PRINCE GEORGE – While fall is the busiest season for most Chambers of Commerce, spring is one of our favourite times of year. This is the season where the important work of electing new directors to our Board happens at our AGM (occurred on March 31).
We are rarely disappointed with the turnout for our Annual General Meeting each year because our Chamber board is one of the few boards in town that requires a true election of officers with ballots and voter registration. Fortunately, we often have more candidates running for positions on our Board than we have available seats open.
Our election format involves giving each board nominee a few minutes to address the assembly of members, on stage during the AGM. Their profile photo and brief bio is included in the AGM package circulated in advance of the election so that our members can do their research and make informed decisions about who they want to represent them on the Chamber board. The down side of having an abundance of board candidates is that inevitably a few really great people will go home disappointed.
Having to show a bit of vulnerability in competing for an elected position is an unfamiliar experience for many people. Our Chamber takes great care in providing a catch net for the unsuccessful candidates, letting them know that we appreciate their passion and dedication to our Chamber, reminding them that there are many positions on Chamber committees that need to be filled by enthusiastic individuals such as them.
Now that our Board election has taken place, we shift our attention to April 16, which is the date for our highly anticipated President’s Gala event. We’re bringing back last year’s popular “Jeopardy” game theme for this year’s gala. Guests will get their game on, competing against one another by answering local business trivia while dining on fabulous food and engaging with the business community.
Chamber members have the exclusive opportunity to invest in their own dedicated game-space on the Jeopardy game board during the President’s Gala. In front of approximately 200 guests, member businesses will be highlighted through corporate trivia, specific to their business or organization. Their self-designed question and answer is guaranteed to be played during the evening as we profile the individual businesses with logo recognition as well.
Members that have reached milestones of 25 years or more of membership with our organization will be celebrated at the event as well. If anyone is interested in joining us for the President’s Gala event or learning more about sponsorship opportunities, they may contact our Chamber directly by phone: 250-562-2454. We look forward to being joined by the business community in Prince George on April 16th!
– Christie Ray is the CEO of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at christie.ray@pgchamber.bc.ca.
