Over the course of two days and with the help of 203 volunteers, the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce gained 333 new members at its April Membership Event. Your Chamber Connection – a Texas-based company specializing in increasing membership and membership participation for chambers of commerce –facilitated the event.
“We are thankful to our new members for investing in our community and are grateful for our volunteers” said Lindsay Wygal, vice president of member services. “We couldn’t accomplish this without them.”
This was the Chamber’s third membership event. The last membership event took place in 2010 and added 223 new members in less than three days. The first membership event for the Conway Chamber was in 2007 and added 388 new members.
The record growth during previous membership events positioned the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce as the fifth largest chamber in Arkansas based on membership number, according to information in a ranking by Arkansas Business. The Conway Chamber now has more than 1500 members.
Perhaps what is even more important than new member recruitment is member retention. The Chamber offers a suite of business-to-business and targeted consumer opportunities for its members.
“While this membership event has helped the Chamber grow, we aim to make sure the relationship we have with our members is a mutually beneficial one,” Wygal said. “Chamber members have access to a variety of products and services that can positively impact their business, and we’re constantly looking for ways to enhance our offerings.”
The Home Depot, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, Virco, The Ford Theater, and T.G.I. Friday’s sponsored the Membership Event, which took place at Hole in the Wall Café at the Old Gin.