July 21, 2022
Working with Indigenous-Led Tourism Businesses
Mackenzie Brown- ᑲᒫᒪᐠ Kamâmak is a talented artist, cultural ambassador, marketer, and resource for many businesses and businesspeople. In this lesson, she shares her experience working both as an entrepreneur herself and as a representative of Indigenous Tourism Alberta who works to support local tourism operators.
We discuss storytelling through social media, collaborative marketing, and how businesses can leverage their relationships with Destination Marketing Organizations, and other organizations.
Lesson Content
Meet our guest speaker
Mackenzie Brown- ᑲᒫᒪᐠ Kamâmak
Director of Industry Development, Indigenous Tourism Alberta
Mackenzie Brown is a First Nations Cree Woman from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and currently resides in Mohkinstsis, Calgary. Brown has a background as a performer, drummer, tourism entrepreneur, philanthropist and advocate for at-risk youth in the Edmonton area in addition to her past roles in Indigenous Tourism Development with both the Government of Alberta and Edmonton Tourism.
Brown is well known across Alberta for performing with her mom as “Warrior Women.” Together they drum and teach around Alberta for the Northern Alberta Teachers Conference, the annual Jasper Dark Skies Festival, Youth Dream Catchers Conference, Canada Day, Aboriginal Day festivities and more.
In addition to drumming, Brown is also an avid acrylic artist and traditional First Nations crafts artisan. Her art has been featured in the Pump House Gallery, the Edson Gallery Museum, the Gray Gallery Grant MacEwan, recognized for the Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Award of 2017, featured for the Alberta Business Competition 2017 and sold to people travelling worldwide at Jasper Park Lodge.
Brown has also been awarded the 2019 Esquao Award for Children’s Future, the 2019 Indigenous Woman of the year award from the Alberta Assembly of First Nations, the Top 30 under 30 from the Alberta Corporation for Global Cooperation 2020 and the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from Grant MacEwan University.