While each of the 88 countries involved in Global Entrepreneurship Week in 2009 had inspiring and unique campaigns, when it came time to chose the top country, the choice was clear: Canada.

The Canadians combined inspiring events with effective media outreach and high-profile entrepreneurs to engage more than 40 percent of the country’s citizens.

Vivian Prokop, chief executive officer of Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF), Canada’s host organization for GEW, said she was completely shocked when the award for Country of the Year was announced at the 2nd annual Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Dubai. However, the Canadian government seemed to share the same level of assurance as the GEW global staff, who gave the award. Just as the GEC was starting on March 9, the government awarded CYBF $10 million in new funding.

While money has been tight in Canada, just as it has been around the world, the return on investment for CYBF proves why it is a priority for funding in the eyes of the Canadian government. For every $1 invested, Prokop said $3 is invested back into the economy.

Prokop attributed much of CYBF’s success to strategic partnerships.

“You need to work through others,” she said. “You will never reach scale unless you think strategically and make sure your partners have the same long-term goals for entrepreneurship. We are a conduit to bring all of these partners together.”

Some of these partnerships included media organizations, who offered in-kind support of advertising, to help spread the message of GEW.

“One of our main campaign goals was to have our message reach the Canadian public,” Prokop said. “You’re not only trying to change the minds of young entrepreneurs, but parents, educators and corporations.”

The implied task in this goal is to convince various audiences that the payoff of supporting entrepreneurship will result in investment in everything from health care, to transportation.

That was the message spread across the country, through 15 newspapers, 3 national magazines, outdoor billboards, and advertisements in major airports and a number of elevator screens.

Canada’s campaign was also bolstered by the high quality events they hosted, including the Ypreneur Gene Competition. An entrepreneur whose company helps people sell their homes without a real estate agent offered to lead a competition, with the winner awarded ownership of one of his franchises. The competition engaged young people across the country, with the finalists answering questions about their entrepreneurial spirit live on CBC’s show Dragon’s Den.

Other highlights included the Great Canadian Mentoring Challenge, which asked business professionals from across Canada to share their advice with young entrepreneurs through an online forum and at a live event in Toronto. The Youth Entrepreneurship Summit also championed collaboration, bringing together leading experts from government, education, business and non-profit organizations, to help develop a framework and recommendations for Canada’s first youth entrepreneurship strategy.

The campaign was also star-studded, with His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales attending an exclusive entrepreneurial showcase featuring 2 of CYBF’s entrepreneurs from across Canada. The event served as a pre-launch for GEW Canada.

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