Page 80 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2019

DOWNTOWNS useful resources
NETWORKING
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster
Bene ts of Attending Chamber Events
In 2018 alone, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce hosted over 180 events. Each one of those events was an opportunity for Chamber members to network with one another, often while developing professional skills.
“At these events, Chamber members
meet each other while learning about each other’s businesses, products and services
to determine if they can do business together,” says Adele Lyons, Chamber chief executive of cer. “The value of face-to-face marketing between one business to another is huge. The other value of events is that most have a professional development component, so while a member is gaining professional knowledge and insight on a variety of subjects including non-verbal communication, social media trend and team building, they are also making business connections.”
Chamber events are held at a variety of different times, morning, noon and night,
to ensure that events are available that t any schedule. “We know that our members are busy business people, so many times carving out time to leave the of ce can be a challenge,” Lyons said. “This is why we offer events at a variety of times. Also, if members haven’t attended, they don’t know what
they are missing. Based on our post event surveys, we know that once members attend,
they make a more concentrated effort to attend as often as possible.”
Events include networking opportunities, such as Speed Networking, Chamber After 5
and Lunch Breaks, which are held in each city at various member restaurants. The Chamber also hosts informational and education events, including the Professional Development Series that covers business subjects such as media relations, operations and time management.
One of the Chamber’s most popular events is the Annual Meeting, held in February, where Chamber directors recap the year and identify goals for the new year. “Members love this event because we have 600 members in the room so they are able to network, connect and learn what the Chamber is doing for them,” said Lyons.
228.604.0014 www.mscoastchamber.com
80 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • August 2019
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UPCOMING CHAMBER EVENTS
AUGUST
1: Chamber 101, 8:30-9:30 a.m. or 3:30-4:30 p.m., Knight Nonprofit Center.
6: Biloxi and Gulfport Chamber Lunch Break, 11:30 a.m.-
1 p.m., Edgewater Mall Food Court
13: Professional Development: Media Relations, 7:30-9 a.m., Knight Nonprofit Center
15: Chamber After 5, 5-7 p.m., University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park Campus
21: Long Beach and Pass Christian Chamber’s Breakfast with State Legislators, 7:30-9 a.m.,
Long Beach Senior Citizen & Activity Center
22: State of Harrison County, 7:30-9 a.m., IP Resort Casino Spa
SEPTEMBER
12: Reach Customers Online
with Google, 8-9:30 a.m., University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park Campus