If you’re like me, this time of year makes you pause and think about how blessed we are. Both personally and professionally, we all have much to be thankful for. Last Friday and the weekend’s unfolding news reports brought that reality home to us in a way that’s unimaginable. As an organization and as a community, our prayers go out to a town and its residents, not that much unlike our own, that is forever changed by what took place last week. May it change us all in ways that matter.

Take a moment to reflect on your blessings. Personally, I am incredibly blessed to raise a family and develop such lasting friendships throughout my 23 years on Hilton Head Island. Each day I am fortunate to work with a staff that defines the word professional and a group of volunteers that brings new meaning to the word “leadership.”

Your chamber is governed by a board of directors that I am honored and privileged to work with. Our outgoing board members Cary Corbitt, Martin Sauls and Andy Twisdale leave their positive mark on our organization and I am grateful that they served our business community in such an impactful way. Their board term is for a limited time, but their impact will be felt well beyond their years of service. Our new incoming board members, will also bring with them their ideas, energy, knowledge and enthusiasm for making every day in business a better one for all of us.

Shake hands a little differently today with those you come in contact with. Have dinner tonight with your family and during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, count your blessings for all that we’ve been given.

As I noted in last week’s Monday Morning Briefing, in partnership with USCB, the university sent out our membership survey to 1,200 randomly selected businesses to garner feedback about not only your chamber, but about your thoughts on economic development, where you see your business headed and much more.

We’ve started looking at the preliminary results and comments. It’s always heartening to read the positive comments about our staff and programs as well as your ideas of what you want to see more of programming-wise in the coming year. One thing that’s remained consistent over the years is the value you place on networking as a tool to garner exposure for your business. It’s always in your top three reasons to belong.

What’s always interesting is the perception one member might have vs. another about the same services. I’ll give you a prime example of two comments gleaned from one of our survey questions asking about how you rate your chamber on a number of programs we put forth each year.

• “The Chamber has been such a great resource for my business. I have been able to take advantage of marketing opportunities, seminars and networking events that are a lot of fun. Everyone I’ve dealt with at the chamber has been professional, easy to work with and eager to help with my business needs.”
• “…haven’t had any referrals or work come out of being a chamber member for the past year.”

One member sees the value of their membership quite differently than the other. As an organization, we provided over 665,000 referrals from our website alone last year. Many of our members have noted that they usually don’t leave one of our networking events without a few solid leads for business. They follow up on those leads, develop relationships and often business comes knocking. But we also take the second comment very seriously and consider what can we do differently to ensure that every member is getting what they need out of their chamber involvement.

In the survey, there’s a comment along the lines of Does the Chamber practice what they preach in terms of “buy local” efforts? The answer to that question is a resounding yes. The vast majority of our vendors are local and we spend our dollars with local chamber members.

In the coming months, we will be publishing highlights from the survey results in our chamber newsletter. I’ll also be answering a few of the questions that have been noted in the survey.

If you’re interested, click here to check out how a few of our members enjoyed their networking time at our recent Business After Hours held at the Old Oyster Factory. Hundreds of you came out to support the toy drive we hosted in partnership with WSAV and Bluffton Self Help, and to enjoy the incredible food, hospitality and entertainment provided by one of our longtime members Ric Peterson and his team with the Old Oyster Factory. It was a great night.

Consumers are confident. According to the National Retail Federation, holiday shoppers spent 13 percent more this year during Black Friday weekend to the tune of about $59 billion dollars.

Lowcountry shoppers were out in full force. Special thanks to those of you who patronized your local merchants for this year’s Small Business Saturday. It’s a growing movement and we are proud to be part of it. Your chamber has partnered with the U.S. Chamber and American Express to remind shoppers of the important role their dollars play in our local economy.

Over the last two decades small businesses have created two out of every three U.S. jobs. Your buying power has a ripple effect that lasts far beyond the busiest shopping weekend of the year.

I encourage you to view Small Business Saturday as an important day of support but to also view it as the kick off event to building awareness through the holiday season and beyond.

We believe in small business. Our Shop Local campaign and support of Small Business Saturday are just the tip of the iceberg. From our online small business toolkit and job center to our thinkhiltonhead.org website and numerous other programs, we are here to support…connect…and empower our members.

What an incredible weekend we had for one of the Island’s most successful special events. The weather was perfect for the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance, and more people than ever before came out to enjoy a postcard-perfect Island weekend surrounded by an impressive collection of automobiles from around the globe. Now in its 11th year, the event continues to evolve and grow as one of the Lowcountry’s signature events. Kudos to the board of directors, hundreds of volunteers, and the leadership of Carolyn Vanagel and her team who have made this event into one of the top Concours in the nation.

Tomorrow is a big day for our country and I encourage you to head to the polls to vote. It’s a responsibility and a privilege that many American’s around the globe have paid the ultimate price for. A wise editorial I came across this weekend may have said it best: Vote. Because if you don’t you must be content to be governed by those who do. If you have questions about where to vote and other election details go to the Beaufort County Board of Elections and Registration site.

If you feel as though fall is moving quickly as we approach the holiday season, you’re right. The ever-popular Taste of the Season event is just around the corner and tickets are selling quickly. It’s become a Lowcountry tradition and the kick off to the holiday season. Thirty-seven of our local chefs and restaurants will pull out all the stops as they vie for the title of Best Cuisine. Join us for a great evening which is just around the corner on Friday, November 16th at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa. Click here to get your tickets today.

If you didn’t get a chance to take in the Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival recently, you missed out on something pretty wonderful. Chamber of Commerce weather, some fantastic talent in the art department and simply amazing seafood. The sights, sounds and smells made it a memorable event in Bluffton. It just keeps getting better each year with more people than ever enjoying the “Bluffton State of Mind.”

As the official designated marketing organization or DMO for the Town of Bluffton, it’s our job to spread the word about Bluffton. One of the most important and impactful ways we do that is not surprisingly via the Internet. Our website visitbluffton.org, tells the story of all things Bluffton and with more than 51,000 page views this past year, it’s become the go-to spot for visitor information.

There’s no such thing as standing still in the digital world. We’re always looking for ways to improve, adapt, reach out, grow the number of visitors to the site and give them what they need.

We’ve recently done a major refresh on the site and the results have been pretty phenomenal. Since the site was refreshed, visitation to visitbluffton.org has doubled when we compare it to the same time frame last year. More visitors don’t just happen magically. We work hard behind the scenes each day to ensure our Search Engine Optimization or SEO is the best that it can be and that the site content is rich and varied to maximize visitation. Not only are more people coming to the site, they’re spending more time there as well.

We’ve added some new features to make it easier than ever to navigate. The website is designed to offer information, but our number one goal with the website is to drive business to the doorstep of Bluffton’s restaurants, retail shops and other businesses that benefit from it. It’s not just a website, it’s an economic driver.

That’s one of the main reasons we’ve added a new section to the site entitled Bluffton is Open For Business. Many people are discovering the charm of Bluffton, but we also want to ensure that they understand that this very progressive town is worth considering as a place to not only visit, but as a viable location for their business. There are so many stories about people who fell in love with the Lowcountry and decided to relocate for the quality of life it offers. Bluffton is a big part of that.

Technology has changed the way we do business and that’s good news for Bluffton. We want to ensure that people understand that the “Bluffton State of Mind” translates well when it comes to business.

Odds are that when Steve Jobs started his computer company from his garage, he had a vision about how we communicate.  He profoundly changed the way we communicate, the way the world connects, the way we gather information and how we do business thanks to his strategic foresight and ability to evolve and surpass the expectations of consumers worldwide.

Last week in the Monday Morning Briefing we discussed the incredible way technology has changed the industry that drives our economy …tourism.  Even those who research and report on technology trends are astounded by how quickly our ability to access information from our smartphones, tablets and computers has impacted the way we travel.

We are changing the way we provide information for our Lowcountry visitors.  How do we know we’re headed in the right direction?  Because over 6,000 travelers told us so.  We closed our “bricks and mortar” welcome center last week and are reinventing the way we provide visitor services after receiving input from literally thousands of travelers about the way they prefer to find out what to do, where to stay and how to make their Lowcountry vacation a memorable one.

Young Strategies, an organization that specializes in travel destination research, asked travelers about the best way to reach them and the results reinforced the technology trend we’re experiencing.  More travelers than ever are choosing to access information online and pass by the traditional welcome center model.

• We are developing iPad stations that will be strategically located in high traffic locations around the Island where guests can get information about Island attractions, restaurants, hotels and more.  While a number of visitors will always access information from their smartphones and laptops, the iPad stations can make searching, booking and buying a breeze.  It’s being used successfully in other destinations such as Napa Valley to drive travelers to the doorstep of local businesses.

• We’re offering a high-tech/high-touch approach at our mid-Island chamber location by combining easy-to-access information, better signage and hospitality specialists who can provide visitors with expert advice.

• We’re exploring the feasibility of launching a mobile welcome center that will travel to various locations around the Island that experience high visitor traffic so we can “fish where the fish are” and get the word out about all there is to do, see and experience on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton.   Based on what travelers had to say about where they prefer to get information, we’re also researching having a small physical presence in our key, high-traffic tourism areas on the Island.

Our website hiltonheadisland.org has experienced an additional surge in usage in the past year.  At the end of August, over 1.2 million online visitors had explored the site which is equal to the online traffic for the entire past year.  The website is responsible for over 546,018 referrals to our member businesses and our member feedback has told us it’s among their top sources of visitor business.

Our Chamber Marketing Council made up of tourism community leaders, our board of directors and key tourism thought leaders, has actively supported and strategically guided our long-term approach to create a best-in-class visitor information experience.

Our visitor welcome experience has always been about more than simply offering directions and distributing brochures. It’s about strategic focus:  Driving visitors and dollars to our tourism industry in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Strategic and visionary decision-making creates a progressive and successful future for all of us.

It’s not very often you get to make history.

Our keynote speaker for State of the Region next week has done just that.  Darla Moore, along with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, has been selected to the membership of the world’s most private, most prestigious and most revered golf club, Augusta National.

Long before Augusta came calling, Darla Moore made her mark in the world of banking and finance.  This South Carolina native, once recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the 50 Most Influential Individuals in Business, is an uber- successful business woman, and financial pioneer with a strong affection for the state she calls home.

Higher education in our state is all the better thanks to the contributions of Darla Moore who has given millions of dollars in support of the University of South Carolina, as well as Clemson University.

We’re fortunate to have Darla Moore kick off our annual State of the Region breakfast this year.  Following Darla’s talk, we’ll be hearing from our elected officials, County Council Chairman Weston Newton, Town of Hilton Head Island Mayor Drew Laughlin and Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka.   Reservations are filling quickly for this popular annual event, so if you haven’t already done so, make your reservation here.

State of the Region is always an event where we take a look at where we are as a community and more importantly, where we’re headed.  If the recent level of confidence in our area shown by investors is any indication, we’re definitely headed in the right direction.

The Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island just announced on Friday that they’re investing $30 million dollars in resort upgrades.  That’s great news for tourism and it’s great news for our economy.  The construction and planning process means jobs and business for our community and it means strong support and confidence in the tourism industry, our economic driver.  The announcement comes as the Westin is in the midst of their 30 million renovation process and as other hotels like the Omni Resort move forward with their redevelopment plans. Momentum is happening in the Lowcountry.

Have successful and productive week!

“Wow” is the adjective that might best describe last week’s grand re-opening ribbon cutting at the chamber’s Bluffton office at the corner of May River and Bluffton Road.  With over 150 people in attendance, it was a joint event with the Town of Bluffton for its beautiful new green space, Tom Herbkersman Commons. Our state representative Bill Herbkersman and his family helped dedicate the area named for his late brother Tom. We also cut the ribbon for Reclamation by Design, the innovative small business that shares space with the chamber office. The event was topped off with a great lunch from Ted and Donna Huffman’s Bluffton BBQ.

Mayor Lisa Sulka brought her usual enthusiasm and dedication to the event and noted how appropriate and symbolic it was that the day represented the coming together of the town, the chamber as well as a successful small business. What a great example it was of how organizations like these always seem to accomplish more collectively than they do own their own. The word “collaboration” is often tossed around lightly in business, but this truly was a collaborative effort that paid off in a very visible and successful way.

When I looked around at the crowd from the podium, I saw something interesting on the faces and in the body language of those in attendance…pride.  I know it was a proud day for all of us. Proud of Bluffton’s past, excited about its future and knowing that nothing is impossible when a caring and committed group of individuals work together.

With another busy weekend of Labor Day holiday tourism behind us, I want to remind you of travel’s significant economic impact and ability to create jobs within our community.

Travel provides answers to our country’s increasingly complex economic challenges. To combat lingering unemployment, travel puts Americans back to work during tough times. To counter sluggish growth, travel is a resilient industry pumping trillions of dollars into local, state and national economies. And to improve global competitiveness, travel serves as a valuable export with promising potential for a brighter future. By supporting policies that allow travel to thrive, we put South Carolina on a faster path to recovery.

Travel has a much broader economic impact than many realize. Tourism generates $1.9 trillion for our economy and supports 14.4 million American jobs. Over $893 million in gross sales on Hilton Head Island is attributable to overnight visitors. (Source: USCB/Clemson Tourism Research Study 2009)

From the airport worker to the hotel concierge, from real estate to the restaurant owner, individuals in communities nationwide reap the benefits of travel. In fact, one in every eight American jobs depends on travel. With jobs such a key issue currently, tourism should not be ignored, but fueled through support.

Furthermore, small businesses employ more than half of the total workforce in the travel industry, supporting 3.9 million workers. Supporting travel equates to supporting small business, which benefits Americans who call the Lowcountry home.

The economic benefit and jobs impact of the travel industry is clear.  I encourage you to be a strong advocate in support of travel and tourism to help us make our community better.

Nike’s Just do it! Three small words that defined a brand and sparked a generation to get moving. It was one of the most effective and memorable marketing campaigns in history. That’s branding at its best, and it’s a powerful thing.  Good branding is good business, and great ROI is the name of the game.

If you’re looking to stand out in the marketplace and maximize your presence, marketing expert and author Chuck Mefford’s Brandsformation seminar next week is a great place to start.  Presented by the chamber in partnership with Adventure Radio Group, it’s just one of the many ways we’re helping small businesses grow. As a benefit to our members, there is no charge to attend. The cost to attend for non-members is $99.

What does branding mean for you and your business?  Media share equals market share, whether you’re a great local business or a national one.  So much more than a great tagline, in the business world, it’s who you are.  Leaders like Allstate and Coca Cola know how to make an emotional connection and tell their story. In our corner of the world, we do too, from Bluffton’s State of Mind to Hilton Head Island’s Come Away
With Me.

These days there are so many ways to reach your market. Here are a  few statistics worth thinking about:

• People spend more than 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook
• For every $1 spent on e-marketing in 2011, the estimated ROI was $44.25
• A case for personal branding: 75% of buying decisions are based on emotion
• Businesses that blog 20 times per month get 5 times more traffic and 4 times more lead generation

As Scott Bedbury, marketing guru behind Starbucks and Nike said,
“I walked through a hardware store and came across 50 brands I didn’t know existed. They may be good products, but they’re not great brands.”

Don’t believe that because you’re not Nike, you can’t stand out in the marketplace. Every business deserves a great brand.  Come learn how you can transform your local business into a great local brand that people remember.

P.S. Getting in the game is what it’s all about and with the Hilton Head Island Celebrity Golf Tournament coming up, there’s still time to tee-off with the stars at the Labor Day weekend event. Click here for details. The tournament has been raising money for Lowcountry children’s charities for over 30 years. Be part of it!