Business After Hours provides Chamber members an opportunity to connect in an informal setting while giving the hosting business a chance to showcase its facilities. Host businesses must provide food and beverages (ideally beer and wine) and host a 50/50 raffle.
Chambers offer members more than networking events; they also provide access to facilities, financial access, and security consulting.
Getting Started
Business after-hours chamber of commerce events offer community members an ideal setting to exchange business cards, meet potential clients or partners, and enjoy food, beverages, and door prizes in a casual environment. Chamber members can benefit significantly from socializing by meeting new customers while building business credibility.
When selecting a chamber chapter, your business must be represented appropriately. Look into membership size and composition – industries/types defined, board of directors/executive council representation, etc – this can help indicate how well a particular chamber meets your company values.
Chambers of commerce provide many benefits to local businesses, from accessing jobs and employee referrals to providing bank loan applications with ease. Furthermore, compartments often offer consulting services for HR issues, security needs, and accounting matters and promote members on social media and websites.
Beginning your membership of the South Baldwin Chamber is easy by attending one of their Business After Hours events, held at locations like Lumberjaxe, Athens Welcome Center, Cofer’s, and Piedmont University. These gatherings are designed to benefit both parties involved and usually draw 50+ attendees – if you would like to host one at your location, please reach out for details!
For your Business After Hours event to run smoothly, you will require non-alcoholic drinks and wine (additional beverages are optional), hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, cups/glasses/ice/beverage openers/napkins/plates and utensils – in addition to creating an event registration page featuring your logo with links back to your website.
Venue
Business After Hours is one of the Chamber’s most well-attended networking events, hosted each month by one of its member companies and offering them the chance to present their facility, products, or services in an informal and relaxed setting. Attendees are invited to socialize over appetizers and beverages in an informal setting while networking over appetizers and drinks – bring along plenty of business cards!
At most Chamber events, an evening starts around 5:30 and lasts until 7 pm. A representative from the Chamber will greet attendees upon their arrival and introduce the host company. At 6 pm, program presentations typically commence; depending on the nature of each event, presenters may provide brief presentations about themselves, followed by time for attendees to ask any pertinent questions and visit vendors in attendance for more information about what they offer.
After the program, door prizes are drawn, and the evening concludes at 7 pm. Depending on your host, this may include tours of their facility or offering product samples for purchase; many hosts also give away merchandise bags to every attendee as they leave.
For an effective Business After Hours event, the venue should comfortably seat 50 guests. To host one, the host should provide non-alcoholic drinks, ice, hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, and all necessary utensils, cups, plates, and napkins; in addition, photos from the event must be provided to the Chamber to use in promotional materials; host sponsors will receive extra exposure through exclusive e-blast invitations as well as a mention on both Facebook pages and Hewitt Express magazine as well. Advantage-level and Executive-level membership packages come equipped with this benefit included, while other members can add it for $250 per event.
Food & Beverages
Business After Hours is one of the Chamber’s signature networking events, held monthly (except March and July ) throughout the year. At these lively mixers, members can showcase their businesses while forging professional relationships. Host businesses provide venue, food & beverages, and door prizes – as well as promotional material to use leading up to it! In addition, Coffee with the Chamber provides another excellent networking opportunity over coffee & breakfast treats!
Hosts should provide hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, wine/beer and ice, cups, plates, and napkins as part of their event’s offering. Furthermore, the Chamber staff should have a table and chair available as an entrance check-in station during their event; moreover, they are encouraged to create an engaging theme for their event to set it apart from others and draw guests more effectively.
Attracting attendees is vital to hosting successful themed events, be it a luau, football night, beer & wine sampling event, or another type of themed gathering. A theme helps set the atmosphere and ensures it becomes memorable for attendees while helping you promote it before its arrival. Don’t forget to send invitations out, email them out to customers/staff/followers on social media platforms, and publicize them at other local business luncheons/meetings in your area!
Door Prizes
Business After Hours provides Chamber members with an ideal way to network in an informal, social atmosphere. Attendees can mingle and make new connections while enjoying food, drinks, and door prizes at one of several monthly locations ranging from hotels and retail stores to warehouses, offices, and banks.
Host businesses are responsible for providing appetizers, beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages (such as juices, soda, or water). They will also offer two door prizes from their own or partner businesses as door prizes for this event. The Chamber Team will assist with promoting it via email updates and social media; all Chamber members, regardless of membership level, may attend this event.
Attendees should arrive between 5:00 and 5:30 pm at the host business/organization and be welcomed by a Chamber staff member, who will introduce all hosts. Each host will talk briefly about themselves/their organization/business and any upcoming events they are planning before guests are invited to mingle and ask any questions that arise. At 6 pm, the Chamber representative will conduct the door prize drawing.
Offering door prizes as part of Business After Hours events is an excellent way to show appreciation for Chamber members and their support of the local economy. Door prizes could range from gift certificates for local restaurants, shops, or businesses to sports tickets, riverboat tours, or even an Apple Watch! If you would like to offer something like this at future Business After Hours meetings, please reach out and contact the Chamber so we can include it on the agenda.
Hosting a Business After Hours event is an ideal opportunity to showcase your facilities, products, or services to fellow Chamber members and send the message that your company cares about being part of their community. It shows your business is invested in its peers as well as the community.
Clean Up
Business After Hours offers Chamber Members the chance to network in an informal and relaxing environment at one of the host businesses each month, offering them a chance to make new contacts while winding down from a busy workday. The program rotates among Member businesses, and attendance is free for guests.
Host businesses are expected to provide non-alcoholic beverages and wine (with additional drinks optional), hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, cups/glasses/ice, and beverage openers for their event attendees as they arrive, clean-up services as needed and provide tours of their facilities when appropriate.
If a host feels they cannot meet these expectations, partnering with another business to sponsor the event could be beneficial in increasing their chances of being selected and potentially creating more exposure for both companies involved.
The Chamber encourages hosts to get creative when planning presentations at networking events and use this as an opportunity to market their business in different ways, such as guided tours, multiple short demonstrations in various locations, audiovisual presentations, or hands-on activities.
