– Christine Petkau is Executive Director at the Summerland Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at cpetkau@summerlandchamber.com.
SUMMERLAND – In late October representatives from 5 Okanagan Chambers gathered together for a BC Chamber of Commerce (BCCC) Area Meeting held in the Okanagan region.
Usually occurring twice per year, the area meetings are a great opportunity for Chamber representatives to gather in their region, discuss policy, programs and ideas and to hear from members of the Provincial organization.
This meeting was no exception. New BCCC President, Val Litwin, shared information regarding their Board’s planning efforts for the coming years and what they are doing to strengthen the Chamber network in BC.
As part of a continued commitment to data-driven decision-making, the BCCC is uniting with Chambers from across the province to better understand our local businesses, as well as get a snapshot of the greater business community in BC.
A brief 10-minute survey has been created which will provide real-time data on the level of confidence local businesses have in the current and future state of BC’s economy.
Each Chamber is connecting with their members to participate in the province-wide Collective Perspective survey. The results of this survey will provide crucial information that will help guide the development of programs and initiatives to better serve member needs.
It will also provide perspective on the challenges and opportunities BC businesses are anticipating over the next five years. The survey closes on November 4 and results will be shared within the Chamber network.
The morning also included a presentation regarding apprenticeship from the Industry Training Authority, Chamber information regarding strategic planning and branding, and discussions on relationship building with new groups and sectors that will bring economic and social value as well as environmental awareness to our communities.