Our mission is to build vital connections, provide professional resources, and champion our local businesses in Chautauqua County. As one of Western New York’s largest business associations, our vision is to be a critical partner in achieving consistent economic growth, resiliency, and prosperity to increase the collective opportunity for local businesses and organizations in Chautauqua County. The work we do is focused on our mission, with an eye on our vision for the future. As we look back at our efforts in the past year, honing these new mission and vision statements was crucial to the rest of our tasks in serving our communities.

Attendance at Chamber of Commerce functions grew by 82.6% in 2023 over the prior year. 1,874 people turned out for Chamber functions including our Business After Hours networking events, legislative breakfasts focused on conversations with county, state, and federal elected officials, the Chamber’s Annual Golf Tournament, our Annual Awards Banquet, and our Annual Meeting. The number does not include the thousands who showed up for community-wide events offered by some of our Community Chamber Committees, including the annual Mayville Winter Festival and Jamestown Cruise-In. If you attended a Chamber of Commerce function in the past year, we hope you made some new business contacts and will come again in the future and bring a friend. Participation remains one of the best ways to get the most out of your Chamber membership.

We saw 111 new members join the Chamber in 2023 for a net gain of 11 businesses, bringing our total membership to 914. Membership remains the backbone of our business, as those annual investments help to cover the costs of services for businesses that would be impossible for smaller organizations to provide. Those services include our popular ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card and human resources compliance programs which are substantial benefits for Chamber member organizations.

Referrals are built into the Chamber’s work. Our average daily website Business Directory referrals is now 5,470, an increase of 35.2% over 2022. That number represents eyes on your business information through a trusted Chamber platform when anyone searches through keywords or category listings, and the integrated Google maps offer an easy way for customers to locate your facility.

The Chamber of Commerce has once again stepped up its social media game in the past year. With an emphasis on Facebook activity and live-streaming grand opening celebrations, we saw a 75.4% increase in Facebook reach to 80,064. The Chamber of Commerce uses its social media pages to help promote local businesses and events, keep people informed, and to manage community-based promotions that help to drive traffic into local businesses.

Speaking of ribbon cuttings, this was a huge year for new businesses opening throughout Chautauqua County. In 2023 we planned, assisted, and attended 75 of them, an incredible 87.5% increase over the year before. We were delighted to participate in these events featuring new restaurants, retail, and service providers all over the county.

The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card program continues to grow. This year both the number of cards sold, and the total value of card sales increased. 2,247 cards were sold with a total value of $76,875. Over 170 businesses countywide now accept the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card, and card holders can redeem them at more merchants than ever before. Those gift card purchases go directly into supporting our local economy!

We like to spend just enough time looking back to help us move forward. These numbers create some guidelines for us as we move into the new year, helping to evaluate our successes and to see where we can improve. The Chamber of Commerce staff is already putting together a calendar of events and opportunities to serve local businesspeople in 2024. We hope you’ll join us in the months ahead. We wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year!

MAYVILLE WINTER FESTIVAL PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY

The annual Mayville Winter Festival is scheduled for Presidents Day Weekend, February 16-18, 2024, and there’s room for all to participate! This year the organizing committee is working to create a unique vendor experience that will enhance the event for both vendors and attendees. All of the vendors will be in one easy to find location under a large, heated tent, so visitors will be more likely to see all the merchandise in one place rather than having it spread out in several locations across the wide expanse of Lakeside Park.

Weather permitting, the Mayville Winter Festival is headlined by the construction of a large ice castle. One year it was a snow castle since there was not enough ice on the lake, but some years there was no castle at all due to the weather conditions. As a result, the committee is working to create some energy around the festival regardless of the weather. This new way to promote local vendors is part of that effort.

All who are interested in being a vendor, food provider, or sponsor for the 2024 Mayville Winter Festival can sign up online through the Chamber’s web calendar. If you have questions, please reach out to Coordinator Shannon Biekarck at (716) 484-1101 ext. 208 or email her at sbiekarck@chqchamber.org.

The next planning session for the Mayville Winter Festival will be held at 6:30pm, January 3 in the Carlson Community Center at Lakeside Park. Volunteers are encouraged to participate.

DOORS OPEN JAMESTOWN IS FEBRUARY 3

Doors Open Jamestown will return February 3, 2024, with a number of Jamestown area museums and attractions participating. The list of venues is not complete yet, but will be finalized in early January. In the meantime, save the date for Saturday, February 3 and be prepared for a terrific FREE day at numerous local attractions.