Networking on steroids – that’s how the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce describes its annual Tour of Industry, returning Jan. 25 for its 10th year.
The event – a tour with a lunch stop and speaking engagement – is the only of its kind in Greater Victoria.
“It creates this interesting connection between other business leaders and politicians at all levels to create a greater awareness of the businesses on the Peninsula,” says Denny Warner, executive director of SPCC.
RELATED: Warner new Chamber boss
The tour also tends to provide an opportunity for businesses lesser known locally to showcase who they are and what they do.
A lot of the businesses the tour visits are smaller, Warner says. “Their clients often are not people in this area so they’re internationally known but not so known at home.”
To date, the tour has visited nearly 40 local businesses that have developed innovative technologies, products and services.
A highlight for participants last year, Warner points out, was a stop at Applied Bio-nomics, a world leader in biological pest control.
RELATED: Category 12 Brewing pushes the boundaries of beer making
And when the tour dropped into Category 12 Brewing in 2014, the craft brewery had only been open a month. Warner cites the operation as a good example of an “amazing” business on the Saanich Peninsula that is “so connected to the community.”
While the tour is sold out, tickets are available for the lunch portion featuring speaker Shaye Draper, general manager of Telus for Vancouver Island.
Warner will oversee the day of the tour, and says the key to the event is the connections the Chamber provides.
“You could go to a trade show but it’s not like going into a business and seeing how they operate,” Warner says.
For more information on the 10th annual Tour of Industry, visit PeninsulaChamber.ca.