THIS ARTICLE APPEARS IN THE RED ROCK NEWS

June 16, 2023

 

“Don’t wait for the right opportunity, create it,” is a quote from playwright and political activist George Bernard Shaw and serves as a careful reminder that we should all be proactive in our lives.

As an organization, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau is proactive in assessing the needs of our business community. It is our mission to address those needs and serve the community by making Sedona the best place to live, work, play and visit. Additionally, it is important for us to maintain our core values: To be community-minded, exude professionalism, create lasting partnerships, be innovative, dedicated and accountable to our businesses while providing exceptional service.

Every year, the SCC&TB initiates a Partner Survey to garner feedback from our membership roster. This survey serves as a barometer to find out how our organization is performing and what are the needs of our businesses. The survey findings guide our planning for the coming fiscal year which starts in July.

Our organization sent out a Partner Survey to our membership in May. Approximately 120 members responded to the survey and answered questions ranging from their ideal target customer, advocacy efforts with state, federal and government agencies, how our organization’s tools and programs are working for our members, as well as overall issues that impact Sedona such as affordable housing, transportation, sustainability, labor supply, local regulations, over-tourism and health care which are all paramount topics.

It’s important to note that the majority of our businesses — 80% — say their business is directly or indirectly related to tourism.

One of the SCC&TB objectives is to initiate programs that will help our businesses grow while giving them the tools they need to be succeed. 78% of those who responded to the survey said that they joined the SCC&TB to increase their business exposure, and 58% wanted access to information and resources. Our organization is staying ahead of the curve to implement many new programs that will help our business community.

It is also interesting to note that 71% of our respondents say we should attract affluent visitors. We’re on the same page and have always believed that less is more, in that, we’d rather have fewer people in Sedona who can stay longer and spend more, which equates to manageable traffic levels on our roads, less congestion in town, while still maintaining our economy. 75% felt that we should promote events that support the arts, wellness, and outdoor adventures. 63% say that we need to educate visitors on recreating responsibly and 58% would like to see us promote the arts and culture in Sedona such as galleries, heritage and history plus arts education.  We agree!  With the downturn in tourism indicators, we are pleased to have been a part of the recently launched Rediscover Sedona campaign which targets affluent Phoenix metro area residents inviting them to enjoy cooler summer activities such as galleries, shopping and wellness offerings in Red Rock Country.

A high percentage of our members enjoy the benefit of our services. They acknowledged that listing their business on SedonaChamber.com was important (80%), providing advertising opportunities (80%), social media submissions (77%) and meetings and networking events ranked high (70%).  We will continue to offer business exposure through our websites. We’ve also recently reinstated our mixers back to a monthly occurrence (the third Wednesday of every month at 5 p.m. – locations vary).

An overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) say that the SCC&TB benefits and services are Excellent and Good!  While we are pleased to provide quality programming and excellent customer service to our members, we are constantly trying to create new ideas and programs which create new opportunities. We are thrilled that our members are engaged with us and are comfortable sharing their thoughts. Our door is always open for our members and the community at large!

If you are interested in finding out more about the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, reach out to Erin Bruce at ebruce@sedonachamber.com or 928.204.1123 ext.120.

 

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–Michelle Conway, President/CEO
Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau

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