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Behind the Scenes

Your Chamber of Commerce works hard on behalf of its members. There are a number of visible activities that our members are fully aware of – our monthly luncheons, our very popular Business After Business, our early morning Business Before Business events. What you may not be aware of are the many other activities the Chamber Directors and staff are involved in; here’s a summary of some of our activities:

  • Monthly Executive and Board Meetings
  • Rent our facilities to numerous business and community groups
  • Represent the Chamber at numerous member special events (Open Houses, receptions, etc)

Membership

  • Established a Member Portal for members to easily update their information in our business directory.
  • Contact lists available for potential members; potential member visits, phone calls and follow-ups
  • Membership Package materials
  • Regular Membership Committee and Ambassador meetings
  • New Member Orientation Breakfasts to welcome new members to the Chamber
  • Awards ceremony recognizing long-time Chamber members at luncheons
  • Conduct membership surveys
  • Personal invitations to new members; coordinate New Member tables at luncheons
  • Coordinate prize draw for member referrals at membership luncheons
  • Prepare content for PowerPoint slide presentation shown at luncheon meetings
  • Draft membership renewal letter to be sent out with annual invoices
  • Followed-up with non-renewals; conduct exit interviews

Events

  • Hold monthly Membership Luncheons; arrange for informative guest speakers
  • Hold the Annual Christmas Luncheon, including a major fund raising Live & Silent Auction
  • Hold monthly Business After Business events
  • Hold monthly Business Before Business events
  • Organize the annual Business Excellence Sterling Awards (spring)
  • Host several special luncheons/breakfasts for special events or guest speakers
  • Host the annual Golf Tournament (May/June)
  • Hold the Annual General Meeting and Election of Officers

Advocacy

  • Work collaboratively with Nanaimo Economic Development Corp and other community organizations
  • Attend public meetins and participate in city initiatives such as the Strategic Plan and Cultural Planning
  • Collaborate with the BC Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce on a number of issues vital to business
  • Participated in the BC Chamber of Commerce initiative on the Mobile Business License Program on Vancouver Island
  • Participate in vigorous discussions at the BC Chamber AGM on issues of importance to the business community, including property taxes, property transfer tax, affordable housing, and regional transportation planning, succession planning
  • Host several round table discussions on various topics
  • Attend the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit and participate in discussions on issues of concern to Vcr Island businesses
  • Participate in meetings with several foreign trade delegations interested in doing business in Nanaimo

Initiatives

  • Developed a Succession Plan
  • Developed Successful Cities Strategy
  • Successfully completed the first Service & Attractions signs on the Nanaimo Parkway
  • Host the Annual Business Expo during Small Business Week (October)
  • Produce the annual Membership Roster
  • Provide a bursary for local high school student planning a career in the business field
  • Create and maintain Member to Member (M2M) Value program

Professional Development

  • Conduct and organize a variety of workshops
  • Conduct WorldHost workshops

Communication

  • Developed a Member only Forum to allow members to discuss business issues or other issues of concern
  • Maintain open and regular communications with our members
  • Regularly post to Facebook and Twitter
  • Respond to a large volume of requests for information from across North America, including our favourite…”Have there been any recent Sasquatch sightings in Nanaimo?”
  • Distribute a large number of relocation packages across Canada and the US by mail or e-mail
  • Mail a number of information packages to children for their school projects
  • Reply to a large volume of e-mail enquiries
  • Research and produce the weekly Chamber Chat article in local newspapers
  • Research and produce the monthly Chamber newsletter the Newsline
  • Chair records weekly radio spots
  • Provide information for our members and the general public on our website
  • Post member's notices to our Member Bulletin Board