The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce (GRCC) is changing the way businesses are connecting with each other. Our members are not coming to networking events to just pass business cards but they are also formulating genuine relationships.
Recently the chamber reinforced our dedication to the community and our members with our social media membership retention campaign “We are Reston” which highlighted various member businesses. The grand finale of the campaign ended with a video promotion starring our members and the Founder of Reston, Bob Simon.
We continue to help our members create partnerships with other local businesses through our LeadShare group. LeadShare was created to facilitate business growth among Chamber members. LeadShare groups connect members to learn about each other’s businesses, exchange warm leads and facilitate introductions to prospective clients. The Chamber operates three industry-exclusive groups of no more than 30 members who meet twice a month for one hour. Our LeadShares are industry exclusive so that your business has the full market share within your group.
The mission of our Ambassador Committee is to actively engage the Chamber’s newest members by facilitating connections and involvement with current members. In addition, this committee conducts regular outreach to current members to ensure they are maintaining and maximizing the benefits of their membership.
Tom Madden, President and CEO of Visual Impact Productions, LLC, and Small Business of the Year ACE Award winner, said:
“I got roughly 12K in business in less than a year by just attending a few events- before I joined. Since joining, I have several proposals in that hopefully will turn into business. One of them is a potential 40K deal. Not a bad ROI for $325 or so?”
Amy Salley, GRCC Membership Services Manager, said:
“Members of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce look out for each other. It really is as simple as that. I have a great example: A couple of new members within the past two months went to their Ambassador and explained that business is slow; they need help with ideas on how to bring in new business. This person didn’t hesitate, she asked them a few questions, which led to a great idea; not even a week later they gathered together with other like-industry members creating a seminar that is specific to that Industry. Their goal is to promote the seminar at several different venues including the Business Education Series at the Chamber. One simple request for help from a fellow member turned into an opportunity for everyone at that meeting.”
Great business relationships build great businesses. Our Network Nights draw over 100 members and guests every month and are held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. We also offer our members multiple media exposure opportunities:
*Business Focus aired on Comcast 28 and Fairfax Public Access: Highlighting our members businesses
*Reston Chamber Spotlight: Is a feature, sponsored by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, which runs in the online news magazine, RestonNow
*Weekly Update advertising opportunities: Our weekly newsletter is distributed to more than 6,000 Northern Virginia business community members, elected officials and other decision makers
*Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce (GRCC) Blog: Members have the opportunity to highlight their business knowledge. Blog entries are promoted on all social media networking sites.
*Community Focus section in our Weekly Update, highlights members who are making a difference in their community
*Annual sponsorship opportunities
*Affordable marketing opportunities
Our programs fall within our four strategic cornerstones related to our mission:
*Networking
*Business Development and Marketing
*Community Engagement and Advocacy
*Business Education and Mentoring