– Erin MacDonald is the General Manager for the Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at 250.726.4641 or chamberoffice@uclueletinfo.com.
UCLUELET – As a resort municipality, Ucluelet is always bustling with activity over the summer months, and 2017 looks to be no different. This year is shaping up to be one of our busiest yet, with local business owners reporting a large influx of tourists to the west coast, taking advantage of the free parks pass for Canada 150.
While business activity is already heating up in the local community, at the Chamber, we have been hard at work preparing ourselves for the beginning of our event season.
The Vancouver Island Porsche Club rolls into town on May 26th for their annual trip, and the Chamber is organizing a poker run to encourage attendees to shop local and visit our restaurants.
On June 11, we will be hosting the 18th annual Edge to Edge half marathon and 10 km race, welcoming over 300 runners and their families to the region. The following weekend, competitors from Van Isle 360 cruise into town, offering a much-needed break for their road weary crews and windblown sailors. The Chamber will provide racers with a delicious BBQ feast before they set off on the next leg of their journey.
While planning an event is always a daunting task, it’s an even bigger challenge when you are lacking critical volunteer support. Being new to the community and my role at the Chamber, I was unsure what to expect as we head into event season, but any doubts I had were quickly laid to rest, as our community has stepped up in a big way.
The expertise and guidance that my volunteers have been able to provide me with this year is invaluable, and none of these events would be happening without their support.
When it comes to planning events, sourcing a great network of volunteers is integral to its success. This past week, Canada celebrated National Volunteer Week, so I wanted to take a moment to thank all the amazing volunteers in our community who generously donate their time and energy to help us out each and every year – we couldn’t do it without your support. Thank you for all that you do!