Prince Rupert Market Feedback offers path towards future plans for local event

A survey on how the August 27th Kaien island Seaside Pop-Up market was received is helping local organizers in making plans for how 2023 may look for the event.

The opinions helping to inform as they explore how to expand the project and make it more of a permanent fixture for locals and visitors alike.

The 2022 event which was a partnership for Ecotrust Canada, Hecate Strait Employment Development Society, the City of Prince Rupert and many others provided for a range of vendors and activities on the rainy August Afternoon, a glimpse of the event coming from the Ecotrust Canada social media feed at the time.

The venue for the marketplace was the lot adjacent to the Hecate Strait Building on First Avenue East as well some of the surrounding space of that area of the Upper Cow Bay side of the waterfront.

Ceilidh Marlow, the Executive Director with Tourism Prince Rupert provided us with some snapshots of the findings from those surveyed as part of the late August event.

The opening themes focused on Pop Up event of August and how its as received by those who stopped by to check things out.

click to enlarge images

As for the prospects for success for a permanent marketplace, the results of the survey indicate that such a venture would be a well received addition to the local scene.

click to enlarge images

Where such a marketplace should go offered up a range of options with three areas gaining the most recommendations from the public, those included the Cow Bay Retail Area, Rotary Waterfront Park and the Northland Cruise Terminal/Promenade area of the waterfront.

click to enlarge 

Saturday and in the afternoon is the preferred date and time for those who responded to the survey, those two options by the far the most popular choice for potential marketplace customers.

click to enlarge images

One final observation from the survey notes that many suggested that any permanent marketplace should attempt to include a covered area, the unpredictable nature of North Coast weather, as was the case in 2022,  providing the guiding theme towards that opinion.

Tourism Prince Rupert is planning a renovation to their website through the fall, part of which will include a local events calendar, so when the final decisions are made on the 2023 Marketplace options, that most likely will be the best way to keep up with how the market will look for the year ahead.

You can follow Tourism Prince Rupert updates through their Social media page here.

More items of interest on Tourism on the North Coast can be explored through our archive page.