Thinking of a master plan…

So it’s January of a new year. Decade even.  That means its time to finish the 2010 plans we were working on before the holidays ground production to a halt with all of its tinsel, carbs, etc.

The Chamber has officially grabbed 2010 by the horns.  It looks pretty good.  Here is a real time* look at where we stand with some of our 2010 events. It is by no means a comprehensive list.

January: Like many of you, we are spending January finishing a lot of December’s work.  We are also finishing plans for annual meeting (see March), collecting back dues, building business plans for our events and breaking New Years resolutions.

Februry: February is marked by our 2nd ever Membership Drive.  During this event in 2008, the Conway Chamber added 388 members to its rolls. The best time to join the Chamber is immediately. The second best time is during this event.  We need volunteers to help with this almost awkwardly fun event.  Contact @chamberwes if you’re interested. (wes@conwayarkansas.org) 

March: Our annual meeting will be the first week of March.  Annual meeting is typically a whale of an event. This one will be no exception.  We’ve got some high profile details to wrap up before making any formal announcements, but I promise, it will be our biggest, best, annual meeting ever.

April: Although the entire first half of the year will be spent working on the Conway2025 planning process (www.Conway2025.com), it will be in full swing in the spring.  Our “sector groups” will be busy preparing action plans to present to the City Council this summer.  @chamberkathy is in charge of herding our volunteers and coordinating this historic process.

May: May means Toad Suck Daze.  It’s all hands on deck around here.  It is a huge event.  It takes almost a year of planning and hundreds of volunteers.  Last year was a soaking wet mess.  This year is going to be all about redemption and delivering the best festival we have ever had. This festival focuses on education and has raised over $1 million in scholarships for Faulkner County students.

June: Looks like June will be spent on continuing education, recovering from Toad Suck and family vacations. 

July: A new event will make its debut in July. “Bowling for Business” replaces our annual golf tournament. (Golf tourneys are soooo pre-recession)  This event is going to put a premium on networking, access, and fun.  Expect a post later this year on Bowling vs. Golf for business events.  I will obviously be coming down on the side of bowling.  My arguments will primarily be built around air conditioning and access to nachos. 

August: Any college town worth its salt recognizes the impact of students returning in the fall.  Our job at the Chamber is to help our members harness the economic power of those students and their parents credit cards.  Seriously, we are looking at ways to improve our already successful “freshman bag” promotion and act as matchmaker for student and local businesses.

September: Are you ready for some football!? Paint the Town Purple kicks off in September.  We have a goal of establishing Conway as THE destination in the Southland Conference.  If you aren’t familiar, there are some great towns in this conference and some fans that travel pretty well.  We are going to try and capitalize on that.  Also, we want to recognize and promote all of the businesses in town that have great…..wait for it……Bearaphenalia for sale.

October: Business Expo/Taste of Conway.  Last year was our most successful Biz Expo ever.  We combined it with Taste of Conway and everything went great.  We had good participation at our breakout sessions and, most importantly, our exhibitors did some business.  The only change I expect this year is a new location.  There is a good chance we will be holding Expo at the City’s new special events facility at our new fairgrounds.  @chambermary has our footprint and setup down to a science, so it should be fun to watch her start from scratch on a new plan.

November/December: If you were a good Chamber member or volunteer all year then you get to take part in one of our many holiday season events thanking the folks who make our work possible.  The Chairman’s Dinner is for our event sponsors and the volunteer appreciation luncheon should pretty much be self-explanatory.

If you or your business want to get involved with one or more of these events as a volunteer or $pon$or email  jamie@conwayarkansas.org or chad@conwayarkansas.org. 

*editors note (I assume y’all know that when I say “real time” it pretty much means work in progress. Some would even say unreliable.  But, that’s the internets for you.)

Budgeting Inspiration