As seen in the February edition of the Chamber Voice, the 2017 Annual Report offers a summary of each Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce division’s accomplishments in 2017. An extended version of each division will be profiled on the Voice of Business Blog. The final department summarized is Membership Services.
Membership Services
Sales Report
Year-to-Date: December 31, 2017
New members: 252, valued at $60,476.02
Dropped: 206, valued at $51,374.72
Net: 46, valued at $9,101.30
Comparison to December 31, 2016
New Members: 192, valued at $46,132.56
Dropped: 211, valued at $59,945.73
Net: (19), valued at ($13,813.17)
Total # Members: 2,171 | Valued at $582,232.81
Total # Reps: 3,725
Events Overview: (December 31, 2017)
Objective: Provide networking events and educational programs to help members grow their business.
Coffee Connection in December was hosted by Walmart Neighborhood Market on Walnut. The event had 32 participants.
Business After Hours was hosted by Cox Business and held at Midici The Neopolitan Pizza Company with over 50 people in attendance.
A new event, the Door Prize Luncheon, was held on December 8 and brought in over 200 door prizes to be distributed at 2018 events.
Event Communications: (Year-to-Date Through December 31, 2017)
There are 66 members of the Chamber’s Ambassadors group on the group’s Facebook page.
Facebook “Events Page” results:
Fall Golf Tournament reached 597, was viewed by 149 and nine (9) responded.
RLACC Sporting Clays Classic reached 2,200, was viewed by 160 and 13 responded.
NWA Fall Job Fair reached 10,000, was viewed by 993 and 210 responded.
Objective: Enhance member experience by providing exceptional customer service and member support.
A total of 252 new members joined from January 1 – December 31, 2017.
A total of 80 percent of these is small businesses.
A total of 36 percent of these small businesses is minority-owned and 89 percent of these new businesses is women-owned.
A total of 238 new members was surveyed for the main reason their organization joined the Chamber. A total of 98 percent answered the survey.
The top three reasons for joining were Community Involvement/Increasing Visibility, Marketing/Advertising/Publicity Opportunities and Networking/New Business Contacts.
A total of 48 percent of the new members attended an event. A total of 80 percent of the new members who joined for networking opportunities attended an event. The Member Relations Manager identified 11 new members interested in networking opportunities but not attending events, encouraged them to attend and verified that they were receiving the Calendar at a Glance eNews.
A total of 45 percent of new members logged into the Members Only section. The Member Relations Manager identified 138 new members not using the Members Only section and sent communications encouraging them to sign in and verify their profile information.
A total of 51 percent of the businesses who joined January 1 – December 31, 2017 is in Rogers and Lowell. A total of 72 percent of these new member businesses is in Benton County.
MEMBER RELATIONS SUMMARY: (Year-to-Date Through December 31, 2017)
- Contacted 1,493 members to verify profile information and thank them for their support. A total of 18 percent of the members contacted for retention needed contact information updated.
- Member Relations Manager and Member Retention Committee visited 196 members to show value of membership and encourage involvement.
- Added 5,877 keywords and common misspelled words to member profile listings for better website search results and to increase referral opportunities.
LOWELL OFFICE REPORT SUMMARY:
(Year-to-Date Through December)
651 Calls
259 The Good Life
166 Maps
75 Phone Books
218 Visitors
2,728 Traffic/Meeting Room (People attending meetings)