VACCE January 2021 E-Newsletter
VACCE January Webinar
How to Hold a Successful Virtual Networking Event

Tuesday, January 12 - 10:00am

Are you still trying to figure out how to hold virtual networking events successfully for your Chamber? Learn from Sara Persing, Membership Services Manager with the Gwinnett (GA) Chamber, on how they have held 100+ virtual networking events with great success. She will share what audiences they are targeting, how they’re using Zoom for these virtual events, and how to set these up for your Chamber.
 
You must be a current VACCE member to participate in this free webinar. CLICK HERE to register for the event.

VACCE Associate Member Updates
Speed Networking: Transforming the Way Businesses Connect
Glue Up is transforming the way business professionals connect with its new, game-changing Speed Networking Tool. The current pandemic has left many organizations rethinking their current business development strategies. Businesses and member-based organizations that rely heavily on networking events to engage with others are scrambling to find innovative ways to connect. Glue Up’s Speed Networking gives organizations the ability to connect, engage, and grow their businesses quickly and efficiently by giving professionals a fully immersive virtual networking experience recreating the meaningful aspects of face-to-face networking, without current safety limitations.
Click here to learn more.
VACCE Member Updates
Dulles Regional Chamber
The Chamber produced a "Friday Night Live" Christmas Special video - click here to view!
Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber
The Chamber will host their Virtual Annual Meeting on January 28.

Frank Tamberrino, the Chamber’s President and CEO, announced his retirement at the end of 2020. Frank has been with the Chamber since December 2009. During this time, the Chamber has played an increasingly active role in supporting the business community and establishing partnerships to support the economic vitality of Harrisonburg, Rockingham County and the surrounding region. In addition to his duties at the Chamber, Frank has served on many community boards and state association boards over the past eleven years.
Lexington Rockbridge Chamber
The Chamber is hosting their 22nd Annual State of the Community Address on January 8. Elected officials from our three local jurisdictions - Buena Vista, Lexington and Rockbridge County - and our state legislators have been invited to provide a review of this past year and a look ahead to 2021.
Loudoun Chamber
The Chamber will be hosting their second fully virtual awards event in January, the Annual Meeting & Community Leadership Awards. The first event, the Annual Small Business Awards (link to Facebook broadcast), was received very well as an online only event and quickly became one of the top social media events of the year in the community.

Understanding that many businesses may have dropped their membership due to financial uncertainty in the market or due to facing the many other challenges of running a business through a pandemic, the organization reached out to all dropped members for the entire year. The message was understanding and sympathetic to and focused on our being a resource to the community. It also acknowledged their membership may have dropped without their knowledge. So far this campaign has successfully returned a number dropped members in 2020, and we’re excited to usher them back in to the organization as new and returning members. 

The Chamber is also exploring a new networking platform, Remo.co, heading into 2021. It provides members more autonomy to their networking, giving them the freedom to move from virtual table to table and connect with other attendees through a variety of ways. It is a promising solution heading into 2021 to breathe fresh life into the fatigue we’re all facing over zoom networking. The fee for this service is higher than a typical Zoom account, because of that we are actively seeking sponsorship to underwrite the cost and have an expectation of higher engagement for the platform. 
Prince William Chamber
The Chamber's Government Contracting Council will be hosting two Matchmaker events virtually in 2021. Businesses will be able to meet one-on-one with prime contractors and government agencies including local procurement offices and military bases. The dates will be January 15, 2021 and June 11, 2021. For more information, please click here.
National Partner Updates
ACCE
 
Click here to see What We're Reading - Looking to 2021.
 
Click here to learn more about Alliances, Mergers, and Partnerships.
 
Click here for more information on ACCE's Non-Dues Revenue Resource Guide. 

 
U.S. Chamber Foundation - Institute
 
Click here for the Winter Webinar Series from Institute starting January 6.