Whether you're a seasoned leader in a local LGBT chamber of commerce or just starting out, next month's NGLCC National Business and Leadership Conference will have programs to help you make the most of your local LGBT chamber's efforts.
The NGLCC's Council of Chambers and Business Organizations (CCBO) will hold sessions on topics ranging from chamber membership and corporate partnerships, to organizational management and strategy.
"These CCBO sessions will provide chamber leaders with valuable information and guidance from nationally recognized experts and other successful chambers that they can use to improve their chamber operations and provide expanded business opportunities for their members," said Anthony Bannon, NGLCC's director of meetings and special events.
Beginning on Thursday, Nov. 18 Kyle Sexton, marketing strategist and founder of Fast Chamber—a business development firm specializing in membership organizations—has been invited to speak on Branding Your Chamber. Sexton will lead the session attendees through an informative presentation and exercises that will demonstrate how to brand an organization effectively.
"I've had the opportunity to attend a couple of Kyle's presentations in the past. He provides a lot of really good information, but you don't leave feeling overwhelmed—you leave with the information and real-world examples of things that you can do immediately to improve your chamber's membership acquisition and retention," said Tony Vedda, president and CEO of North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce and chair of the CCBO. "And the fact that he's worked with a wide variety of chambers gives him the ability to understand and address every organization's needs."
Membership is a key factor of any successful chamber or business organization, and the Membership session, led by Sexton and CCBO leadership, will focus on motivating business owners to join and how to translate chamber membership value into business benefits.
On Friday, Nov. 19, participants in the Chamber Communications session will hear from Gina Watkins, regional development director for Constant Contact, about how to effectively communicate using e-mail marketing, and how to get members to consistently open and click through your messages.
The CCBO luncheon session on Friday, which is by invitation only, will feature discussions on supplier diversity and other NGLCC programs that can help boost chamber membership.
On Saturday, Nov. 20, Paul Calabrese, CPA, from Rubino & McGeehin accounting and consulting services firm, will lead a session on Government Grants and Nonprofit Organizations. More and more chambers are discovering that local, state and federal grants can be useful in delivering business and workforce development programs in their communities. In this session participants will learn about accounting and compliance requirements for most government grants.
The final session will be a roundtable discussion with CCBO and chamber leaders who will discuss Chamber Publications. In a digital world is there still a place for print directories? Chamber leaders from a variety of organizations will discuss the business case for maintaining or developing directory programs.
"We are fortunate to have amazing leaders in the CCBO," said Sam McClure, director of affiliate relations for the NGLCC. "The agenda for this year's conference is aggressive and forward-thinking. I feel confident that every chamber leader attending the CCBO sessions will return to their chamber with practical tools and a renewed energy."
For more details about the Nov. 18-20 National Business and Leadership Conference, including the full programming agenda, visit the event page here.
