Click here to see a list of businesses already registered as exhibitors.

A few spaces still are available. Call 888-3040 as soon as possible if you are interested in being an exhibitor.

As an exhibitor ...

you'll benefit from exposure to 400-500 expected attendees, including 109 exhibitors from four area chambers of commerce. Exhibit spaces are limited, so reserve your space now. Click on "REGISTER NOW"

or this link to access the event sign-up page on the Chamber's website, where you can view the available spaces and rates.  

Questions? Call the Chamber Office at 888-3040 or e-mail theresa@worthingtonchamber.org.

As a visitor to the Expo ...

you'll enjoy great networking, giveaways and door prizes from exhibitors, and an opportunity to learn about more than 100 businesses.

Admission is free for chamber members and other area businesspeople. There will be free appetizers, a cash bar and lots of prizes.

Young Professionals of Worthington (YpoW) will gather to serve the community and celebrate their successes at an after-party on Wednesday, July 27.

The event includes a camp volunteer project at YMCA North, 1640 Sandalwood Place, Columbus 43229, where summer camp is among many projects serving area youth. At the Y, volunteers will complete several large projects, such as painting, mulching/landscaping and odd jobs to renew and repair the facility. The volunteer activities will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.

Following a one-hour break to clean up and/or change clothes, the after-party mixer for social and professional exchange will be held at House Wine, 644 High St., Worthington, from 5 to 7 p.m.  Enjoy cheese and crackers sponsored by House Wine owner Donnie Austin -- and Happy Hour prices on the many fine wines and beers available at House Wine.

Pre-registration is requested. Attendees who pre-register will be eligible for a door prize drawing and will have preprinted name tags. The event is free for YPoW members. For prospective members, $30 is your admission to the event AND your annual membership fee if your company is a current Chamber member.

YPoW is grateful for the year-round sponsorship of AAA Ohio Auto Club and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield during our 2011 program year.  

Start the day with great networking, door prizes and professional exchange when Chamber members gather for a Business Before Hours at Sam's Club, 5870 Sawmill Road, on June 21 from 7:30 to 9 a.m.   

Business Before Hours (BBH) and Business After Hours (BAH) events are designed to give Worthington Chamber members the opportunity to network with other members in an informal setting and to learn more about Chamber member businesses.

We encourage pre-registration. Select "REGISTER NOW" above to reach the online registration page, and follow the registration prompts.  Be sure to click "SUBMIT." You'll receive an e-mail confirmation when successfully registered. Members who pre-register by 1 p.m. todaywill receive preprinted name tags, eligibility for extra door prizes, and listing in the "Know Before You Go" section of the website.

Plans are under way for A Taste of Worthington, the Chamber's 20th annual food sampling festival, on Friday, July 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., in the parking area of OfficeScape Corporate Center, 350 W. Wilson Bridge Road. 

The event offers great tastes and family fun as guests enjoy affordably priced appetizers, entrées and desserts from area restaurants in a festive block party atmosphere, with live music and family activities. Sponsors have the opportunity to showcase their products and services to approximately 3,000 guests, and area restaurants can show off tastes of their best as they vie for honors in the "People's Choice" competition for the crowd's favorite foods.

If you are interested in being a sponsor, food vendor or volunteer for the event, please contact the Chamber at 888-3040 as soon as possible, or click REGISTER NOW in the registration panel above to select your sponsorship level.

If you work in a home office or "wear all the hats" at a small office with five or fewer employees, the Chamber's new Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) subgroup may be for you. At each monthly "brown bag lunch" style meeting, members exchange best practices and business leads and learn from experts about topics that affect small business owners and home-based businesses, including legal, tax, organizational, IT and marketing/promotion issues.

The group is off to a great start with two high-quality speaker presentations at its April and May meetings. In April, Steve Herminghausen from Worthington Libraries provided a summary of numerous library resources and reading lists for small-office/home-office professionals. At the May session, Sheila Sinno of Sinno Law Office and Craig Bringman, of Craig W. Bringman Co., L.P.A., educated the group about business formation types and the required filings associated with each; use of independent contractors; and general contractual issues. SOHO members who missed the meetings but would like copies of the handouts and presentation outlines may request electronic copies by contacting the Chamber office.

The SOHO group will meet next on Thursday, June 23, from 11:30 to 1 p.m. at Northwest Library, 2280 Hard Road, in the community meeting room.  

Wes Mayer, FocalPoint Business Coaching, will present:

"Prioritizing Your Marketing Strategies."

Wes Mayer

You hear lots of ideas from others on how to best market your business.  Many people think that what works for them should work for everyone.  Others think that you should have an almost limitless list of ways to market yourself.  All well-intentioned, but usually off the mark.

What is important is to have a framework and a process that allow you to evaluate and prioritize various marketing ideas based upon the unique needs of your business and your target markets.  Wes Mayer will present a simple and useful way in which to prioritize strategies that work for you.

Business members of the Chamber are eligible to join SOHO. SOHO members pay a subgroup participation fee of $30 per year, in addition to their Chamber dues. A prospective SOHO member may attend the meeting free of charge for a one-month period and then may choose sign up for the group with the $30 annual fee.

Registration is required. To register, click on REGISTER NOW in the registration box above. On the event web page, select the member category if you are already a paid member of SOHO; the "Join SOHO and attend" category if you are joining the group for the coming year and attending this event; or the "Non-member/ Guest" fee to attend this meeting free of charge as a prospective member (you may attend for one month as a guest). Be sure to click "submit" when completed. Call 888-3040 for further details or assistance in registering.

Bring your own lunch, if desired; bottled water will be available.  

SOHO meetings are scheduled for the fourth Thursday of the month. To learn more about SOHO, contact the SOHO Leadership Team for 2011, Glen Allie of Prudential (614-472-2707, ext. 7235) and Howard Brody, GLFM Business Solutions (614-209-0480).