There are over 140,000 workers in downtown Calgary (according  to the Calgary Downtown association). This is about the same as Vancouver (145,000) but over less surface. One of my goals since moving to the West was to add myself to that number. I have just reached this goal and it feels really good.

I found some similarities between my new position and my previous jobs: I’m still the only marketing resource for this small size company (well, in Calgary, 120 employees is small but for a Quebec City girl, it’s medium/large). One of my 2012 goals is to fit in the downtown business culture. The first step was to give up some old-fashioned business clothes and finally see my fancy business suit as “must wear more often.” I have to admit, the first step was quite exciting!

After two weeks in my Marketing Specialist position, I already have the mandate to think about long-term strategies for our company. I guess I will learn faster than expected the meaning of conventional oil and the difference between mineral and surface contract.  At the office, I was self conscious about my Quebec accent and by not always being able to find the best words in all circumstances. Well, if I am doing that bad, nobody mentioned it yet.

I also discovered why we have an elevator that doesn’t go to the 15th floor but is called the +15 elevator. For my non-Calgarian friends, the +15 is 16 Km of the “world’s largest elevated climate controlled pedestrian system linking over 100 downtown office buildings (including 59 bridges)”.  +15 means it is at least 15 feet in the air. The city should certainly market the +15 as a tourist attraction.

Where is the best spot for a marketing professional in Canada?
I don’t have the answer but I can say that there are cultural differences between my new work environment and Quebec City. Considering that Calgary ranked fifth as most livable cities in the world (out of 140 global cities – by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2011), savvy marketers will probably move in the West in search of new challenges. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are certainly the three cities that come to mind first for Marketers.  Since Calgary’s strengths include low taxes, high quality of life, well developed business and well educated labor, I am probably not the only one to have made the move to the +15.