The Chamber of Commerce…not many other organizations sound as dry and stuffy as this. If visions of businessmen all dressed in suits politely sipping on a soda while awkwardly mingling amongst a small crowd of strangers surrounded by office cubicles comes to mind when you think of Chamber events, you’re not alone. But if you’ve attended a Richland Area Chamber event lately, you know better! Our events are FUN!
We strive for entertaining themes and our members often join us in participating in the fun. For instance, we were cowboys and cowgirls at the 2018 “Business Expo Roundup”. Members were invited to have a vendor booth and decorate in the western theme and were awarded prizes for the best decorated booths. The event was complete with calf roping and a corn hole contest!
At our Annual Meeting in 2017 our theme was “Fire and Ice” and we had glow-in-the-dark signature drinks, Hot Prospect and Ice Breaker, served from of a living, walking, woman wearing the drinks on her Champagne Diva Dress. Our Annual Meeting coming up in January is themed, Under the Big Top – Celebrating 120 Years of the Greatest Chamber Members on Earth! Join us for a fun filled night of themed decorations, signature drinks, awesome food, and special surprises! I hope you will join us on January 31 for this spectacular event.
This past May, our Business After Hours host passed out T-Shirts and our members were thrilled to take rides around the neighborhood in a 2018 Polaris Slingshot! The average attendance at our Business After Hours is 200 people!
And who could forget our Luau themed Business Professionals Day? Members were checked in at an authentic Tiki Bar, wore floral leis and were treated to a Hawaiian buffet and live ukulele music.
Our staff also enjoys having fun outside of Chamber events—last Halloween, the Chamber staff walked the streets of downtown Mansfield passing out candy to local businesses dressed as the Easter Bunny, Cupid, a unicorn, a garden gnome, Mother Nature, a mermaid, the Tooth Fairy, and the planet Pluto, also known as “The I do Exist Support Group for Mythical and Magical Characters”.
And this is just a few of our great events! If you are new to the Chamber or haven’t taken advantage of our event line up, you’re missing out on fun, food, drinks, and a great opportunity to network with others in the community. It’s not your grandfather’s Chamber! You’ll have fun, I promise!