– Christine Petkau is the Executive Director of the Summerland Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Summerland. She can be reached at cpetkau@summerlandchamber.com.
SUMMERLAND – Late in 2016 the Summerland Chamber Board undertook a strategic planning exercise to fine tune our services to our members and our key partners. In addition to our core work, we will work to enhance communications in the coming year.
The Chamber continues to be active in three key areas: Member Services, Tourism and Business Retention and Attraction.
Within the area of Member Services the Chamber provides business advocacy on behalf of its membership and offers educational opportunities. Members receive promotional benefits through avenues such as the Annual Awards Gala, the Summerland Phone Directory, Business after Business events, monthly newsletters and articles in various publications.
In 2016 the Chamber participated in regional forums on labour market development. We also held two business walks in April and October. In 2017 the Chamber will be working on an enhanced communications strategy to connect with our large membership and community partners.
Within the area of Tourism the Chamber operates the visitor centre, welcoming approximately 12,000 visitors each season. Along with coordinating the photography and managing content for the annual visitor guide, and promoting the community as a tourism destination, the Chamber also organizes Summerland’s Festival of Lights.
In 2016 the Chamber worked with neighbouring communities to create a regional cycle festival called Chain of Events. We also launched a downtown visitor kiosk that operates 5 days per week. 2017 special projects include new tourism videos showcasing our growing cycling and hiking opportunities as well as a tourism blog.
In the area of Business Retention and Attraction the Chamber coordinates sector networking, the development of key partnerships and the promotion of Summerland as a place to do business. In 2016 the Chamber worked with Summerland company ET2media to produce a creative series of videos with a social media campaign called #discoverhome to highlight the ease and impact of shopping locally.
In 2017 the Chamber will expand this campaign to reach new markets showcasing Summerland opportunities for investment. We will also be continuing work in sector development related to agriculture technology.
Please connect with us online at summerlandchamber.com to learn more about our work in Summerland and the South Okanagan. The Summerland Chamber of Commerce wishes you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.