We survived!
Well, the end of the world has come and gone and thankfully, we’re still here! 2012 was a big year at BizEnergy – following a change in editorial staff, we branched out from foodservice into three new sectors including retail, industrial and accommodation! We’re producing double the content and we’re getting signs from our audience that they like what they’re reading. Phew!
Emerging themes and the introduction of three new sectors
As we plunge into an exciting New Year, we wait in anticipation to see what the top trends of 2013 will be! This year, we saw a few themes stand out as favourites including – but not limited to – the ever popular food truck phenomenon, the pursuit of zero waste, staff engagement in sustainable practices, the farm-to-plate food trend, renewable energies and success stories in every sector. Don’t worry, we’ve taken note; next year we’ll be pumping out many an article along similar lines with answers to all your energy-related questions and industry news updates from across the board. We also look forward to continuing our first year of working in industrial, retail and accommodation and to seeing what matters most to business owners and operators within these fast growing sectors.
The top ten BizEnergy posts of 2012
Alright, here we go! Without further ado, the top ten posts of 2012 as chosen by our readers:
- Eco-excellence in hospitality: We love success stories – and so do our readers! With the help of our partner ORHMA and some mad social media skills, we dove head first into the accommodation sector and have seen some great engagement with members of the industry! Accumulating 103 “likes” online, the most popular post (judging from votes) was the announcement that the Swedish Eco-Hotel made Fodor’s 100 Hotel Award list. Leading the charge in energy-efficiency, congratulations once again!
- Mobile Food Trucks: The love for the food truck continues into the New Year! From tracking the appearance of food trucks around the GTA and anticipating the roll-out of food trucks in Montreal after a 50 year ban to wanting to know exactly how to open a successful food truck, posts on food trucks continue to top the charts.
- Renewable Energy: As we dive into new sectors, we’re seeing that renewable energy is one subject matter that grabs everybody’s interest. Among the most popular posts were answers to energy basics like what makes energy renewable and ask-the-expert editions like “What is solar power (and can it help save me money?)”.
- Urban Produce: Our interview with the Director of Sales & Marketing and the Director of Retail and Distribution at Urban Produce is the story of a start-up with plans to re-define the word local and bring fresh home-grown produce to retailers, distributors and restaurants all year round. Our readers love seeing small businesses succeed. Do you know one that we should be following? Get in touch!
- Plastic bottles and Coffee Pods: Every member of the foodservice industry and retail was dying to know more about opportunities to save energy by recycling at their business! Topping the curiosity charts was our post, “Plastic bottles and the environment: How bad is bad?” followed closely by “What do I need to know about disposable coffee pods?”.
- Energy-Audits: Yup! Once again, to our delight, our interactive energy audit page topped the list of the most popular pages visited! While this year the audit was directed to members of the foodservice industry, we may have surprises in store come 2013! Stay tuned and learn how your business can cut down on energy costs!
- Taking gardening to new heights: What’s sweeter than a roof full of honey? How about one that also comes equipped with a one-of-a-kind herb garden? That’s right, we went head to head with the Executive Sous-Chef at the Fairmont Royal York to find out just how possible it is to harvest honey in the heart of the city. Apparently it is; very.
- Rebates and Incentives: Once again, we’ve learned a little push can go a long way. Providing our readers with information about energy-related rebates and incentives, we’re excited to bring you opportunities to save on energy costs! Keep an eye out in 2013 for industry-specific posts about government funding and more savings to be had for Ontario businesses, and beyond.
- Retrofits: This year, businesses wanted to know all about how to make the old, new again! Posts like “How to improve business by downsizing in the kitchen” and “Can I save money buying used restaurant equipment?” were big hits among the restaurant community while our latest post on all you need to know about windows was well received among the retail and accommodation sector. Don’t worry! More to come in the New Year about how to retrofit your business in any industry.
- Waste not: Rounding off the top ten posts of 2012 was “How to reduce food waste in my restaurant?”. Cutting down on waste was a major trend this year and given the popularity of posts like “How to avoid using plastic bags” we expect we’ll see it pop up in the ranks next year too!
Did we miss covering something this year that you’d like to read about? Tell us! We’d love to know more about what matters to you! Get in touch via our contact us page or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter @BizEnergy.
image credit: tanja.dao
