Off to Toronto!

Two weeks ago, our team here at Raccoopack took on a SME (small & medium enterprise) expo in Toronto with the aim to learn, network and broaden our network with local businesses and app development companies in Toronto.

With a history stretching back over a decade, CanadianSME have been hosting annual expos like these to highlight the growing small businesses within Canada with a focus on growth and innovation. This particular year, they were able to host a number of discussion panels, webinars and keynotes from representatives from UPS, IHG Canada and more. As such, we were excited to share a space with so many like-minded people and engage in discussions and conversations we normally wouldn’t have before. This was especially valuable as a growing development company looking to branch out our business to better lend a hand to other growing businesses across the GTA and beyond.

After a quick flight from YVR, we were ready to embark on a week-long journey to uncover all the possibilities that Toronto had to offer.

Welcoming the Raccoopack rebrand to modernize and earn trust

Before embarking on our journey, we wanted to design something that would make us memorable to all of the amazing businesses in Toronto.

Having recently rehauled our website in preparation for the expo event, we also designed physical media to hand out at the event. Utilizing our freshly renewed palette, we made a variety of postcards, highlighting our different services, processes and projects to round out our overall messaging to on-looking visitors. We opted for a spread of projects to cover for our featured projects such as gamification with MyDojo as well as more enterprise solutions with CARO.

With our new look, we wanted to convey a more refined tone in all the front of our cards with the design leaning into more linear accents communicating growth and trust. In contrast, we also wanted to represent a more personable side of our business and opted to use our illustrations on the backs of our cards highlighting our dedication to our craft, our process and the expertise of our Canadian team.

This brings us back to our motto, “the pack’s got your back”. It’s what makes us stand out among all of the other growing dev companies in Toronto and Vancouver. We value connection and a lifelong relationship, not just rushing from one project to the next to make as much money as possible. This more personal business model has brought us plenty of reviews, referrals, and repeat business from our clients. As much as businesses in Vancouver have learned this, we really wanted to showcase that to the many growing businesses in Toronto as well.

Our experience at the CanadianSME in Toronto

The bustling nature of the expo was nothing short of extraordinary. With our booth set up, we were able to meet lots of people all interested in learning about what we had to offer on top of potential partnership opportunities. With so much going on in the expo itself, we were delighted to have the flexibility of attending their hosted panels or even chatting with other businesses that were looking to kick-start their digital transformation.

Throughout the day, we were happy to engage with all sorts of businesses who wanted a website built, a custom app or were even curious about our services and the power of gamification. While new, it was definitely a different experience for us since we’re known as coding masters more than extroverted boothers. We even had a raffle at our booth that folks could win prizes or discounts from!

An expo to remember

Our first visit at the SME Expo definitely did not disappoint. From all the new faces and connections to local Toronto talent, we were delighted to share many moments of creativity throughout the week (you know who you are 😉). Moreover, the bustle of the Toronto crowd was definitely a breath of fresh air to the Vancouver scene we were accustomed to. It was great to see the energy from people looking to build their first digital presence with us and you could truly feel the support from the communities around.

Aside from all the networking, the team did a great job and we were happy to even take part in this year’s SME Expo.

As we journey to spreading our services throughout Canada, we’re excited to join events like these in the future! See you next year, Toronto!

Written by Raymond, Product & Content @ Raccoopack Media, Edited by Jonathan, Managing Editor & Content Strategist