Marketing is a lot about showmanship and, brother (or sister), do we have a show for you this week! Starting with our new logo and brand for the 2015 Tobacco & Heritage Festival, a new tool that will be offered to the membership to help their business and how we may have more vendors (more food!) and much more fun (ever heard the term, enhanced bouncies?) and a way to alleviate the crushing crowd right after the parade at the Festival.
It was a big week with some big news, so relax and ready yourself for a big ol' slice of Chamber Awesome Pie!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OUR NEW LOGO ...
Many thanks goes to the Tobacco Festival Steering Committee, who are doing some amazing work, I might add, for the theme and idea for this year's Tobacco & Heritage Festival. A special thanks to 2015 Chamber President Shane Hayes and Gerald Printing's lead designer Barry Arnold for the amazing logo. This logo is different from logos in past years because it will include our theme "Past, Present and Future" but it will also include what we are calling a "permanent" logo for the Festival that can be used for other promotional items in years when we don't yet have a theme. It will also help when it comes to statewide advertising for the event.
It is a great marketing tool for the BEST festival in the state (that's right, I said it) and I couldn't be prouder. The line to order the T-shirt and hats forms at the left.
SIZEUP BUISNESS TOOL WILL
HELP BUSINESSES, RETAIL EFFORTS
The Chamber Board voted earlier this week to approve the purchase of the SizeUp Local Business Intelligence tool to be an add-on bonus for the Chamber membership, and it will also be a great tool for those who are looking to expand, build or start a new business in Logan County. The tool will be free for members to use and for a small fee, the Chamber staff will help anyone who is trying to determine where they should put a business, who will be their competition, and the SizeUp tool will even give them a good idea about whether they should be starting a business at all. This isn't done with opinion, but with cold, hard facts.
SizeUp will offer business and industry analysis — basically, how your business is performing compared to competitors (even in other counties — and will give you charts and maps on where your potential customers are located and if you are reaching them. The tool will also offer what the company calls Competitive Intelligence — geo-visual listings of prospective customers, suppliers and competitors— all so you can either determine an expansion or if you are wanting to start a new business, where you could be best located.
The tool will also help you find the best places to advertise and will give you tons of demographic information such as the labor force and consumer expenditure data for Logan County.
The Chamber also will use the information garnered from the tool to help with our ongoing Retail Recruitment/Retention Program and after some training, we hope to be able to train our Chamber members on the best way to use the tools so they can save on costly decisions or even more costly consultants! Look for a launch date for SizeUp very soon.
RIBBON CUTTING SET FOR BARROW EYE CENTER
Make plans to attend the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Celebration for BARROW EYE CENTER on June 24 at 8:30 a.m. We are looking forward to celebrating the new building, which is located next door to McDonald's in Russellville.
STILL NEED MORE FOR "CHAMBER CHAT"
We are grateful for those who have already signed up to be on the Chamber's new show "Chamber Chat" on the Electric Plant Board's smartTV3 channel. We still looking for more volunteers. This program will be a great opportunity for local businesses to share what they do with the community. Thanks goes out General Manager Robert White and his staff at the EPB for allowing a program that will highlight our membership!
AMBASSADORS SUMMER PROJECT
Be on the lookout as our Ambassadors continue to visit the membership as part of their summer project. It's one thing to see me walking through the door, but I also think the membership will appreciate these volunteers taking time from their work and lives to visit with the Chamber members to just stop by, say hello, and see how you are doing. Thanks to all our Ambassadors for the work they do!
RELAY FOR LIFE TONIGHT
Let's all make sure we are ready, willing and able to attend, donate, and support the Logan County Relay For Life event starting at 6 p.m. Friday at Logan County High School. There are very few, and perhaps none, of us who haven't had a loved one diagnosed or pass away from some form of cancer. There is hope for a cure, and Relay For Life is a huge way to show your support for the hope of a bright, cancer free day or to remember those we love who have gone before us but are not forgotten and are still loved.
I am proud of all of the exciting things the Chamber is doing and look forward to helping local businesses and the event of all events in Logan County — the Logan County Tobacco and Heritage Festival!
Have a great weekend!