This week is Chamber of Commerce Week, a week the province has dedicated to Chambers across the province to demonstrate the value they provide to their communities.
The Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, which has been around since 1912, made a decision this year to use this week as an opportunity to express their appreciation and shine a light on organizations and businesses in the community that are doing really important things.
“We will also be using our social media and other platforms to share information about our Chamber,” said Denny Warner, executive director of the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
They will also discuss things like what their membership numbers are and where their sector and geographical representation is. They will also provide detail about the benefits, taking this week as an opportunity to share what the Chamber’s been doing.
“We’ve just felt that that partnership with the businesses and organizations in the community would not have persisted without some pretty amazing things happening on the Peninsula…” said Warner.
She added that although they feel like they are fairly good about letting people know what it is they’re doing, they do hear there are still people who don’t understand what it is the Chamber actually does.
“One of the things that our Chamber specifically has worked on over the years in terms of our lobbying and advocacy work, has been around affordable housing, and we have seen things change in that area…” she said, adding they will express their appreciation to the partners that worked with them to lobby and celebrate some of that change.
She said they have seen their efforts pay off and the housing stock has increased on the Peninsula, so things, she said, are moving in a positive direction.
For many members, Warner said, they would like their visibility increased, which they can get through a variety of ways.
One of those ways is through their printed directory, online directory and through their website, which they’ve revamped this year, and gets upwards of 500 hits a day.
They also have lots of network events and sponsorship opportunities businesses can get involved with.
“One of the ways that people don’t think about is just by way of their volunteering as a board member,” she said, adding that it gets your business in the face of a lot of the other busy business people in the community.
With last year proving to be a strong one for the Chamber with strong numbers, they’ve got lots coming up, including their popular Mayor’s Breakfast March 2, which Warner said is already almost sold out.
“I think that some Chamber’s have potentially struggled with their membership. That hasn’t been something that our Chamber has faced.”
Chamber Week runs until Feb. 24.
