It’s finally here.  Join your friends and colleagues today for the chamber’s member appreciation barbeque lunch.  Almost 200 of you have signed on to help us kick off the week-long celebration of the small business community.  It’s a week filled with networking, educational opportunities and culminating with the Small Business of the Year Award luncheon, where we will honor a business that has set the standard of success.  Today’s lunch is happening rain or shine so don’t miss it.  In case of rain, we will be just next door at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.

Our members belong to the chamber for different reasons, however all members should have the same expectation…that membership brings value and results. One business belongs because they find value in networking, another might belong because of the marketing opportunities that bring new business their way.  Our programs are member-driven.  Our sold out social media seminars happening this week are a direct result of our membership survey.  There are still a few seminars with space available as well as our Small Business of the Year Award luncheon happening this Wednesday. Click here to find out how you can be part of this week’s celebration.

Another great celebration took place last week as the chamber’s Leadership Hilton Head Island-Bluffton class of 2012 unveiled their class project.  Over 100 people attended the ceremony at the Island’s Mitchelville historic site.  The class developed informational kiosks at the site allowing visitors to learn more about the rich cultural legacy of Mitchelville.  It was truly a great moment for our community.  The plans for the Mitchelville Project, like all worthwhile endeavors, are bold, visionary and worth working for to recognize the unique history of our Island.  Click here to see this great clip from WTOC on the unveiling.

Have a great Small Business Week!

The week we’ve been waiting for has arrived.

The RBC Heritage presented by Boeing officially kicks off today at Harbour Town.  If you’ve never attended the tournament’s opening ceremonies, I encourage you to do so today at noon.  It’s not only a great tradition for the tournament, it will remind you why you love the Lowcountry and how lucky we are to call this area home.

The 82 million dollar economic impact that the tournament brings positively effects our community in a very tangible way, but as we all know, the tournament is also part of the fabric of our community.  Just because the tournament has secured sponsorship, doesn’t mean it doesn’t need your support.  If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, please do so today.  Tickets are available at your chamber.  Show your support of the tournament and the community and get your plaid on for the 44th annual RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

On another note, congratulations to the chamber’s visitor and convention bureau staff who’ve earned the Pinnacle Award for an astounding 14th consecutive year.  It’s an honor voted on annually by meeting planners from across the country recognizing our staff for their outstanding service and success.  It speaks volumes about the dedication and professionalism of our staff and their ability to exceed the expectations of meeting planners who bring millions of dollars in revenue to our hotels, restaurants, golf courses and attractions.  Hat’s off to the team.

The Heritage tradition continues!  Enjoy the tournament!

When you’re on an airplane what do you do?  If you’re like most people, you take a look in the seat pocket in front of you and pull out the in-flight magazine.  Those publications put forth by the airlines to entertain and inform us at 30,000 feet in the air.

Marketers love in-flight magazines, because in many ways flyers are the ultimate “captive audience.”  Millions of flyers equals millions of readers, which is why we’re thrilled by the coverage in this month’s U.S. Airways Magazine.  It contains a multi-page feature on Hilton Head Island’s great legacy as the ultimate golf destination, and the timing couldn’t be better.  The April issue is just in time for the RBC Heritage presented by Boeing. The feature also covers where to stay, where to play and where to dine when your 18 holes are complete.

Hilton Head Island has also earned accolades in this month’s issue of Conde Nast Traveler in which readers ranked three of our area golf resorts among the best.  The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, the Inn at Harbour Town and the Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa all made the list of the Top 25 Southern U.S. Golf Resorts.

Why does coverage like U.S. Airways Magazine and Conde Nast Traveler matter?  In a word…credibility.  It’s someone else tooting our horn and saying we’re a great place to spend your hard-earned vacation dollars, and in the minds of travel consumers…that makes a difference.

Research shows that this type of coverage has a high credibility factor among travelers.  A YPartnership research study on what sources travelers found credible revealed that editorial media coverage ranked among  the most credible sources of travel information in the minds of consumers.

Travel begins somewhere.  Sometimes that somewhere is in the pages of a magazine.  Someone who has heard about Hilton Head Island now has a better idea of our offerings, or maybe it’s the couple looking for a second home who decides to take a second look. Maybe it’s the golfer who’s been on-the-fence about where to take his foursome deciding that Hilton Head might be just the place.  That’s good news for all of us.

Business moves at light speed these days.  If you’ve ever felt challenged when it comes to keeping up with what’s happening in government that impacts your business, you’re not alone. Often a quick scan of the local daily headlines is all your schedule allows.

For the past 55 years your chamber has been an advocate for the business community.  We’ve worked hard over the years to ensure that you have a seat at the table and a voice in the debate on issues that impact your business.  In the past month we’ve met with Governor Haley to discuss what matters to the Lowcountry and we’ve discussed what’s happening in Columbia with Representative Andy Patrick. We’ve also had chamber representation at every Town Council meeting for both Hilton Head Island and Bluffton as well as County Council meetings.  Decisions are being made at the government level and we are actively engaged and informed about government’s role in your business and in our community.

In the coming weeks you’ll be receiving informational email briefs that give you a succinct, easy-to-digest read on what we’re hearing and seeing that makes a difference to the business community.  Take the time to take a look.  We believe the information will help you stay informed.

We’ve added a few twists to this week’s Monday Morning Briefing including a new section called “Member to Member.”  Our number one source of great ideas is you, our members, and we’re glad to have this venue for sharing some of your ideas and advice on how you’re maximizing your chamber membership.  If you’d like to submit your input for this section, send us an email and we’re glad to publish it in an upcoming issue.

Your chamber is a busy place and it’s a challenge to communicate the myriad of things we do on a daily basis on behalf of the business community.  We’ve received strong feedback on last week’s issue in which we offered up a brief sampling on what’s taken place at the chamber over the last few weeks. It garnered enough feedback from our membership that it’s something we’ll be adding to the briefing on a more regular basis.

Thanks for your feedback and ideas and keep them coming!

There’s a lot going on in our community and at your chamber.  Our recent member survey showed that networking opportunities and exposure for your business are just two of the prime reasons you and 1,600 other businesses belong to the chamber.  Being a chamber member provides opportunities to grow your business.

Your chamber supports business in a wide variety of ways. I wanted to glance back at the last two weeks at the chamber to give you an idea of the depth and breadth of the work our professional staff handles each day to support our member businesses and our community.

Just a few highlights from the last two weeks at the Chamber:

• Met with Governor Nikki Haley to talk about issues of importance to the Lowcountry community.
• Launched a golf microsite addition to our website designed to drive additional revenue to our golf partners and our community.
• Hosted Coffee Talk:  Connecting Businesses in Bluffton.  This popular networking event helps our Bluffton Business partners connect with one another each month.
• Welcomed 11 new businesses as chamber members.
• Hosted the Reality Store in partnership with Hilton Head High School.  It’s an event that shows students the “real world” after graduation and what it’s like to pay a mortgage, find childcare, the price of groceries and more.  It received coverage on all three Savannah network news stations as an innovative program that’s garnering positive attention.
• Met with Bluffton business leaders as part of our Bluffton Regional Business Council.  What are they working on?  Their Hwy. 278 beautification program, understanding the successful marketing story of how the chamber is promoting this growing area to our visitors, planning for the very-popular regional business luncheons and more.
• Partnered with the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and the Savannah Chamber in communications with Delta Airlines to help lower the cost of Delta flights out of Savannah.
• Hosted a very successful Business After Hours event in Bluffton attended by 200 chamber members.
• Launched a small business tool kit section of our website to give your business great ideas on doing business better.  Have a question about marketing, human resources or financials?  You’ll find answers here.
• Attended local governmental meetings to hear what’s happening in government that impacts your business.
• Met with editors from Southern Living to garner coverage for our destination.
• Partnered with U.S. Airways magazine on a Hilton Head multi-page feature on golf that will reach over 5 million flyers in April.
• Discussions with Heritage Classic Foundation and RBC Leadership regarding the upcoming RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

This is just a small sampling of the work your chamber does on behalf of this community every day.  Have ideas?  Bring them on.  We get our best ideas and input from you, our members.

Hope your week ahead is positive and productive!

Last week Hilton Head Island’s Town Council gave a strong commitment to additional tourism marketing funding.  The council awarded $240,000 to be used to market Hilton Head Island in three important niche markets: golf marketing, culinary advertising and additional funds to market our destination’s rich cultural heritage.  Every dollar goes directly into advertising for these very distinct areas of the visitor experience.

In addition to the traditional marketing we do year-round, these dollars allow us to reach potential visitors in a very targeted manner.  How do we know what they’re interested in experiencing while on Hilton Head Island?  We ask them.  Everything we do from a marketing perspective is based on consumer-driven research.  As the saying goes, we “fish where the fish are.”  With limited budgets for marketing, it is extremely important to make sure each dollar spent is directed toward attracting new, upscale visitors to our destination.

When we present to Town Council our plan for exactly where the dollars will go and what the goal of that marketing plan is, we always keep top-of-mind that the funds aren’t for the benefit of the chamber, they’re for the benefit of the entire community.  If you think your business doesn’t have much to do with cultural heritage or golf marketing, think again.  That visitor who comes to Hilton Head Island because of golf, spends dollars with our local merchants, stays in our hotels and villas, eats in our restaurants and spends money in our grocery stores.  That all has an impact on our tax base, your business and your quality of life in the Lowcountry.

Hope your week ahead is productive and successful!

Saturday evening’s Chamber Ball was such a positive and powerful night for the Lowcountry.  Board Chairman Tom Upshaw talked about the fact that today marks the chamber’s 55th anniversary.  That’s incredible longevity for any organization and speaks to the growth and vitality of our business community.  Thanks to all of you for your support.  Whether you’ve been a member of the chamber for 30 years or one year, together we can accomplish so much.

While the theme for the Chamber Ball, was Mardi Gras Magic, the true theme that seemed to shine through was the momentum we’re experiencing as a business community.  I touched on that momentum, investment and redevelopment that’s happening in the Lowcountry in our last Monday Morning Briefing and it was exciting to see the crowd’s enthusiasm.

I’d like to say thank you to the hundreds of you who came out not only in support of your chamber, but in honor of the evening’s award winners.

The Zonta Woman of the Year award honored realtor Gloria LaCoe for her leadership contributions to the Lowcountry through her work founding the annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner at Hudson’s and her commitment to the youth of our community.

The Bluffton Regional Business Council Member of the Year Award was given to Blufftonian Matt Green, development partner with Buckwalter Place/Buckwalter Commercial.  Mayor Sulka may have said it best when she deemed Green “Bluffton’s greatest cheerleader.”

The Sue West Educator of the Year award went to Lois Lewis, seventh grade teacher at Bluffton Middle School who in addition to teaching science, teaches her students about community involvement and the environment.

The organization of the year award honored the very-deserving Hilton Head Humane Association and its vital role in supporting our community’s four-legged friends since the 1970s.

The coveted Alice Glenn Doughtie Good Citizenship award was given to two individuals, Betsy Doughtie and Ida Martin who have been feeding and clothing area residents for many years via their respective organizations the Deep Well Project and Bluffton Self Help.  It was noted at the event that both women have been honored by two different US Presidents along with other recognition for their efforts in meeting the needs of those in our community who struggle with some of life’s most basic necessities.

The Chamber Ball truly is so much more than just another community event and I’m so proud to be part of it.  It’s an evening that renews our faith in what’s possible and reminds us of what’s important.

In his bestselling book Malcolm Gladwell defines the phrase “tipping point” as the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.

It’s the point where momentum gathers and things really begin to move forward.  In the Lowcounty, Old Town Bluffton is a wonderful example of this effect.  If you haven’t explored Bluffton lately, you owe it to yourself to check it out.  There’s a great vibe downtown, the Buckwalter project is reaching its own “tipping point,” and Bluffton has managed to accomplish it all without losing that “Bluffton state of mind.”

Hilton Head Island is also gathering momentum in its culinary scene.  Many would be surprised to know that for the million plus visitors to our website each year, restaurants always rank in the top three most popular searches.  The dining experience is viewed as so much more than simply where to eat.  Visitors and residents are looking for a great dining experience whether it’s fine dining or a casual locals’ favorite.

Culinary tourism is hot and we’re working hard to promote all there is to offer when it comes to great dining options:

• Upcoming multipage culinary feature in U.S. Airways magazine reaching literally millions of flyers.
• Weekly culinary blog that touts what’s new and different about dining in the Lowcountry.
• Culinary marketing through the popular Foodspotting.com website where foodies share what they love.
• Bon Appetit magazine ad campaign featuring local chefs and Fresh on the Menu options
• Dedicated culinary section of our website Hiltonheadisland.org.
• Dedicated web page and support for food-centric events like the Hilton Head Food and Wine Festival, annual Oyster Roast, Seafood, Jazz and Brew and others
• Culinary event showcase in NY where our most recent Food Network Star and standout chef Orchid Paulmeier will be the guest chef at the famed Conde Nast dining rooms along with an additional media event touting the Island’s culinary offerings.  The takeaway: editors looking for interesting travel story angles have some fresh tales to tell their readers about hot spots for foodie travel.
• Chamber Restaurant Week – one of our most popular events which promotes our restaurants during the off-season.

Every individual and business has the ability to create their own tipping point…the moment when a habit pays off, a sales project brings success or a new business is launched.

Hopefully this will be a week of positive momentum for you.  Make it happen!

According to TV researchers at Nielsen, there are 115.9 million households in the U.S. with at least one television set.  Television is a powerful tool to reach and influence people in every age group from toddlers to seniors.

The majority of television viewing options these days consist of reality programming.  We watch it, we talk about it and we have even had a few local chefs, namely Robert Irvine and Orchid Paulmeier, who have been seen regularly on your reality TV screen  via the Food Network.

A new reality show is set to launch next year on PBS called Getting Away Together.  The show will feature a family getaway segment on Hilton Head Island and the casting call is on!  If you have friends or family with a great story to tell who would like a Hilton Head Island getaway and their 15 minutes of fame, have them go to hiltonheadisland.org to enter.

The chamber along with local home and villa partners and PineRidge Productions have partnered to make the show a reality.  It’s great exposure for our destination and we’re thrilled to be part of the production.

P.S. If you’re in need of information and statistics on everything from U.S. Labor data to demographic information, census data, local tourism trends and more, check out the chamber’s new site at thinkhiltonheadisland.com.

It was great to see so many visitors this July 4th holiday weekend on our Island enjoying their well-earned vacation.  It’s always one of the busiest travel weekends for our destination, so thanks to those of you in the hospitality industry and business community who worked hard this holiday to ensure our guests and residents had a memorable time.

Business After Hours is just one of our many events designed to connect you to other members who can help your business grow.  If you looked at the event line up for just about any chamber in the country, you’d find Business After Hours as part of their offerings.  Our members have told us that our many networking events like this one, provide a great opportunity to get connected and garner exposure for their business.

Your opinion counts and we want to get your feedback on Business After Hours.  We want to know why you go…or why you don’t, and your ideas for how to make it even better.  In today’s busy world, time is one of the most precious commodities we all share; give us just a moment of yours to give us your feedback by clicking here.

Congratulations are in order for our sales team who, for the 13th consecutive year, have won the Pinnacle Award for outstanding service to the meetings industry  There’s plenty of competition in the meetings market among destinations and service matters more than ever in today’s competitive marketplace.  It’s an award chosen by the meeting planners who read Successful Meetings magazine each month and we’re honored to have been chosen once again.