West Shore - Does it really describe the region?

[Mike Wicks]

I would like to hear from people as to whether they think that the name West Shore describes our region well; especially to people living in the rest of Victoria, and tourists coming from outside?

[Laura Carberry]

When I first heard of the Re-branding exercise I was all in favour and I still am with one proviso. When one thinks of attracting tourists to our region, we do not want people to feel that the West Shore is some distance away from Victoria as in spite of our love for the region, it does not yet have enough amenities to attract visitors long distances. Whether people are coming for the scenery, a sports activity or (hopfully in future) a major cultural event, they also want to see and experience other major sights and attractions. Buchart Gardens is not in Victoria but it does not advertise itself as being outside Victoria proper, except by putting in a map. People might want to visit Buchart, but they are far more likely to come if there are other attractions they can visit such as the harbour, parliament bldgs and shopping in the quaint streets of downtown Victoria. I would be much more in favour of our creating a brand that said West Shore, Victoria, BC aimed at making sure we were included in the overall reasons why people come here. I cannot envision someone searching on the Internet under West Shore, BC and finding enough to entice then to visit. Be careful that we do not separate ourselves so much that we get lost in the shuffle. We are part of the Greater Victoria area and should make sure we are recognized as such or we may be shooting ourselves in the proverbial foot.

[Mike Wicks]

Thanks for your comments. This is valuable input, and I hope a lot more people over the next few months take the time to provide their insight to this issue.

[Wayne Grier]

I sure can relate Laura, as a fairly new Victorian(3 1/2 yrs) it is important to remember that only people that are from the area have any knowledge whatsoever of what West Shore refers to.
If we were branding Richmond we would want to make the first association with it to be Vancouver, once in Vancouver the occassional visitor could care less about the borders between municipalities.
It is important in Branding to identify whom we want to target & for what purpose. For instance, if we wanted to Brand ourselves as Vancouver Islands Shopping Mecca, we would target the lower part of the Island as our target market. If we are targeting foreign or domestic Tourists we probably want to be known as Victoria's West Shore so as not to lose sight of what really draws people here in the first place.

Well done Laura!!

[Dr. Robert Rempel Ph.D.]

Hello Mike

First I want to congratulate you on your work for the West Shore Chamber on this project.

I understand the dilemma in finding a way to utilize the locally recognized "West Shore" name, and
at the same time give the West Shore a recognizable location for those coming to the "West Shore".

Possibly the logo that has been suggested with the map, could show less water and more land, with
Victoria in smaller but recognizable print as the far left hand side of the map. The two areas, West Shore in one colour and a much smaller portion of the map as Victoria in another colour.

Even I could find the West Shore under those conditions.

Well done everyone for your participation.

Bob Rempel.