TOOLS FOR YOUR SUCCESS

Transcription

1 TOOLS FOR YOUR SUCCESS

2 CHECK US OUT! We believe people like to do business with people they know. Therefore, Chamber membership is a vital part of being in business. We work to provide customer service and programming to meet your needs and to improve the economic environment of our community. We are also striving to build a legacy of leadership for the next century. GET CONNECTED We host around 35+ events annually. Networking/relationship building is high on our agenda. Grab your business cards, develop your elevator pitch about what you do and be sure to make time to attend. In other words, make time to grow your business. BE REPRESENTED We serve as the voice of business at all levels local, state and federal. Advocacy/legislative representation is our passion! We speak for and represent the interests of area businesses and educate members on the government issues that may affect them. To see the 2018 Legislative Agenda, go to SavannahChamber.com > Public Policy > Legislative Agenda. STAND OUT All members are listed in the Chamber s online membership directory, but to gain additional exposure and visibility, members can take advantage of member-only sponsorships and/or advertising opportunities. BE IN THE KNOW We communicate and share up-to-date information about important topics and our events with our members regularly. Our e-newsletters are easy to read and come straight to your inbox weekly. You can also stay in the loop by bookmarking our news site: SavannahChamberNews.com.

3 LEARN SOMETHING From webinars to seminars to our monthly Power Hour luncheons, we provide educational opportunities for you. We keep it affordable and pull together organizations such as the University of Georgia s School of Business, the Georgia Chamber, and other top professionals and organizations to give instruction on timely, relevant topics. REACH OUT We host programs of interest in conjunction with our councils such as: Eggs and Issues Legislative Breakfast, an Annual Economic Outlook Luncheon and Military Update Luncheons. These well-attended events have community leaders, government officials, and members in attendance to hear important updates on our economy, region and world. BE ADVISED SavannahChamber.com: 80,000 unique users and lists all our members in the online directory. The Relocation Guide: We produce 15,000 printed copies and publish an electronic version on our website. This guide offers newcomers information they need when planning a move to our area. The Economic Trends Booklet: produced by SunTrust, this publication gives an economic breakdown of our region and details our various economic drivers, including tourism, manufacturing, military, etc. The Member-Only Extranet: This tool is username and password protected and allows you to view your account information and pay invoices online.

4 SHOWCASE TO VISITORS: COUNCILS AND CONNECTIONS VISIT SAVANNAH Visit Savannah is our biggest division and is the designated destination marketing organization for the Savannah area. Three categories of visitors frequent Savannah: leisure travelers, tour & travel (tour buses), and convention attendees. Annually, Savannah welcomes almost 14 million visitors who spend more than $2.5 billion in our community. Visit Savannah is the vehicle for local businesses to market to travelers, tourists and convention, meeting and trade show attendees, which leads to direct economic impact in our community through visitor spending. Membership offers hospitality businesses involvement through cooperative sales marketing projects, councils, task forces and committees. In total, there are more than 27,000 tourism-related jobs in the Savannah area. VisitSavannah.com: >808,000 unique users annually and lists hospitality members. It also has special sections for Meeting and Wedding Planning. The Official Visitor Guide: this publication lists our hospitality members. We publish 550,000 copies and post an electronic version on the website. Visit Savannah Monthly E-Newsletters: This monthly electronic publication highlights upcoming events as well as fun things to do and see and goes to more than 96,000 readers who have signed up to receive it. The Member-Only Extranet: You can use the member-only extranet, which is username and password protected, to create a hospitality member page for your business or service, including a 1,000-character description, 12 photos, a YouTube video, links to social media and the option to offer discounts to peers and/or visitors. Approved Brochures: Depending on your type of business, some members may place rack cards in our Visitor Information Centers. Show Us Your Badge Program: A free program to attract convention-goers and long-stay visitors to your business by offering discounts on goods and services. ENGAGE: When you ve engaged for a while as a member and are ready to step up your game, you can inquire about involvement in our councils. Connect Develop Lead : Designed for emerging professionals ages 22-40, is intended to foster an environment that attracts and retains young talent as well as focuses on empowering and developing the area s next generation of leaders. It s crucial in connecting with peers, learning from leaders, growing professionally, becoming part of the process and giving back. Small Business Council: Since approximately 80% of our membership is considered small business, this council helps with education and growth as well as providing intimate networking opportunities, such as our events and s. Ambassadors: Ambassadors are hard-working volunteers who play a key role in member relations, retention and recruitment by working events and serving as liaisons between our members, the community and the Chamber. An application and referral process is required for this council and due to limited space, there is normally a waiting list.

5 Leadership Savannah: Leadership Savannah inspires individual leadership growth by providing learning experiences and preparing potential leaders to meet the challenges of the present and future while exchanging community information, resources and viewpoints. Class size is limited, and all applicants must go through selection process and pay the program admission to be accepted into the class. These leaders are active in business, education, the arts, religion, government, community-based organizations, and ethnic and minority groups, and reflect the diversity of the community. Trustees Council: Businesses wishing for more positive exposure and interested in offering more support for the Chamber can pay a minimum membership of $2,000 or more annually to be part of this council. Governmental Affairs Council: The Chamber provides a pro-business voice that supports, grows and sustains member businesses in legislative initiatives on the local, regional, state and federal levels. The council meets a few times a year to discuss the issues that are important to the business community and to set and review legislative policies and priorities. Military Affairs Council: This council maintains efforts of advocacy among all five branches of service, its local leadership and surrounding community. The council hosts two recognition luncheons annually. Public Relations Council: The PR Council holds monthly educational and professional development opportunities for members in the marketing and public relations field. Seminars are held on time management, social media, networking and more. Savannah Sports Council (SSC): By working with local, regional, national and international organizations, the Savannah Sports Council supports a wide range of events that offer a diverse opportunity to athletes of all ages and all sports. Visit Tybee: Visit Tybee is the official tourism voice for Tybee Island, located 20 minutes east of historic downtown Savannah. Visit Tybee is committed to driving the economic prosperity of Tybee Island through increased visitation and related spending, as well as continually building upon Tybee s image as an exciting and family-friendly destination. BE SOCIAL: Our numbers show we have something to say. FACEBOOK Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce: 4,600+ likes Visit Savannah: 253,000+ likes Visit Savannah: Meetings & Conventions: 1,000+ likes Savannah Sports Council: 1,300+ likes 9, ,000+ 2,600+ 2,600+ followers KNOWIN THE NEWS: Our news site: SavannahChamberNews.com

6 2018 ANNUAL BUSINESS-BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES Mark your calendars for the below events! The more involved you are, the more you will benefit from your membership. Get out there and make connections! JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN Hockey Classic Business (200 attendees) Economic Outlook Luncheon (600 attendees) Savannah-Chatham Day in Atlanta (900 attendees) New Member Orientation (20 attendees) Making the : Speed Networking (90 attendees) Young Professionals Event (50 attendees) Tubby s Oyster Roast Business (450 attendees) Web.com Golf Tour Business (200 attendees) Taste of Tybee Business (200 attendees) 17th Annual Taste of Downtown Business (2,500 attendees) Military Appreciation Luncheon (350 attendees) Young Professionals Event (50 attendees) June at the Jepson Business (250 attendees) New Member Orientation (20 attendees) *This is a partial listing of events and may be subject to change. Attendee numbers are approximate averages.

7 All company employees are welcome to attend Chamber events as representatives of their company at the member rate! To sponsor an event, please contact Brooke Phillips at or For more information on upcoming events, visit us regularly at SavannahChamberNews.com. JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Making the : Speed Networking (90 attendees) Young Professionals Event (50 attendees) Chamber Business Awards Banquet (200 attendees) Business Expo and Business (600 attendees) Bands in the Ballpark Business (250 attendees) New Member Orientation (20 attendees) Making the : Speed Networking (90 attendees) Military Update Luncheon (250 attendees) Annual Eggs & Issues Legislative Breakfast (250 attendees) Young Professionals Event (50 attendees) Holiday Oyster Roast Business (400 attendees) 212th Annual Meeting Luncheon (500 attendees) 12th Annual Chamber Cup Golf Tournament (144 attendees)

8 For more information about joining our 2,200 business members with more than 5,500 active business professionals, please contact Tina Hinson Mock, business development manager, at or Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce P. O. Box 1628 Savannah, GA East Bay Street Savannah, GA 31401