The efforts of a small group of volunteers are getting more business professionals thinking about the Avon Region.
Two waves of about 250 people visited the Windsor waterfront between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sept. 13 for The Big One — a Sip.Chat.Connect inspired networking event spearheaded by Speedpro Signs & Imaging owner Charlie Aubie.
A group of local business owners, and 28 sponsors, joined forces with Aubie to help make The Big One a community event that showcased the perks of settling in Windsor, or the surrounding communities.
“The whole thing was based on showcasing the area, so we had two large screen TVs highlighting the various attractions in the Avon Region, which was one of our goals — to let people know that this is a great place to not only to do business, but also to visit and to live,” Aubie said.
Outside guests were formally introduced to the talents of Town Crier Lloyd Smith, greeted by local ambassadors, carried through the waters of Lake Pisiquid in canoes owned by the Pisiquid Canoe Club, treated to local wine, food and music, and embraced by a business community eager to leave some lasting impressions.
“It was an eye opener in terms of seeing the beauty and the types of people we have here,” Aubie said.
Several business representatives from the Halifax Regional Municipality were bussed in for the event, which, Aubie said, had a couple of outside proprietors imagining how their business could work within the region.
“There was some indication that this is a nice place to set up,” he said.
Aubie jump-started regular Sip.Chat.Connect mix and mingle sessions in Windsor about a year ago to foster the development of business-to-business relationships. He predicts The Big One will become an annual event in the Avon Region.
“It is our intention to certainly keep this going year after year and possibly have some mini ones in between,” he said, later adding: “Its all about bringing community together (and) it’s a real pleasure.”
