Some of the chamber of commerce trends I am seeing aren’t easy to face.
One is the high executive turnover rate (30% in the last 3 years, not including retirements, is a number I heard recently).
I hear people asking, with all earnestness, “Are chambers loosing their relevancy?’
That is pretty tough on the ears.
Is the model broken? Maybe.
The model is clearly under serious attack from technology trends (especially social media), local networking groups, generational changes, and a myriad of other sources.
Is it going to be utterly transformed the way print media, the book industry, recorded music, the yellow pages, and so many other established industries will be?
I wish I did, but I don’t, have all the answers.
Where can we find some answers?
Facing Chamber of Commerce Trends
Wayne Griffin’s presentation at the W.A.C.E. 2012 conference in Las Vegas was hard hitting on the chamber of commerce trends issue.
Take a moment to watch the video. It will give you an idea of the seriousness of the questions he asked the chamber of commerce professionals in the room during his breakout at the W.A.C.E annual convention.
This wasn’t a feel good, let’s all hold hands presentation.
Wayne, an Accredited Chamber Executive who has been attending the conference for 24 years, focused in on several major challenges that face the chamber of commerce industry and then he engaged his audience in debate and discussion.
Chamber of commerce trends and what to do about them.
We agreed that change is coming on fast and furious and chamber of commerce professionals have got to change too.
One of the hot topics of his presentation was time poverty. Another was technology. A third was relevancy.
Ideas that came out of the breakout presentation:
- Don’t create the perception that your chamber only has value if the members participate in meeting and events. The old argument, “You would get leads and referrals if you just attended the events” no longer holds water. They don’t have time. The key is to create value without participation.
- Reduce what has to be read by your members. They are probably just as busy as you are and they don’t have time to read. They skim.
- Make it personal. Send chamber emails from a person rather than the organization. People might be too busy to read the chamber’s email blast but they will read an email from their friend who happens to be a chamber staffer.
- Find the strengths of your individual members and tap into them, especially with the new generations. They want to participate, not attend meetings.
- The discussion got around to finding true technology experts who could be relied on. It was agreed that not every “self proclaimed expert” is one. With so many companies pushing social media and mobile applications at chambers today it has become confusing to many. Just because someone says their technology will solve some problem doesn’t mean it is the best long-term solution. Research and ask around, especially with your fellow chamber professionals.
Other challenges brought up concerned using new technology, like video and the CMS systems, that are effective yet require a time investment to learn and use.
The book Wayne references in the video, The End of Membership As We Know It: Building the Fortune-Flipping, Must-Have Association of the Next Century, by Sarah L. Sladek added to the discussion on several issues, not the least of them being the massive generational impacts we are experiencing.
Finally, Wayne covered the W.A.C.E. Tool Kit and survey and how it allowed chamber leaders to find out how they were doing, from their members prospective, on the core competencies of chambers. More information is always better than less.
Wayne used the collective intelligence of his audience to create a fast paced and informative conversation. It was excellent. Nice work Wayne and W.A.C.E.
What’s your take? Is the chamber model broken? Can these chamber of commerce trends be turned into opportunities rather than threats?
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