Is Your Local Chamber of Commerce Relevant?

“Reprinted with permission from The National NetWorker“

Published December 2006

According to Wikipedia, the first Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1599 in England. Chambers were started to help local businesses connect with and help each other. It was the first formal attempt at organized business networking. In Canada the term Board of Trade is more common than Chamber of Commerce, but they are the same thing.

Many times in my career I have been asked to join a Board of Trade. About ten years ago, I even attended one even—and was quite disappointed. My ideal customers were large corporations, and it seemed that the only attendees were real estate and insurance agents and tiny one-person companies. I didn’t bother perusing it further—a big mistake. Real estate and insurance agents are common in Boards of Trade, but as with an iceberg, only a tiny part shows on the surface.

In search of business growth

Back in the spring of 2006, I was looking for new ways to grow business for Hydrogen Creative. After considering advertising and cold calls, we decided the most cost-effective way would be—surprise!—through networking. Because Hydrogen had been located in Markham for many years, we checked out the Markham Board of Trade (MBT), located in Markham, Ontario, on Toronto’s northeast corner.

Markham is Canada’s High-Tech Capital and has more than 850 high-tech firms, including IBM, Lucent, Pfizer, Sun, Lucent, and Wyeth. But it is also diversified with small and large manufacturing plants, large areas of green space, several golf courses, farms, an airport, beautiful homes, access through several highways, and lots of very nice people.

Markham is also a key part of the York Region. The region is made up of a confederation of nine municipalities and provides services to almost a million people, including 25,000 businesses and 395,000 employees. Efforts made with the MBT open up lots of other relationships.

The MBT is led by effervescent Keith Bray. Keith’s team of business development managers guides each member through various opportunities provided by the board. Says Keith about why a company should be a member of a Board Of Trade, “If your company is any good and you truly want to grow your business, your local Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce is the most cost-effective way of doing it.”

The benefits of a Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce

As regular readers know, I love networking groups that provide benefits beyond simple introductions. MBT benefits include discounts on insurance, gas, merchant credit cards, and of course member-to-member discounts.

So where is the networking in all of this? Almost every week’s calendar holds more than one event bringing out different types of people. Regardless of your business need, you’ll find something for you. As is typical in every Board of Trade, there is a monthly breakfast; Markham’s is attended by 60 to 100 people. MBT also brings out the beer at an after-hours event. The MBT scope is large, and there are nearly a dozen committees.

Annual events include a Christmas lunch, a rodeo with a B2C trade show, a B2B trade show, and a hanger party at the Buttonville airport. In addition to the music, the beer, and the networking, all sorts of interesting people show up. My favorites last summer were the CSI van and the police helicopter. I got to talk to a real live CSI guy and a man who chases criminals in a helicopter. How often do you get to network with people like that?

Special events provide all sorts of unexpected opportunities. MBT invited its members to the signing of an agreement between Markham and the city of Wuhan in China. The Wuhan delegation included a dozen senior executives all looking to do business here in Canada. Locally, MBT has a regular stream of trade delegations composed of companies from all parts of Canada and the U.S. who want to do business in Markham.

MBT will host the Annual General Meeting of The Canadian Chambers of Commerce in September 2007. This will be an amazing opportunity to let local members connect with people across the country. In only a few days, avid networkers will be able to expand their reach across this nation.

In a Board of Trade, you will meet people who have been members for years and years. These are the people who volunteer in the community. The Board of Trade works both ways: giving and getting.

As one long-term member explained, a Board of Trade is like a private club that is open to everyone. Long-term members wait to see if you are really committed to the success of the club. Once they see the commitment, they will help you succeed. So expect the payoff to take time. Attend the regular breakfasts and some of the special events. Sometimes it’s not who you meet, but who sees you attend.

So what’s the bottom line?

The Markham Board of Trade generates business and can reasonably expect to continue doing so for years to come. So the answer to the headline question is: local Boards of Trade are more relevant now than ever.

To find a Board of Trade in Canada go to Canadian Chamber of Commerce. In the U.S., go to www.chamberofcommerce.com.

–Zale

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