Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber 2008 – A Year In Review!
The Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber has rounded up the Chamber’s events & activities from 2008 to share with you. Commencing with informing you that an astounding €150,000 worth of Chamber Shopping Vouchers were purchased from the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber Office in November/ December 2008. Despite the recession, this was a vast increase on the amount purchased in 2007. Perhaps it is a demonstration of how much we all want to support local business and are making a concerted effort to Keep Business Local........
Chamber Shopping Vouchers are for sale throughout the year and make a fantastic gift for family, colleagues and friends. Recipients can redeem vouchers in over 100 outlets in Dungarvan & West Waterford. A trend to use Chamber Shopping Vouchers as Wedding Presents is definitely prevalent and growing! We actively encourage everyone to consider Chamber Shopping Vouchers when purchasing or requesting gifts to ensure we retain business in our area and safe keep jobs and industry.
The 2009 Edition of the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber Business Directory & Diaries which are brimming with information and business contact details, have been printed and are distributed to all members. Should you wish to acquire a diary, they are for sale from our Chamber office for only €5.
Twelve months on since the addition of Business Development Manager, Jenny Beresford, a great year of progression and enormous activity can be seen within the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber.
During 2008, the Chamber hosted 11 social events, these included Business Afterhours, popular Business Breakfasts, and the social event of the year; The Annual Chamber Ball.
The Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber issued 2 major printed publications consisting of the 2008/09 Building & Home Guide and the annual Chamber Business Directory & Diary, also available was a monthly Calendar of Events. A Business Profile about a member business is published each month and highlighted to all members on our website and in local media.
In 2008, the Chamber also organised 6 Seminars/ Workshops across a broad spectrum of topics designed to help business owners, managers and staff, 10 training courses and 3 literature mail outs.
An Education & Training Provider Exhibition was also a new event to our Calendar which we expect will become an annual occurrence. A weekly email-out to our members has been established for months, issuing all members with information and opportunities that may affect/ benefit their business.
And our Business Watch Scheme has been updated with effective technology where we can text members instantly to inform them of any urgent news (i.e. counterfeit money in circulation etc), this is especially effective for retailers.Membership has increased by a staggering 25% throughout 2008 ensuring we are the prime representative forum of businesses in Dungarvan & West Waterford. Significantly ahead of our 2007- 2010 Strategic Plan, the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber feels we are in a very positive position to continue the powerful growth of the Chamber and simultaneously ‘Drive Business’ in Dungarvan & West Waterford.
No doubt a challenging year ahead for businesses, we aim to be a support to all, developing the services we as a chamber are providing and the support on offer to our existing and potential members to ensure everyone feels the benefits of membership. As a ‘one stop shop’ for all those in business, the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber invites you to contact us at any stage to discuss both the limitations and successes that your business experiences. Your feedback on further improvement of our service and provision of training courses is also very welcome.
The Chamber office is open business hours, Monday to Friday inclusive. We are located at the Court House, Bridge Street, Dungarvan. All are welcome to drop in to find out more about our membership, training courses and shopping vouchers, or contact the office on 058 45054 and email – We look forward to working with you during 2009, no doubt our busiest and more important year.
