Students of the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business, Fanshawe College, Research and Data Analysis course (third-year marketing program) developed the online survey to gather information from community leaders in Ontario. The questions in the survey related to rural economic development and tourism and the impact of changing behaviors of today’s youth related to these issues. Some of the results follow;

• 91% of communities have an interest  in new media to market their  community
• 83% find Geo-Adventures as very appealing
• 80% expressed strong interest in using technology to drive local economy
• 70.8% want to learn more about TecVana
• 62.3% identified they need help in developing social media programs that could be maintained locally or have 3^rd party manage
• 36% wanted to outsource the total social media program
• Many expressed serious concerns about the demographic shifts, especially amongst the younger population
• There  is strong interest in bringing rural society into the new age
• Interest in a new tourism model was overwhelming

Our biggest challenge is getting the support of FedDev to launch our program to drive economic change.  FedDev clearly states that they are funded by Canada’s Economic Action Plan to support economic and community development, innovation and to diversify the southern Ontario economy. As you know, this is what TecVana is all about.  TecVana brings together youth, technology, communities and academic sector to effect meaningful growth.

However, to get FedDev funding we need a term sheet from the angel investment community.  We are currently in the process of making our pitch to the angel network but find them to be at total odds with the objectives of FedDev.  Angel investors focus is not on the economy, communities, rural society, the outdoors, health and wellness, jobs, growth or the environment; they focus on how they can make money and what is the next killer app that can make this happen.

For us, technology is the enabler!  We continue to push to get this message across.

If you are a small city, rural town, small outdoor business, corporate manufacture of outdoor products or a tourism business then you will be pleased to know that TecVana is now pitching to the investor community for the funds to launch the program.  We would like to thank all those communities, businesses and academic organizations that have been actively supporting the development of this exciting initiative designed to create a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts.

In partnership with Izumi Outdoors, we will be offering an innovative and comprehensive social media platform that leverages the power of advanced technology to connect, engage and motivate the urban tech-savvy youth demographics (age 20 -40) to create exciting and appealing lifestyle adventures that will get them involved in rural outdoor activities.

As you know, the urbanization of our population and digital activities such gaming, social networking and virtual living is just keeping too many of our young people indoors. The decline in youth participation in traditional recreational outdoor activities is negatively impacting businesses and manufactures who rely on this traffic for their livelihood. The expanding gap in the urban – rural divide is creating major economic hardships for many of our small towns, rural and northern communities; communities that are the stewards and the backyard of the outdoors, nature, conservation and the environment.  These smaller rural communities are already experiencing a serious growth crisis as more and more government programs favor urban communities over small towns.

The time is right to embrace new models such as TecVana to help reshape and grow the outdoor tourism business. Repackaging the same product to fit a market whose leisure habits have changed dramatically over the past decade just won’t work anymore. Critically the customers of today and of the future are not only looking for ‘experiences’ but also ones that are personalized specifically to
their needs. The younger tech-savvy generation is seeking adventures, entertainment and excitement; the opportunity to explore, discover and experience something new and to do it in new ways.

TecVana is the new engine for growth!  It is a powerful digital media platform that will enable companies, organizations and communities to engage directly with the emerging tech-savvy urban youth market. Through on-line collaboration and the “voice of the consumer”, the industry will be able to redefine and reposition its business offerings to be more in line with the youth expectations.  This will provide a great opportunity for all involved to acquire new customers, grow sales and drive long term sustainability.

The outdoor sector today drives $23 billion annually to the Ontario economy but has a potential to deliver over $31 billion annually within 5 years.  Talk about a great economic growth initiative that benefits us all!

Most sma ll towns now realize that they need to reinvent their purpose to be more relevant in the new global economy and with the modern hi-tech youth demographics. They need to align themselves with the future, not the past, if they hope to experience growth and long term prosperity. Their vision of tomorrow is now built on the backbone of information communication technology to give them global reach and presence plus the ability to engage with the emerging tech-savvy youth
market.

On a global scale, London is really just another rural community.  The same issues facing small town Canada is now impacting small city Canada.  Isn’t it time that cities like London create a vision for growth that has at its core, our youth.  We need to become part of the new economy now.  The world has changed forever.  London needs to transition to a global centre of excellence for hi-tech industries now before it is too late.  We don’t want London to become the first “ghost city”.

Our goal is to leverage the power of the internet, social media and engagement marketing to connect and collaborate with the tech-savvy demographics to create appealing lifestyle outdoor adventures that will motivate them to become actively involved in the outdoors!

For small rural towns, this is an opportunity to adopt innovation as a means to reinvent their purpose to align with the needs of the new markets.  As stated by one community “TecVana
provides a service that captures the economic potential of our natural assetsthrough creative industries and advanced technology that a rural community could not afford to create and maintain”.

For the industry TecVana offers a channel to connect with new markets to grow their business.

For tourism, this is an opportunity to work with us on creating and promoting innovative geo-adventures that appealto the younger generation on a global scale.

And for the outdoor sector, it is a chance to develop new approaches to excite the modern market to get outdoors.

We will be seeking a small investment from the government to get us going on a program.  We believe that it is time to build the future economy on the backbone of our youth as opposed to spending enormous amounts of taxpayers’ dollars trying to protect the past. We need your support….let us know what you think!

We are developing a revolutionary use of information technology to engage and motivate the tech-savvy 20-40 demographics living behind computer screens to create appealing lifestyle adventures that will excite them enough to get them outdoors!

If you want to learn how we plan to build a centralize outdoor portal on the backbone of a social media platform, a real-life gaming platform,  mobile applications and a digital channel to market for our clients/sponsors, get in touch with us.

In the recent election in Ontario, voter turnout was the lowest on record. There has been considerable media discussion as to why. The answer is simple, in my view; governments need
to change their top down approach to a much more collaborative model where the youth market is encouraged to drive the value creation process from beginning to end.  It means talking to the youth in their language and coming to grips with the fact that it is a different world today.  Things need to be cool and they need to be hi-tech, including the process of voting.

As we all know, we are now in times of unprecedented change; socially, economically and
culturally! Based upon our studies of the 20 to 40 demographics (37% of the population) for TecVana,we realize that we are dealing with a new age market that is much different
than any previous generation.  The generation gap is huge.

Today’s technology savvy youth demographics are indeed changing the way the world works and seeks information. Their lifestyle is very hectic, fast paced and complex. They have little or no interest in traditionalism or voting in the traditional manner. They want things to be fast, simple, convenient, fun, easy and cool. They manage their lifestyle through technology, seek “escapism” through integration and social networking, want to stay connected and tend to thrive in
gaming and chat rooms.

This new generation is our future and should be empowered to help shape the future.  We know that they do want to make a difference, want to change the world, certainly want a voice in its direction
and believe in supporting worthy causes that will make a difference. Engagement with this demographic will result in a new way of doing business that will create value, growth, jobs, long term economic and social development as well as economic sustainability

Governments must therefore redefine their approach in order to align with the lifestyle of the
younger generation. In order to get this modern demographics involved in voting, they have to engage to find out what they want.  They have to listen, understand and involve. They will have to create the experience in close cooperation and relationship with this citizen – tapping their intellectual capital and give them a direct say in the solution.

If they had taken the time to listen then they would realize that getting more people involved in voting they need to put the process on-line. I mean it is a digital world so why doesn’t the government provide on-line voting rather than the historical and traditional voting poll stations.
Make the process simple, easy, convenient, fun and most importantly,based upon emerging trends, not the past. It is time to abandon traditionalism!

I believe that achieving sustainable economic growth for many communities is highly dependent upon the community’s ability to effectively use social media strategies and tactics to engage with the modern consumer and the global economy. Today, progressive organizations realize that
the power to shape the future now belongs to the people.  It is all about empowering our youth to help build the future economy. Content is created through collaboration and public engagement. This cannot be achieved through a top down summit of big business and political leaders; it can only be created through bottom up collaboration and empowerment of our youth and
working with the new age entrepreneurial community. As stated by Tom Peters, “it is
the Age of Imagination.  To survive, everyone and every company must be willing to change.  Only those with a passion for learning and adapting can possibly prosper”