault Ste. Marie. Volunteers: We did call about 30 volunteers for the forum. They have been of invaluable help: helping with the final preparations, welcoming and registering participants on the first day, answering their questions and directing them throughout the event, assisting Naturallia s organizers, etc. This contribution is partly reflected in the sponsorship service. Naturallia 2013 Final report 3
3. Recruitment of delegation leaders and participants: We had recruited 35 heads of delegation. About twenty attended the event and led a delegation with them. Approximately 5 heads of delegation and their participants could not come due to visa problems. The heads of delegation support and companies recruitment campaign took place as follows: from early June to late July, Mr. Thivierge has covered Europe, Africa and Latin America to support the heads of delegation by information sessions, training workshops, press conferences, etc. For example: Finland: Round table with over fifteen Finnish organizations in natural resources Burkina Faso: Over 45 participants attended the presentation Members of the Government, Press, Business Agencies as well as Industry were present Extensive media coverage of the event Meeting with the Canadian Trade Commissioner and the Chamber of Commerce South Africa: Over 25 participants attended the presentation 4 to 8 firm intentions of participating in the forum expressed by participants Meeting with the Canadian Trade Commissioner and the Department of International Trade of South Africa Latin America: Press Conference and numerous meetings with potential participants and economic organizations Chile had an objective of 15 participants and Colombia of 5 to 10. We are talking here about sucessful SMEs in their country, ready and open to business alliances. We continued our efforts in supporting the Canadian and international participation until mid-october in 3 different ways: by visiting the delegation leaders in Ontario and Quebec to support them; by organizing webinars in French, English, Spanish, some intended for heads of delegation, and others for businesses to encourage them to participate; by recruiting 3 consultants to support our efforts: 1 for Quebec, 1 for Northern Ontario and 1 for the South. Each of them aimed at recruiting a minimum of 30 companies in their respective region while contributing to the overall objective of 150 participants. Naturallia 2013 Final report 4
4. Funding and Sponsorship: Naturallia 2013 was funded by: FedNor in the amount of 200 000$; NOHFC (the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation) in the amount of 100 000$. We also had several cash and in-kind sponsors that have helped covering incurred costs up to 118 000$. (see Appendix E) Finally, participants registration fees amounted to 182 000$. For more details on the forum s revenues and expenses please see Appendix A. 5. Forum: October 28, 29 and 30, 2013 Naturallia 2013 fulfilled its promises: such a success! Indeed, during 3 days, more than 200 people have socialised, participated in numerous formal and informal business meetings, have shared their knowledge and exchanged their ideas and good practices, visited industrial sites, listened to speakers telling them about economy and finance, reflected on the development of the Northern mining areas and the future of the value-added forest products and renewable Energy during round tables organized for this purpose. Naturallia in a few figures: Over 200 participants: business leaders, decision makers, economic development officers and representatives from Provincial and Federal Ministers 95% rate of satisfaction (see Appendix on survey) 7 countries represented: Canada - from coast to coast, the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Germany and Finland Over 1000 formal and informal business meetings Hundreds of business alliances have been identified, partnerships were crated, business people from different industrial sectors and different part of the world have socialized, sales were concluded and new networks were developed in order to achieve business expansion projects. Newsletter from the City of Sault Ste Marie: http://www.saultcanada.com/en/newsmodule/index.aspx?corpid=bctkpwse7op9pimxuatqlqequalequal&newsid=24v yq5la5hmbmezcaakzjrn4lwequalequal For more details on the program please see Appendix B. Naturallia 2013 Final report 5
6. Industrial tours: The first day of the forum, participants had the opportunity, according to their choice, to visit companies of Sault Ste-Marie each one working in one of Naturallia s sectors: Advanced Manufacturing: Essar Steel Algoma: http://www.algoma.com/ Essar Steel Algoma Inc. is a fully integrated steel manufacturer with a production capacity of four million tonnes per year. The company produces hot and cold rolled sheet and plate for applications in the automotive, construction, energy, manufacturing and pipe and tube sectors. Soo Foundry and Machine: http://www.soofoundry.ca/ For over fifty years, Soo Foundry has earned a reputation for quality, dependable service and innovative approaches in steel mill and hydraulic fields. Soo Foundry s 30,000 square foot production facility is located in Sault Ste. Marie, at the hub of the Great Lakes, providing convenient access to road, rail, marine or air transportation. Rector Machine Works: http://www.rectormachineworks.com/ Rector Machine Works is committed to customer satisfaction by being a leader in the manufacturing, fabrication and problem solving fields. This progressive company strives to foster a healthy and stable environment and promote safety and training to all employees. Renewable Energy: Brookfield: http://www.brookfieldrenewable.com/ Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners operates one of the largest publicly-traded, pure-play renewable power platforms in the world. Its portfolio is primarily hydroelectric and totals more than 5,800 megawatts of installed capacity. Diversified across 70 river systems and 11 power markets in Canada, the United States and Brazil, Brookfield generates enough electricity from renewable resources to power two million homes on average each year. Heliene Inc.: http://www.heliene.ca/ Heliene Inc. is a leading participant in the new and growing Solar Energy Infrastructure market; the company manufactures photovoltaic modules. Heliene Inc. is seen as a highly-qualified and indispensable player in the Solar Power Generation industry in Ontario, Canada and North America. Ellsin - Environmental Waste International Inc.: http://www.ewi.ca/ Environmental Waste International is a design and development company specialized in ecological systems of decomposition of organic materials. Its subsidiary of Sault Ste Marie, Ellsin, is the first fully scaled prototype plant for eco-friendly recycling of tires. Value-added forest products: Anthony EACOM: http://www.anthonyeacom.com/ Anthony EACOM is a subsidiary of EACOM Timber Corporation, an international company specializing in lumber, whose head office is in Montreal. Anthony EACOM has developed a type of joists: Power Joist, a high quality solid flange I-joist. Naturallia 2013 Final report 6
Boniferro Mill Works: http://www.bmwssm.com/ Boniferro Mill Works is a hardwood sawmill located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario operating since 1948. The mill produces high quality forest products for the market from a valuable, renewable and sustainable forest resource through continuous secondary research and recognized forest management. The Ontario Forest Research Institute (OFRI): http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/business/ofri/index.html The Ministry of Natural Resources operates its Ontario Forestry Research Institute in the Sault, which houses 50 specialized staff with expertise in a variety of forestry disciplines, such as ecology, sylviculture, soils and hydrology, biochemistry, pathology, and climate changes. These industrial tours allowed business leaders to observe good practices of competitors, get acquainted with the participants and already establish contact with potential partners. For visited businesses, this was an opportunity to establish links with customers or suppliers, to highlight their expertise and for many, to talk about their company in the media. This activity has helped enhance strengths of not only Sault Ste Marie, but also of Northern Ontario. 7. Participants profiles: 35% of participants were Francophones mostly from Quebec, but also from Northern Ontario and the rest of Canada. RDÉE Canada, which RDÉE Ontario belongs to, came on the last day of the forum as an observer and held its annual national meeting of Directors and Managers of all provincial and territorial RDÉEs under Naturallia. This network present across Canada will be called to play an important role in the next edition of Naturallia. About forty companies, representing 26% of the participants, were from Northern Ontario. The Aboriginal were well represented by a delegation of 6 companies and organizations under the direction of Waubetek Business Development Corporation. They were put in the spotlight, as our first keynote speaker was a Native: Karen Bird, renewable energy Director of BluEarth Renewables. Fifteen companies, representing 10% of the participants, were foreign companies from Colombia, Finland, the United States, Germany, Chile and Mexico. Companies were evenly distributed between the 4 sectors of Naturallia: Mining: 20 % or 1/5 des participants Value-added forest products: idem Renewable energy: idem Advanced manufacturing: idem The remaining 1/5 included governmental and provincial organizations and economic development corporations. For a complete list of participants, please refer to Appendix C. Naturallia 2013 Final report 7
8. Assessment of participants satisfaction: At the end of the forum we asked businesses and organizations to complete a satisfaction survey. On 150 participating companies, 68 responded to the survey, which gives us a response rate of 46%. So, we have a good estimate of the participants satisfaction. 94.12% of the participants are delighted with their experience: 57.35% were very satisfied; 36.76% are satisfied. 4.41% were mixed, neutral. Only 1.47% are unhappy about their experience. Similarly 94.12% are willing to recommend the forum and to invite the undecided to participate and 88,24% are ready to participate in the next edition of Naturallia. Only 5.88% of participants would not recommend the event; those are the ones that are mixed and the disgruntled. 11.76% will not participate in the next edition. Assessment of meetings: 88.24% of participants feel that their meetings were of quality: 17.65% feel that they were excellent; 38.24% very good and good 32.35%. Similarly, 98.53% of participants think the business-to-business (B2B) model is effective: 35.29% find it excellent, 44.12% very good and 19.12% good. Thanks to Naturallia 2013, 97.06% of businesses were able to identify business opportunities and / or conclude alliances, some having identified up to 10 options and more. 41.18 % of participants have identified 1 to 3 opportunities; 26.47 % from 3 to 6; 20.59 % from 6 to 9 and 8.82 % 10 and more. In order not to miss opportunities, participants plan to do different follow-up with the businesses and organizations encountered. In order of preference, here are the measures they intend to take: Exchange information with partners met at the forum: 21 % Maintain contact for long-term follow-up: 18 % Schedule meetings (face-to-face, telephone, etc): 12 % Conclude a new business deal or partnership: 11% Submit a business proposal: 8% Exploratory visit to a new market: 8% Host an upcoming visit: 8 % Additional market research: 7% Tailor your marketing/sales strategy to the target region(s): 4% Adapt your product or service to meet standards/regulations: 3% Naturallia 2013 Final report 8
Round tables: Only 33% of participants participated in the round tables because, according to some, the publicity around the round tables was insufficient, and according to others they arrived too late in the program. However, 82% of participants believe that the round tables should be included in future editions but they suggest more highlights: «Maybe do panels earlier like Tuesday afternoon. It keeps attendance up and also gives good starting points for discussions.» «Mettre plus d'emphase sur les tables rondes (plus tôt dans la journée, mieux publicisées) ou diminuer le nombre de tables rondes afin qu'il y ait un nombre suffisant de personnes dans l'auditoire. S'assurer que les tables rondes ne soient pas des publicités pour les entreprises et que les intervenants aient un niveau acceptable de communication et de dynamisme.» «I spoke at a round table. I would like to see the round tables to be earlier in the conference. That way anyone that heard you and wanted to reach out could have done it face to face. Also having them concurrent means that you cannot see all of them, which may not be possible anyway. Topics would depend on what is hot in the particular sectors at the time so I cannot name it now.» Those who participated in the round tables are satisfied at 92%: Assessment of round tables Excellent Very Good good Mining sector 25 % 50 % 20 % Value-added forest products 21,4 % 50 % 21,4 % Renewable energy 13,33 % 53,33 % 20 % The program of the round tables and presentations are in appendices (Appendices F and G) Companies and organizations would like to be offered by the organizers of Naturallia 2013 certain support services to companies that would help them expand their businesses: Introduction to Northern Ontario companies: 14% Referral services: 13% Introduction to the international partners network (Centrallia, Naturallia, etc.): 12% Information services (general, specific to a market, etc.): 11% Trade missions inbound: 10% Trade missions outbound: 8% Special event organization: 7% Training services (business workshops, language courses, etc.): 7% Mentorship: 5 % Translation services: 5 % Business services (short term office rental, telecommunications, administrative services, etc.): 4% Conference facilities: 3% Long term office rental: 1 % For more details on the evaluation of the forum, please refer to Appendix D. Naturallia 2013 Final report 9
9. Testimonials: «Les commentaires de ma délégation sont très positifs, tous ont vraiment apprécié. Des rencontres entre mes propres entreprises ont été bénéfiques car elles ne se connaissaient pas toutes. J avais des doutes quant à la participation de Géomatics et CP Desjardins, mais ils s'avèrent que ceux-ci ont fait d'excellents matchs. M. McLeod m a téléphoné pour avoir des contacts rencontrés à Naturallia. M. Moses a extrêmement aimé. Il a rencontré des gens intéressants et par ailleurs est retourné aux sources (il est allé visiter son école entre autres). J ai fait beaucoup de rencontres informelles dans les couloirs : des entreprises autochtones hors Québec se sont inscrites à ma journée de maillage fin novembre.» Chantal Hamelin, SAENCAT, chef de délégation «Félicitations pour un évènement bien organisé et bien réussi! J ai été impressionné par la qualité des contacts que j ai pu faire tout au long de l évènement. Je ferai certainement des suivis avec eux en espérant qu ils pourront nous aider à offrir des services de qualité à nos municipalités membres. J ai également été impressionné par l organisation de l évènement, le déroulement et l aide reçu des bénévoles durant l évènement. SVP partager nos remerciements et nos félicitations avec votre équipe. Bravo!» Maurice Hince, CDEM «Nous avons rencontré des partenaires qui vont nous permettre de mieux structurer les prochains jalons de nos projets de développement. Mission accomplie.» Témoignage recueilli dans le sondage «J'ai été impressionné par la qualité des visites et des contacts que j'ai fait durant l'évènement.» Témoignage recueilli dans le sondage «J ai grandement apprécié l évènement : les contacts que j ai fait sont de bonne qualité! Les rencontres informelles que j ai faites dans les corridors entre 2 rendez-vous ont été aussi intéressantes que celles planifiées. Les présentations des conférenciers étaient très intéressantes, surtout celles de Sonya Gulati de la banque TD. Les bénévoles ont fait du bon travail. Merci à tous!» Noémie Rouleau, IMAFS «La délégation du Saguenay est très heureuse de l'activité. Les commentaires reçus sont positifs : - bons contacts; - les entreprises participeraient à nouveau à une mission de ce genre; - certains ont fait des soumissions, d'autres développé des partenariats commerciaux.» Nadine Brassard, Serdex International, chef de délégation «Bonjour Alain, je tiens sincèrement à te féliciter pour l ensemble de l organisation de Naturallia 2013.» Alain Landry, Normex Métal inc «Une mission payante!», rapport sur la participation du RTMQ et de sa délégation par Frédéric Chevalier, RTMQ (see Appendix H) «Thank you again for all of your assistance with Naturallia, it was a great event and I m certain will bring some new business opportunities to our region.» James Franks, City of Temiskaming Shores Naturallia 2013 Final report 10
«Both Michigan companies who participated had very positive experiences and will provide great testimonials and support for future events. I only wish I was able to attend but look forward to future events. Thank you for your patience and support of Michigan companies.» Christopher Bosio, Michigan Economic Development Corporation "Our team Finland took part in numerous intensive b2b-sessions. That gave us very wide perspective of opportunities for joint venture and development projects in Canada. This is exactly what we need to do in order to advance Canada/Finland business expansion in the sector of natural resources. Due the quality of meetings that our R&D + technology provider team had, we identified many positive and concrete project leads. I can t wait to take next steps onwards! " Matti Kymenvaara, chef de la délégation finlandaise «Early in October I went to four conferences in Toronto in one week and talked to 248 people because I used 248 business cards out of a box of 250. I only talked to 75 at Naturallia but I have many more opportunities out of Naturallia than the other four conferences combined. I believe the B2B matchmaking is the reason. The participants are very focused know why they are at the conference.» Terry Avery, Invest New Brunswick «So far I have been very happy with the quality of the networking opportunities available. We have had several valuable meetings, any just as many useful informal engagements. The schedule has lent itself well to both formal meetings and informal discussions. As well, the industry tours were very informative and the host companies were very open and welcoming. I'm very pleased with the value we re getting out of the week.» Evan Butler-Jones, MaJIC «Guy and I appreciated the opportunity to support Naturallia. Guy provided similar positive feedback on the value of the networking and the great conversations that occurred with all the participants. We look forward to supporting future events with SSMEDC and our key Northern Ontario partners.» Jim Babirad, Export Development Canada (EDC) «The Biomass Innovation Centre found this year's event VERY productive. We were able to connect with potential research and industry partners from Finland and Chile who have the experience and focus to help our organization achieve its objectives. As well, we were able to partner with several First Nations that are eager to help us develop curriculum for renewable energy training that fits their needs, which is one of our most critical mandates. Our delegates were able to make strategic alliances for export and product development, and they were very satisfied with the event. On top of it all, it was a darned good time! Thank you.» Dawn Lambe, Biomass Innovation Centre «Though many participants were hesitant and unsure about what this was really about and of the value, all felt it was very worth while in the end and it looks like our delegates will have many successes.» Témoignage recueilli dans le sondage «The event was over the top for my expectations. At no time did I expect to find the diverse company base this close to home. We were treated very respectfully and I am disappointed that there was not a larger US company presence. I should also say, Thank you for the opportunities and considerations and I look forward to building relationships for the future. Our very first b2b meeting began with introductions and after a brief conversation the individual stopped and pulled out a different business card and handed it to me a said that this what he really wanted to speak about and invited us to visit their facility to discuss processing that we are considered specialist at providing. That type of lead justified the cost for the event in the first conversation.» Témoignage recueilli dans le sondage Naturallia 2013 Final report 11
10. Media coverage: Naturallia 2013 received a wide media coverage either before, during or after the forum and this as much in Ontario as in the rest of Canada or abroad. (see Appendix I) Before: In preparation for the forum, advertisements have been broadcasted on various local radio stations in Northern Ontario. (see radio advertising) Furthermore, our head of delegation of Burkina Faso had mobilized the Burkinabe press during the support visit by Mr. Thivierge last July. (see media Burkina Faso) Our head of delegation of Chile had done the same when Mr. Thivierge went to visit him during the same month. (see media Chile) Portail du Gouvernement du Québec: http://www2.gouv.qc.ca/entreprises/portail/quebec/actualites?lang=fr&x=actualites&e=1728436091 Chambre de Commerce et d Industrie Canadienne Allemande: http://kanada.ahk.de/en/events/canada/projects/detail-view/events/naturallia- 2013/?cHash=f1577576c8d57dd1227fba8bd7b5772a Journal de Baie Comeau Québec: http://www.pleinjourdebaiecomeau.ca/2013/08/05/naturallia-promet-pour-les-pme-de-la-cote-nord During: RDÉE Ontario: http://www.rdee-ont.ca/fr/medias-et-publications/communiques/item/naturallia-2013-underway CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/player/radio/local+shows/ontario/points+north/id/2415018804/ http://www.cbc.ca/player/radio/local+shows/north/id/2414735608/ CTV news: http://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/video?clipid=1033439 Net News Ledger: http://www.netnewsledger.com/2013/10/28/greg-rickford-stresses-importance-trade-jobs/ After: Radio Canada: http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/le_6_a_9/2012-2013/chronique.asp?idchronique=318413 For other articles on the forum, please consult the document Naturallia 2013 in the newspapers. Naturallia 2013 Final report 12
11. Conclusion: Naturallia 2013 proved once again the strength of the networks and the importance of working together: this bilingual event brought leverage and created a synergy that has a direct economic impact on our communities, both at the local, regional, national or international level. A thorough assessment of the benefits to participants will be conducted in October 2014. All are eagerly awaiting the next edition, which will be held in 2015 in Northern Ontario. Moreover, Naturallia 2013 was a beautiful both human and professional adventure. This is why the RDÉE Ontario wishes to deeply thank its financial partners: FedNor and NOHFC without which the forum would not have occurred! We hope to work with you again in the future. Thanks also to all of our sponsors either in money or in kind for their proud contribution! Thanks to participants and to the heads of delegation for Naturallia 2013 success! Finally a big and warm thank you to our two co-organisers partners: SSMIC and SSMEDC and their great teams with whom it was a pleasure to work! Without their investment and perseverance, we would not have been able to organize such an event! Thanks also to the volunteers for their invaluable assistance during the event! We hope to see you all at the next Naturallia in 2015! Naturallia 2013 Final report 13