Chamber Member Benefits: Ribbon Cuttings Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg
THIS ARTICLE APPEARS IN THE RED ROCK NEWS
August 26, 2022
New businesses are opening all the time, a mark of Sedona’s success in creating an attractive business climate with a steady supply of consumers ready to spend. In fact, visitors with disposable income are responsible for most of our local sales – 77% of the city’s sales and bed tax revenues is generated by visitors, to be exact. Their spending helps our excellent restaurants and other amenities thrive and be available for us to enjoy.
Our business advocacy is one reason newly-opened businesses choose to join us, and why we have more than 730 partner businesses today. So why are so many small and locally-owned businesses a part of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau family?
In the past few weeks, we have discussed the positive impact of the Chamber and our membership. Today, let’s talk about why these businesses are Chamber partners in the first place.
We are a dues-based membership nonprofit organization, and most members say their top reason for joining is to meet other business owners. As we like to say, a Chamber partnership helps you “know somebody who knows somebody.” Making connections and introductions goes a long way in helping a business grow, so we sponsor evening mixers, networking breakfasts and community events that bring people face to face – and have a lot of fun doing it! Any member is welcome to host one of these social events.
Many of our entrepreneurs are building their dreams, learning as they go, so we help with business development workshops and counseling. For example, our social media team offers free training through workshops, and our staff can help owners understand their accounting and tax needs. Our partner-to-partner discount program is a valuable sales booster, especially when you are starting out. Finally, we love bolstering Sedona’s home-based businesses – I never forget that Apple and Amazon started in home garages.
We have the Hometown Guide, a free guide for locating any kind of business. The Hometown Guide lists all our partners. This informative and colorful publication is available online at sedonachamber.com or in printed copy available at the Chamber Administrative Office at 45 Sunset Drive. We also feature Chamber partners in our online Business Directory. Organized by business type, it is easy to find at the top of the sedonachamber.com home page, called “Find a Business.”
Then there is the Visitor Center, the hub for connecting Chamber partners with Sedona visitors. Our staff and volunteers guide hundreds of thousands of guests annually to the eateries, galleries, tours and lodging they need – often by placing partner brochures in their hands. That’s not to mention the thousands we reach who call or email their questions.
Chamber partners want to help make Sedona better, so they value our deep civic roots. Because we were founded in 1949, there are few community activities or nonprofits we don’t support or directly sponsor. We even come up with our own, such as the Sedona Trail Keepers, a consortium of 50 businesses that have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to help maintain Red Rock Country’s trail system.
There is much more to Chamber membership – such as fresh new promotional ideas using our extensive communications platforms, boosting sustainability by serving as a central location for Leave No Trace and Sedona Shuttle information, or joining our advocacy efforts from City Hall to the State Capitol.
I’m guessing you probably know someone who will benefit from Chamber membership, or maybe you’re starting a business yourself. Now that you know why we are here and what we can do – find out more by contacting Director of Partner Services Erin Bruce at ebruce@sedonachamber.com.
–Michelle Conway, President/CEO
Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau