A Chamber of Commerce luncheon was held at Country Encounters last week to discuss future Chamber of Commerce initiatives.
The lunch, which served soup, salad and sandwiches took place on Wednesday, July 10th.
President of the Chamber of Commerce, Janice Entem told Chamber of Commerce members that there may be some changes and new initiatives to be completed in the next year with the Chamber but the board does not want to go ahead with changes without the consent of the members.
“We want the people to be the voice of the board,” said Entem.
“That’s why we’re discussing the initiative with you today.”
The first matter discussed was a “shop local” campaign. Entem explained that a business in Pincher Creek has recently created a “shop local” campaign.
She explained that towns in Southern Alberta, including Fort Macleod have shown interest in collaborating with the efforts of the business in Pincher Creek to create a new “shop local” project. The goal of the project would be to promote residents shopping locally and to also use the resources of neighbouring towns if a resource is not available locally.
“We want people to shop locally first, but to also remember that there are small towns all around us that might offer what we don’t,” said Entem. “It’ll be a collaborative effort.”
The initiative is planned to start near the beginning of November.
Another new initiative that Entem discussed was a Tourism and Recreation guide.
The guide will present some of the recreational opportunities that are unique and special to the Pass, that can be enjoyed by passerby’s.
The guide is expected to cost the Chamber of Commerce $1300 for a tourism and recreation guide, while bringing in around $32,000 in advertising.
The third imitative Entem talked about was a “kids discovery day,” where children of Crowsnest Pass will be given the opportunity to visit home-grown businesses and companies to discover the inside workings of the job.
Entem explained that if children have the opportunity to spend a day learning the ins and outs of a business and how it is run, it may inspire them to take on a similar business in the Pass in the future.
If not, it’s a neat learning experience.
Entem told Chamber of Commerce members that she will make a survey available soon for members to let the board know what they think of these new initiatives and if they feel they will be successful to the Chamber and the community at whole.
