Friday, August 1, 2008

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Economic Development 101
Presented by Mark Crane, Jeffrey Finkle, CEcD, and Steve Hiatt
Moderated by Duane O’Neill

More and more chambers are getting explicitly involved in economic development, taking on more than just the quality of life issues. This session will provide an overview of economic development, including how practices, tools and strategies have evolved, and then focus on a variety of outstanding, chamber-run economic development programs. Session Handouts 

Reporting Your Results
Presented by Mary Phan-Gruber, MSN, ACSN and Dina Unrath, CPA, SPHR

Communication is critical, especially when reporting performance and outcomes to funders. Learn not only how to communicate your program’s goals and deliverables to funding decision makers, but also gain insights about how to report performance data in order to enhance your relationship with the funder. Session Handouts  

Diversity in the Room—Make it Happen
Presented by Doris Carson Williams, Byron Falchetti, and Steven Marziotto, LUTCF, CLTC, CMFC

Have you ever stood at a podium or perused the faces at one of your events in search of a cultural mix? While demographic changes have diversified our communities, chamber memberships (and specifically event attendance) have remained stubbornly homogeneous in many regions. Learn how to build strategic relationships and shared program models to better diversify your events and eventually your membership and business community. Session Handouts 

Near-to-Peer—Not Subgroup Soup
Presented by Glen Gould and Benjamin Turpin

Tighter peer linkages tied to specific industry or job segments within your membership are critical elements of modern chamber memberships. They can lead to added membership “stickiness” and profit, but can also lead to confusion and staff-intensive management problems. Learn how to identify workable, sensible market segments within your community, as well as programming and networking ideas that meet member needs without staff overload. Session Handouts 

International Trade: Passport to Prosperity
Presented by Doug Barry and Leslie Schweitzer

Businesses wanting to enter foreign markets need to understand and be prepared for the risks, not just the rewards. Chambers can help local businesses build and extend their global reach by facilitating connections to overseas networks and providing access to expertise on international trade and investment services. Learn the basics of and trends in international trade, how you can help local businesses expand beyond our borders, and key elements of a successful program. Session Handouts 

Unleashing the Strategic Potential of the Web
Presented by C. David Gammel, CAE

How well does your website serve your mission? In a session that goes beyond web redesign, you’ll take away five critical web strategies for any chamber; learn how to define your own value-creating web goals and strategy; and gain practical tips on strategy implementation. Senior chamber executives will particularly benefit from this session and leave with concrete ideas for developing and implementing powerful web strategies for their organization. Session Handouts 

How to Measure Individual Performance to Ensure Success
Presented by Timothy Giuliani

It is a plain and simple fact—winners keep score! There is no reason for a salesperson to leave success to chance. Plan to be great by taking control of your daily schedule and planning activities that make sense. Also, learn the best strategies for generating referrals from members. This is a great session for salespeople, anyone responsible for hiring or managing salespeople or anyone who has managers who report either directly or indirectly to them.

Closing the Sale
Presented by Mark Levin

Everything has gone right up to this point. Prospecting produced an opportunity that became an appointment. Join this session to learn which meaningful questions will assess a buyer’s needs so that objections all but disappear and sales virtually close themselves. Session Handouts 

It’s Not Easy Going Green
Presented by James Dinegar, CAE and Thomas O'Rourke

Green is the hottest buzzword in America today, but how does "going green" impact business? Find out how chambers can influence green policy and help members be environmentally responsible and still remain profitable. Session Handouts