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ChamberWorks January 2004 |
» Past Issues |
» Message From Our Chairman
» Wine Tasting & Silent Auction Feb. 6
» January Business After Hours
» Holiday Party Recap
» Web News
» Five Chamber Business Expo
» Business Showcase 2004
» Johnny Be Dead
» Business Guide & Membership Directory
» New Member Breakfast
» Leads Group
» Kids' T-shirts Updated
» Arts & Crafts Show 2004
» Gift Certificates, Anyone?
Many months of preparation have gone by, and in the blink of an eye, the holiday season is behind us. Still, we are left with warm memories that will last a lifetime.
There are many of us who remember that first bicycle or some other toy we just couldn't live without. I remember waking up as a child on Christmas morning to discover that special gift, beautifully wrapped, that took me only a split second to uncover. And now I've seen the expression on my own child's face when he received the gift he really wanted. Priceless! As I grow older I find the real pleasure is giving the gifts rather than receiving them. Funny how we change.
The same feeling also applies when we give to those less fortunate. Thank you to everyone who supported Operation Hope by bringing a gift to the Christmas Business After Hours at the Southport Brewing Company. The holidays really are a time to focus on others. We are reminded of how fortunate we are to live in a community that extends its help to those in need through the many community and business organizations, including the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.
As we head into the New Year we are all hoping for a strong economic forecast and bigger and better sales. The Chamber can help in many ways. If you've resolved to join the Leads Group, do it now. One is already in full swing and five have signed on for the second one. If you resolved to network more, begin with the January event at the Fairfield Theatre Company on January 21, or the Wine Tasting and Silent Auction at the Greenwich Workshop Gallery on February 6, or Johnny Be Dead, a Rock 'n Roll Murder Mystery scheduled for May 8 at the Brooklawn Country Club. These are all great ways to interact with other local businesspeople, and important fundraisers that enable the Chamber to continue good works.
Don't let your business resolutions fall by the wayside. Visit the Chamber website at www.FairfieldCTchamber.com today and explore the many opportunities that will help your business grow.
Wishing you a healthy and happy new year!!
Ted Fitzgerald
Chairman
Wine Tasting & Silent Auction 2004
Mark your calendars now for the 9th annual Fairfield Chamber of Commerce Wine Tasting and Silent Auction.
The Greenwich Workshop Gallery will host this very important chamber fund-raiser on Friday, February 6, 2004 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This is a real opportunity for you and your company to receive exposure through planned press releases and at the evening event, which we expect will be attended by 140 to 150 individuals.
Individual wine stations will be set up, thanks to Harry's Wine & Liquor Market, a fantastic array of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, desserts and coffees will be offered throughout the evening. Piano music will be provided by John Shalvoy.
Our committee members are already making calls for items to be included in the Silent Auction. Please take a moment to think about what you can donate, and say "yes, I can help" when they call.
Your help with this chamber event is critical. Proceeds from the event help to support chamber activities which, in turn, make Fairfield a better place in which to live or do business.
The cost for this event is $30 per person pre-paid, pre-registered, and $35 per person at the door.
Denise T. Johnson, Chairman
The January 21 Business After Hours, hosted by The Fairfield Theatre Company, is the annual event that also welcomes teachers that are new to the Fairfield school system. The event will take place at The Fairfield Theatre Company facilities from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. The teachers are invited as our guests, and have expressed their thanks to the Chamber office in the past for the opportunity to meet with members of our business community. Let's show them our support with a good turnout. A brief tour of the facility (under construction, so dress accordingly) will also be available. Once again, please respond by making your reservation early. Call the chamber office at 255-1011, or use our online registration form.
Our gracious host, Southport Brewing Company, provided a sumptuous feast for over 75 chamber members and friends at the December 16 holiday party. There was gourmet pizza and fried calamari, not to mention the chicken tenders and other goodies. The cash bar area was shared with local patrons, making for a real party atmosphere with lots of public interaction.
It's important to remember others-especially at this time of year, and all you chamber folks did just that. The side seats were filled with wrapped and unwrapped gifts, bags of food from the local markets, and money, too. All of this went to Operation Hope, our friends around the corner on Nichols Street. (We will also be sending Operation Hope a check from the proceeds of our admission fees.)
So thank you Southport Brewing Company for providing the space, the food, and the opportunity to network. And thank you to all those who attended the event and brought something for our homeless neighbors, and for sharing your time, your thoughts, and your good holiday cheer.
So here's the problem: You're thinking that you really ought to go to the January Business After Hours, or maybe it's the Wine Tasting, and you know that if you don't do something about it right now, you'll forget about it. Trouble is, it's 3 a.m., you're wearing bunny slippers, and no one is waiting to take your call except those people on TV.
Not to worry. The Chamber web site has the answer.
Hop on the computer and make your way over to www.FairfieldCTChamber.com (careful, now -- don't forget the "CT" part or you'll wind up in Ohio).
Find the event you're looking for on the chamber events calendar, and click on the "Register Now" button. Fill out the secure registration form and follow the instructions to submit it to the chamber office. All done -- and you didn't even have to change out of your bunny slippers.
Of course, you can sign up online for chamber events any time of day or night. And while you're there, check out the photographs from recent events like Santa's Arrival and read about other events you may have missed.
On Tue., March 16, this Business Expo event will take place at the Norwalk Community College from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. Exhibitor cost is $250 per table, and they will be going fast! This business-to-business event concludes with a Business After Hours. A great opportunity at an affordable price! Call Linda Matthews at 255-1011.
On Wed., May 12, the William Pitt Center at Sacred Heart University will once again be the location for the Business Showcase 2004. This event, running from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., attracts over 200 exhibitors from area towns and cities. Here is an opportunity for your business to "show off."
Space is available on a first-reserved basis, and previous exhibitors have the first right of refusal. Call Linda Matthews at the chamber office, 255-1011 if you have any questions, or would like to receive information. If you enjoyed going to the event last year and thought about being a participant, now is the time to look ahead and book this event! You can also visit www.biz-showcase.com and browse through the 2003 site.
The Feb. 12 Business After Hours will take place at American Signs & Designs, 1700 Post Road (also known as Heritage Square), from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Our hosts, Wayne Savard and Leon Lebenkorn, look forward to meeting our members. You can register online.
Grease back your hair and pull on your bobby socks because Johnny Zipper and the Velcroes will be in town. It will be rock 'n roll heaven until someone decides to 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock kill, and Johnny will be on his way to join Buddy Holly and Richie Valens in that big gig in the sky. Bye-bye American guy.
Yes, the Brooklawn Country Club will be the scene of a murder on Saturday, May 8, 2004. If you think of yourself as a Sherlock Holmes type, or even if you're just a girl that wants to have fun, save the date. This is an interactive rock 'n roll murder mystery dinner show. There will be live music, specialty entertainers and period costumes.
The Mystery Café will produce our show. The Café was founded in the fall of 1986 in the basement of the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, MA. During the next seven years, a second location opened in Cambridge, and the concept was licensed, the logo and the scripts were sent to producers in 21 cities in the U.S. and Canada and the Mystery Café was born. You can now find mystery dinner theaters all over the world in most major cities -- and now, even at the Brooklawn Country Club on May 8. Keep tuned for more.
Business Guide & Membership Directory
You probably know by now that we are working with MKdesign, a Connecticut company, to produce a new and exciting 2004 Membership Directory and Business Guide. Dee Sherman and Connie Ilowitz, MKdesign sales representatives, have been contacting members over the past couple of months regarding advertising in the directory, and sales have been going well. There will be a new look for the cover -- not the usual photographs -- and the directory pages will be yellow, just like the yellow pages in the telephone book.
While we are in the final stages of drafting the publication, there is still a little time to consider your listing. If you haven't renewed your membership, please do so now. While non-members are allowed to advertise in the publication, the rates are considerably higher than membership rates.
We hope you like the new look, and will consider advertising opportunities in the publication which is distributed throughout the town. We expect the books to be ready for distribution by mid February.
We need a volunteer to chair the scheduled New Member Breakfast at Rooster's on February 10 from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. Your job will be to oversee the event, to help greet the new members, and to be the liaison between the chamber and Rooster's. The chamber office will help, of course, and will get the invitations out to all the members who have joined the chamber since January 2003. Do we have any takers? Call Patricia L. Ritchie at the Chamber office, 255-1011.
We have openings for the Leads Group that meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month at noon in the Old Town Hall. Remember, please, that only one person from each category is allowed. That is: one lawyer, one doctor, one fitness person, one investment person, etc. The meetings begin promptly and end promptly. Brown bag lunches are welcome. Call the chamber office at 255-1011 for information.
Updated! Good news for all you parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters and friends of the family: A full range of kids' t-shirts are now in stock at the chamber office. They're available in navy blue only, in sizes XS (2-4), M (6-8) and L (10-12). The shirts are Hanes Beefy-Ts, which are top-notch, excellent quality shirts. They shrink very little, if at all. Call 255-1011 for further information.
Hats are still available to purchase in navy and in white. The denim/khaki color combination hats sold out at an unbelievable rate. Many people noted that the simplicity of the hat (gazebo embroidered on the front, with "Fairfield Conn" on the back) made it an ideal gift for those family and friends who are away from Fairfield, such as students or those recently relocated.
Yes, this piece is a brief update/overview regarding our 42nd Annual Outdoor Arts & Crafts Show, which will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 26 & 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Last year, after many years of holding this event on Father's Day weekend, it was decided to push it to the following weekend. We heard no real complaints, just that a number of artists had to remember to make adjustments on their calendars!
We need to line up our volunteers well in advance, as preparations begin on Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, straight through to tear-down on Sunday evening. Application process starts in January, deadlines in April, jurying follows shortly thereafter, notification to artists, space assignments, preparations for check-in, and of course, the adverting and publicity that goes hand-in-hand with a successful show. A number of other organizations have looked to us for recommendations on how to improve their shows, so we must be doing something right!
If ever a Chamber program has been consistently successful, this is the one!
As we continue to grow this program, I am pleased to say that we now have 61 participating members who will welcome our CertifiChecks at their place of business. From restaurants to retailers, business services to professionals, the variety and choices are enough to satisfy even the pickiest of recipients.
Through highly effective publicity, the cooperation of our school system to help us distribute the program information, the Chamber office and People's Bank, sales for the November/December holiday season alone exceeded $10,000! Even at press time this number does not include those on-line sales which go directly through CertifiChecks.
We make the sales and information of our gift certificates accessible 24/7 through the Chamber's web site, which also includes a toll-free number.