| Welcome to Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce
Greetings!
We
had a very busy August. Fun was had by all in the Okemo Valley at the Hops in the Hills Brew Festival, Plymouth Old Home Day, the 13th Annual State Zucchini Festival, the Craft Fair at Fletcher Farm School for the Arts & Crafts, and Farmfest, just to name a few. It was hard trying to fit everything in. The Chamber office was buzzing with new summer visitors!! Many commented on the great customer service in the Okemo Valley!
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Congratulations to the Inn at Weathersfield for being named "The "best restaurant in Vermont" by the new Fodors Travel Guide!
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Congratulations to Coleman Brook Tavern, located in Okemo Mountain Resort's Jackson Gore Inn, who has
been honored again with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.
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Our guest on lpctv.org this month is Robert Sarly, President, and Abby Raeder Rosenthal, Managing Director, of the Vermont Institute of Contemporary Arts in Chester. Exciting new project you won't want to miss!
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Our Chamber Golf Tournament is scheduled for
Wednesday, September 15th with a tee off at 1p. If you can't play, please consider sponsoring a hole or offering a gift certificate.
Call Mary Knight 228-7870 or Mark Verespy 228-7797.
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Call to Action:
1. Reserve your spot for our 2nd Annual Business Showcase on 9/22 from 5:30-7:30pm. We already have 30 vendors and are looking for at least 20 more. The format is different this year. It is a retail event. We have invited the public from surrounding areas to come meet the businesses that make up the Okemo Valley Chamber, all under one roof. They will sample food from our restaurants, listen to local musicians, purchase beer and wine, and be able to make purchases from you, our vendors. It's $99 table -
and tables can be shared. We have inside rooms as well as outside space available this year at the Fletcher Farm School for the Arts & Crafts in Ludlow. Call asap.
2. Sponsor a stop for the mini cooper scavenger hunt. Call
Paul Nevin at 259-2443.
3. Get your Okemo
Valley Annual Golf Tournament form
and check into the Chamber office by 9/8!
4. Reserve your participation for the NY Times Travel show and/or Boston
Globe Travel Show, both in February, 2011. Limited space. $250/day. Deadline 9/17! Can't make the shows? We can take your brochures for $50.
5. We still have room at the Big E on September 23 & 24th. Other dates/times are also available.
Our next Travel with the Chamber trip is underway! We listened to you. Shades of Ireland leaves May 1 - 10, 2011.
Reservations must be made by 12/2 and final payment due 3/2/2011!
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Chamber Mixers
Join us for our monthly Chamber Mixers on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. Please mark your calendars NOW!
All Mixers are from 5:30-7:30pm
September 8 - Bryant House in Weston
October 13 - Stone Hearth Inn & Tavern, Chester
Let's Make A Deal mixer. Bring your business cards!!!!!
November 10 - Jackson Gore Inn at Okemo Mountain Resort - Ludlow. date not confirmed yet
December 8 - Annual Meeting at The Fullerton Inn in Chester
2011 MIXER LINE UP
If you would like to host a mixer next year, call the Chamber:
All mixers begin at 5:30pm - 7:30pm.
January 12-
February 9-
March 9- Endless Creations - Chester
April 13-
May 11- Outback Pizza - Ludlow
June 8- Canvasworks Floor Cloths - Weathersfield
July 13 - Fletcher Farm School for the Arts & Crafts - Ludlow
August 10- 3rd Annual Business Showcase at Green Mountain Banquet and Conference Center - Chester
September 14-
October 12-
November 9- Jackson Gore Inn - Ludlow
December 14- Annual Meeting at Stone Hearth Inn & Tavern - Chester
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Upcoming Events:
Please submit your events to us 2 weeks in advance
You can copy and paste this for your guests.
Date: 09/01/2010
The Land, The Art, The Artist: Exhibit Opening! State of Crafts - Gallery at the Vault-A State Wide project for the Vermont Crafts Council in partnership with the Vermont Folklife Center and the Bennington Museum in celebration of the 20th year of the Vermont Crafts Council.
Date: 09/02/2010
Hawk Inn & Mountain Resort Summer Lawn Performances:
"Braintree" is the musical talents of Todd Keenhold on guitar and Alan Stewart on keyboards.
Date: 09/03/2010
Jackson Gore Music Series: United States Air Force Band of Liberty - Ludlow, 6pm
Date: 09/03/2010 to 09/06/2010
Food, Wine & Rejuvenation Retreat at Good Commons
Relax - Retreat - Revitalize
Date: 09/03/2010 to 09/06/2010
Tent Sale at Mtn Riders. Get here early for the best selection.
Date: 09/04/2010
Chester Rotary Penny Sale at Green Mountain Banquet & Conference Center Rt 103 South, Chester, VT
Date: 09/04/2010
Chester Fireworks & Old Home Day starts at 1 pm
Food, kids activities, crafts, live music!
Fireworks after dark!
Date: 09/05/2010
Sundays on the Hill Concert- "A Far Cry" Weston 4pm
Boston's proudly-unconducted chamber orchestra!
Date: 09/04/2010 to 09/05/2010
The Plymouth Folk & Blues Concerts. Stars from Vermont and nationally known musicians team up for a lively two-day festival of folk and blues music performed in the pure country air of historic Plymouth Notch.
Date: 09/08/2010
Chamber Mixer - Bryant House in Weston 5:30-7:30-pm
Date: 09/10/2010 to 09/12/2010
1st Annual Mini Cooper Rally through Okemo Valley
Join in the fun as you travel through the Vermont Towns of Ludlow, Weston, Chester, Cavendish, Plymouth, and Mount Holly.
Date: 09/11/2010
Steiff Event - Hugging Bear Inn & Shoppe - Chester 9am-5pm
Date: 9/12/10
Grace Coolidge Musicales #2 - Plymouth 3-4:30pm
Pianist Abigal Charbeneau & cellist Matt Laughlin presenting
"The Passion of the Romantic Era".
Date: 09/15/2010
A Business Round of Golf - Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce GOLF Tournament 2010. Reserve your team's spot today for a fun afternoon on the links at The Okemo Valley Golf Club!
Date: 09/18/2010 to 09/19/2010
Chester's Fall Craft Festival on-the-Green - Chester 10a - 4p
Over 60 Vermont & New England crafters & artisans show
and sell their creations in one of Vermont's most picturesque Fall settings!
Date: 09/18/2010
Black River Academy Museum presents "Robert Frost Poems" by Dr. John Bremer. Admission by donation. Refreshments will be served.
Date: 09/19/2010
The Plymouth Cheese & Harvest Festival
Celebrate the bounties of the harvest and the award-winning world of Vermont-made cheese!
Date: 09/22/2010
2nd Annual Okemo Valley Business Showcase
Come meet the businesses that make up our Okemo Valley. Sample food and see products from our fine retail vendors. Great specials to be had!!!
Date: 09/25/2010
Celebrate Autumnal Equinox: an Everything Local Celebration.
Local farmers market celebration with demonstrations, cider pressing, honey making, samplings, pet the animals and so much more! Join in the adventure of locally-raised foods.
Date: 09/27/2010 to 10/03/2010
The Big Buzz Chainsaw Carving Festival in Chester Vt
Chainsaw Carvers from around the country will be gathering together to show their skills for this week long event. Chester Artist Barre Pinske is hosting the event. Carvers will be working as a team on an 8' bear carving that will be auctioned off Sunday afternoon with 100% of the proceeds going to fight cancer.
Date: 09/30/2010
Gala Preview - Weston Antique Show & Sale
Be the first to view exquisite antiques from prestigious dealers. This Gala Preview is fun and quite the social event!
These are just a few of the events in September.
Please view our website for a complete list of events and times.
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Membership Committee News
The membership committee met on August 27. We welcome Victoria Blodgett to the committee.
We had a great educational program last month at President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site. Thank you Bill Jenney for hosting our mixer. If you missed it, click here for the study.
Our next membership committee meeting is scheduled for September 28 at 8:30 at Java Babas. We welcome more members to join our committee.
Don't forget to bring your rack cards to the chamber office.
We hope to see our new members at our September 8th mixer at the Bryant House in Weston.
Get ready for our next "Let's Make A Deal" mixer on October 13 at the Stone Hearth Inn and Tavern in Chester.
*Don't forget to refer a new member to the Chamber to get your FREE month banner ad! Offer ends December 2010.
* You can SAVE hundreds of dollars by using your Member to Member Benefit Card at local Okemo Valley businesses! This savings alone will pay for your Chamber membership!
To get more information about any of these benefits or to add a benefit, please call or email the chamber.
View testimonial from Willow Draws on our Member Benefits page.
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Marketing Committee News
The marketing committee met on August 24th. We reviewed our 2010 marketing efforts and are putting together a marketing plan to move us forward.
We've accomplished the following:
a. we defined a baseline for business growth by using the tax revenue numbers provided by the State for meals, rooms, alcohol and retail sales.
b. we reinforce the foundation for business growth by surveying the membership twice a year.
c. we provide "state-of-the-art" advertising and marketing co-op opportunities (as seen on our media page) in both print and online in Yankee Magazine; The Vermont Vacation Guides (inside front and inside back covers); Travelhost Magazine; Southern VT Arts & Living; ChamberMail for our service members; online at www.vermont.com; TV with Outside Media "Okemo Valley Your Place In Vermont" television program (formerly RSN);and Lpctv monthly television program interviewing new chamber members and upcoming events. Brand print ads in CT Magazine, VT Magazine and VT Life.
d. we established our Okemo Valley Brand.
e. we improved the effectiveness of our website and gave more value to members with full pages for their enhanced listing, menus, pictures, banner ads, videos, links. We've added Special Packages and "You Can Get Here from There" widget with Orbitz.
f. we created an Okemo Valley Regional Map.
g. we establish our brand at trade shows: The Big E in Massachusetts, NY Times Travel Show and the Boston Globe Travel Show.
h. we created an Okemo Valley DVD.
i. we use our Vermont Information Board for travelers to get information when the office is closed. We have pictures on side 2.
j. we encourage cross promotion between our chamber members - 'let's make a deal' mixers have been very successful in creating packages.
k we use facebook, twitter, linkedin, merchant circle and our blog
to communicate with our guests.
l. we produce a yearly calendar. Last year was "2010 Men of Okemo Valley" and this Fall will be "2011 Taste of Every Season" dining calendar.
m. we host a yearly Business Showcase where members have the opportunity to show their products and services to one another, and the public gets to shop our Okemo Valley businesses, all under one roof!
n. we're adding free online pdf versions of our Okemo Valley Regional Guidebooks, both on our site and an external site to drive traffic to our website and additional SEO. We're also adding free downloadable online coupons for guidebook advertisers.
o. we've created seasonal Okemo Valley banner ads which run on the VT Hospitality website; www.visitvt.com.
p. we've pioneered the Ambassador/INFO sign program in the Okemo Valley and the State is now opening it up statewide.
q. we're making Route 100 a scenic byway which will get us marketed through the State's byway program initiative.
r. we host a yearly Golf outing and the Chamber thanks our volunteers who put this together for us.
s. we had a display case in Guilford and Fair Haven this past July for our members.
t. we hosted the regional stop for the State's Branding Study at President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site and new museum and education center. We had over 70 participants.
u. we created "Travel with the Chamber" program to connect businesses with the community and to have a fun time traveling together.
v. we continually bring resources together to benefit our members; customer service training, SBDC & SBA programs.
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Upcoming Travel Shows:
We're attending the 2011 Boston Globe Travel Show on February 11-13. We are sharing our booth with Stowe. If you would like to participate its $250 day plus lodging. You would be able to hand out your own brochures. Can't make it? Marji can take your brochures for $50.
We are also attending the 2011 New York Times Travel Show on February 25-27. We are sharing our booth with Stowe again. There isn't any room left but I can take your brochures for $50.
Big E  | The Okemo Valley will be in the Vermont building at the Big E on September 23 (Massachusetts day) & September 24 (New Hampshire day). This is free (except for lodging at the Sheraton for $105/night). Other days are available if you want to share with other regions. Call Christiane Skinner for other dates/times that are available. 802-828-5905
Let us know if you would like to participate in any of these shows. If you can't attend, we can bring your brochures for $50.
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Banner ads are still available on our website. There are 2 different sizes available and room on every single page of
our website. (See example under Our Towns). For instance, if you are listed in one category, you might
want a banner ad on another page for more exposure! $150/year. We can change these seasonally.
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Enhanced listings are $150/year. They include a full page of pictures, text, links to your website. Restaurants can have their menus on their page. See example. Send Marji pictures and text for this new enhanced feature!
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Special Packages. Please submit your packages on the States website www.vermontvacation.com and then send us a link. We will add them to our Special package page.
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Attend our 2nd Annual Business Showcase at the Fletcher Farm School for the Arts & Crafts on September 22 from 5:30-7:30pm. We will have food, music, and product tables where you can sell your products. Be sure to reserve your table (either inside or out). $99 and can be shared with another business. This will be bigger and better than last year. We have begun promoting it online, newspapers and lpctv!
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Don't forget to link your business to the Chamber's website. This will help both of us with search engines!
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Advertising/Media update
Our Okemo Valley Regional Guidebook now has the following new features:
Free online PDF - 2 versions of guidebook both on our site and external site to drive traffic to our website and additional SEO (search engine optimization) Value added for members!
Free downloadable online coupons for guidebook advertisers.
Check out our up-to-date list of advertising options. These are opportunities that the Chamber has already negotiated for you.
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Welcome New Members
Knockout Carpet - Chester - 875-4409
Marble Valley Regional Transit District - The Bus - Rutland
Comcast Spotlight - New England
Cape Air - Rutland
My Fitness Recovery - Mount Holly
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Chester Bridge Update
The Chester bridge projects along VT 103 are still going ahead with construction planned for the spring of 2011. They plan to close bridge 9 from May 16 - July 17 (9 weeks) and bridge 8 from June 20 - July 17 (4 weeks) so the bridges can be replaced. There has been no changes to the detour plan which call for traffic to be diverted up to Exit 7 then VT 11 west back toward VT 103 and Chester. (Per Chris Williams on August 18th).
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News from our Members
HB Fuels is now offering propane sales and service as well as delivery of propane. Dick Cyr is on staff now and we have acquired Hemenway Electric, so we now offer electrical service as well as plumbing and heat work.
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About Our Organization
Our Chamber provides the following member benefits:
*Health Insurance provided by Cigna,
*Dental Insurance provided by Delta Dental,
*Free listing on our website with web link,
*Free listing in our regional guidebook,
*Free placement of your business brochures in our welcome centers in Ludlow and Chester,
*Free monthly chamber mixers,
*Free educational programs,
*Member to member discounts,
*Referrals,
*Co-op advertising,
*Marketing and Promotion
*Events publicized,
*And much, much more!!!
Our Vision Statement:
The Okemo Valley region, consisting of the Towns of Andover, Cavendish, Chester, Ludlow, Mount Holly, Plymouth and Weston, is recognized as a four-season sustainable Vermont destination to be enjoyed by all.
The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce is recognized as an organization providing leadership, support and services vital to the health and future growth of the member businesses in the communities that we serve.
Chamber members are ambassadors for the Okemo Valley region, promoting the area as a vibrant place to live and to visit.
Our Mission Statement:
The
Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit,
member-driven organization. It is the voice of its members and the
business communities in the Towns of Andover, Cavendish, Chester,
Ludlow, Mount Holly, Plymouth and Weston, Vermont. It provides
advocacy, support and unified regional marketing to promote and enhance
our regional businesses and four-season economy.
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Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce
Executive Director
Marji Graf
mgraf@yourplaceinvermont.com
Staff
Sandy Gregg, Office Manager
sgregg@yourplaceinvermont.com
Executive Board:
President
William Dakin
Dakin & Benelli
Vice President
Lynne Reed
Misty Valley Books
Treasurer
Maria Tomaselli
Bovine Bookeeping
Secretary
Barb LeMire
People's United Bank
Board Members
Jessica Alberty
Hawk Inn & Mountain Resort
Michael Alon
DaVallia Art & Accents
Tesha Buss
Good Commons
Liz Crowley
CZ Construction Management
Annie Fuji'i
The Village Green Gallery
Sheldon Ghetler
Stone Heath Inn & Tavern
Brian Halligan
Okemo Mountain Resort
Laurie Marechaux
Fletcher Farm School
Laura Tuttle-Williams
Calm Moments Spa Services
Mark Verespy
The Killarney
Past President
Jim Kubec
The Governor's Inn
Your Chamber at work for you!
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