2014-15 Canada-China Business Forum Magazine | Page 88

THE YEAR IN REVIEW to know our BC members, expanding our profile in the province, and working with his colleagues in both countries to ensure the CCBC brand is consistent in all centres in which we operate. In preparation for a strategic board retreat this summer, we conducted a perception audit to learn how our members, non-members and stakeholders feel about the CCBC. Consistently, CCBC events came up as a favourite. Knowing their importance, we ran full slates of events which were varied, informative and insightful while providing excellent networking opportunities. We said farewell to one Chinese ambassador and welcomed the new one; we launched our Alberta Chapter with the then-premier; we hosted Canada’s ambassador to China at events in Vancouver and Calgary; and in Vancouver we hosted both Premier Christy Clark and Mayor Gregor Robertson. When Canadian officials visit China, we engage with them in various ways, including a lunch for Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford, a small member breakfast with Health Minister Rona Ambrose; a reception for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and the Junior Team Canada delegation; and a private meeting for Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil. An area of strategic focus for events has been to reach more companies in small-group settings. This hands-on approach was so successful that a nine-city outreach program in Canada was expanded to 12. Our team values the opportunity to speak in depth with such companies, to help them find solutions and to build their networks. We had similar success with nominee roundtables for this year’s Canada-China Business Excellence Awards, which will be presented in November. At the July roundtables, all nominees were invited to gather in Vancouver and Toronto, and members from different sectors really enjoyed the interaction in a setting different from our usual events. We also strive to help our members interact with incoming Chinese delegations. The best example of this was in Calgary, where we hosted a lunch for the Chinese delegation at the 2014 Global Petroleum Show. CCBC graciously acknowledges the support of our sponsors* | Le CCBC tient à gracieusement remercier ses commanditaires* Diamond Sponsor | Commanditaire Diamant 1 Platinum Sponsors Commanditaires Or Policy Conference Sponsor Gala Banquet Cocktail Reception Sponsor Silver Sponsors Commanditaires Argent Gold Sponsors Commanditaires Platine 2 3 Commanditaire du forum d’affaires Commanditaire de la réception Policy Conference Reception Sponsor Commanditaire de la réception du forum d’affaires 4 Panel Sponsors | Commanditaires des tables rondes 1. 2. 3. 4. Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil visiting the CCBC Shanghai Chapter CCBC luncheon at the 2014 Global Petroleum Show in Calgary Canadian Ambassador Guy Saint-Jacques attending the CCBC’s Canada 87 celebrations in Beijing Day Canadian Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford witnessing a MOU signing between Natural Resources Canada and Tianjin Binhai New Area